“My grandparents won’t use it.”
We hear that a lot. And then their grandparents use it.
One of the oldest guests we’ve photographed was 103. He gave us a big smile, had his photograph taken and afterwards looked at the Mirror and told me: “That’s a nice bit of kit you’ve got.”
That pretty much settled the argument for us.
The short answer: yes. Older guests absolutely use the Magic Mirror. Some walk up willingly, some are brought over by the family under protest, and some look at us as if to say, “What the hell are you lot making me do?” But they use it — and they often have a right laugh.
“We Need One With Grandad”
Quite often it happens just as an older guest is thinking about leaving.
The family suddenly realises they haven’t got that photograph together. Somebody says, “We all need one with Grandad,” and Grandad’s expression makes it perfectly clear that he thought he was going home.
Sometimes the answer is basically: “You can have one.”
That one photograph matters, though. It might be all the brothers and sisters together. Grandparents with grandchildren. An older couple who have been watching everyone else being ridiculous for an hour. These are often the pictures that become more important with time.
They Don’t All Stand There Smiling Politely
That’s another assumption worth getting rid of.
Older guests are just as varied as everybody else. We’ve had proper silly faces, pink cowboy hats, oversized glasses and people pointing at themselves in the Mirror laughing.
We’ve also had people sitting there with an expression that says: “I cannot believe my family has made me do this.”
Both are brilliant.
A favourite was an older gentleman at Egton Manor wearing a pink cowboy hat and enormous pink glasses, pointing at himself in the Mirror with a massive grin. At Wentbridge House we photographed an older chap who had turned up to the wedding in a Hawaiian shirt with his wife. At a Bat Mitzvah in Leeds, we got all the older brothers and sisters together just before we closed.
There is no standard “older guest” photograph.
Accessibility Matters More Than Age
Sometimes an older guest needs a hand getting into position. Mobility can be more of an issue than understanding how the Mirror works.
That is one of the reasons we like the open setup of the Magic Mirror. There is no little box to climb into and no fixed seat or tiny camera window everyone has to line themselves up with.
A wheelchair can come into the space. Somebody can sit. Somebody can stand. Families can arrange themselves around them. Our full-height photographic setup gives us room to work with the people who are actually there.
Maybe They’ve Just Stopped Caring What People Think
This is the bit hundreds of events have taught us.
Couples sometimes worry that grandparents will think the whole thing is silly.
Some do — right up until they’re wearing a ridiculous hat.
Maybe when you’ve lived long enough to know some of the rubbish life can throw at you, looking daft in a pink cowboy hat for thirty seconds doesn’t seem particularly important.
They’re often more willing to just get on with it than people expect.
So Will Your Grandparents Use It?
We can’t promise what any individual guest will do. We’ve met stubborn grandparents too.
But after hundreds of Yorkshire weddings and events, we certainly wouldn’t write them off.
Give them the opportunity. Give them a hand if they need it. Get the family together.
And if they only agree to one photograph, make it a good one.
Everyone Gets to Join In
The Magic Mirror is built around people, not a tiny box they have to fit into.
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