My first wedding

How it began

While I was trying to build my portfolio Megean (bride above) had reached out to me wanting sessions. Our first session was a milk bath in my tiny 2-bedroom apartment. I'm sure the ladies that had them done were like whaaaaat in the world lol. I was around six- seven months pregnant taking pictures in my little tub, they are all incredibly beautiful I was just very new to photography needing some education. So, after that monstrosity I did another model call and Megean booked with me again. She is so fun to work with and absolutely stunning.

The message

One day Megean messaged me asking if I could photograph her wedding, at first, I was like "mmmm idk I'm not that experienced, especially with weddings". Obviously, I took the pictures for her and I am so glad I did. after that day I knew I wanted to be a wedding photographer.

I arrived at the house with my rebel t7 and best clothes on I was in true business form. No business cards, such a shame (inside tip: GET BUSINESS CARDS), I walked around the backyard/venue and it was BEAUTIFUL. I thought "how am I even going to do this". All the YouTube in the world was not enough to prepare my nerves. So, I go back in to the house and start getting ready photos, the rooms were dim and florescent lit. If you're a photographer, you feel my pain lol. I spent most the time with Megean and her bridesmaids just getting detail shots and getting ready candid's.

Some of my favorite photos are the pink flower with the greenery around it, the ring shot, the close ups with her hair and mirrors, and a couple more which I will mention later on. As I said before, everyone was super sweet and welcoming they completely trusted me to do a good job and know what I was doing. They also had a really nice timeline which gave me even more confidence to take amazing pictures. We are getting closer and close to ceremony time, and this is still the adrenaline rush part for me. The ceremony is so fast paced, and you really have to be able to catch as much as you can as quickly as you can. The reaction of the groom, the bride walking down the aisle, making sure you're using the right lens, etc. The pressure is on these are the moments that can't be recreated. If you are a beginner photographer, these are things you need to consider before jumping in to your first wedding. How are you going to tell their story? What are things they want to cherish? What technical things are you doing with your camera?

Back to the ceremony, I was there taking photos, but I was nervous to get in the aisle, nervous that people were looking at me, nervous just because. I'm now barefoot so that I can move around quickly and get every shot possible for my skill level. Wardrobe is important I didn't have on proper shoes to be standing for a long period of time and my professionalism suffered because of it. You want to make sure you look professional while also being comfortable. This is a long and intense day as a photographer, and you don't want to be hurting. After the ceremony I got family shots and a special moment with Megean her youngest son, he was breastfed so with her permission I got some photos of her feeding him. Which is just amazing to me I was also breast feeding my son at the time, so that created even more of a connection between us.