I had a conversation this week with someone asking me about shooting weddings and how stressful it must be. As I thought about what they were saying and reflected, I disagreed with them. Shooting weddings starts with our first contact, building a bond of trust and being a soundboard for my clients. I have shot eleven weddings in thirteen Saturdays and each one was special.(Weddings love Autumn!) Some of these weddings booked a year ago in 2016 and I have been able to walk through life with my brides all along the way. I have gotten texts from brides at fittings that were so happy they needed to show me the dress and see what I thought. I've been able to share life with a momma-bride that was missing thier baby back at home during her elopement, gluten/dairy free bridesmaids searching for yummies, a mother-in-law who shared her heart with her soon to be daughter (tears), toasts with families so supportive that I cried three times in ten minutes, a bride almost in tears because the dress was so tight that we didn't think we could zip it up (thank goodness for determination), a bride that was about an hour behind schedule coming from the salon that she thought her day was ruined (not on my watch!!!), drunk guests that needed help making it off the dance floor with the essentials covered, fabric tape, spanx, 24-hour lips gloss, tape-on bras, messy bridal bags that have somehow eaten the garter and rings, groomsmen on thier very best behavior, a groom who wept like a baby when he saw his bride for the very first time and allowed me to shoot every-single-moment of it.
The biggest thing about being a wedding photographer is being able to share these moments with my husband, who happens to be one of my favorite wedding photographers. He packs my bags, charges my batteries (in all the ways!!!) and supports me so much. He takes over when I need to get a family member who has disappeared for family portraits, he checks my settings to make sure we are synced, and he tells me when I have a killer shot. He is always on the search for the light with me and I love that. He has totally revamped our lighting setup for our 2018 weddings. So BRING IT ON!!!
Give me all the couples who want to be real, want to put it all on the table and love deeply. I promise to meet you were you are and walk beside you in this journey. I promise not to shoot posed pictures if you want a total candid wedding. I promise to wear camouflage to your wedding and blend in with the greenery. I promise to be your bouncer and your mirror.
Give me all the couples who want to make their day theirs. Couples who are bold enough to wear pj's to cut their cake, moon me through the reception windows or give their daddy an extra long dance because they had to. Give me all the feels, the real stuff. I will capture it. My husband will be there too if you have a second shooter and book my Ultimate Collection. (www.chadericksonphoto.com plus www.emiliegates.com makes yummy magic together.)
(Pictured below: Chad's Savannah wedding that I second shot for him. We stayed in an Airbnb in downtown and walked hand in hand exploring the area and eating Pho. This couple was so special. One of my favorite pictures is the momma and the bench (she prayed for days sitting on that bench for her daughter and new son and the weather.... oh the weather. It was supposed to be storming that day. The last drop fell on our way to the chapel.)
