Kathryn White had been photographing weddings for ten years and had never seen anything like it.
She was at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, photographing Zach Levenberg and Sarah Schaaf’s first look, when the bushes behind the couple began to move. The bride was the first to notice. She held her breath, thinking of snakes or something worse. What emerged was different: five raccoons, walking single file along the path as if they had been invited.
White admitted that she got nervous — raccoons aren’t always friendly — and asked the newlyweds to keep their distance. But the whole family just wanted to watch. They lingered for a while, settled beside the couple as if posing for the photo, and went on their way unhurriedly.
White seized the moment and let the animals have their own shot alongside the newlyweds. The photos, taken on September 14, 2019, ended up going around the world. After ten years of photographing weddings, no guest had ever stolen so much of the spotlight simply by passing by.
