Happy Brides Are Beautiful Brides

Before we dive into the heart of this blog post, I want to share with you a story about one of my all time favorite brides. Chrissy Magliano is a wedding planner at Big City Bride and has planned hundreds of weddings. She has seen everything — probably instances we can’t even dream up on a wedding day. She is truly an expert executing a wedding day smoothly.

So, when it was time for her own wedding, I couldn’t help but think she would be too caught up in making every detail perfect to truly enjoy the day.

For a photographer this ultimately results in forced photos, rather than candid shots of a relaxed bride.

I’m thrilled to report she completely surprised me by being the most bridey-bride I have ever worked with!

She called me at 9am on her wedding day and we exchanged words about the foreboding forecast of cold temperatures and lingering rain. Her response was, “Whatever you think we should do Robin, I don’t care, I am just so happy today!”

This joyous attitude continued all day long. She LOVED every single minute of her wedding day and it resulted in some of the best photos I have ever taken.

The day was planned out meticulously, but when things like the weather made her move the outdoor reception inside (perhaps the most stressful decision any planner and a bride have to face), she responded with, “Awe too bad, hopefully we can have some dancing out there later.”

Because of this last minute change, we were able to create insanely gorgeous photos of the couple’s first dance.

Now that I’ve shared about Chrissy’s wedding day, I want to share a piece of advice with you that comes truly from the deepest part of my heart. As a photographer, all I want is for a bride to be happy and relaxed on her wedding day, so that we can capture photos that she’ll love to look back on. The key to this is being a happy bride, so let’s dig into that…

One of the top questions I get from couples I meet with is, “What are the best and worst things you’ve witnessed at a wedding?” My answer to this question always surprises them, and might surprise you as well.

The worst mistake I’ve seen at a wedding (on multiple occasions) is when the couple is unable to enjoy their day because they are so worried about everything going exactly as planned.

I’ve seen the entire “getting ready” portion of the day go down in flames as the bride notices the rain outside her window. I’m here to tell you that rain won’t ruin your wedding. However, it will undoubtedly ruin your “getting ready” photos if you are so upset and stressed out about the rain that you can’t enjoy your morning.

If you are taking this piece of advice to heart, I might suggest that you pass this along to any other people closely involved in your special day. For example, I’ve seen the Mother of the Bride get so stressed out about the little details of the wedding day that she isn’t able to give her full attention to the bride on the morning of her wedding, which means she misses out on many special photo opportunities.

You might be thinking, “I’ve got this, I’m not going to be that stressed out bride.” But, I want you to really take the time to become comfortable with all of the things that could potentially go wrong on your wedding day. Like, get really comfortable with the idea of something going wrong, because things will go wrong.

I can without a shadow of a doubt promise you that something will not go as you planned on your wedding day. The difference you can make, is how you choose to handle it.

If it rains on your wedding day, grab an umbrella and a pair of cute rain boots, and have fun taking photos in the rain with your new husband.

So many of the photos you’ll see on this site come from moments that were not perfect. Here’s a few reasons why I love to photograph the unexpected:

I’ve been able to capture candid moments of big laughs from the wind catching the veil and taking it right out of a bride’s perfect updo, or a trolley that broke down that required a wedding party to pitch in and push. I’ve witnessed many a dreaded snow or rain storm come and make for a wet photo tour, a protest that happened in the exact spot we had chosen for a romantic photo shoot… and you never know who you will run into on Michigan Ave!

All of these moments are not ideal. However, I can promise you that they will be the moments that make your wedding day memorable. While my job is to capture your day through my lens, I can’t help but share this bit of insight before your wedding. When things go not as planned (and they will), do your best to embrace the change, and know that any hiccups only become a part of your unique wedding story.