MEET ME ON THE DANCE FLOOR

(A Love Letter to the Party and the Wild Woman in All of Us)

Over the years, I have noticed many patterns at weddings, no matter how vastly different each event is from the last. This specific pattern is my personal favorite.

To some, seeing a pair of shoes left behind is not noticeable, not even worth photographing. But I think there’s something so beautifully human about kicking off your heels for love of the party. After so much preparation and planning, in this world where people are always seeking perfection, to let go and let your hair down, or in this case, to take off your shoes, tells such a story. I like to imagine that their owner danced right out of her shoes in search of song and celebration. 

Who is this woman? What song called to her? How many hours did she spend carefully picking out the perfect pair of shoes? How much money did she spend on them? Did she think about taking them off, leaving them carefully behind, or was she lost in the moment? Is she still there, dancing through the night? When she’s gray, will she reflect on this wildness from her youth? Is she already gray? Does she feel free? I hope she does.

Whoever she is, I imagine her dancing with abandon, and when I see her shoes left behind, taking on a life of their own, they say to the world: “meet me on the dance floor.” Here are some of my favorites from weddings all over the world – I hope you can imagine the woman who goes along with each pair.