mom and dad

In 2008 my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  We had an intimate gathering with family and friends, and it was a sweet memorable evening that I'll never forget.  I made a slideshow that we projected on a big screen of my parents' wedding photos and 8mm film footage while we played popular songs from 1958.  It was amazing and emotional to see my parents starting their life together, and everyone loved looking back.  We were all crying....even my dad.   If I'm going to start an inspiration journal here, I have to start with my parents.  As a professional in the wedding industry, it helps to have my folks as a great example of a truely loving and enduring relationship.  I am certain that it is nothing short of a small miracle that they have maintained their relationship over 50 years now, and also managed to raise 5 children along the way.  

My parents, Art and Rose, and ancestors before them, will always be my greatest inspiration.  My mother gave me this advice, which was passed down to her from my grandfather: "whatever you do in life, nothing is worth doing unless it is done well."  I hear this is a common message passed down from my German ancestors, but I'm sure it is a universal tome.

I never met my grandfather Victor since he passed away only a few years after my parents got married. But strange enough, I find he is the grandparent I have the closest connection to, and I have my mother to thank for that.  She shared plenty of stories and pictures with me throughout my life.   Victor was a talented professional interior designer and spent his spare time doing photography.  It was not his career, but he was so serious about it that he wanted to photograph my mother's wedding.  She refused and told him, "your job that day is to be the father of the bride."  

I have hundreds of Victor's original 35mm slides, which are mostly Chicago cityscapes in the 1940s and 1950s, along with family and travel photos.    I am in the process of archiving his work...in my spare time...so this has been an ongoing project for years.  My mother recently found an old scrapbook made by Victor during the 1920s, 30s and 40s.  It is filled with his essays, poetry, photos, ticket stubs and other memorabilia.  It is facinating, and  I'm planning on preserving it digitally at some point, but for now I'm just enjoing getting to know him better.  

By the way, I found some color slides from my parents wedding in my grandfather's collection, so apparently he did sneak in a few shots while performing FOB duties.  A mark of a true photographer...he could not let the opportunity pass him by.  Anyway, here are some photos from my parents' 1958 wedding, which my mom said "some nice young fella" photographed.  Oh, and I must mention that my mother MADE HER OWN WEDDING DRESS (and my oldest sister's later on).  Creativity is in our blood.  :-)

my grandparents and parents: Victor, Edith, Rose, Art, Bertha and Frank

You can see more pictures from my parents wedding in a sample anniversary album design in the "albums" section.