A couple of years ago, I did a post called “Photographing the First Look, Before the Ceremony.” Although not everyone is enamored with the idea, in the article, I discuss the practical reasons why wedding couples now commonly decide to see each other before getting married on their wedding day.
The Touch before the wedding ceremony is similar in the sense that the Bride and Groom have some physical contact with each other before the ceremony. However, with ‘The Touch,’ the only contact they actually make is with their hands. There is no seeing; talking or kissing each other, doing so is taboo. With eye contact differed until later, the old time tradition of the groom not seeing his bride until she walks down the isle, is kept alive, which will make some parents and grandparents very happy.
The idea of ‘The Touch’ first came to me, as a request from a wedding couple that booked their wedding with me, last Fall. The following month another couple asked for the same thing, then another. By now, this thing has become somewhat of a trend. Lord only knows how long it will last.
Photographing The Touch can be done in a number of different ways. The layout of the place, the lighting conditions and what is going on around us, all factor into the process. I took The Touch photos of Brian and Tara, below, at the Hacienda De Lago in Vail, Arizona, south of Tucson. Instead of snapping a few images, with their hands already touching, I decided to make it into a slightly bigger ado, doing a sequence of photographs leading up to The Touch and thus, adding to the drama. It was a fun few moments for this wedding photographer from Tucson and an emotional couple of minutes for pending newlyweds, Brian and Tara.
Tara only had to walk about twenty yards in these photos, but, I think if you ask her, she would tell you that she would walk over a hundred miles, just to be able to touch the hand of the man she loves.
I incorporated the second to last photo into my Wedding Gallery pages. It looks a bit different there, in that I gave it a monotone treatment. I chose to keep the images in color for this post. I actually like the monotone just as much. You may want to check it out, by clicking above link.
I would like to extend my warm and very best wishes to Brian and Tara! May your love never die and your marriage be eternally blessed!
Check out my first YouTube video, so far. It all about weddings. You will love it!
