Priceless Moments at a Golden Anniversary

You know, there are some incredible milestones to celebrate in life. I’ve touched on this before, in both the birth of my kiddos and my marriage. Today’s post hits on the marriage side of things. While my wife and I just celebrated 8 years of being husband and wife, I recently got to cover an incredible celebration as a Dallas event photographer: a 50 year wedding anniversary! Yes, I did say 50.

This amazing couple has been together and doing life together for a half-century. That is beyond impressive to me. No matter how you slice it, that is an unbelievable amount of love, commitment and hard work. With all of that, I was so pumped to meet this couple and handle their Dallas event photography.

I live for capturing beautiful moments as an event photographer in Dallas. Probably the coolest thing was how much in love Bobby and Gloria were with each other. And I mean in love. Bobby was totally smitten with her, and I almost get emotional just writing about how close they were. It was awesome.

The entire celebration took place out at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, which is a very scenic venue. We started outside to get some family portraits with some of the beautiful trees and golf course in the background, and then do a few of just Bobby and Gloria by themselves. It was a little bit toasty out there, but thankfully not anything like it is now, and we were able to get several great photos before everyone started to melt. From that point onward it was all in the ac, and as a photographer who spends a lot of time shooting both inside and out, I was pretty grateful.

There were details aplenty, and plenty of mementos from their wedding. Gloria’s dress was put on full display out front where guests came in, and was situated next to her stunning bridal portrait. Photos of the couple, both individually, together, and with family abounded, and as someone who is visually and historically inclined, I always love checking out photos that show a family’s history. That’s what is so exciting for me as an event photographer - I have the opportunity to document the memories for people that will help tell a portion of their life story. Whether it’s a bris, birthday or anniversary, my hope is someday my photos will be out on display to help people remember the best times of their lives.

Now back to the couple. My favorite moment of the entire evening was when they got to do their ‘first dance’ together. Now, Bobby suffered a stroke many years ago that left him partially paralyzed. This made it a bit harder for him to get around, but when it came time to dance with his sweetheart, he gave it all he had and stood up to dance with her. They began to just melt into each other’s arms, and then I saw the tears flowing. With all that they’ve been through, I can only imagine the emotions running through their minds during such an incredible occasion. It goes down as one of the most beautiful moments I’ve been privy to photograph, and though I don’t normally cry at any of my events, I was fighting back tears like crazy. They were so genuine, and again, so in love.

I was honored to be a part of their celebration, and appreciate their story and the encouragement that it provides to me in my marriage. I for one cannot wait to celebrate this many years with my wife!