HAPPY FRIDAY, FRIENDS!! We’ve made it through the week, and if it was anything like mine, I know you are welcoming the weekend with open arms! Praise be–you’re almost there! 

A few weeks back, I asked y’all what you wanted to read about on Fridays, and my girl Megan of Luck & Love Photography encouraged me to share my very favorite part of a wedding day! Let me tell you…this it was SO hard to choose! I mean…I am a wedding photographer, after all! Pretty much every single part of your day fills my heart with JOY! How on earth am I supposed to decide on just one favorite part?!

I love the excitement and anticipation as a bride slips into her gown. I love styling pretty details and working with tight-knit groups of friends. Don’t even get me started on a first look–the moment a bride and groom see each other for the very first time on their wedding day! You can usually find me misty-eyed behind my camera, and I can’t even help it. Sweet vows pull at my heart strings, and I am guaranteed to get a little emotional during every father-daughter dance. There are just so many moments throughout the day that I LOVE so much!

So, after a little bit of thinking & reflecting, I realized that my very favorite part of a wedding day is actually much different than my favorite time to photograph! You see…they’re very different things! I think that hands down, my favorite part of a wedding day to photograph is bride & groom portraits! It is such a privilege to see my brides and grooms melt together and revel in their day. I have control of light and movement and location. We get to swirl and twirl and have a few laughs along the way! It is such a sweet part of the day, and I love this intimate time that I get to spend with my couple.

But, what I also realized that the moments I often remember the most and usually mean to the most to my clients later on stem from a time that is completely unplanned, unrehearsed & spontaneous.

My favorite part of your wedding day? It may sound funny, but it is actually the moments just AFTER your ceremony! It is so incredibly special to see two families celebrate their union. There are hugs and excited glances and exclamations of “OH MY GOD WE DID IT…CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!” There may not be perfect light or the most picturesque location, but these moments are some of the sweetest and most candid parts of the day.

Brand new in-laws embracing for the first time, a groom showing off his new bling, mom hugging her bride, bridesmaids and groomsmen celebrating the fact that no one fell when walking down the aisle–this is such a sweet and celebratory time of the day, and I feel so lucky to be a witness!! I truly get to see two families coming together as one, and if that isn’t incredible, I’m not sure what is!

I get to go back to my roots as a photojournalist and simply photograph these moments as they unfold. It is so special to be a “fly on the wall” during this time because I know that these memories will mean so much to my clients down the road. There is so much joy and so, so much to celebrate!

So there you have it!! My very favorite part of a wedding day! Photographers, brides, grooms, family & guests…what is your favorite time of a wedding day? I would love to hear in the comments section below!