should we do a first look?
i get this question all of the time and as a wedding photographer, i definitely have a biased answer, and it is - YES!!!!! and here is why:
your first look is basically designed to help you enjoy your reception to its fullest! the formal portrait section of the day includes 3 items:
your couples portraits
your wedding party portraits
your family portraits
if you choose to wait until after your ceremony to see each other, ALL THREE portions cannot be fully complete until after your ceremony and during cocktail hour. we can also try and schedule some sunset couples portraits too, which i do recommend, but again this is only about 15 minutes of your time pulled away from your party.
ideal scheduling times for portraits looks like this:
45 minutes for couple, including first look. an additional 15 minutes for sunset photos as well.
30 minutes for wedding party. sometimes less, if your wedding parry is very small.
30 minutes for family. 45 minutes if your family is large.
add that up, up there and you will see why you’ve been to so many weddings where the couple and family were late to their own event!
another advantage of the first look is the intimacy factor. the first look will just be the two of you, and your photographer and videographer. it can be one of the sweetest moments of the day! PLUS you will have time to get your make-up refreshed before your ceremony and guest arrival.
after the first look is complete, we go right into couples portraits. after that we can complete the wedding party. we can even complete the family portraits too and then give you a 15-30 minute break before your ceremony while guests arrive. other options are to do the family portraits directly after the signing of your paperwork, during cocktail hour.
now, if your heart is ABSOLUTELY set upon waiting to see your partner during the ceremony we will oblige! but just know you will very busy post ceremony and what often suffers is your couples portrait time being cut very short unless you have an extended break between ceremony and reception or an extended cocktail hour of 90-120 minutes. .
i hope this answers any questions you have as you plan your amazing wedding day!!!!
alex + stuart
love at islandwood
what a glorious wedding this was at amazing islandwood on bainbridge island, washington! this venue is special. on 250 acres with tree houses, suspension bridges, ponds, hiking, and more the location is truly magical. alex and stuart made their destination wedding a 3 day event over labor day weekend & it was just perfect.
i will never forget their vows to each other. so romantic and realistic at the same time! a truly special way to make a lifetime commitment - with a rock solid foundation. many happy returns to alex and stuart! xo
katarina+sam
love in redmond, wa
civil ceremonies deserve amazing photography too! this is a perfect example of a bride and groom who valued excellent photography and hired me for a customized elopement package for their civil ceremony + bridal and family portraits directly after their ceremony.
sam’s family flew out from montreal for the intimate affair and everyone was so very happy. i was extraordinarily honored to witness their nuptials by a fantastic judge at the redmond courthouse. let me tell you, he was hilarious and sweet - and it was one of the best ceremonies i have attended!
afterward we took all family and friends over to the park next door for portraits and i kept the couple a little extra time for bridals. we *had to finish our time up at redmond city hall because that building is *stunning and we grabbed a few of my most very favorite environmental portraits i have ever taken! :)
so please- ladies and gents! if a huge wedding isn’t your thing, hire a pro to document it! you’ll be so happy in twenty years that you will have these fond memories to cherish forever.
i do accommodate customized elopement packages to fit within modest budgets, so contact me today and let’s make something special happen on your once in a lifetime day!
anne-marie+antonio part ii
love at diablo lake, wa
this was an AMAZING post-wedding adventure and such a fun day with anne-marie and antonio. it was a few weeks after the wedding and we caught some fall sunshine and headed out to diablo lake in the north cascades. it was worth every second of drive time. so epic and so *windy and they were such good sports about it all. seriously, what better excuse to get all dressed up again in your wedding clothing than against this tremendous backdrop? antonio himself is also an amaaaaaaazing photographer, so i caight some behind the scenes of him shooting his beautful wife as well!
these shoots are fantastic and i hope you enjoy these and consider a location like this for your elopement or post wedding adventure when booking with me!
lina+xavier
love in seattle, wa
such an amazing day we had in late spring to celebrate lina and xavier’s nuptials! we had already had an incredible engagement session a few months earlier, so had a chance to get to know each other a bit, which always makes things go more smoothly. this is why i always include an engagement session with all of my wedding packages! anyway, back to the lovely couple at hand…
the morning started off at the bride’s house with a traditional vietnamese tea ceremony. it was so beautiful! it is such a privilege for me to witness and document cultural traditions like this. after that we headed over to the beautful washinton arboretum for the first look and bridal portraits and had a fun time horsing around, which is my favorite way to attain authentic and joyous group photos! the last stop was the gorgeous lake union cafe for the ceremony and reception. everything was so beautiful and fun and i was able to capture some of my very favorite dance shots i have ever taken. what an amazing group of friends and family, which is no surprise as lina and xavier are just the sweetest! many blessing to the happy couple1
