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!!

Mary + Kyle | married!

Last year was obviously a weird one, but here’s one you might not have heard. I dreaded getting an email with a client from the upcoming three months. Anytime one came through with the name of an upcoming couple, I feared they were cancelling. LUCKILY, I had a lot of awesome people who decided they could safely and responsibly still get married - to some capacity - and keep me with them. To say I am grateful for my 2020 clients is the understatement of the year.

Mary + Kyle first got on my schedule for engagement photos in February of 2020, the last of the “normal.” They were planning on being married in a huge party at Nationwide Hotel + Conference Center…but decided to keep on with their plans to be married, but instead use Kyle’s family’s property in Delaware. It was perfect. It was a perfect September day, and I’m so excited for you to get a glimpse into their love.

Thanks for being here!

Laura + Lillian | married before it all went to hell

Laura + Lillian were married in Feb 2020 at the Franklin Park Conservatory, and it’s just crazy to think that less than a month later, well, you know. I look back on these with a mix of fondness of how things were and hope that they’ll be like this again. Shot on film + digital.

Shanda + Kayla | married at Brewdog USA!

K I have to just touch on having a safe wedding during a pandemic, because like, if you’re getting married? There should be some level of gratefulness + sense of respect to the fact that there are a great great deal of people in the USA who have lost their lives, and many more who have lost someone they love. So, showing up for your love, for me, for MANY vendors I know, is absolutely an honor. I’m grateful that I have work right now. Glad our economy can support workers in many fields on many levels when it comes to weddings….but, I just have to take a single moment to remind the couples + bridal parties that this is a privilege. No doubt to see it any other way. Your wedding is my workplace. Your guests are the people I am so happy to serve. stepping off soapbox

As you’ll see, Kayla + Shanda were lovely, graceful, and beyond caring about being respectful to those family + friends + vendors around them, they absolutely shone on their wedding day. Thanks for having me, ladies! I’m glad to have witnessed your love.