enjoying your day AND the best portraits

Comin’ atcha today with another how to! If we’ve talked, you’ll immediately know how passionate I feel about being present enough to never, I mean NEVER, feel or even think for one second MAN I WISH I WAS DOING SOMETHING FUN INSTEAD OF PHOTOS! It’s like my second most promise to you, after the obvious first promise that you’ll fully love your entire photo gallery completely!

a generic timeline to maximize your presence on your wedding day

• first look (ALONE) with your partner. Do you have to do a first look? absolutely not, but if you do, you have more time together (for pictures!) that is natural and happens organically. Why alone? Isn’t it cute to have your friends and family in the background? well, I mean, sure in THIS moment, maybe…but think forever? When you look back on your wedding day, what’s it about? Throwing a great party for your loved ones, sure…but celebrating your love with YOUR LOVE, that’s it!

• take a moment alone together after your ceremony. Call it a breather, call it a break..but you can take 7 minutes while the guests get moving from ceremony to cocktail space…and I don’t even need to be there the whole time. Give me 3 minutes of that exhale when you realize you’ve done it! you’re married! then actually get to enjoy those quiet moments with each other!

• During cocktail hour, I’ll offer you a chance to step out and “take a break” from the crowd - because mingling is HARD WORK. (I always tell couples how this is the hardest part of the day, the introverted-extrovert in me is overwhelmed with wanting to photograph people but also v. much wanting to retreat to my long lens and just get candids :) )….and I bet you’ll totally enjoy just a quick second to recap with your partner with some magical shots!

• THEN finally! you’re usually the first people fed during the reception. If you’re willing to step out for - you guessed it - another chance to be alone + take it all in, I’ll come along and capture some naturally happy-to-be-together moments of you + your partner!

what do you think? have you thought about how you want to spend your time on your wedding day? If nothing else, I hope this has helped you realize that not one single “how to do your wedding day” guide will ever fit perfectly for you. You should consider your personality, your love, and your season of getting married and do it exactly how it feels right!!

how to enjoy your wedding day

THE best advice I can give a couple when it comes to wedding planning is:

choose vendors that you trust, and don’t have to micromanage

and to always remember, the number one goal of your wedding shouldn’t be anything but HAVE THE BEST DAY POSSIBLE. When it comes to my job, as your photographer, I know what I’m doing, and I can guarantee that the photos you love the most won’t be all the hours of scouring Pinterest for “perfect wedding photos” or “boho themed wedding photos” …. it’ll be the candids of your most loved people experiencing all the joy you spent months planning for them. So when it comes to you? YOU do the same thing as them. Trust me, I got you!

Giveaway time

It’s around this time of year that I, as a human who loves to be outside, and photographer who loves the warm light, get the itch to be doing all the things! This might not connect the dots to you, but to me that means incentivizing YOU to book your 2024 wedding photography (with me!) this month!!

the deets

• all wedding contracts that are signed for a 2024 wedding (all months) will include an extra HOUR of wedding coverage

• book me as your photographer with a signed contract, and payments spaced closer to when your wedding is, and your date is SECURED!

if this is it for you - the thing that locks us together for your photography coverage, use this form below to get in touch! Excited to chat with you + see how our styles connect!!

favorite film of 2022, part 2

I do think it’s very much too late to be recapping 2022, but here we are, and these need a home. If film is what gets you, and it’s ok if it isn’t, I promise we can still be friends! I’m sharing a bunch of images this February over on my instagram!

an otherworld engagement session

AH! I guess I haven’t blogged this yet!? It’s been shown over on Columbus Monthly, but here’s my quick take on some images I love from Cat + Chris’ engagement session at Otherworld…in preparation for their wedding this weekend! Cannot wait to travel to Saint Elle in Nashville (traveling! we haven’t since FOREVER!)

whenever I look back at their images I’m reminded, ooooh yeah they don’t let you use flash in there! I catch myself thinking why didn’t I…._____ excited for full creative allowance this weekend + can’t wait to see what C+C do to LED up their wedding decor!

a post of favorites - film favorites Part 1 of ?

I shared on my Insta how I had over 300 favorite of film photos, and like, who even would want to look at that many images PLUS most of them are my family (I’m biased, but those are my best work!) PLUS why would I make them into a reel. I’m nobody to just do something because the social media world says I have to! SO here’s part 1 of ??? to share my favorite, but not oversized heavy on images favorites of the year.

each roll (ish) I try to take a nice portrait of most kids, because they’ll still let me!

so that batch was within the January - August…what happened in august. Well. We have had the same photographer shoot our family photos since 2016 - because I’m a big enough believer in practicing what I preach: we go the extra mile + do whatever it takes to get Yan Palmer to our house when she travels. If you don’t know Yan, you should. She is a force. She’s part photographer part family therapist part magic! Once that session happened, I had a new found, re-woken NEED to shoot all the beauty and find all the light. Part 2 will come soon with the photos living on the coattails of Yan’s inspiration!