I also add my sympathies for all your recent losses. I lost my dad when I was not yet a year old, so I don't have that connection I will have with my mom, who is nearing 90 and starting to slow up physically. Thankfully, her mind is still as sharp as a tack.

As to the topic of backgrounds and event shooting, I always scout out and shoot a few OOF background shots of the area just in case. I don't use them every time, but nice to have the option of dropping a nicer background in.

I try to be cognizant of the background while shooting, but as some have said, capturing the moment and emotion trumps composition when there just isn't anything else you can do.

Don't sell yourself short. I've seen MANY people who claim to be full time wedding photographers that shoot nothing more than snapshots. I found your examles well thought out and very well done as far as both technical and artistic.

I can't speak for all on this forum, but I'm almost addicted to shooting weddings. I did feel like you at the beginning, but NOTHING compares to a wedding. It has ups, downs, challenges, beauty, fun, frustration, etc.... after you get past the initial fear and learn to handle people, it just became a part of me. I will be sad when I can no longer handle it.

I thought I'd post a few photos taken at a beach wedding a while back. The wedding was far from traditional in that there were only a very few close family members present, the bride wore a gown but no shoes, the groom was in a basic coat and tie - no tux, and the ceremony itself took place in the dunes and not on the beach itself. The photos are also non traditional, in that there were very few posed shots. The day was mostly overcast, which was a good thing because I could avoid the mid-day sun.

Regardless of how they match up with the more accepted format, the bride and the bride's mother loved them. And if you're going to please anyone, I think it would be these two. :)