Love is love, as a wedding photographer I present an open letter to anyone who has ever been in love…
After posting on my blog about having a wedding I photographed published in The Knot’s Gay Wedding issue, I received a flurry of comments – some supportive and kind, but mostly hate filled rants against gay marriage. Was I surprised? Not really. I have been photographing same sex weddings (and commitment ceremonies before same sex weddings were legal) for years.
I deleted those comments.
Over the years, I have received comments left by client’s (of all orientations) past lovers, estranged family members, former friends who were not invited to the wedding, etc. etc.
People who do not agree with interracial/same sex/interfaith and many other forms of marriage who decided the best place to air their grievances was on my website or my social media feed.
I deleted them. Why? Because I do not tolerate hateful or abusive behavior.
But, perhaps simply deleting them is not enough. We need to confront these people with the power of love and the knowledge that love is not predicated by their very narrow view of the universe.
This letter is not just about same sex marriage. This letter is about love, and telling you who I am as a person.
Despite having photographed many same sex and LGBTQ+ weddings, I do not consider myself simply a ‘gay wedding photographer.’
I have photographed many Christian weddings. This does not mean I am a “Christian wedding photographer.”
Nor do I consider myself a “Jewish wedding photographer“, even though I have photographed dozens of Jewish ceremonies. I have photographed weddings for people from all walks of life, races, religions, etc.
I am a wedding photographer, plain and simple.
I document love.
And love is not always heterosexual…
Love is not always white…
Love is not always Christian, or Jewish, or Buddhist, or Hindu…
Love is not always a Size 2…
Sometimes love is covered in tattoos…
Sometimes love is really into comic books…
Sometimes love is on its 2nd (or 3rd) marriage…
Sometimes love gets married in a forest or on a beach or in a bookstore instead of in a church or a temple…
Sometimes love has nothing to do with religion at all…
Love is everywhere…
I document love.
And the best thing about love is that it comes in all shapes, colors and sizes, between all different types of people.
And whatever your race, religion, or sexual orientation, I will fight for you.
After two decades of doing this, I still feel gripped with emotion every time I see a couple take their vows. It is the closest I have come to seeing true magic.
And yes, I do believe in magic.
If you disagree, I will leave you with the words of my favorite philosopher, The Dude…
Sincerely,
Casey Fatchett
Wedding Photographer & Love Documentarian
Writer’s Note:
It has been a while since I wrote this open letter. The feedback I have received has been overwhelmingly positive. I encourage you to share this post. Spread the love, literally. I have found that the more people are exposed to the idea that there are people different from themselves, the more likely they are to accept that fact.
