winter weddings and first looks

a match made in heaven.

In my experience with weddings, August goes quickly into September that leads to early sunsets right into October where we’re trying to fit everything in before 6pm. And, every year it hits me like - how did I forget how early it gets dark “all of a sudden.” Every year, I’m absolutely thrilled with my ability to work with my couples to make the most out of our time together AND their wedding day experience by - YES - “getting the photos done before the ceremony”…but more importantly (!) extending the amount of time they spend together, and lowering the amount of stress that comes with fighting Mother Nature and Sunset!!

So while, of course, I won’t FORCE you to do a first look, but I will highly encourage it. I’ll ask you to talk to people you know who’ve been married recently and ask them what they did + what their opinion is about timing.

When I have a couple who does want to do a first look, we’ll usually work the timeline to do that about 2 hours before ceremony time, as long as there isn’t a lot of travel time involved. Of course this is variable to each couple, but generally if I have 2 hours + an agreeable crowd (and if they’re unagreeable, that’s my job to work with them!!) we can get through the meat of the photos then! And, voila! you’re done with photos once you’re refreshed and ready to walk down the aisle. Free for the night to enjoy + mingle + have zero stress about when you’re going to have time to sneak away!

for a couple that prioritizes candids

TLDR / spoiler alert: candids still take thought and time to make a part of your wedding day. Read on to see why we’ll be a good fit if you find yourself saying, “I just don’t want to spend HOURS on my wedding day doing photos".

I totally get it. Maybe you think you’re awkward (you’re probably not as bad as you think, we’re all awkward when a camera is in our faces!), maybe you just want to be unbothered by having to go take photos when you’d rather be with the entire group. I promise, there’s a compromise in the middle that’ll satisfy all of us!

The first step in making this a reality for your wedding day is being sure to communicate it to me. I have the best job. I get to people watch, intently, looking for moments that are meaningful to photograph. What an honor. BUT! When I have a couple who has told me that their priority is to be present, to be surrounded by people they love, it’s EXTRA that I have to look for those moments in which genuine interactions are happening. Additionally, my advice to you will look like:

• stay with your partner - the more you’re together, the more photos you’ll have of the two of you experiencing that joy + love on your wedding day

• be ready for some light prompting by me - if you are being congratulated by important people directly after a ceremony, it might be me saying, “hey over here!” to get a quick smiling photograph with that person. YES! hugs matter, but also seeing a face of a grandparent on your wedding day will always be a photo you cherish, I promise.

• when you’re ready for a break (you will be ready for a break!), let’s take a quick escape with your partner + make some magic hour photographs! This can take as little as 10 minutes, and will give amazing results! Plus, I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy that little breather together.

summertime (+ the livin's easy)

The absolute DELIGHT of summer weddings is that you can basically get away with doing photos in short bursts anywhere until about 9pm. Is there anything better than that? Long summer nights make me happy unlike anything else in the world. Not even as a wedding photographer, but as a whole entire human :)

so what, right? WELL! Whenever I get to talking with a couple about their day, we’re, of course, going through the timeline. The hill I’ll die on includes: Make sure you ENJOY your wedding day and don’t just schedule everything around the photos, kay? I say this with the caveat that: your wedding needs to be a summer wedding ;) I know I know, FALL THOUGH! But hear me out.

The freedom that comes with a summer wedding means you can schedule your photo time in a way without getting overwhelmed. If you’d like to do a first look, do that (those photos? they’re the best because you require about ZERO PROMPTING).

What’s great about first looks, and, well, me is that I won’t make you do anything that doesn’t feel right. I can pretty much guarantee my prep will sound like, “ok, you’re in line together, now….take it as it feels right. Do it your way.” There is way too much pressure in how we live now + all the wedding images our eyes consume to be perfect. Guess what? You’re going to see each other, it’s gonna be perfect.

So once that’s done! You get to spend the day with your partner! Such a relief, wow! What I do next is assess the day. Is it hot? How are you feeling? ready to knock out some portraits of one side of the bridal party? Need a drink? SO MANY OPTIONS BECAUSE, you guessed it (!), SO MUCH LIGHT LEFT IN THE DAY!

When it comes to couples portraits, here’s a controversial take: there’s enough time in the day that everything you choose to do is actually your choice. I’ve seen photographers insist on golden light photos…but guess what? I’ll never make you do anything. Don’t want to rush out after dinner? Cool, we’ve gotten enough during the day! (but here’s some goodness that you just have to see!)

what do you think? Is it relieving to get to make your own choices in this digital world of doing all the things we live in!? If you’re here for winter wedding advice, I’ll get ya on that soon, too!

2022 in (wedding) florals

I’ll have to recap my dahlia flowers in another post closer to when I know if I have tubers to share. And, if that’s all nonsense to you, then just stay for the wedding images and forget it :)

The thing I love about weddings, besides everything, is seeing a color theme and design come together with the florals. A recap of all my favorites from this year below, enjoy!

truth be told I’m taking a detour and reliving those images for a second! What a fun statehouse shoot!

cannot possibly talk flowers without putting into here these amazing floral dresses that Sarah encouraged her guests to wear!

and again, full stop for Old Slate / Auburn and Ivory and their absolute genius!

phew! you made it!! wanna talk flowers!? I’m always down for that :)

Alicia + Luna | Married in Mohican

Mohican is a great option for a get away type feel (for vacation or for a wedding!) but staying in Ohio. My own family did our “fake Christmas” there this year, and it was perfect for all the ages of kids we have. Alicia + Luna threw a wonderful celebration + let me take them to all the amazingly sunlit spots for photos throughout their day.

Two of the things I’m most passionate about, when directing how a wedding day goes are: keeping your day running smoothly and letting these portraits dictate themselves.

1: if your day has any hint of chaos in it, guess what? You’ll feel it, and you don’t want that. I don’t want that either :) It’s my job to be efficiently finished with anything I require of you (because, yessss we ARE required to do some photos, despite candids > everything) with enough time for you so that you’ve had a minute to reflect + be present in the big moments. I won’t finish up the portraits as you’re rushing to make sure your lipstick is perfect for the walk down the aisle.

2. I can’t tell you how many people tell me they’re nervous or terrible in front of the camera. Well, duh! it’s awkward. It’s why creating an atmosphere of calm + candidness helps to calm your nerves. We’ll work together to schedule your day so that we aren’t doing a marathon photo session but rather; you’re leaving to be alone with your partner in times when you feel like, “PHEW! this is nice to be alone!” And guess what here? You’ll be so happy to be together and ALONE, we’ll make those magical moments you’re craving for your wedding images!

SO! that just so happens to be my recipe for a perfect wedding day. Does it strike a chord to ya? Let’s talk! smash that contact me button + send me all the info I need to know ;) (wow, that was just an experiment to type, and yah, no, that’s not me! ha!)

another round of things I'm digging

there’s like a constant pressure to do all the things, and you know, I’m just not ready to blog some of the sessions I’ve recently shot because I feel like I certainly haven’t hyped them up enough. SO here we are on a Tuesday and we’re going to look through some of the things my eyeballs are getting stuck on - with awe + deep desire for warmer weather (!) through these last few cold weeks. ENJOY!