I’ll be honest, these are my favorite blog posts! So finally…five months after the end of 2019, I give you my annual Behind The Scenes 2019! 2019 was a year of juggling a new adventure – either being pregnant or nursing. It added a new adventure to being on my feet and the go-go-go for ten hours that is a wedding day. So as you’ll see, I wore the same outfit for every wedding! Don’t worry, I didn’t have any double headers, so I had time to wash the outfit every time haha. But I needed an outfit that was supportive, comfortable, could grow with a growing belly and could conceal a breast pump (ps here’s the pump I used to pump at weddings: Willow Pump). So when I found this outfit (that I talk about in my post about how to shoot weddings pregnant), I stuck with it! It served me well!

2019 was also the year that my team expanded and my business grew in a new way. Because I spent half the season pregnant, I brought a third team member to each wedding and someone to most of my weddings when I was nursing so someone extra was there to help. I also expanded my business by bringing on two associate weddings for dates when I was already booked. I’m excited to say that 2020 will also play host to two more associate weddings, hope to increase that number for 2021!

2019 was also the year, that two of my girls got married (Sam & Christine!). Christine and I photographed Sam’s wedding in April (see that wedding here). Christine got married in Tennessee and sadly I wasn’t able to be there. Then Sam got pregnant and shot and assisted a few weddings while she was pregnant at the end of the year!

2019 was an amazing year for me, my team and business. But more importantly, it was full of some pretty amazing weddings and some of the most incredible clients! They were so sweet and kind with me as I navigated a year of uncertainty and newness. So 2019 couples, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being even more amazing than I knew you already were!

 

If you’ve seen previous behind the scenes posts, you know that every wedding day starts with photographing details! More often than not, we usually start with the wedding dress. Finding a gorgeous spot to hang it so that we can showcase it’s details. Then move along with all the other bridal details. That means, finding a perfectly lit spot and kicking off my shoes (most of the time) and getting comfy cause this involves alot of awkward yoga stretching poses!

Like I said, 2019 was the year of babies! I was 6 and 7 months pregnant for seven weddings! So the bump was poppin!!

Sometimes, we have to get creative to get the shot. Sometimes that means getting in the bushes, laying on the ground (like Brandon the videographer from Sam & Shawn’s wedding), working with a horse, sitting on the stairs (especially while pregnant).

Most of the day, we’re just doing our thing! Rocking the hold fast money maker (the leather straps I’m wearing), posing people, and having a blast doing it!

Then there was that one wedding, that I second shot with Ann from Anny Photography. Just as we got out of the groomsman limo as we arrived at the venue from the hotel, the heavens opened up and I got SOAKED! Fortunately gear was safe and dry inside my Lowepro rolling bag.

Then. There’s the time when you make the pregnant assistant throw the veil and run…but I’d think Sam would agree it was worth it. To see the resulting image, check out Christine & Anthony’s blog post here.

On wedding days, we take lots of selfies!

The amazing Angel and Jessi associate shooting Melanie & Freddy’s wedding for me, while I was off shooting Julie & Michael’s wedding.

When it’s in the single digits outside and the venue has a warm fireplace, you take advantage of that fireplace after spending an hour outside for portraits!

During the day, we use each other alot! We use each other to test the lighting that is. And instead of just only smiling at the camera for every single test picture, we have some fun with it!

We have the honor and privilege of working with the best in the wedding industry! Over the years, we’ve built real relationships with these people and look forward to seeing each other and working together at weddings.

Mark from Great Scott Productions.

Jordan from PaperBoys

Working alongside Ian from Ian Bell Creative. Ps guys, it’s so important to find a photo and video team who work and see themselves as 100% a team and I’m happy to say that I’ve found that in Ian, Jordan, and Bill and a few other video teams I worked with this year who aren’t pictured. If you’re on the hunt, shoot me an email and I can send over contact info.

Tehya from Fur Ever and Fur Always, Katie from Rose Gold Event and Music Master’s DJ.

Scott from Great Scott Productions.

Rachael of Ceremony by Rachael, talking about Julianna and Jerad’s request for an unplugged ceremony.

Maddie, the coordinator for Christine & Anthony’s wedding, helping Christine with her shoes.

Mark  (Great Scott Productions) dancing with a guest and Nick from Klock Entertainment emceeing the events for the evening.

Buddying up with Brandon from Sam & Shawn’s wedding.

Marta from Affairs Extraordinaire by Marta and Bill from Bill Foster Films.

We always make friends with guests. Mostly, they’re kiddos and sometimes they’re dogs! The flower girl even took this portrait of Christine at Emily & Rob’s wedding.

If you’re lucky…maybe I’ll get on the dance floor with you! Or maybe…if you’re lucky I won’t cause as you can see, it’s not a pretty sight.

But by far, the most important thing we do on a wedding day, is be there for you two!

Serving you both in every single way we can throughout the day is what we’re really there for. Yes obviously we need to take the photos, thats why you hired me. But when you hired us, you also got a partner and teammate through your entire wedding planning process. We’re there to carry your dress, fluff the dress, make sure the hair is looking good and makeup isn’t running, to give you our extra pair of socks and put blister bandaids on your feet so you can enjoy your reception, bring you all the drinks and make you laugh, fix your bustle (we time ourselves!), and teach you how to cut the cake. To give you a moment to breath and roll your eyes at and vent to safely about whatever is causing a moment of stress and anxiety. However you need us, were there for you! And that. That is why I do what I do.

Thank you for asking us to be there! Here’s to 2020! Fingers crossed, we can all meet in the fall!

If you like these Behind The Scenes 2019 photos, check out:
Behind The Scenes of 2018
Behind The Scenes of 2017