Ah how funny! I can’t believe you re-did your photos–good idea 🙂

At my best friend’s wedding, her photographer was supposed to come early to take “getting ready” photos….and never showed up. So I became the pseudo-photographer. Were the pictures perfect? Definitely not. But did I capture some great laughs with all the bridesmaids? Absolutely.

She got a discount and gave the photographer a bad review, btw. haha

What a clever and productive decision! This is exactly what I needed to hear today, so thanks.

What an awesome idea… I love it!! Attitude really is 90% of everything! 🙂

I’m probably going to get some flak for this, but I think that the moment does matter and a do-over isn’t always the best way of handling things. The focus on getting the “perfect” pictures in the first place can take away from the special moments people try so hard to preserve. My parents only have Polaroids from their wedding; they were 18 and couldn’t afford a professional photographer, and no, the pictures aren’t great. There are none of them in the church saying their vows, but I kind of like that that moment was allowed to exist on its own, preserved in a different way. I can tell you, over 40 years later, they haven’t forgotten when they said their vows. Conversely, the photographer at my cousin’s wedding was pretty intrusive during the ceremony and got a talking-to from the priest for going up on the altar to get shots of the bride coming down the aisle. I don’t think photos are always the best way of capturing memories and sometimes it’s better to step away from the camera and let the moment come and go on its own.

This was such a great message to start the day and spoke to me on so many levels. I recently broke up with my boyfriend, who I really thought was the “one” and needless to say feel devasted right now. I’m in my mid thirties and started to feel the biological clock a tickin and the always a bridesmaid syndrome playing…well, this post really got me to thinking that while there may not be do overs there are lessons and sometimes instead of saying “whats done is done” perhaps I should look at it like this “well what did that teach me?” Thanks so much for the post!

My husband has a much clearer mind about things like this. For example, having Holidays now that we’re married is very stressful to me. We HAVE TO celebrate my birthday on the exact day. We HAVE TO celebrate Thanksgiving on the real day of Thanksgiving or I freak. Jon on the other hand, always tells me…”Holiday’s happen when you make them happen…not on a specific day” This is true. What’s important is that you’re together. What’s important is that you get a great picture. Who cares if the details aren’t perfect?

This post was in perfect timing for things happening in my life right now! Thank you so very much!

Your wedding pictures are gorgeous!

I love this! I seen nothing wrong at all. Good for you and to inspire others. 🙂

I wish we had done something like this. We got married several years ago and I’m still disappointed by photos of our wedding. I like the photos and our photographer, but I don’t like how my dress looks. I loved it in person, but in the photos it’s not flattering, and I definitely would pick a different dress if I could go back in time… I think since people keep wedding photos for years and years, and they’re even handed down, they are really important, even IF you have a lot of mental pictures and memories of the day.

I loved and needed this. So well put – bookmarked!

I just finished a very painful, emotionally draining divorce. I loooved my wedding day and everything that went along with it. Life just took over and when one of us grew and changed, the other didn’t and our marriage got very ugly. So, for me, the do-over in that sense, doesn’t apply. Its more about starting over and if I’m ever given someone to love again, learning to care about the things that truly matter and cherishing every moment (photographed or not).

This is a very inspiring post, Caitlin. I always think it’s strange when people say they have “no regrets” about . . . anything, because I know I certainly do. Maybe they have gifted motivated forgetting but there are definitely things I would like to do over about: how I handled situations, bickering with Mum, worrying too much about what other people think – the list goes on.

I think it’s a very powerful and motivational thing that you decided to do you do-over your wedding photos. We don’t always get that chance in life but I’m glad you made the most of it:D

We had the same situation happen to us. Everyone told us “Hire a good photographer, its what you’ll always remember your wedding by.” We though we had hired the best photographer. When we flipped through our proofs, we were so disappointed. I was so extremely specific in what I wanted in our photo’s, I didn’t understand how someone could’ve messed up. But she managed. We don’t have any good group photo’s of the whole wedding party. We were pretty disappointed. We’ve decided on our 5 year anniversary, we’ll do something similar again and take new pictures. But I completely understand how you felt, complete disappointment. Your idea of 6 month’s later photo’s was wonderful!

I think that was a great idea! And you would be so much more relaxed and without all of the pressure of taking the photos on the actual wedding day. Everyone should do this! I probably would not have been able to because during my wedding my dress kept stretching and getting bigger and bigger until by the end of the reception it was practically falling off. I was grabbing t-pins off the tablecloths to hold my dress up. What a day.

You literally described our wedding photographer situation!! We considered many times having a re-do of our wedding…a “staging” if you will…but after 3 years…we had my dress preserved and next month we will be celebrating 6 years of wedded bliss…with one little precious blessing that will be 4 in June!! We now make sure all photographs of our daughter are done so that we don’t look back and ask ourselves why? You can’t get a do over on your baby’s childhood!! 🙂