Get the Job Done: I survived back-to-back weddings!

I'm alive! I apologize for not writing on the blog sooner to let everyone know how my second wedding on Sunday went. For the entire weekend, my assistants and I worked 16 hours covering both of those weddings, and I still can't believe we made it through! To be quite honest, I was exhausted beyond belief and literally slept all day Monday and most of Tuesday. I didn't start to feel like myself again until Wednesday. Weddings must be like childbirth....you forget about all the pain, difficulty and stress related to the birth once you look at the new life you've successfully brought into the world. Starting to edit my photos on Wednesday was like that. Even though I could barely walk because my feet and back were killing me, when I saw the photos from both days, I forgot about everything save for the beauty inherent in expressing and sealing your love in front of family and friends and the trust both couple's had in me to capture their experiences.

The second wedding was nearly two hours late and incessant rains forced the ceremony to be held in a dark auditorium inside the Cable Center rather than outside in the sunlight. That meant all of our planning during the rehearsal held outside in a garden near the Cable Center went right out the window. This is what I mean when I saw that no matter how much you plan ahead, you've got to be able to adapt to changing circumstances without getting rattled. And the only way you can do that is to have the skill sets and the experience to back you up.

Despite all of this unexpected hardship, both the bride and the groom maintained their composure which made it easier for me to redirect my assistants in lieu of the dramatic changes. From that point on, everything else went on as planned. The groom took us to a great location for formal portraits on the DU campus filled with reflective pools, waterfalls, a bridge, lush green grass and trees and wonderful old buildings for great backgrounds. With the rain threatening to fall again, I and my assistants worked quickly and effectively. We were rewarded for our time with a magnificent sunset that I can't wait to see in some of my images! The ride to the wedding and to the formals in the limo was tons of fun too and I got some great images from that. Then, covering the reception inside the Cable Center's great hall was fantastic as well. Dozens of windows let in great light and it was especially fun to take photos during that special hour when the sky is that lovely navy blue right before the night fully descends.

At the end of the day, the bride said something to me that I've never heard before: "Don't even think about leaving the state, because I want you to be my family's photographer from now on!" That's exactly what I had been hoping would happen -- that a successful wedding might lead to me becoming a "photographer for life" for this couple, shooting all of their future engagements, the birth of their children, senior portraits, graduations, etc. etc. And I couldn't have asked for a better "family" to be apart of. The couple's amazing slide show of my engagement photos on a larger than life, multi-screened format was fantastic and by far the best advertisement I could ever ask for. I had several people come up and ask for business cards to book similar sessions. And the bride told me that one of her husband's groomsmen is getting married in Kenya and might be interested in having me shoot that as well....hopefully helping me secure my first destination wedding! Photos will follow!