It may have rained on Julia and Wael’s wedding day, but they weren’t going to let a little downpour get in the way of their fun.
When I arrived at Julia’s parents’ house that day, it was an unseasonably warm day for the end of October. The sky was blue with barely a cloud in sight. I was thrilled to get to photograph all her wedding details outside in the natural light without freezing my fingers off. At Wael’s aunt’s house they had a fabulous bright yellow classic Buick for my second shooter Shawn Black to have fun with and Wael was wearing a midnight blue tux. It is the type of thing we wedding photographers salivate over.
Once we got to the venue it was time for the big reveal. We found the last patch of the property that still had some fall foliage left and used it to its fullest! During this shoot I completely fell in love with Julia’s stunning eyes. When we were all done shooting, Wael showed what a true gentleman he was by picking up the train of Julia’s dress instead of leaving it up to her venue provided attendant. Only a few minutes after we got them inside the heavens let loose a massive downpour so the ceremony was moved indoors at the very last minute. Fortunately the fireplace made for a beautiful backdrop for their ceremony.
Upon making their entrance to their reception Julia and Wael were promptly lifted upon their guests’ shoulders. Shawn got one of his signature shots of them during their first dance with Julia’s arms around Wael’s neck, showing off her ring perfectly. The cake was soooo yummy. It was decorated with coordinating flowers and exposed the different flavors of the cake from the side for a modern twist.
As the rain continued through the night we figured we might as well use it to our advantage and do an epic romantic rain shot. Julia and Wael were game. Shawn, my assistant Nick, and I went out and worked with the lighting to highlight the raindrops with backlighting, getting it just right, so that Julia and Wael wouldn’t have to spend too much time in the rain. Once they came out we quickly got the shot, but they wanted to stay out even longer as it was so nice to get a little time for themselves to cool off from the hot dance floor. But they couldn’t stay out for long. Soon they were back in for one of the craziest garter tosses I have ever seen. The evening ended with a super sweet candy and cookie bar that was almost as sweet as Julia and Wael.
Photography notes:
I really wanted to highlight the time of year the two got married in the photos so I did whatever I could to showcase the fall foliage. I initially photographed the bouquet on this great rock, but then noticed a few feet away a pile of fall leaves that had been raked up. I took a few minutes to place them strategically in the background. Look at the difference from the first shot to the second. I think it made a really big difference.
Julia’s mom asked me in advance if there was anything they could do to prepare for the day. I asked her if they could have the front room that had the best light clear of clutter for Julia to get ready in. They did exactly that. It provided me an amazing space to photograph Julia from multiple angles without worrying about getting clutter in the background of the shot. Normally I have to declutter rooms myself that day, but it made my job so much easier!
Last but not least I want to thank Julia’s hair stylist. She had first done Julia’s hair in a tousled loose fashion that is very popular right now. This style is great for a date, but not for a wedding that will last all day. I mentioned to the stylist that I would be using backlighting for some of the shots of Julia during the reception and that it would show every hair that was out of place, would she mind tightening up the style a bit. Without question she completely fixed Julia’s coiffure so that it would come out looking like perfection in photos.