The night before her wedding, I peeked at the weather forecast and my heart sank. Not for me, but for her. Most brides don't plan a spring wedding and expect snow and sleet. "She's probably freaking out," I thought. So I sent her a short and sweet note on Facebook hoping to calm her nerves, promising her that regardless of rain, sleet, or snow, we would rock out some seriously awesome photos.
Thank God I was right. But I am not tooting my own horn here, I am tooting hers. Her name is Rachel and she was one of the most laid back, classy, graceful, and stunning brides I have ever worked with. Without her constant smile and gorgeous attitude throughout the day, none of these photos would have been possible.
Unlike other weddings I typically shoot, we had to shoot everything indoors with limited space and light, but we rolled with it just fine.
As the snow poured down from the skies, she just kept saying "It's so pretty, It's so pretty."
As if Rachel wasn't sweet enough, I then had the privilege of meeting her soon to be husband. He greeted me with a huge, warm smile and a firm handshake, and I really thought these 2 were too good to be true.
I scoured the church for some nice natural lighting, and when I found this hallway I wanted to drop to the floor and kiss the carpet - mmmwah- thank you, beautiful light!
And then...it was time to leave. I knew I had to get a few photos of the bride and groom going out to their car, it was my only chance to get a few "snow photos."
True story - When I asked the "church lady/assigned coordinator" if I could have access to a certain courtyard to get some photos of the bride and groom in the snow, she scolded me like I was a child and reprimanded me for even suggesting that the bride take photos in the snow. There was also eye-rolling and some mumblings under her breath about "unprofessional."
Church lady...eat your heart out:
Truth be told, this crazy snow was not supposed to start so early. It was supposed to come later that night. Therefore, I did not wear my warm boots to the wedding; I wore flats and really thin socks. After the photos above, my toes were soaking wet and frozen to the bone for the rest of the evening. As I went to bed that night around midnight, I had to put on 2 pairs of socks because my poor toes were still frigid.
But it was worth it...how many couples can say they caught snowflakes on their tongues on their wedding day?
We did attempt one outdoor location, but I would be exaggerating if I said we stayed 5 minutes. It was blistering cold, so we called it a day and headed to the reception.
This was my first time shooting at the Mahler ballroom, and I was very impressed; nice venue, nice staff, A+ all around.
I sent my assistant up to the balcony level to shoot the first dance while I shot from the floor. Betcha can't find me in this photo ;)
Rachel and Dennis, your wedding day was beautiful. The two of you were delightful to work with, and I can promise I will never forget this wedding day and its crazy weather! Without your beautiful attitudes and smiling faces, this day never would have turned out as great as it did.
And to my beautiful assistant Erica, who laughed with me and not at me though all of our misfortunes: I love working with you girl, and your images were top notch as usual.
