You know what's CRAZY...? I have thousands of wedding photos that deserve to be shared, but I have struggled a lot with blogging over the last few years because I have so many thoughts about these weddings and more importantly, the people that make them so memorable and incredible. But many times, I am too overwhelmed to find the words or it's really difficult to put my thoughts together in a way that makes sense for every wedding, because as you know... all wedding days are so unique!
After toying around with a few ideas and having quite a few conversations with my incredible and patient and thoughtful friend, Emily, I have finally landed on an idea that feels right for me. And because Emily and I have been building a friendship since the day she first emailed me about photographing her wedding almost two years ago, it just made sense to share this new blog format with photos from HER amazing wedding day! When I blog wedding images, I'm going to include answers to the same four questions about each wedding day. Here we go!
1) Favorite moment?
This answer is going to be tough for every wedding because there are always so many moments that I never want to forget, but hands down my MOST favorite moment from Brent and Emily's day was when their puppy, Ripken, showed up for some photos. We were able to incorporate him into some of their engagement photos when he was still just a little roly poly pup and it's been really fun watching him grow up and also bonding with Brent and Emily over our love for our furry kids. A close second? Emily's brother, Josh, performed a song for the father-daughter dance. It was so, so special.
2) Favorite detail?
Okay, so this is especially difficult because Emily is just one of those people who cherishes the smallest details in life and she took the same care in putting together every detail of her wedding day. It was beautiful and so special to see the vision she had been sharing with me during the planning process finally come to life! If I have to choose only one, it would be the beautiful red leather couch. Not because red happens to be my favorite color or because it was such a unique feature for photos, but because it holds a special memory in Brent and Emily's love story - it happens to be the couch that they sat on the night they first met. HOW COOL.
3) When did you cry?
Like... a million times, as per usual on every wedding day. But the moment that I couldn't hold back the tears? When Emily and her father had a "first look" together, something I highly recommend doing because it always ends up being one of the moments that brides cherish most as they look back on their day. I cry every time I look at this set of photos, even almost a year later.
4) M.V.P of the day?
*** Originally, I was going to keep the questions to only the three above, but I had to add this one. In the years that I have been photographing weddings, I have observed a LOT of M.V.P.'s on wedding days: putting the bride and groom first and doing whatever necessary to make the day the very best it can be. Sometimes it's another vendor, a guest, or even the bride or groom going the extra mile without a second thought. This sort of thing is worth noting when you see the love that people have for the bride and groom in action... and more often than not, there are so many people on a wedding day that step up in big ways, it will always be hard to choose just one. Such is the case for Brent and Emily's day, which is no surprise because their family and friends are some of the most encouraging and supportive people in their lives. So, I'm going to say that everyone in the wedding party and family gets an M.V.P. award, but especially Emily's dear friend (and business partner!), Virgina. She put together all of the florals and when we arrived, she was sitting at the kitchen table with a big smile on her face and finishing the final touches of Emily's bouquet so it was absolutely perfect.
