Before every wedding we shoot, we create a sample timeline of when we’re doing what portraits, what time the ceremony and reception are, and just basically write out a schedule for the day.  Of course, this schedule rarely stays exactly like we’ve planned – as a wedding photographer, you have to be super flexible!  However, we do still need an outline of the day created so we can make sure family, bridal party, and everyone involved knows where to be at what time.

When I first started shooting weddings, I would create the schedule with the bride and groom, and leave it at that.  I was finding, though, that we would be getting way off the timelines quite frequently.  Of course, some is to be expected, but when it was happening time after time, I realized that there was probably something wrong on my end!  I did some thinking about what was happening, and found a common thread where we were running late.  Most of the time it had to do with the bride not being ready when we had planned to do her portraits for the day, which is generally the first thing we do after she’s got her hair and makeup done and her dress on.

Once I discovered what was happening, it was easy enough to fix.  I started contacting the hair and makeup artists before the wedding and just going over the schedule with them, to see if they can work with the schedule we created and to make sure we allotted enough time for them to complete their magic. Talking to them, and making sure that we’re on the same page has been so great, and helped a lot with us running behind.  Now it’s a standard part of our pre-wedding preparations!   A wedding day only comes once, and we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to give every couple the photos they deserve – and part of what it takes is that one short phone conversation.  Communication really is key. :)

Every year about this time, I start getting emails… one from my Aunt Kathy, another from my grandparents, a little something from a dear high school friend, another friend from my old church, even some friends mom’s.  And they’re all saying some version of this:

“Hi, thinking of you and John!  I know your anniversary is coming soon because your narcissus are coming up!!  Those flowers make me smile every time I see them.  I still remember how happy you and John were at your beautiful wedding.  Give love and kisses to your whole family for me!”

We got married April 5th and for decorations, we simply set out pots and pots and pots of tiny narcissus interspersed with tea lights.  At the end of the evening, anyone who wanted a pot just took one home.  As it turns out, many guets planted those narcissus and get to enjoy them every year.  I love that when they see them, they think of John and me, or say a prayer for our crazy lives, or give thanks to God for all the ways He’s blessed our family.

A few years ago, my aunt gave me some of the narcissus bulbs that had multiplied from those few that she carried home after her wedding.  So now, every March, I get to relive the excitement and anticipation of the last month before our wedding… and think about how much better married life is than dating!  And then I walk inside, drop the groceries on the floor, and go give John a big hug and kiss :-)

Can’t wait to see what seasonal elements our brides work into their weddings this season!!

The picture on the left is the best taken of us on our wedding day.

I know.  It’s sad.

The fact is, I brought it on myself.  I didn’t prioritize wedding photography in my budget, and by the time I got to it, I was annoyed and tired with wedding planning, so I chose the first bad photographer I met – even though his sample books were… ugly.  I chose the lowest package, which didn’t even give him time to get good shots, and I timed everything so the best light had vanished by the time our ceremony ended. So I accept the blame. :-)

But I admit that with each passing year, I am sorrier that I made the mistake of choosing a bad wedding photographer and not giving him the opportunity to do a better job.

My wedding day was the happiest day of my life.  I was outrageously in love, overflowing with joy, and basking in the knowledge that John felt the same for me that I felt for him.  And though I can recall those feelings this very moment (which is why I cry at all the weddings I shoot!!), I have no pictoral evidence of them.

I absolutely floated through the day, knowing that *nothing* – not the rain storm that stubbornly poured all morning, nor the manure pile landscapers had dropped on the church’s main walkway – could stop me from standing by John’s side that evening and promising to stay there until death did us part.  But the pictures just show a stiffly-posed bride with a glassy-eyed smile.

It was easy for John and me to prioritize our guest list over everything else.  We were truly surrounded and uplifted that day by love, support, prayer, and well-wishes from our large families, wedding party of 16, and a church packed full of dear friends.  Yet our pictures show no trace of the emotion in the sanctuary that night.

We got married in April, on a gorgeous spring evening, with daffodils in bloom.  But we don’t have a single detail or establishing shot.  Only images that accept – rather than make the best of – the dim reception site we chose because it would accomodate our large guest list.

I don’t have an album for John and I to reminisce over on anniversaries.  I don’t have a single print in our home declaring to our children, friends, and visitors that we made a promise when we were young(er) and starry-eyed… and that we’ve never yet regretted that promise.

That’s why I don’t just show up at a wedding.  I shoot just about every single day, practicing new techniques I read about or ideas that excited me the previous day.  Susie and I invest in the best equipment we can afford.  We seek out ongoing training to build our skills and expand our creativity.  We are devoted to customer service and have filled our workflows with multiple opportunities to learn about our bride’s personalities, visions, and preferences.  And we never, ever coast during a wedding.  After a shot, we push ourselves to find another, different, better angle from which to take the next shot.  We do our best to anticipate moments and look for scenes unfolding, sometimes those that occur even out of the bride or groom’s sight.  We work confidently through any surprises. We’re on your side and we’ll never, ever do anything that will add to the stress of your day. We’re professionals and we make it work.

We’re not so arrogant as to believe that the images we walk away with are the only way you’ll remember your wedding day.  But… they are the only way you’ll be able to tell the story of your day.  And your wedding is a story worth telling well.

Yes, if I could go back, I’d make my wedding photography a much higher priority.  But that’s the only thing I’d do differently. :-)