Fainting bridesmaid leads to one of the most unique wedding photos ever
It definitely wasn't planned
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As many people do, 25-year-old British-American Kevin Kennedy Ryan shared a photo of his wedding on social media to mark his anniversary.
Usually, however, most people’s wedding throwbacks receive a handful of likes and well-wishing comments.
But that was not the case for Ryan, who works in marketing in Sheffield.
His picture stood out and caught the eyes of many after he shared it on Twitter, and it swiftly went viral.
The photo showed the moment Ryan and his now wife of three years, Jess Ryan-Smith, had their first kiss as a married couple.
However, at the exact same moment, Ryan’s sister Grace fainted and fell face-first to the floor right next to them.
After sharing the photo - which was subsequently shared far and wide on Twitter - many people demanded more details about what was happening.
Ryan duly explained that his sister “fainted at the exact moment the judge says you may kiss the bride,” it definitely wasn’t planned and it was “a real split second photograph” - “a few seconds later we were all over her!” he said.
He also added that it was due to heat rather than shock that Grace fainted, but fortunately she was completely unscathed.
"My sister was absolutely fine," Ryan tells The Independent. "We got her back up, she was still a little wobbly so she remained sitting down for the rest of the ceremony with a cold glass of water. We restarted our first kiss and then everything was pretty normal for the rest of the evening."
When the couple's photographer, Sean Cook, was editing the photos afterwards and realised he'd captured the exact moment Grace fainted, he emailed the couple asking whether they wanted the picture included.
"When I opened the email from Sean, I didn't twig what was wrong with it," Ryan says. "I thought it was just a first kiss picture and he was asking if we were happy with it. I then clocked my sister's legs on the floor and started dying of laughter."
Many people were impressed and intrigued by the photo, with one proclaiming he thought it was “the best wedding picture I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, a woman pointed out that the other bridesmaid’s facial expression is worth noting too: “What really clinched it for me was the look the other bridesmaid is giving her... shade. Serious shade. I love everything about this photo.”
But all agreed the picture should be framed, hung and given pride of place in the couple’s home.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments