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Chicago wedding photographer Lauren Ashley Grenda sprained her ankle after falling down stairs at a wedding she was workingDespite her injury, Grenda kept shooting until the reception ended to prove that she won’t miss any client’s wedding no matter what
“What matters is how you handle things during difficult times,” Grenda tells PEOPLE
Lauren Ashley Grenda, founder and lead photographer of Lauren Ashley Studiosis frequently asked what would happen if she were to get sick or injured before a wedding. Last month, she lived the answer.
On Nov. 8, Grenda was photographing a wedding at Builders BLDG in Chicago when she unexpectedly tumbled down some stairs. During her fall, she heard “a very distinct pop” and felt the snap” of her ankle.
“Instinctively, I tried to jump back up, and that’s when I realized I couldn’t stand,” Grenda remembers. “I was utterly mortified.”
Lauren Ashley Grenda.
Lauren Ashley Studios
Guests “immediately” rushed to Grenda’s aid, including one of the bridesmaids, who happened to be a doctor. After examining the injury, the bridesmaid was certain Grenda had “torn something,” and advised her to go to the emergency room when she could.
Grenda, however, was less concerned about her injury — which doctors determined the next morning was “a level two ankle sprain with torn ligaments and a small fracture” — and more worried about her clients who were counting on her to capture their special day. So, she chose to stay.
“I decided to keep shooting because my focus wasn’t on the injury, it was on the couple,” Grenda says.
Grenda wasn’t going to miss anyone’s big day — “no matter what.” While elevating and icing her foot, Grenda continued to photograph the reception from a chair while her second photographer stepped up as the lead and her intern fetched her crutches before taking over as second photographer.
“It wasn’t about me that day. Nor did I want it to be,” Grenda says, noting that bride and grooms “only get one wedding day” so she “felt a deep responsibility to protect that experience.”
The accident reminded the professional photographer of over 11 years that “life doesn’t pause for injuries.”
“What matters is how you handle things during difficult times,” she says.
After leaving the hospital, Grenda “went into full problem-solving mode” to figure out the best way to “keep moving through” her life and work. Ultimately, the knee scooter was her “saving grace.” While she was heartbroken to have to reschedule some smaller photo shoot sessions, she approached her next wedding “head-on” by having a backup photographer for “extra support.” The result was “incredible.”
Lauren Ashley Grenda.
Lauren Ashley Studios
“I moved carefully, adapted, leaned on my team, and delivered a full experience,” Grenda shares, adding, “That balance of grit, humor, and teamwork carried me through the rest of my recovery.”
She continues “Working through this injury reminded me that strength often shows up quietly, in the decision to adapt, ask for help, and keep going with intention.”
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Grenda hopes that her story, which was also shared on TikTokwill bring clients “peace of mind” that she’ll “show up for them no matter what,” and that fellow photographers see “the importance of teamwork, backup plans, and community.”
“I hope my journey reminds others that authenticity, resilience, and choosing a life that feels meaningful is always worth it,” she tells PEOPLE.
Now, Grenda is “healing well” and is working on regaining “strength and mobility.” She’s in physical therapy, no longer in a boot, and is walking again.
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