University of Michigan Art Museum
Allen and Leela’s wedding was one of the most moving things I’ve ever witnessed.
After previous marriages, raising families and grandkids, the loss of past partners to cancer, and cross-country moves, they found each other in San Francisco. And when they did, they knew they didn’t have a second to waste.
Their wedding was an intimate pop-up ceremony inside the Museum of Modern Art,
with only their children and grandchildren there to witness.
Their vows were so deeply felt; they talked about how time feels different at this point in life. How they want to make every moment count, to love as hard as they can for every second they have left on this planet.
Yes, it was hard to open their hearts again after everything they’ve been through. Yes, it was hard to hold the pain of losing past partners and still make space for new love. But somehow, they did.
As I edited the photos, I kept thinking:
I wish I had images like this of my parents.
Not the glamorous, perfect wedding photos from their 20s, but photos that show them loving each other now. Photos that capture them making the most of every second in the later years of their life. The kind of photos I’ll look back on someday, when they’re gone, and feel their love come to life all over again.
Why don’t we prioritize capturing love like this more often? We have endless selfies and snapshots of people smiling at the camera, but what if we took the time to really see love in its older, wiser, more tender form — and celebrate it the same way we do young love?
I want that.
