I’m torn. I love pretty storybook pictures just as much as the next girl. You know, the ones where a couple is perfectly posed with light streaming in, looking like they walked right off a magazine cover. But, man oh man, I adore the action. The real life documentary moments that happen on a wedding day are where my passion lies. That look dad gives when he sees his baby girl all dressed in white. The unexpected laughter that inevitably occurs during the toasts. The excitement of the dance floor and the raw beauty and chaos of a dimly lit gettibg ready room. I love all of that.
Nicole and Rick’s wedding was beautiful, no doubt. But that’s not what I want them to remember. I want them to remember how the wind felt as it blew through their hair in the borrowed Cadillac with the top down. I want them to feel the warm summer sunshine and smell the dust of the grandstands. I want them to never forget the smiles they gave each other as they shared a first dance as husband and wife. I want them to feel the whir of the surprise helicopter and the whir of thrill mixed with a bit of fear.
They call it documentary style coverage. Taking pictures of the happenings, not just the stuff. And like I said at the beginning, I’m totally torn, so I’ll most definitely spend a part of the day taking posed pretty pictures, and some of your family all together. But I really do try to be present in mind and spirit to experience the wedding along with my couples. I work hard to create the kind of trust that allows me to get close to those intimate moments. Because they are the memories that you need to cherish.