How a Bride’s Photoshoot Helped Heal the Loss of a Fiancé

Credit: De La Sol Photography

“I began to develop a plan,” explained Matt Adcock, “one that would involve a symbolic and ceremonial liberation from grief.” It’s important to understand that Adcock does not work in the funeral industry — nor does he work in counseling, psychology or any other kind of therapy. He is a destination wedding photographer who came across the opportunity to help a bride with what would become the most moving experience of his career.

Credit: De La Sol Photography

Just 52 days before her wedding, a woman named Janine’s fiancé died unexpectedly. The grief of losing a partner was tremendous enough – but the fact that Janine was so close to being wed to her love made the loss all the more unbearable.

There are many words one could use to describe Janine. She’s a fighter. She’s an optimist. But, perhaps most of all, she’s a woman with an incredible perspective on the grieving process. “My expectation was to find a certain closure and to have a photo shoot of my dress in a different way that not your average bride would even think of doing,” she said about her decision to have a photo shoot with the dress, “I wanted to be free and I wanted to do something different.”

“My expectation was to find a certain closure and to have a photo shoot of my dress in a different way that not your average bride would even think of doing,” she said about her decision to have a photo shoot with the dress, “I wanted to be free and I wanted to do something different.”

Credit: De La Sol Photography

Janine said she found Adcock and De La Sol Photography after a bit of Googling, and after discussing the possibilities of the shoot felt incredibly at ease. “I finally decided that I wanted to keep my wedding dress and not sell it,” she said, “[so] I started to Google ‘photography’ and ‘underwater bride.’ De La Sol Photography came up more than once so I finally looked at their website. I was in awe of their work so I said to myself, ‘What are you going to lose?'”

Credit: De La Sol Photography

The experience was incredibly cathartic – fun, even. Janine said she felt as if her fiancé was there with her, helping her let go in the waters of Mexico. “My dress was huge and I didn’t know what to expect while I was in the water,” she said, “My expectation was to find a certain closure and to have a photo shoot of my dress in a different way that not your average bride would even think of doing. I wanted to be free and I wanted to do something different. At the end of the day I felt so accomplished and I felt more alive than I have ever felt since May 1st. I really felt that Johnny was smiling down at me.”

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