I have this Betty Crocker cookbook that my grandma gave me. When she gave it to me I was in college. Back then, the extent of my cooking skills included cereal, easy mac, ramen noodles and the occasional trip to Boston Market with my roommate. I laughed, unsure of why she thought I'd ever need it. On certain occasions, I even tried giving it back to her – unsuccessfully of course. I also have some handwritten cookie recipes. I have sampled many cut out cookies, and my favorite has always come from a 3x5 handwritten index card that my mother gave me. Years ago, I copied that card into my own book of recipes. Somewhere along the line, it was handed down to her.
Yesterday, with my hands full of cookie dough and that cookbook open in front of me, I realized how much that cookbook and 3x5 index card now meant to me. Leave it to me to find symbolism in a cookbook, right?
In a nutshell, I've been given a history to keep. That cut out cookie recipe contains a lot of great memories of my childhood. If that 3x5 card hadn't been written for her, I'd probably never have those memories of baking with my mom. Someday, I hope it contains memories for my own kids to cherish.
So if a recipe can hold so much meaning, imagine what my wedding album means to me. It's literally my family history. The story told within the pages is beautiful. Honestly, no disc of images can replace that album. It's tangible, photographic proof of my family's origins.
Back in the film days, my parents had to put their wedding photographs into an album, or they wouldn't have seen them at all. There were no iPads to view those images on. I'm glad for that because if they hadn't taken the time to have an album made, I wouldn't get to see that history. Someday, I'll be the keeper of those photographs, much like the handed down recipes. 50 years from now, I want my children to be the keeper of my albums and books – not useless unreadable discs or out dated thumb drives.
Trust me, we get that you want all of the digital files. We both did too. Post them all over Facebook, tweet them, load them to your tablet, that's all fine with us. But if you're in the market for wedding photography, we hope you'll consider an album or book.
A wedding album might be something you don't think you need right now. And yeah, that's a little bit true – you don't need it right now. Right now, you're a newlywed, or soon-to-be newlywed. Those memories are still so fresh in your mind, you can recall the tiniest details of the day. But when your kids ask about your wedding day, what will you show them? What will you hand down to them from your family's story? We want you to have an actual book of your history, to give your children, who in turn, may give it to their children also.
While you're at it, give them an old Betty Crocker cook book too. Someday, they'll thank you.
