Tamara + Chuck | Sudbury Wedding Photographer

Sometimes weddings come to us for a reason. Maybe all the time, now that I think of it.. but occasionally it’s more evident that normal. Anyone who knows me knows that I truly love my couples.. but this particular couple is a little extra special to me…

Once upon a time there was a gal named Tamara that was the single Mom to two beautiful kids.. this beautiful Mom went on a blind date and met a guy named Chuck. He told her that he would be in love with her by the end of the week… and by the end of the week he was.. and so was she…and eventually her kids fell in love with him too.  Things happened very quickly.. but as Tamara says.. “when you know, you know.”

Fast forward to seven months later when Chuck found a small lump at the back of his neck…bone cancer….

He went through a gruelling 16 hour surgery that ended with 70 staples closing the incision on his back.  He had half of one vertebrate removed, and 10 cm of 3 of his ribs taken out, right behind his heart.  Then began the unending radiation treatments and periods of recovery. Chuck gave Tamara an out.. he told her to just let him go. That it would be too hard to continue… but she didn’t let go. She fought with him. And so, one year after they met, Chuck asked her to marry him.

When Tamara contacted me, she didn’t mention any of this. None of it until they had already booked. In Tamara’s own words: “This is going to sound awful and morbid and I hate that I have even had this thought, but after all this happened I decided that I wanted a great photographer for our wedding.  If I ever lost him I want to have these memories of us on our happiest day together.  I know it’s a terrible thing to think, but I think that it’s an honest thing to think, too.  Because chemotherapy doesn’t work on this type of cancer, he is currently undergoing radiation.  He’s right in the middle of a 5 week treatment.  He’s doing great – you’d never even know he’s having therapy!  And now all we’re hoping for is that the cancer never returns :)  He just had another xray today – all clear!”

To this day Chuck is free and clear of Cancer.. and as an added little surprise, a few months before the wedding Tamara wrote to tell me that she had news. That she and Chuck had cancelled the fancy hall and DJ and all of the other vendors they had hired in order to save money…The only extravagance they kept was my photography. Her Mom gave it as a gift to Tamara. Everything was being cancelled because Chuck and Tamara were going to have a baby!! I love stories like this and feel so unbelievable blessed to have a profession that allows me to not only meet people like these two…but to share in their lives and love for a little while. They are such an inspiration to me.

Friends, meet Tamara and Chuck and their lovely, lovely family…