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Wedding Photography | My First Experience

by | Jul 10, 2020

Weddings

I love weddings. Not only have I had the pleasure of experiencing my very own wedding (which I LOVED btw), I have also attended several friend’s weddings. Each one unique. Each one different. But all of them filled with love and excitement for the future of the new couple.
One aspect of weddings that I never thought I would experience was wedding photography. My friend worked with a professional wedding photography company during college. He was ALWAYS busy. Either prepping for the wedding with client calls and coordination, shooting the actual wedding, or post processing the gallery for the clients. When I started my photography business, I didn’t even THINK about wedding photography. It was all about cute, cuddly newborns and growing families.
Wedding, chandelier,

Starting in Wedding Photography

Three years later, we move to a new town and I reconnect with a fellow photographer Amanda McCollum. I had picked her brain on a few business related topics and she mentioned that she is getting more into weddings. For some reason, this spoke to me. I wanted to try it out. Next thing you know, she asked if I would like to be a second shooter for a wedding near my hometown.
 
Umm..Yes!
 
How exciting is that? I get to ask questions, learn on the spot, and fully immerse myself in a niche that I have NEVER experienced before. Needless to say, I was hooked.
 
It’s truly a work of art being a professional wedding photographer. You have to know the entire schedule as if you were the wedding planner. Coordinate to make sure you aren’t in anyone’s way when it comes to setting up gear. And learn names FAST.
Newborn Session by Iron Lace Photography
Wedding, chandelier,

The Wedding Day | Bridal Suite

Spending the morning with the Bride is an awesome and humbling experience. We talked about how they met, how he proposed, and visions for the future. While taking photos of all the small details we talked about the ring and this gorgeous custom wooden box that was made for them. I had never seen a ring box that intricate before. It was custom made and so beautiful. How many dresses did she try until she found THE ONE? Only a few!  I laughed and told her she was lucky that she had a specific style in mind when she picked hers out. It took me FOREVER to find the dress I loved. I had the pleasure of completely submerging myself into the happiness of the day, and the privilege of using my camera to capture those moments.
Baby Graham

Groom with His Groomsmen

The late morning with the Groom is always a fun treat. You truly never know what you’re going to walk into when you get a bunch of guys together. Especially when they are getting dressed up nice. As I walk up the stairs to the groom’s suite, I hear clinks of bottles and laughter. Reminiscing of the good times and preparing the groom for what’s to come. We talk about how they all know each other; some are related, while others are family of a different kind.

A military family.

Brought together by tours of duty and working along side one another. As they are poking fun at the groom, telling stories of how they met the groom and bits of tips for married life I took a step back and captured moments of the smiles, the laughs, and the friendship they share. There were laughs, LOTS of jokes, and tons of sweet moments too. Before it was time to head down to the ceremony, the groom took a moment and read a letter that his soon-to-be bride sent to him. He didn’t read it out loud, but everyone could tell it was full of love. I think that is one of the best shots I captured during this wedding.

The Ceremony

The ceremony. I have never been so quick about adjusting camera settings and moving in my life! The light changes, adjust settings. They move to the unity candle, adjust position. They move back to the center, adjust position. All while being as quiet as a mouse and not interfering with the videographer or guests‘ views. It’s worth it though when you get some amazing shots!

The officiant for the wedding was actually a Chaplain in the Army and worked with the groom. You could tell that being the person to marry these two was an absolute honor and privilege for him.

The Reception

My favorite part of the reception was the father daughter dance. Naturally, the Bride and the father of the Bride have their song together. About 30 seconds into the song, the Groom starts walking towards the stage. The bride’s back is turned so she can’t see him. But when she turn around, she sees it. Her husband, holding her little girl. Dancing together. I made sure to capture her facial expression when the moment finally hit her. Her daughter dancing with her daddy.

And then I CRIED.

That was truly the most touching, real, and loving thing I have ever seen in real life. I felt that in my soul. It was pure love. Totally unexpected, but felt across the entire room.
 
And the rest is history! Dancing, laughs, cake, food. Everything that makes people happy.
It is definitely a rush, and I certainly enjoyed every minute of it. Weddings truly are the epitome of happiness and so much love and hope for a bright future. Wedding photography is definitely something that I know I want to continue to capture.
Wedding, sparklers, exit
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