When I first decided I wanted to become a wedding photographer, I dreamt of the time when I would book weddings out of my area. For someone who loves to travel, I have many places I still need to see and much of those places are still in my state. I want to see places famous on maps and places so quaint GPS cannot find them. But at a mere 25 years of age, the vast world is still largely unexplored for me. I hoped to change that through my wedding photography. A few weeks ago I took the first step towards global domination...
Really, I took that step almost a year ago when I booked my very first "destination wedding." Even better, my couple was from out of state and of all the photographers in this whole wide world, they chose me. Me.
Allison and Eli were my first couple to book me without ever having met or spoken to me. I was a tad bit nervous during our initial "consultations" but I was way too excited to pass up on a great opportunity. I remember back in March giddily announcing to Chris I had booked a wedding out of South Texas with a California couple. California... "as in out-of-state Chris!!!"
All year I looked forward to November because I would get to meet an amazingly sweet couple and travel out of South Texas all on my own... So many new and exciting things have happened in my life since I booked Allie and Eli's wedding back in March. More-so, my photography business has grown drastically and I have learned many, many more things both in the art and business perspective.
Well November finally rolled around and I managed to make my way up to central Texas with the help and support of my family, chris and his family. And guess what, I absolutely loved it!!! I realized, when I met Eli and Allie, that I had chosen the right career patch when I put law school on the back burner. Meeting my new friends was exciting and although we only knew each other for a few minutes the day before the wedding, I felt like I had come to learn so much about them.
Facebook has been an amazing tool in growing my photography. It has also, however, been wonderful to befriend my clients and keep in touch with them aside from the usual business emails and calls. Although I had never met Eli and Allie, I felt like I had learned about them through Allie's quirky status updates. It felt like meeting someone I already knew. There were no awkward moments and instead I felt so at ease and almost at home with them. They were so kind and caring, truly caring for their wedding photographer.
Ultimately, the crowning moment - business wise - was when Allie crouched down next to me, in her beautiful wedding gown, and thanked me for making her feel so comfortable. Ding! I absolutely love my job.
Eli serves in the United States military and I'd like to thank him for his courage. You are a hero among many Eli, and most importantly, a hero to your family. As I observed him throughout his wedding day and during their rehearsal, I noticed his leadership qualities. He's a "take-charge" kind of man and I am sure that makes a great balance with Allison. Allie is a hairstylist and quite talented. She is so down to earth and so kind. Above all, she is very caring... the bride herself was helping her bridesmaids get ready. Together, Allison and Eli are in love - with each other. It is obvious in the way the speak to one another and in the glances they steal from each other. I am proud to have met them both.
Allie and Eli, thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for trusting and choosing me to capture your beautiful wedding. It was a pleasure to spend your most important day with you and I hope that the two of you remember every single detail of your wedding through my photographs. You both are so kind and caring and the love you share for one another is apparent in each image. But in person, in person you two are so in love. I wish you every blessing in this world and all the happiness God has in store for you. Be blessed!
The wedding day started with some forecasted rain, but the day was beautiful regardless. The day could not have been more perfect for two people in love...
Allison and Eli opted for a First Look.... they saw each other prior to the ceremony. I am so glad they did for both professional and personal reasons. From a photographer's point of view, it was perfect for them to do a First Look because the wedding day timeline ran so much smoother. Their quiet first glance at each other was recorded through the following images. First Looks yield utterly romantic images, just take a look for yourself...
After their First Look, Allison and Eli had ample time for portraits... absolute perfection!
Congratulations Allie and Eli...
Happy Tuesday! :)
