My last wedding of the season was actually the most interesting one of the year. It was a surprise wedding! Yup, my first ever surprise wedding. Usually when I shoot them, everyone actually knows exactly what is going on. In this case, Jennifer invited about 25 of her closest friends and family over, for what they thought, was going to be family portraits. Admittedly, I was a tiny bit nervous because I only had an hour and half to work with and I wanted to make sure I came away with a lot of great moments. Well, it couldn't have gone any better, as the photos turned out great.
It was of course, all indoors at Jennifer and Roberts house. When I first got there, Jennifer gave me the scenario for the evening. I walked around snapping candid photos of the guests and then when it was time, Jennifer and Robert snuck away to get ready quickly. I was to gather all the guest into the living room and tell them to get ready for 'family portraits'. Once everyone eventually made their way into the room, that is when Robert first entered and then Jennifer. The shock on almost everyone's faces was priceless. I think I got quite a few great expressions too. I think I even heard some 'I told you so's' too. A few guests had a feeling of what was going on I presume. All in all, it was such a unique experience for me and I was happy to be a part of it.
I must say, it was a bit challenging to photograph because we were all gathered around the tree in Jennifer's living room. Don't get me wrong, she has a lovely house and it has a ton of space, but when 25 people are in one room it's not the most spacious scenario. Luckily, there was a hallway that looped around the living room and I was able to run around it without interrupting the ceremony. The ceremony itself only lasted about 20 minutes, then we did some quick portraits and everyone congratulated the bride and groom. It was a very laid back wedding which made for some truly natural moments. Before I left, I made sure to get a few photos of Jennifer and Robert in front of their wonderful cake and also a couple shots of the rings.
I couldn't have asked for a better way to finish off the wedding season. I really can't wait for next years wedding season to get there. Thanks as always to Jennifer and Robert for letting me be a part of their special day.
