Standing with my precious friends at a glorious wedding in Chicago! Our champagne glasses were placed aside when my husband took this photograph. Look behind the mother of the bride, on the right, to see a glimmer of the tree of white orchids that was sky high!
While attending a most grand wedding in Chicago recently, the question was posed to me by a few ladies, dear friends of mine, as we were standing together at the glorious black tie cocktail reception: do we need to set down our drinks for a group photograph?
It was such a joyous occasion, having a drink in our hands only felt natural! To my amazement, however, I heard Mummy’s words in the back of my head saying, “place your drink to the side, and out of your hand, when posing for a photograph!” Mummy recommended not to be photographed with a drink in your hand. Her reason? It does not appear ladylike! While times have changed and are more relaxed, I understand what she was trying to say to me.
For both men and women, a glass or anything else you hold in a photograph can be translated as some kind of statement. A photograph lives on and on. One never knows how it will be used in the future, and in these rampant, photo-posting social media days, it can be interpreted in the wrong way, especially if the photograph is unbecoming.
So, my response to them was, “it’s probably best not to have a drink in your hand.” Another option is to keep your glass in your hand, but to disguise it behind the back of the person you are standing next to. I placed my glass behind me on a table, as did the others, and we posed for a jubilant picture together! We now have a fond memory we will all cherish.
