{Featured Friday}: "Wedding Among the Whispering Pines"

 

 Happy Friday All!  How fantastic that it's October?  YES!  The Fall Season is officially here....last night we took the babies to their first "Carnival"...it was super random and sketchy and not at all what I had imagined it would be...but, it was fun, weird, but fun.  I'm still in shock that my cautious husband allowed me to take Hannah & Emma on the "Berry Go Round" despite the fact that it looked like it had just been set up, minutes prior. 

 

Speaking of Justin, did you know that in addition to being a Doctor of Physical Therapy he's also a Professional Photographer and has been shooting for Still Life Studios for over 7 years now?  Yeah, he is way more talented and skilled then me...it only annoys me slightly :) 

 

 Anyways, he shot this enchanting wedding that I'm sharing with you today......

 

Trisha and Brandon were married this past summer up in Pinetop.  Being that it was June....having a Wedding up in Pine Top was a nice treat!  I however, did not coordinate this particular wedding.  Instead, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to cross off one of my 101s in 1001s by shadowing a professional photographer (yes, it helped it was with my hubs.) This was a very important goal of mine because I truly feel to be an experienced and real deal amazing Wedding Planner...you have to understand and appreciate the roles of all the vendors involved, especially the photographers. 

 

 To be honest, I think the photographer has one of the hardest roles on a Wedding Day.  Because, you see...if a Wedding Planner has truly done her job right, and ironed out all possible hiccups and has a solid timeline...ideally the day should go fairly easy for the Planner (because the majority of her hard work takes place prior to the Wedding)

 

However the photographer has one chance to make wise decisions on the spot to ensure that not only the "must have shots" get taken, but also the "artistic/documentary" shots that photographers LOVE to capture...AND make sure that the day still runs smoothly. 

 



And let me tell you...even as a Wedding Planner it's a struggle to keep track of the Bridal Party and Family...this is extra difficult for the Photographer to do while still trying to pay attention to a million other factors....lighting, background, posing...to name a few. And this is why Professional Photographers love to work with Professional Planners...it makes everything run much more smoothly.

 

I feel that I have a really good sense of the a Photographer's Role on a Wedding Day, but this was a nice refresher course for me.  And let me tell you, it was HARD for me not to jump in as a Wedding Planner...really hard.  So much so that Justin had to practically sit on me just to try to keep me down.  It wasn't that things were necessarily going wrong, just as a Wedding Planner you have a critical eye and sense of what should come next and how things can be weaved together more smoothly...it's kind of hard to be "normal" and to not be the Planner.

 



 Overall it was a really fun experience, I loved the setting and the Bride had put so much personalization into everything.  It was fun (and yes exhausting) to spend the day shadowing/assisting Justin.  We typically don't work on Weddings together, so this was a nice treat.  I usually never recommend him to my clients....not because I don't think he's a fantastic Photographer, but because I always want my clients to feel 100% comfortable.  I need my clients to be able to voice to me any concerns and questions they might have about any of their vendors.  I would never want my clients to hold back anything from me, therefore (unless they specifically request) Justin and I don't do Weddings together.   

 

 The Wedding location was truly incredible.  The Ceremony & Reception took place at the Groom's Dad's Cabin, it was stunning!

 

The Bride and Groom Session is always the Photographers favorite part the day.  It's the part of the day when they can switch gears and allows their artistic freedom to come out.  It's typically the time of the day when lighting is superb (called the golden hour.) It's the time when the Bride and Groom are set up more candid/fashion poses.   

 



I remember actually getting "cold" this night...which is weird in Arizona during the month of June...but it felt great.  The smell of the pine trees and the twinkle of the white lights were so peaceful.  

I so appreciated being able to experience this day with Trisha, Brandon, and Justin.  It was one of those days were instead of me having to be 100% "on" I could step back at bit and really take it all in....allowing me the opportunity to better myself as Wedding Planner.  Thank you so much Trisha and Brandon, your Wedding was magical, I feel so grateful to have been there.