Emotional Wedding, Danielle and Justin
A few weeks ago I headed out to shoot an early wedding in French Camp, CA. It was one of the few times where I was actually booked without having met the bride or groom in person. I was booked because of a referral,… and since that time the bride and I had done most of our communicating through email before talking over the phone a week before the wedding. So I was eager to see what kind of couple I was going to run into.
Before heading over to French Camp for the wedding and I had to stop in Stockton to get shots of Danielle getting ready at the Hilton in Stockton. All the girls were very laid back, … and like most weddings, they were behind schedule a little bit. Danielle seemed to be very calm and under great control of her emotions… and I instantly got the vibe that she was a strong girl who wouldn’t be shedding any tears on her wedding day.
… I quickly discovered I couldn’t be more wrong.
Danielle’s eyes started welling up before her helpers could even put the veil on at the hotel. Everyone started trying to tell jokes to shift her train of thought, but it was no use. Danielle realized that she would be walking down the aisle in a couple hours.
After she was all suited up and ready to go I hopped in the limo with all of the girls and we headed over to the River Mill in French Camp. I was amazed once I saw the place because as a photographer one of the first things I look for is variety. I always try to mix up my shots a bit so that couples aren’t going home with photos that look too similar, and this place had it all. Garden… check. Brick walls… check. How about some ivy running down the walls of the building?… check. Needless to say I was in good spirits upon our arrival.
The girls ran upstairs to hide before it was time to walk down the aisle. I got a few shots of them in the waiting room and then scoped out the ceremony area a few minutes before the music started playing. I got a cool sequence of Justin waiting for his bride to walk, and before you knew it… the ceremony finished.
There were tears and smiles during the ceremony as you might have guessed, but the best moment came at the reception during the father-daughter dance. Danielle had a napkin ready as she walked out to the dance floor because she was prepared to cry. But the surprise came midway through the dance when her dad grabbed hold of the napkin to wipe away his tears. It was priceless. The whole place was holding napkins over their faces to try and control their tears.
The wedding went on for a little longer before coming to a close in the afternoon, but that dance definitely proved to be the icing on the cake to a teary,.. yet wonderful wedding day.
great photos of a very special day!!! <3
Emotional and beautiful. You captured every moment.
I can see now why you win awards.