Jo & Taner
Storyteller: Jo Cox, USA
What was the best moment of your wedding day?
We had a sparkler exit. While everyone was out lining up, our DJ played Home by Dan Auerbach—one of our favorite songs. We took a moment alone, inside, to listen to the song then ran out to all of our friends and family cheering with sparklers. We rented a vintage car and sat down and I realized Taner was crying. I still tear up when I think of this moment sometimes.
What is your favorite image in the book and why?
We had two venues at our wedding. We got married and had our reception at the Peached Social House in Austin but took our photos at the Greenhouse at Driftwood. I had never seen the greenhouse before booking but their photos looked amazing and I had a few friends that had visited. I had originally wanted to take photos in an open, overgrown field but couldn't find anywhere to do so. Our photographers started walking around the grounds at the greenhouse and found a huge, open field—exactly like what I had pictured! All of our photos there are my favorite, the field was a perfect surprise.
What is your favorite story behind an image in your book?
There is a photo of Taner holding one of our flower girls, Ellie. Ellie was about to be adopted by my best friend—the adoption was finalized a few weeks after the wedding. We couldn't post photos of her face until the adoption. I told Jen, our photographer, this before the wedding and she got some amazing shots without showing Ellie's face. This specific photo was of Taner holding Ellie up while dancing. They were having so much fun and the moment was so lively but the shot is so peaceful.
What do photos mean to you?
They're the best reminder of our day (and they're all over our house)!
What bit of advice would you give to someone creating their own wedding memento?
Making an album can be really overwhelming. I recently posted on Instagram mentioning that it took me a year to put this together and so many other women commented saying they had waited two or even four years and have yet to try. Step away and give it time. You'll learn what photos are your favorite. Once you've narrowed that down, the rest is easy. I also really enjoyed putting together the album right before our anniversary. Looking through all the photos brought back memories I had already forgotten.
