I have made a new resolution for 2021! I need to Blog…really blog. I want to share more with you! And more than my typical one line posts. I always make excuses. I am too busy, overwhelmed, swamped…..no more excuses.
So….For today…..I have been doing a lot of online training and have attended several wedding seminars over the past year. A big topic that I have been focusing on is marketing! How do you attract your ideal client? What is your ideal client? I noticed A LOT of photographers wanted to attract a certain look for their couples. It seemed like many were focused on attracting the magazine cover couple. The advice given by many speakers was to set up styled shoots showing your ideal couple and only post the type of pictures that you want to attract. This really made me think…..the more I thought about it, the more I disagreed with this from my very soul. While it is true that if you want to book Weddings, you should post a lot of wedding pictures. Or if you want to book Seniors, post senior pictures, and so on. I don’t think there is any such thing as an ideal “look” for any bride. After some intense inner reflecting, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the ideal bride and couple.
My ideal bride…..First, my ideal bride is real. She is in love. She is so excited for the most important day of her life. From the moment I arrive to shoot her beautiful day, I get the opportunity to document. I document her happiness, her anxiety, her nervousness. I capture her anticipation for what is about to come. I capture the feelings she has while preparing for this “big” moment with her closest friends! I document her laughter, along with her tears…..the moments in between.
I would like to share some individual moments with these beautiful, sweet women.
My ideal bride cries when her sister presents her with a family heirloom from her deceased grandmother, who more than anything, she wishes was here.
She puts on that heirloom to have a part of her grandmother with her on this special day…..
My ideal bride smiles as her mother, her hero, bustles her dress.
My ideal bride hugs her father, who she loves more than life, after that first look. Her father looks at her with pride as he steadies himself for this moment….the moment when he gives his daughters hand to the love of her life.
My ideal bride isn’t young or old, she is simply real….beautiful….raw. She loves her family, and thanks God that they are there with her on this glorious day.
My ideal bride feels nervous, as she applies her final touches for the best day of her life.
My ideal bride cries and smears her perfectly applied makeup as she exchanges private vows with the man she loves so deeply.
My ideal bride sheds a tear as she gets ready to kiss her groom for the first time as a married couple. She treasures that her family is there watching her, celebrating.
My ideal bride celebrates this day with her friends….friends that will always be by her side, through thick or thin.
I will end this post with this message for my ideal bride…..you are beautiful, real, perfectly imperfect. I want to capture the anticipation, the love, the laughs, the tears….every moment of your perfect day. You are special. You are perfect. Thank you to all of the beautiful brides that I have been privileged to document over the past 13 years. Every one of you is special to me…you live in MY memories. You are my friends.
