Finally getting to this blog from my experience in March haha! Talk about procrastination.
My day started early on this wedding day. I was nervous, not gonna lie, probably pooped three times. There's already a lot of pressure when you're the main wedding photographer. The pressure is twice as bad when you're trying to impress another wedding photographer.
I had already packed my wedding bag the night before. I also packed my 'wedding day emergency' bag as well (maybe I'll make a separate blog about what's in that bag). Everything was by the door and ready to go. I started to get ready when my in-laws arrived to watch Bug, giving me just enough time to curl my hair and poop one more time before throwing a Dr Pepper in my bag and hitting the road.
I went to Starbucks first (which almost made me late). Once I had my chai tea latte, I felt ready to conquer the day.
I met my main photographer, Sarah Barnes, at Victory Baptist Church in Londonderry, NH. It was strange being back in the building I hadn't stepped a foot in since my brother's high school graduation in 2022. But it was a great advantage knowing my way around the building already. She was already busy taking detail photos, so I set up my gear and started taking photos of the decorations and table settings. I tried my best to be there if Sarah needed me to be and helped run things around for her (even pinning the corsages on the groomsmen, which didn't look too bad if I do say so myself). When she was done with the details, we switched places and I took my own details. I completely forgot to grab my flat lay kit which was super embarrassing considering the day before I made a whole TikTok video going through the darn thing, I'll make sure not to forget it next time.
She had me set up the precious wedding dress and get some photos of it. One of the scariest things to hear your main photographer say is "I trust you" so I made her check the photos before I gave the bride her dress back haha.
I really liked being a second shooter. I was able to work creatively and focus on getting shots I knew Sarah wouldn't be able to. I try to be more creative in my work anyways so this was perfect for me. Once the ceremony started, I stuck to the back of the room was able to capture some sweet photos of the bride and her dad walking up the aisle.
The whole day went smoothly, I thought. We were able to have some time to sit and chat which was really nice. We weren't able to eat just from being so busy, but that's alright, the whole day felt like a blur.
We didn't do bridal portraits on the church property. Instead, Sarah had scheduled to bring them to a second location after the wedding and before they headed north for their honeymoon. I actually really liked that setup, it made the transition from ceremony to reception so much easier. It worked perfectly that by golden hour, they were ready to ditch dinner haha. One thing you have to know about Baptist weddings, we don't party. I love a good party and I love to dance while photographing a reception, but the typical wedding in a Baptist church doesn't have that and is usually a mid-day event. Which was perfect for us.
This is where my skills really shone. I love portraits, I love couples, I love weddings. I had so much fun with the portraits and am obsessed with the results.
This was a great first wedding as a second shooter. I'm so grateful to Sarah for letting me tag along and help her out on her wedding days. She's invited me to a couple more this spring and I am really looking forward to them. This is a great opportunity to better my skills for my own future wedding days (one of which is next Friday!!).
xoxo
Emilie Alexis