Exactly one month ago, my husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary. Even a year and a month later I’m still getting used to saying the words “my husband!” Recently, we had the opportunity to do a one-year shoot with my very talented photographer friend, Aki Akiwumi of Mangolens photography. We decided we might as well go all the way and throw on our wedding day garb to really enjoy the celebration of one year of marriage.
We made our way to the Netherlands Carillion which, in my opinion, is one of the absolute best views of the city. Case in point:
What I loved about the shoot was its relaxed nature. We were able to just enjoy being with one another, which was hard to do on our wedding day as we were rushing from the ceremony to pictures to the reception, keeping our focus on what was happening next instead of what had just happened. The photos of our wedding day are absolutely priceless and beautiful (thanks to Paul Morse and Jacqulyn Maisonneuve) but I think most brides can attest to the difficulty of relaxing on your wedding day.
If you’re thinking of doing an Anniversary shoot, whatever the year, I’d highly recommend it. It is a fun, low pressure way to document a special milestone in your lives. A shoot can be as low key as you, your significant other in your favorite jeans and tees or as elaborate as getting back into your wedding day outfits. Your photographer can work with you, too, to pinpoint ideas and inspiration.
We had a blast doing the shoot and being in my wedding dress made it feel even more special. But I will say, the well wishes and “congratulations!” from the occasional passersby did make us feel a bit awkward at first, but then we just embraced it and responded with a gracious “thank you!” One year of marriage deserves just as much congratulations as one hour, in my opinion!
Here are some of my favorite shots. Aki shoots in both digital and film (yes, good old fashioned film) which is really, really unique and a testament to his skills! See if you can tell which ones were shot on film and which ones are digital:
Have you done an Anniversary shoot? What was your favorite part?