Readers. Get tissues, and don’t open this at work. I defy you not to cry.
Kate’s Any Other Photo goes against the rules, but in this case, it’s with good reason. The first sets us up wonderfully for the second. This is an AOP about family, about shared happiness, and about love that lasts.
Over to you, Kate:
There were, as I am sure with most people several photos that I could have put forward, but the one from my wedding struck me the first time I saw it as having a lovely synchronicity with another photo I had, and every time since that I have looked at it it has made me smile and warm inside. Because it really shows that although it’s great to have a lovely wedding day, the tiny details, the warring factions the wind that blew up out of nowhere to ruin my (for once) carefully constructed hair none of that really matters. What truly matters above and beyond all else is the fact that you and the person you love are standing together.
These photos are of two of my most favourite people in the world, who have been with me, stood by me and loved me unconditionally all my life, my grandparents. The first picture was taken on their wedding day 65 years ago, I found this whilst going through some boxes a few years ago and had it made into a canvas picture for their 60th anniversary. They look so happy and so in love and I have always loved this photo, so I suppose you could say I am submitting it for them!
The second photo is also of my grandparents at my wedding in September, they are now both in their late 80’s and despite all the trials and tribulations that life has thrown at them over the years (and this last year has been especially rough) they still have each other, they are still independent and vibrant they still look so happy and are still just as much in love. And when I look at these two photos it strikes me that if my beloved and I can achieve that alone, that we can still be standing strong together in 60 odd years, then I would say that we had a life well lived.
Photograph by Karen Fuller of Fuller Photography
21 Comments
The two photographs are beautiful but the bit that really got me the most was the last sentence. Big fat hurrah for love!
Oh my. *gulps*
That is what I want from my – new – marriage, with every fibre of my being.
What a beautiful couple (amazing wedding photo – the suit! the veil! the flowers! the smiles!) and a beautiful sentiment. Love it.
Oh, wow. I think this is a new contender for my favourite AOP ever, this is just perfect. This is what it’s all about, I think if any of us could look so happy, 60 years down the line, we’d count ourselves incredibly lucky.
I adore this, it’s absolutely made my Friday.
K x
Ding ding ding- a new favourite!
Beautiful photos and lovely words.
Look at her bouquet!!! It’s amazing.
The bouquet had me mesmerised for a while there, stunning!
Can they adopt me??? Your grandparents look adorable!
This makes me wish that I had my grandparents with me on my wedding day. What a lovely story, absolutely gorgeous pictures and an amazing tribute xx
Totally opened this at work, then got all teary! This is a great AOP and such a wonderful tribute to your grandparents.
And yes – that bouquet is awesome!
This is all any of us want, I swear. This still slays me, all these weeks later!
And doesn’t your grandmother look exquisite on her wedding day? What a bouquet, what hair, what lips! You clearly have some stylish genes there….
My own very beloved grandmother died before she could come to my wedding and I missed her all day. But I now wear her wedding ring as my wedding ring and therefore carry her with me every day physically, as well as in my heart.
Aw! This is so adorable. Unfortunately, I never got to know any of my grandparents. Always wished that I had.
Take only Memories
Perfect, both then and now.
That’s all I have to say!
I didn’t heed the warning. Tears at desk alert. They are probably multiplied because we only recently lost my Grandfather who I was so very close to, but I think even without that I’d still have cried at this. Kate this is so lovely.
Thank you, Yanthé, I am sorry for your loss.x
I love this post so very much.
Thank you all for your kind words.
I am very lucky I know to have had 2 such wonderful people in my life and luckier still to still have them in my life. I never got to meet my paternal grandparents.
The first photo kept me grounded during the planning of my wedding when the ‘details’ would start to get on top of me, because that photo sums up for me what ‘getting married’ is all about. A few of you have commented on the dress and the flowers etc and thats how it kept me grounded, they got married during WWII and of course everything was rationed, the dress was borrowed from Nans next door neighbour, her sister did her hair and her friends I think made the bouquet. Grandpa was in the royal marines and after a 3 day honeymoon (for which Nan forgot her shoes and because they had used up all their ration coupons for the wedding and reception she couldn’t get any more so spent the whole time in her wedding shoes!) he had to go back to active service.
But they look happy and beautiful and did and are living- as much as its possible- happily ever after .They are my role models and friends and I love them to bits. – and I am sure they would happily adopt any of you lovely ladies!
This is so perfect. My parents are rediculously in love 35 years down the line, my grandparents a full 51 years later. I am doing a wedding speech because without them to look up to I would never believe in the happy(ish) ever after! #
x
I love this – none of my grandparents were with us for our wedding day and I particularly miss my granny – I have a very similar picture of her wedding day, with similar photos (and flowers!) from around the same time, about 1946? Beautiful photos and beautiful sentiment.
K x
I am so sorry I missed this one yesterday- so so wonderful! Xx
I love this. It completely sums up how I feel about my grandparents. They were together for 73 years before my grandad passed away and the way they used to look at each other, even after all that time was so, so sweet. Both photos are beautiful.
Well this is just such a lovely post. It’s what every girl wants too – both to have a relationship as happy and long lasting as grandparents like yours and to have her grandparents at her wedding, looking as happy for you as yours did.
Loved reading this, and I will admit to developing some rather wet eyes too