What’s it like having Jennifer at your wedding celebration? Good question. I mean, unless you’re used to having the media shadow your every move (are you a celebrity reading this? I’d love to know!), you’ve never had your very own personal paparazzi follow you around playing one part fly-on-the-wall documentary photographer and one part bossypants ninja photographer. It’s an odd reality to have a new face insert into your world and live every moment of your wedding day alongside you.
But! It’s not as awkward as it sounds! I promise! =D
By the time we’ve made it through your engagement photos and your wedding planning months and had plenty of emails/texts/DMs in the months before your wedding, my goal will be that you’re excited to see me as your personal paparazzi on your wedding day because we’ve become friends. I won’t be the crazy random stranger showing up to boss you around and stick my camera in your face; I’ll be your teammate, your ally, your trusted photographer buddy who is probably also crying during the ceremony, definitely belly laughing during the best man’s toast/roast, and sighing with delight during your first dance (maybe a tear or two there, too?).
I’ll also be making a million different embarrassing faces while I try to make your bridal party laugh. I mean is THAT duck lips to go along with the cathedral length veil I am storing around my neck?!
I’ll be jumping up on a chair to make sure to get an awesome photograph of the dance floor….
I’ll say something sarcastic to make sure the smiles are genuine…
I’ll help you decide if its possible to climb the fence in a wedding dress to get the epic photograph you really really want…
(And then I’ll photograph the mount-and-climb for posterity. 😛 (If you want to see the photo that made all this work worthwhile, click here.)
I will probably forget to take a selfie with you on your wedding day, but will regret missing the opportunity and cherish the photos I do remember to take…
I will absolutely be snarky and bossy during family portraits and bridal party portraits . . . but it makes sure we’re finished in record time and everyone can get to the reception on time (or early)!
I will be very willing to lay down on the sand or snow or grass or mud for the perfect shot. (In this case: go here to see the windswept sunflare that made my sandy hair worth it!)
I won’t usually stand/squat so obviously close to the front of the ceremony (I prefer to be seen by as few guests as possible during those solemn moments) but in this case I’m SO GLAD I was here when the dogs ran in and ESPECIALLY when the bride made the groom cry. 😉 Go look at those photos!
We’re not usually going to be photo bombed by wild rabbits, but I’ll be there for the photo when it happens!
I will fluff your dress and arrange your veil and smooth your hair whenever necessary…I have even extracted flies from between layers of tulle and helped put on shoes and I always definitely help put on the boutonniere when necessary.
I will take warrior stance to make sure I get exactly the right shot. . .but I’m still not sure why this is exactly how I always stand for almost every photograph…;-)
I will practice my squats and lunges at the gym so I can have excellent form on your wedding day…
See? Exactly the same stance!
I will coach your maid of honor on how to properly “swish” a dress for best effect…
I will put on my thinking face more than once as I evaluate light and angle and try to anticipate the next magic moment…
I will stand in the rain (and make my husband stand in the rain, too :-P) for the sake of epic photos.
I will hike to the top of a mountain for you, even in the coldest of rain…
And, full disclosure, I will take at least one mirror selfie at your wedding . . .
And, if necessary, I will clear the beach for you . . .
I will have too much fun photographing the details you’ve assembled for your wedding day…
And, most of all, I will be emotionally invested in the celebration of your marriage. Your wedding photos will showcase not only your emotion but mine. The joy and the triumph, the nostalgia and the relief, the family ties and the friendship bond. As I live (and re-live over and over and over again in editing!) your wedding day, I will be creating for you a pictorial display of your wedding that will live on throughout your life and be the stories that your children and grandchildren see and cherish.
When necessary, I’ll just be over here wearing your wedding veil on a wind-swept beach so that it doesn’t blow away . . .;-)
P.S. I have loved wearing my Virginia Dare Dress Co. Emma dresses this year, as evidenced by the fact that I wore one at almost every wedding this season!
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