I first met Brooke last Christmas at the very house she and Tyler’s June wedding would be at! At the time, we didn’t know. Tyler proposed in April while they were in LA, and the guy had a photographer there to capture it all! There was video as well…So thoughtful! When he touched base with me in May to inquire about wedding photography, I was stoked. I had just come through some courses and booked several other weddings, but they would all take place AFTER Brooke and Tyler’s June 17th wedding! This would be my first wedding after refining my style and and upgrading some equipment and also a location I had shot a wedding at before. I knew I would want a great second shooter for the occasion, so I was really excited that my new “friend” Megan wanted to tag along.
I knew I would like Megan from following Megan Pettus Videography on social media. She’s the cutest, sweetest southern bell and she knows her stuff! We met through an online photography educational community, so our brains have been trained the same from shooting to editing to posing. She also happens to be from Chelsea, where I have a lot of friends and family, and her parents still live. It was also where this wedding was!
Less that 24 hours before our wedding, poor Megan gets a virus. Girl is on the way toward healing, but totally shooting a wedding with me and not close to 100%. Not only was she a rock star, but no one would’ve ever known she had been sick. I was dripping sweat and she glistened a beautiful southern sparkle. She helped me learn some helpful tricks from her 5+ years as a videographer in the wedding industry, and took over for me when I had a brain meltdown worrying about a small family emergency to deal with and as our timeline fell behind, because that’s how wedding days roll.
A brain and body has to work hard on a wedding day even without a lot of aspects changing or being new. This was like that, on steroids: Eight days prior I had to get my appendix removed unexpectedly. Recovery is 1-3 weeks. This was 8 days out Prayers went up to God from so many people for no complications and an easy recovery. Thank you from the bottom of my heart if you’re reading this and you prayed for me!
Throw on a dash of Alabama heat, the salon appointment running our girls behind and you have a recipe for disaster. BUT: All those hurdles to jump and I’ve never uploaded a more beautiful preview to Facebook than I did for this wedding. Sorry not sorry to pat us on the back for just a second hehe.
So now lets get into the good stuff. Let’s talk about how I looked up from finishing magazine worthy details shots, and saw the bride, with her wedding day makeup and hair, complete with a baby’s breath floral crown. My heart stopped. I’ve been dying to shoot portraits with a flower crown for months…And here was one of the most stunning brides I’ve ever seen standing right in front of me and smiling for my camera with one affixed perfectly upon her perfectly cascading curls.
Wedding photographers are never just photographers. We are pocket square folders, boutonniere pinners, dress fixers, day of coordinators and so much more. And I love every second of those long wedding days. It’s such a fun adrenaline rush to be behind the scenes of a wedding day. It’s an honor to be the only other people with bride and groom at their first look. It’s a blessing to be a part of this new family dynamic of two families coming together and struggling to remember everyone’s name. It’s a privilege to be entrusted to capture these once in a lifetime memories. So without further ado, check out some of my favorite’s from Brooke and Tyler’s big June day!
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