This particular wedding is a little bit different than most of the gigs I photograph. And that is because Nick (the groom) is literally my best friend since I was 16 years old. I have met his bride and all their animals on numerous occasions. So I wasn't walking in blind to this one! Lol. One thing that is tricky when you know the grooms family so well, is to remember not focus all your energy on just them, and get the bride's family and friends as well. I don't think I underserved the bride's family in my photos, but it was something I was cautious of the whole time. Just an interesting tip for photographers reading this!
So this wedding didn't start (or end) like any typical wedding I photograph. For starters I drove hundreds of miles on Friday and attended the rehearsal dinner and then went to their house and had a few late-night beers and jammed out on Nick's drum kit (the dude is a REALLY good musician).
On Friday I woke up, went over to the venue and started helping figure out placement of tables/chairs/decorations/etc. I gave friendly advice to all the friends trying to set up, and then started shooting.
The most important takeaway from this wedding, was that if you find you are more of a host, like you enjoy sharing something with someone and the look on their face when they are just as happy, or astounded, by the experience as you had hoped... Then you should set your wedding up like that! I think a lot of people at this wedding wanted to tell the couple "relax, we've got this for you", and I'm sure they appreciated it, but at the same time, they wanted their guests to have a great experience, and they wanted to help nurture that feeling. It was truly humbling and incredible to see this couple helping everyone from when they arrived, to almost literally tucking me into bed at night. Also, there is a future member of the family in these photos :)
Take a look and be happy!!! <3
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