Photo via: Ashleigh Bing
On July 7, 1979, Timothy and Jennifer Bing exchanged vows and said "I do" at Seabrook Baptist Church in Lanham, Maryland. Their dream wedding was captured on their own 35mm cameras, which they would later drop off at a local pharmacy to get developed. Little did they know, the pharmacy would burn down the very next day and all their images from their wedding would be destroyed.
"Jennifer would never be able to frame a photo of her daddy, who died of a heart attack 2 weeks following her wedding day, walking her down the aisle," Ashleigh Bing said of her mother. "Timothy and Jennifer’s children and grandchildren would never be able to experience their big day while rummaging through old photos or looking at a portrait from July 7, 1979 framed on the mantle."
For almost 40 years, the Bings only had one framed souvenir of their special day- it was their original wedding invitation. Fast forward to two weeks ago, their daughter Ashleigh, who is a wedding photographer, surprised them with a bride and groom photo shoot for their 38th wedding anniversary. She even captured a photo of their wedding bands with their original wedding invitation.
Ashleigh literally planned everything down to the tee: from the bouquet, to the two dresses, to the make-up and hair session, to the bow tie and tuxedo, to the amazing backdrops, to the duo's matching pair of Chuck Taylors.
When Ashleigh showed her mother the dresses and told her what time to be ready for make-up the following day, "she cried and could not believe it."
All photos by: Ashleigh Bing Photography
"Knowing that my mom loves off the shoulder and high-front, low-back made it easy for me,” Ashleigh said. "My father loves Chucks and passed that love down to my brother and myself. Mom is not a heel wearer and I thought it would be cute for her to have her first pair of Chuck Taylors—she hasn’t stopped wearing them since."
But wait, it gets better. Ashleigh created a playlist for the photo shoot that included some of her parents' favorite music. Songs that were played at their wedding were also included.
As for the backdrop, Ashleigh chose the National Cathedral and Kennedy Center. "I felt they deserved to have a grand backdrop since they waited almost 40 years for photos—I wanted to make it worth the wait."
The Bings received a photo album with their new wedding photos from their daughter on their anniversary day. Judging from the incredibly beautiful results, it looks like it was indeed worth the wait. Happy Anniversary to the Bings!