^ See that? That’s us, in late 2015, in the rain, about 1 minute after we got engaged. I can still feel the electricity when I look at that photo. I can feel the cold and the wet and my mascara running into my eyes. I can feel the pure joy and excitement. I can smell the fall air. I can re-live the moment all over again. This is what I feel when I decide how to photograph a wedding.
We basically LIVE for the opportunity to give these same feelings to our clients when they look at their wedding photos. I want you to understand how seriously we actually take our jobs behind our seemingly carefree exteriors. photos of us on this page by Jennifer Van Son Photography
Having married each other in 2016, we feel like we’re SUPER equipped to capture amazing memories, time after time, not just from a photographer’s perspective but also from a client’s. What we think is the most important definitely changed after we received our own wedding photos.
Aside from just generally capturing the day as it unfolds, we try to search out certain aspects — emotion, fun, and little quirks that make your day unique. We look at a wedding as a WEDDING, not a photo shoot. Let me get a little more specific.
**NOTE** the following is what happens at what for us is a “typical” wedding. MOST of our clients consist of a bride and a groom, though we have shot (and would LOVE to shoot more) LGBTQ2S+ weddings. But they aren’t “typical” for us currently. So please, if you are not a straight couple, replace “groom” and “bride” with whatever you identify with. We love everyone (except d-bags, because nobody likes d-bags).
Getting Ready
We arrive (Mat with groom, Sara with bride) about 1 hour before “the dress” goes on. We stay relatively quiet, allowing you and your people to get used to us being there, priming y’all for actively consciously ignoring our existence if we aren’t directly talking to you. Our eyeballs search for pretty details, quiet moments, funny stuff, anybody freaking out or crying, hugging, etc. If you invite us to partake in your pre-wedding alcohol and snacks, we will. Just saying.
If you want to, we may take any excess time here to do a few semi-formal bridal/groom/person-getting-married portraits. Again, we’ll likely take a candid-looking approach, and make it look like you weren’t totally posing for a photo.
Ceremony
This is where The Well-Oiled-Mat-And-Sara-Machine comes into play. We anticipate where to be and when to make sure we don’t miss anything. You *need* to be able to see exactly how you looked at each other while you made all those mushy promises. We want to get you, your parents, wedding party, and guests crying… at the saaame tiiiime.
A word about iPads taking up the entire aisle
We in no way require unplugged ceremonies, but FYI it’s way easier to take photos of the walk down the aisle when we’re not having to stretch ourselves around 5 ipads in the aisle… I totally understand though, wanting to have other perspectives and allow your guests to take photos during the ceremony, so, like, do you. You will get no pressure or flak from us.
Here’s a rundown of our regular routine, during an “average”, somewhat traditional ceremony:
Sara at the front, snapping back and forth between the people walking down the aisle and the groom. Mat is at the back, prepping to get shots of the bride from the back coming down the aisle and the ever-important groom’s face shot (though as I said, I’m at the front snapping back and forth for a closer view of what I always hope are tears in the groom’s eyes).
Bringin’ it home
Mat and Sara kinda circle slowly around the area (space permitting) to try to capture all perspectives. We try to get wide shots and close-ups too. For the kiss, usually Sara crouches or stands in the aisle to get it from the front and Mat either goes to the back for a wider shot or to the front if there’s a place to hide, to attempt that shot where everybody is in the background clapping and the couple is kissing, but this isn’t always possible, so no promises. We take casual shots of the signing (you do not need to look at us and smile and arrange the flowers artfully or whatever bullshit) and then run backwards down the aisle to catch your announcement and exit. Yay! You’re married!
