It's all about the story!
Every wedding and video shoot has its own unique challenges and forces us to learn and re-adapt. Today’s post and lesson is, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE STORY!
Yesterday I had the chance to experience the most touching ceremony I've ever been to. It began two months ago when I got a call from Arlene Murray. Arlene was an older lady, who was in the process of getting married to the love of her life, Dennis. What's made Arlene's story stand out in my mind, was the fact that she had originally met Dennis back in 1973. They went to prom together, fell madly in love and then didn't see each other for over 25 years. Dennis joined the Marines, and spent the next 2.5 decades of his life traveling the world, while Arlene got married to another military man and did the same.
Their paths crossed numerous times throughout the years, although they never realized it. At one point they both lived in different army bases in the same state, but they were never able to reconnect. They had even tried writing letters to each other early on, in an attempt to keep their love alive, but the distance between the two of them was merely too great and their love fizzled, or so they thought.
About ten years ago Dennis received a call from Arlene. She had moved back into the Seattle area and had used some "good old fashion detective work" to track Dennis down. They agreed to meet at a restaurant down South. Dennis admitted to me in his interview yesterday before the wedding that he got to the restaurant almost 2 hours early. He sat by the door so he could get a good view of everyone entering the restaurant. After a few close calls, he finally recognized Arlene as she walked in the door, "She hadn't aged a day," he said. They spent almost 4 hours at the restaurant catching up, having never lost a beat.
Yesterday some 10 years after their 2nd, "1st" date they tied the knot together at JBLM in front of family and friends. It was a life-long experience that found them both together, some 25 years after they never thought they would see each other again. I had tears in my eyes as I interviewed Arlene the night before her wedding, capturing every heart-felt moment of their story. This emotion carried over for me into yesterday, and I too erupted into applause as they exchanged their vows and had their first kiss as husband and wife.
I cannot express how excited I am to begin the edits on this wonderful wedding video and to be able to share their story with the rest of the world. Their story touched my heart in a very deep way, and I can only hope everyone else will feel the same!