You can tell a lot of things about someone by the shoes that they wear. Hiking boots with a wedding dress? Yes, that is making a statement. Or Doc Martin boots with a tux? Flip flops? $400 heels for wedding day? Something blue, perhaps?! Much thought is involved in the shoes for walking down the aisle. People like having photos of their feet…remembering the detail that went into something that are worn at the bottom of the attire, but still so important. I love using things like manhole covers and flowers to show off the shoes! What are the most impressive wedding shoes you have seen?!
We met exactly one hour prior to sunset and Mother Earth gave this couple the most beautiful wedding gift on their elopement…a perfect evening. The highlights in the sky were striking and continued to change during their 15-minute wedding ceremony which is part of Dan Jones’ elopement packages for his business, Embracing Ceremony. Cory, the groom, “hates” getting his photo taken, but Erin, the bride, wanted their once-in-a-lifetime elopement documented for future generations. We (including Cory!) had so much fun during this hour! We hiked and laughed and made memories. Here’s to fun destination elopements and enjoying the beauty of Taos, NM at the Rio Grande Bridge!
Even if you aren’t a “flowery person,” there’s no doubt about it, the flowers are an important asset to your wedding pictures! Flowers are a burst of color in your photos and can add a little bit of brightness to what is often a photo with a black suit and white dress. Your flowers can be an expression of your favorite season, color, or plant. A great florist can help you incorporate succulents, wildflowers, or even pieces of beautiful weeds and golden wheat into your wedding bouquet. Wedding bouquets can be wrapped in burlap, hemp, ribbon, and twine to really show your style. A bouquet can be giant (helps to bring out your bicep muscles in your photos, haha), or tiny. They can be long or short stem. I’ve seen glass bouquets, clay bouquets, and dried flower bouquets. The imagination is the limit.
I love it when brides have stunning flowers to hold. I love using the flowers as a frame for a bride’s face, or as a background for a traditional ring photograph. I feel like the flowers are an important piece of the wedding for many reasons and should be included 100% of the time.
This July afternoon was a gorgeous day for a green meadow wedding! The Taos Mountains looked on as Susan and JR said their wedding vows to each other with Dan Jones presiding over their wedding ceremony. Susan wore a blue wedding dress and had a matching mask for her pandemic wedding elopement. JR wore a white button down and sported an American flag buff. Per most couples, Susan and JR had to pivot with their large wedding plans to follow the health order and New Mexico Coronavirus guidelines that were placed when the state shut down in May. This elopement was lighthearted and fun despite the serious state of emergency our country is in. Although JR and Susan live in Albuquerque, they have a second home in Angel Fire that they like to visit when they escape to the mountains.
Many times there is a doggy-friend who, after the bride and groom, is the most important personality at the wedding. In our consultations, we often ask if there is a special animal friend who should be included in the photos, because we KNOW that is a picture that you will miss after your wedding if you don’t get it! Dogs are best friends, and dear family members and should be included in ALL celebrations, as these buddies would like to think! We’ve shot weddings where the dogs are the best men, maid-of-honors, ring bearers, and flower girls, and we’ve learned that some dogs take their wedding position very seriously. We’ve known weddings who have changed venues because their dog wasn’t allowed to walk down the aisle. We’ve photographed excited, anxious, and nervous dogs. Many dogs are camera shy! And we will never forget when the dog ran away, WITH the rings (no worries, she was found before the ceremony)!
So please, bring your dog and count on a few pictures with your baby. A dog is definitely a special and honored guest at a wedding when they are included. So here’s to wedding dogs and Happily Fur-ever After!!!
I love the restaurants that I work with at weddings and during catered wedding receptions. I love the beautiful presentation of food and the little details of deliciousness. I love the elegance of a lovely atmosphere that hosts a wedding and I love the people who bend over backwards for the married couple. After picking up food from an elegant, local favorite tonight, I’m sending so much love to all of the restaurant owners and staff tonight. Covid-19 has been hard on all of us, but especially the restaurants. How quickly everything changes and how I can’t wait to photograph this beautiful part of weddings again.
