Some couples spend months shaping a wedding they hope will never look dated, choosing details and photography styles that feel as though they could belong to any era. But when it comes to wedding photography, is “timeless” really the best thing to aim for? The photographs we treasure most years later are often the ones that transport us back to a specific time, place, and group of people. And while the details in them may feel dated, maybe it's for that reason we treasure them so much. After all, the beauty of a wedding photograph is not only in how it looks, but in how vividly it brings the day, and the people we loved, back to life.
For North Carolina-based photographer Julia Wade, that connection is at the heart of creating images that last, with an approach centered on allowing couples to fully experience their wedding day while capturing the emotion and relationships unfolding around them. For Julia Wade, the photographs we cherish most aren’t those that transcend time, but those that remind us exactly when we were there. Here, she makes the case for embracing that sense of time in the photographs we take and the weddings we create.
The Age of Infinite Inspiration
Grandma’s wedding universe was so small. Today’s wedding universe is actually the entire universe. We can so easily access any taste, any tradition at any time, and it may be easy to lose track of why something feels beautiful to you.
"A wedding can never transcend time. It encapsulates a time you were in. A very important time that will add to your legacy and story. Choose what you love in this moment."
A Sense of Place & Belonging
I love my parents’ and grandparents’ wedding photographs. Surely, this is because of my own profession, but if I dig deeper, I love them because they give me a sense of place and belonging. They help me imagine who they might have been. (Oh my goodness, the perfect maroon satin dresses! The lacy ribbons on the cake! The old film stock!) I can feel the time in it. I love my family’s old photographs because I can see them in it.
Let Nostalgia Be Your Compass
Nostalgia, for me, is the answer. When thinking about your own wedding, instead of looking outward first, maybe look backward. This has become my own compass when photographing weddings. Who will be looking at these photographs in 50 years? What then becomes important? The cake topper, because it was your parents'. The song, because you and your dad danced to it when you were a child. The wedding color scheme, because it reminds you of the colors at the lake house you went to as a family. Your people, because you love them.
"The linens, the florals, the fashion, the location, regardless of what you choose, support the community you were with, and that is when your photographs transcend time and go far beyond a sanitized 'timeless.'"
What Really Transcends Time
The details should tell us when. The relationships tell us who we were. What made your fiancé laugh? Who raised you? Who are the people you can’t imagine living without? This transcends personal “style” because the linens, the florals, the fashion, the location, regardless of what you choose, support the community you were with, and that is when your photographs transcend time (and go far beyond a sanitized “timeless”). I give any and all couples a FULL SEND to let go, let your wedding be of the moment, and allow the people with all the love and joy to shine through.
Embrace the Now
So let 2027 be in. A wedding can never transcend time. It encapsulates a time you were in. A very important time that will add to your legacy and story. Choose what you love in this moment (and maybe use your history as a jumping-off point!) and never look back. Hopefully, if shot well and with intention, your photographer will give you, and hopefully generations after you, the same feelings of nostalgia. (OMG, the petit bouquets! The perfect mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses! The 7-foot-long cake! I can feel the time in it! I love it because I can see them in it!)
"Let go, let your wedding be of the moment, and allow the people with all the love and joy to shine through."
