20 years ago

20 years ago they said “I do” at one of Kansas City’s neatest hidden gems - @simpsonhousekc

I remember crying as my dad gifted me a silver necklace during the ceremony.
I remember spinning in circles over & over, just to see my white dress twirl.
I remember bawling on the floor after my pretty white dress ripped late in the day.
I remember the big green pears that sat on their wedding cake.
I remember the pearly white snow that blanketed the city that day.

I wish I remembered more. I wish I could relive days like that. 7 year old me, looking up with teary eyes as they promised forever. I can still feel the warm tears rolling down my cheek while everyone watched us in front of that old fireplace.

When my memory falls short, the power of photos live on.

With no snow on the ground, or the company we remember, we stepped through the same house these memories happened. I watched my parents rush to get ready, just like that wedding day probably was. I helped my mom decide on a dress, shoes & other details only we would remember.
We chatted about the memories, the unique touches mom planned for that day & the beauty that this place holds still holds.

I floated back & forth between the rooms, making sure dad wouldn’t see mom just yet. There was something so still, so calm about that afternoon.

I wish I could have been the one to document the wedding day for them, 20 years ago.
I wish I could have noticed every detail, wrote it all down like I would now. That’s the thing about capturing a day so special. You notice more than you normally would. Suddenly, the shoes, the makeup, the jewelry, the way someone carries themselves, it all becomes so… captivating right?

Now, if only we could find a way to hold onto that on a random Monday morning. When the day is a chore instead of motivating & the coffee gets cold before you’ve finished & the laundry is stacking up again. What if we could see the captivating details there to? What if, we came back to the same rhythms with a new set of glasses?

I realized this day, when i was walking through the quiet Simpson House, that some feelings never fade. Some memories stick to you like a leaky honey bottle. These portraits hold memories & feelings I thought I left behind.

20 years later, I was the one who documented their marriage, all 7,300 days of it.

With the experience only time could give me & the house it all started in, the power of photography (& a beautiful marriage) lives on.