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
advice for couples who don’t want to take a lot of time away from wedding day activities to do posed photographs
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.
