Snapped With Love

Chapter One

August 19th 

HANNAH

I royally fucked up. After forgetting my expensive camera strap at last week's wedding reception due to a mild case of too many mocktails and an ex encounter, I didn't buy another one
.
Having to go the next five hours at a Middle Eastern wedding with no camera strap isn't the worst thing, though. I also chose to wear my ridiculously high stilettos to make up for the length of the dress I forgot to get hemmed. I'm starting to think investing in a planner is a good idea, storing things in memory isn't proving to be my brightest decision.

Sarah, today's bride, walks toward me in her elegant princess-shaped gown, with an "I'm getting married to the love of my life so I don't care what happens today" kind of smile. Is that jealousy I feel?

"Everything okay there?" Sarah asks, she is genuine and I think I can feel her reading my emotions as I'm standing there.

"Perfect!," I lie, I've gotten quite good at it recently. "I forgot my camera strap at my last wedding, but no worries."

"Oh, are you sure?" Damn, she is really concerned. Do I want to marry her? "I can ask one of the groomsmen to fetch you one, there are some shops around here I'm sure they can find one."

"That's very sweet, but it's okay, really," It's not. "You look fantastic, just focus on your big day!" comes out in such a happy voice, it's like a golden retriever was reincarnated as a human being and decided to become a wedding photographer.

"Thanks, Hannah, if you need anything you know where to find me." And with that, the bride goes back to her bridal duties: looking happy and fitting into her dress.

Adjusting the camera's settings, I start taking pictures of things around me. The venue is a spacious backyard garden of a rental villa, which the wedding planner decorated into a ballroom with hanging lights and a white and gold theme. Lillies covered every centerpiece and corner, and gold fabric wrapped every chair back around all twenty tables. The dance floor was adjusted from carpet to wood by the magic of vinyl roll-on flooring, elevating the inexpensive place to full-on luxury.

Once I set the camera to adjust to the colors, I noticed small groups of guests beginning to arrive. I turned to take a couple of pictures of them, suits and floor-length dresses were followed by small wedding-shaped dresses on little girls and ties the size of my finger on little boys. Guests loved getting their pictures taken, every wedding I have photographed in my five years of practice, the guests always lined up and posed hoping to be spotlight worthy enough to have some candid pictures they'll get sent later by the married couple that they can post on Instagram to show off their outfit.

Through the lens, I spot a commotion coming from the villa. A cast of fitted grey suits and lily boutonnieres followed by floor-length lime green silk dresses, the bridesmaids and groomsmen spread across the venue like rapid fire, engulfing every corner of the garden in grey-green fabric. They soon spot the camera, and each group huddles together for a picture. The bridesmaids flawlessly stand like it's a renaissance painting, each one in their perfect pose but mindful of how it makes everyone else look. The groomsmen, however, had more of a struggle. Some stepping on the toes in heeled shoes was involved, but they eventually stood still enough to have some pictures taken. The wedding entourage always gets a lot of attention from the cameras, so I'm not worried about these pictures, I'll take more throughout the day.

Guests take their seats, bridesmaids and groomsmen rush inside the villa, the groom takes a seat at the table, and with that, She's A Rainbow by The Rolling Stones starts playing. I choose a corner I eyed when I walked in this morning and half-sit like a photographer for National Geographic waiting for a lion to walk by. The bride, arms locked with her father, walks down the aisle.