We've all dreamt of that big day, the one when all of our friends and loved ones come to see us get married in our perfect gown, in a glorious church filled with huge arrangements of flowers, and a reception so spectacular that even Martha Stewart would be impressed. But then reality sets in. Maybe this is your second marriage, maybe you come from a dysfunctional family, or you hate to impose on your friends with the expenses that comes with a big wedding. Or....maybe just the thought of it and the expenses is just too stressful to think about. Clearly this is becoming the trend, the "let's just go and get it done and we'll throw a party later" kind of wedding.

I 100% agree with it! I myself did it, I actually did it twice if I need to be honest. The one thing that made the second time special was that I hired an awesome photographer for bridal portraits. Not to document the ceremony, (I had a friend do that....it was in my back yard during covid so nothing spectacular) but I hired a photographer to come and spend a couple of hours capturing great images around our farm that I wanted to have for myself to remember the feelings of love and completeness that I had at that special time. I wanted a great portraits to put up all over the house. I wanted great images to plaster all over social media so everyone could see that my life at 53 was better than it had ever been! I wanted to look and feel pretty, they were spectacular and when I saw them I actually cried because I was certain I was the luckiest woman in the world!!! It was exactly what I wanted.

Sure, after about 45 minutes he was ready to be done, and that's ok. I just simply reminded him that he was paying for these awesome images, and he needed to be patient, and it would be over as soon as we got it all done. Never once have I said, "gee....I wish I wouldn't have had those professional pictures taken of me in my wedding dress standing out in the middle of our cow pasture". No, I would do it again without hesitation. Just because a wedding isn't an over-the-top event doesn't mean that the relationship and marriage aren't worth documenting. The most important part of an intimate wedding is how you feel about you life right then. You deserve to have that feeling immortalized in a gallery of great images for you to remember that day by. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, but we do need to be able to remember our joys of yesterday! To look at an image of yourself and your spouse and to be able to feel loved, and feel special, and feel the completeness is what it's all about.

So, whether it's a quicky at the courthouse, a family gathering at a park gazebo, or just the two of you exchanging vows in the woods, get the images. Take an hour or two of your time and capture some heartfelt, meaningful, romantic portraits of you and your partner. This is the only way you'll be able to tell your love story to everyone for years to come.

#westernpaweddingphotographer #pittsburghelopementphotographer

I am a wedding photographer in Western Pennsylvania specializing in elopements and bridal portraits. I will capture the vision you have for your images and immortalize the feelings that you and your spouse share.