Since this is the beginning  of wedding season we will go over some wedding planning tips. The first piece of advice I give as an Atlanta Wedding Photographer any couple is the most important and overlooked: It is your wedding!  When you start to tell your friends or family that you are going to get married they all start to give you advice, but at the end of the day all the wedding decisions are between you and your partner.  Those are the only people you need or can make happy.

This week we are going to cover one of my favorite things to do as a Atlanta wedding photographer, engagement sessions.  They are much more fun and relaxed than the wedding day. This is why engagement sessions are included in most of packages we offer.

I like to start my engagement sessions very laid back with a slow steady pace since we are not in a rush.  I start out the engagement sessions with general conversational questions so we all get to know each other.  We start to talk about family, such as how many brothers and sisters they have, how many brothers and sisters they have, whether they come from a big family, what their grandparents and extended family are like.  This tells me how many people will be in the group photos.  We also may touch on where their family comes from.

The Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtsiticWeddings capture wedding that took place at St. Ives Country Club in the ballroom on the top level of the clubhouse.  The ballroom is large with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the shooting range and golf course.  The large windows bring in beautiful natural light and make the huge ballroom even seem even larger.  The the chairs face the large picturesque windows so the guests get a great view of the wedding action with a background that makes you want to grab your camera.  

As an Atlanta wedding photographer I have the honor of shooting at so many wedding venues in the area.  Each venue has its own personality.  I want to share a little insight into some of my favorite wedding venues and why I love them.

It is the start of the new year for this Atlanta Wedding photographer. I have had a moment to reflect before the next weddings come along.  Of all the Atlanta weddings I have shot, the ones that I remember are the ones that were so unique,  where the wedding reflected the bride and groom's personality. The one piece of advice I always give to every couple is that “this is your wedding”.  They undoubtedly get well meaning unsolicited advice from friends and family but at the end of the day “this is your wedding”.

This week that I have had off from my regular job I have been reflecting on how to be a better wedding photographer.  I got up last night and started reading a book and lit a candle.  As the candle burned it coughed and flickered to stay lit.  While observing the candle I started to notice the light.  It made shadows on the table and illuminated certain things in the close vicinity of the light it was giving off.  That reminded me of one of the most important principles in photography which is light.  By definition photo means light and graphy means drawing.

This time of year as a Atlanta wedding photographer, I reflect back on all the weddings that I photographed in 2023.  I am humbled by being a small part of such special occasions.  There have been couples getting married late in life and younger couples just starting out on their journey together.  All of them have been such a joy.

As an Atlanta wedding photographer I love when a couple's personality comes out on their wedding day. Rachel and Chris wanted to have a 30’s speakeasy themed wedding.  They both had a love of early 20th century fashion and bourbon, which made for a delightful wedding day.

The wedding invites explained the theme and dress code for the wedding.   They had little bourbon bottles with a key on them for wedding favors.  The note on the bottle said “The key to happiness is love….and the ability to open a bottle”.  

 They both Chris and Mara have a passion for video games and breweries.  As soon as Mara met Chris she knew he was honest and did not put on any airs. They met each other right before the pandemic and hunkered down together.  During the pandemic they spent a lot of time together and fell in love.  After about 2 years Chris asked Mara to marry him and she enthusiastically said yes! and this Atlanta Wedding Photographer was honored to photograph their big day!