June 4, 2022.
One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is being able to see & capture the emotion from your friends & family at your wedding. The love you feel on a wedding day is like no other & everyone in the room is happy for the newlyweds. Everything I see happen is forever a memory that my couple will relive for the rest of their lives. I tend to think of myself as a fly on the wall during weddings, because in most cases I don’t know your entire family or all your friends, I only know the bride & the groom & I have to make myself fit in. This wasn’t a hard task at Natalie & Martin’s wedding, their family & friends all made me feel welcome & as one of them for the night.
This day was full of love, happiness, dancing, & good people. The day started with the bride & groom getting ready, meanwhile all the florists were making their final touches on the arch that would be displayed at their ceremony, the wedding planners were making sure all vendors were on time & I was ready to start photographing the day. I said hello to Natalie & Martin, this was actually the first time ever meeting them in person, we had many conversations on the phone before this day & had been in contact planning for over a year, this was crazy to me, because everything was leading up to this day.
Natalie was getting ready in the hotel next door with all of her bridesmaids & closest family. As the nerves kept coming, so did the time for Natalie to finally slip into her wedding dress on her wedding day. Meanwhile Martin was doing the same, getting ready with all of his groomsmen & making the final touches. Martin was eager to see his bride & get the ball rolling. Natalie made her way to the bridge where she would see her dad for the first time after getting ready. Moments like this are so precious & sentimental, it truly felt unreal. After Natalie’s first look with her dad it was time for Natalie & Martin to have their first look. Once they saw each other in their wedding attire during their first look, they were overwhelmed with joy, tears, & love to finally see each other. A day they had talked so much about was happening & this was their moment. The couple decided to share their personal vows after their first look. After the couple wrapped up their vows the two headed inside to cool off before the ceremony started. Their officiant was a very close family friend & he was a surprise to all of their guests that knew him! All the details throughout their day, I mean I’m a sucker for it! Once the ceremony came the room was full of their loved ones & the room was filed with love. Soon enough the couple was now Mr & Mrs. Garcia, they danced their way down the aisle & then celebrated with their bridal party. Post ceremony is always filled with photo; this means family photos, bridal party photos, & the bride & groom portraits. This was my time to shine & I did, I photographed everything that the couple could possibly ever want & more.
Once it was time for the reception to start the couple entered down the staircase dancing on their way down to go into their first dance as a married couple. Toasts were made & dinner was served. After dinner the couple went around the room thanking all of their guests for celebrating with them. Natalie & her dad shared a dance & Martin did the same with his mom. After first dances the newlyweds decided it was time for cake! There isn’t a bad time for cake cutting & the couple was ready to party! After the couple cut their cake, it was time to open up the dance floor & continue celebrating! They did just that! As the night progressed guests were getting sweaty as a result of dancing too much, the older guests were disappearing to their hotel room as it was past their bed time & the small kiddos we’re doing the same in their mom’s arms. Before the night was over Natalie & Martin ended their wedding with a private last dance to one of their favorite songs. They danced & sang the lyrics to their song as I soon left the two of them with each other. After the song came to a end the married couple did their sparkler exit with the remaining family & friends that stayed til the end of the night. Before the couple left to their hotel room there was one more shot to be taken with Natalie’s dad. One of the best ways to end off your wedding! This wedding day went by too quickly & was truly one of my favorite weddings to capture. I forever wish the best of luck to Natalie & Martin & can’t wait to see where life takes them. I’m so grateful to couples like Natalie & Martin for trusting me & my team to capture their day. It’s always an honor & I wouldn’t be doing this without my amazing clients.
