Your wedding day is possibly one of the happiest days of your life. Whether you’ve decided to throw a destination wedding, a traditional wedding, an informal, or formal wedding or an elopement, you’ll surely want to remember it. Our brain beautiful and complex as it is can remember more than we even imagine. But it can also let go of moments we would have otherwise chosen to keep. That is why with the help of the best wedding photography, you can relive those moments forever.
The magic of a photo, though, can bring back all sensations from a moment in time which is now, way in the past. And this ‘capturing of moments’ on your special day is possibly something you’d want to get right.
I asked some of my clients to tell us their special stories and outline some of their experiences and tips on wedding planning and wedding photography.
MEET ANNJELA & BASIL
The marriage took place at the church where Annjela and Basil met. Their families attended the same church from long ago. So, they knew each other their whole lives. But they only started dating 7 years ago when they were in law school in Philadelphia. “Even then, the universe had to align but it was totally worth it,” said Annjela.
Wedding day: New York Wedding – A special experience and Advice!
Favorite Moment of the Wedding, Annjela shared that her Favorite moment of wedding photography was walking down the aisle and locking eyes with Basil
At that moment… “All the wedding planning stress and worry about how the day needed to go smoothly went out the door - we were finally getting married. I think we both felt the gravity of this moment cause we teared up together and I’ll never forget that feeling.”
When someone asks the bride and groom about their favorite moment from their wedding, there usually seems to be unison in their answer. The connection between you and your spouse in a moment like Annjela described could make the world around you stop for a second.
The Stress of Getting Married during COVID-19
Behind the beauty of the ceremony and dinner of the wedding there lies a lot of stress… But on their wedding day, Annjela and Basil were able to rely on their friends and family which were a big component of making the whole day run smoothly for everyone, and minimize the risks surrounding a wedding during covid. “They ensured that every single person took the proper precautions with masks and social distancing. So, we could celebrate without worry! And this made our wedding day an absolute dream.”
Many can relate that covid made everything very uncertain. “And up until the day before the wedding, we didn’t know if it was actually going to happen.” “We were in a pandemic, the government could order a lockdown quarantine at any time, and we could have tested positive for COVID. If none of that happened, we worried about one of our family guests getting sick. Fortunately, none of those things happened. We took precautionary tests the day before the wedding. It was a relief to get negative results. We checked our guests’ temperatures the day of and spread everyone out, with masks and sanitizer. Like many fears, fortunately, ours didn’t materialize. We took what precautions we could and happily enjoyed the rest.”
Advice on Wedding Planning
“Roll with the punches and keep each other first. While planning a wedding in 2020, it was clear how essential this was. No matter how much you plan, things can go sideways, and plans must change. While a pandemic like 2020 won’t be a challenge everyone has to navigate, there will always be something—and everyone you know will have an opinion on how to handle it. Don’t let a change in plans heavily dishearten you. Focus on each other’s happiness, adapt, and roll with the punches.”
Annjela makes clear how important it was for them as a couple to keep each other at the top of their priority list. What often happens throughout wedding planning, is that the ’to do list’ takes up all your energy. And some possible setbacks might even frustrate you to a point that you’ll just want to stop planning all together…
But the important part to remember is that you are marrying the person who is possibly your best friend, and the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. This is all that matters. And this is also the whole point of the wedding (most of the time).
Making the process more fun and being prepared that not everything will turn out as you hoped/planned might save you some anxiety and help you keep a clear message in your head – ‘I’m getting married to the person I love, and that’s all that matters.’
Everything will play out just fine. Stay organized and if you can have a support team around you and your partner, people you can rely on helping you! This might take some for the burden off your shoulders.
Tips on Preparing Your Wedding Party for Wedding Photography
Directly from Annjela… “Prepare what photos you want ahead of time! We had a small bridal party of our siblings. So it was easier to organize the group. It’s also a great idea to check out the venues prior so you can see if there are any locations that you absolutely want to have pictures in. Basil and I picked a formal picture location without getting an opportunity to check it out prior to the wedding day, but luckily our photographer took the reigns and captured some stunning moments! :)”
To the ones that imagined their wedding day very differently than how it might play out…
Annjela told us that they were to get married at a resort in Cancun, Mexico. They would be surrounded by family and friends from all different parts of their life. As a result of the pandemic though, they had to marry at a small church in White Plains, NY with only their family present.
“It just so happened, that church was where we met, and being there together, surrounded by family, was more beautiful than we could have imagined. It was tough not to have all our loved ones present, but live stream video, texts and messages made us fortunate to not feel so separated.”
The Story of the Wedding Dress
“I actually found my dress at David’s Bridal. Not thinking at all that it would be where I found THE dress. So, I didn’t bring any of my family with me. That’s how out of the blue it was! I knew I wanted something timeless and elegant something that I hadn’t seen on Indian brides very often. I had already tried a handful of dresses at other boutiques. So I wasn’t optimistic. But my consultant perked up at my description of my dream dress and brought it out.
It fit me well, was a fourth of my budget, HAD POCKETS, and I just felt so confident in it. I couldn’t stop smiling. I had brought two of my nursing school friends with me. They said they knew this was the dress by how differently I carried myself in this dress vs others. But obviously, it was the pockets that sold me :)”
Not Seeing Each Other before the Wedding
Annjela shared that she and Basil didn’t see each other before the wedding.
“I think we preferred it this way. We were able to have that emotional moment walking down the aisle because this was our first look and the weight of the moment and the day just envelopes you. Walking past the baptismal font that I was baptized in, those church aisles where we stood across from each other all those years, all the way up to the altar where Basil served as an altar assistant... it felt right to have those memories flood us as we saw each other for the first time.”
Working with Annjela and Basil was a pleasure. I hope the love which filled the room on their special day is always present throughout their life together.
Thank you Annjela and Basil for giving me the opportunity to be your wedding photographer and also to be a part of your day!
Makeup by: Flawless Beauty
Dress by: Davids Bridal
The story of the wedding dress.
“I actually found my dress at David’s Bridal, not thinking at all that it would be where I found THE dress. I didn’t bring any of my family with me, that’s how out of the blue it was! I knew I wanted something timeless and elegant, something that I hadn’t seen on Indian brides very often. I had already tried a handful of dresses at other boutiques, so I wasn’t optimistic, but my consultant perked up at my description of my dream dress and brought it out.
It fit me well, was a fourth of my budget, HAD POCKETS, and I just felt so confident in it that I couldn’t stop smiling. I had brought two of my nursing school friends with me and they said they knew this was the dress by how differently I carried myself in this dress vs others. But obviously, it was the pockets that sold me :)”
Not seeing each other before the wedding.
Annjela shared that she and Basil didn’t see each other before the wedding.
“I think we preferred it this way. We were able to have that emotional moment walking down the aisle because this was our first look and the weight of the moment and the day just envelopes you. Walking past the baptismal font that I was baptized in, those church aisles where we stood across from each other all those years, all the way up to the altar where Basil served as an altar assistant... it felt right to have those memories flood us as we saw each other for the first time.
