When you get an inquiry that starts with, “ I was immediately comforted when I read that The Office is one of your go-to shows,” you know it’s going to be a good partnership. Jess + Pat are one of my very faves, and I’ll never get over the fact that I got to photograph their beautiful souls on their gorgeous wedding day…
You all know I like to reminisce, and when I think back on planning for Judith + Bryant’s gorgeous summer wedding, all that stands out for me are the little meet-ups that Judith and I shared at the cutest little coffee shop, and her gorgeous smile as she told me all about her life with Bryant, and her dreams for her wedding day with her family and friends…
I have been photographing weddings for over a decade (yes, I'm old; no, I don't look it #goodgenes), and I've seen a whole lot in the wedding industry between 2010 and today. Most of what I have witnessed has been lovely and given me the warm fuzzies, but one of the least cool things I have seen in the industry has been the lack of care that wedding photography clients have gotten from photography teams, in particular.
I think we all know the studio photographer stereotype: an egotistical individual that continually gets in the way, wants to do weird old-school poses, is rude to the family, gets stressed about the timeline, and creeps on the wedding party.
I deeply desire to turn that stereotype on its head.
It's my dream that the Sweet Alice Studios team of womxn wedding photographers embodies a new incredibly intentional and especially kind boutique team wedding photography experience for clients. More than taking your photos, we want to take care of YOU. Every Sweet Alice Studios team photographer has been personally chosen and vetted by me, not only for their ability to take gorgeous photographs, but also for their ability to treat you and all those around you as the beautiful souls that you are on your wedding day. For us, it's not about building our portfolios or gaining more Instagram followers - it's about the honor of documenting your story and supporting you throughout your journey. We consider it a joy and a privilege to photograph every single wedding that we are contracted for…
When choosing images for this blog post, I couldn’t stop smiling and tearing up.
Y’all, this day was just SO GOOD. Incredibly romantic, unbelievably authentic, beautifully intentional. It had everything precious included in it: ducks as ring bearers, a donut wall, the most meaningful chuppah. Not to mention the love between Kari Jo + Andrew, which felt almost tangible. Moving in their midst to photograph them felt like walking across clouds. Easy, soft, kind. I was completely taken with them…
I believe one of the most generous things a wedding photographer can do is to treat every wedding as if it were brand new - because it really is, if we think about. Brand new to the couple. Brand new to the guests. Even though us wedding photographers capture dozens of weddings a year, that shouldn’t mean that we don’t capture every single one with heart eyes as if we had never seen a wedding before. To me, that is loving our clientfriends well; it is cherishing what they cherish, adoring what they adore, getting excited about what they are excited about….
When I think back on my journey with Erika + Aaron, all I can think of is: all joy and pure heart. Erika’s smile is contagious, and her sweet spirit is infectious. Aaron’s kindness feels like a warm hug whenever you’re around him. Being in their presence feels like a privilege. They are an excellent match….
My wedding season typically begins in April with a few smaller events here and there, but then really kicks off in May, especially taking into account Memorial Day Weekend. While it’s nice to have the weekend off sometimes, I do love photographing weddings on this weekend, since everyone is already in a celebratory mood - it just feels even more exciting to add a wedding to the mix…
When I think about good days, Jamie + Fern’s wedding day is one of my favorites. I am consistently blessed with amazing clients, and Jamie + Fern were no exception. 💕
Like most weddings I photograph, I reminisce on their wedding day often. When I walked into the suite where Jamie was getting ready, and she said, “Erica, it’s RAINING,” I shrugged and said, “Yeah, it is,” because I knew rain never makes for bad pictures - it just adds a little bit more to the logistics. Truthfully, the overcast skies and slight drizzle gave the wedding a feeling of being enveloped; it was like the gray gathered us together and offered us the opportunity to put a magnifying glass on all of the love involved in the day.
Overcast winter days always remind me of this precious elopement: chilly, gray, and absolutely perfect.
The day before New Years Eve in 2018, I had the honor of capturing this incredible elopement in Rhinebeck, NY. While our time together was only 2 hours, the adventure we embarked upon felt like I was witnessing an entire lifetime of love curated…
What has always struck me about Emily and Micheal is how effortless they are with each other. Maybe it’s because they’ve been together for a long time; Maybe it’s because they are just a good pair…their comfort with each other creates a softness in the air around them. If you’re uneasy before you spend time with them, their comfort in each other can’t help but to reach to you. It will calm all your nerves, settle your heart palpitations, make you feel like things really aren’t as bad as you may have thought they were just 10 minutes prior…
Maria + Derek were an absolute joy to serve. From the moment I met them on Facetime, I knew that our hearts were connected - I was almost even jealous that my associate photographer was able to photograph them instead of me (haha). But, two things I knew before they even signed a contract:
My associate photographer would take the best care of them ever.
They would take the best care of my associate photographer ever.
I was not wrong. The symbiosis was beautiful.
You've gotten engaged, and are planning for a 2022 wedding. First of all, congrats! 🎉 Second of all, I get it. The pandemic has taught us that nothing is secure, and so planning for 2022 makes a lot of sense. And, since you are planning a wedding for 2022, you can just sit back and relax now, right?
Nope.
I want to give you some kind guidance to start securing your vendors NOW. Here's why:
Hopefully, 2022 will be our first full and "normal" wedding season after the pandemic. However, for vendors, it is likely that the 2022 wedding season will be more packed than a traditional pre-pandemic wedding season. There are a few reasons why this may be likely to happen...
