
Samantha & Kyle
One of the few things that bums me out on a wedding day is when a couple feel pressured to act like somebody else, as if there's some sort of definition of what a bride and groom are supposed to be. You can almost always tell when this is the case as the couple looks tense and appear to be trying to be something that they're not.
That's why I absolutely adore when a bride and groom stay true to themselves and present exactly who they are.
And that's one of the biggest reasons I had so much fun shooting Samantha and Kyle's wedding at Chelo's Waterfront Bar & Grille back in June.
Samantha and Kyle were an awesome couple but, more importantly, they were incredibly "what you see is what you get" and had an absolute blast being themselves on a day when so many others simply don't.
They made inappropriate jokes. They kept their ceremony short and sweet. They wore clothes (and shoes) that made them comfortable. In essence, they planned the perfect wedding for who they are and stuck to what they wanted to do. And perfect is a great way to describe what took place on this summer afternoon.





My coverage of Samantha and Kyle's wedding day began with a rare treat: Even though I was playing the role of second shooter, I got to spend time with the bride during bridal prep instead of the groom.
I'm glad I did because Samantha and her family were an absolute riot during one of the most carefree and casual prep sessions I've ever seen.
In fact, not only was the bride dressed and ready to go two hours early, the only thing stopping us from getting her formal photos out of the way was a light mist that hovered over her parent's home.





Thankfully, the weather held off long enough for us to knock some really sweet shots of Samantha and her family members. And, best of all, it provided the absolute perfect light for her and Kyle's first look at Goddard Park a little while later.






I always find it a tad odd when I photograph a first look or wedding ceremony without having met either the bride or groom but all it took was a few moments with Samantha and Kyle to feel like I'd known them for years.
And that easy nature paid off nicely as we breezed through family photos.
I especially loved watching this bride and groom interact with their daughter, who was one of the two flower girls. As the family and wedding party photos were being taken care of, I made sure to keep a special eye on her as she was adorable and having a great time watching her parents say "I do."

