« But The Bride Was Cool With It! »

I took one look at this bridal party photo and thought, "Whoa! Is this for real?"

I have never seen a wedding photo with a bride posed quite this informally, but, my gosh, look at the rest of the party! The groom looks like he's trying to remember how he thought this was a good idea, the best man is wrestling with the toast he thought he had memorized the night before, and the poor maid of honor was in such a rush she left her personality on the seat in the cab. Only the bride seems totally cool with things!

I tried to rationalize – maybe this delightful young woman went to the wrong church and just hadn't noticed, you know – the stress and all.

But the more I look at her face, her exquisite dress, the zany pose, the more I realize she was in complete control. I could relax (way after the fact!). She made everything work. She did things her way!

The print, about 1920, had serious condition issues, not the least of which was the photographer's exposure which sacrificed all the detail in her lovely dress.