Happy 2014! What better way to start off the year than with a blunt, honest and heartfelt blog post about weddings, love and why I do what I do..! I couldn’t think of better clients to help usher in this new approach to blogging and business than Jessica and Ben. See, I met Jessica after she booked me to photograph her wedding and we just clicked on such a deep level. Not only that, but Ben and I did as well, I swear I could feel the love from them both. They were so open and honest in front of me during their engagement session and so happy and loving with each other. They both knew my work intimately and truly loved what I did. I was not just another vendor they hired for their wedding, they were able to see the care and thought I put into my work and were drawn to it. I was incredibly comfortable with them both, laughed so easily and felt like I could hang with them as a friend in addition to being their wedding photographer!
See, here’s the thing. I am not JUST your wedding photographer. I want to become a bigger part of the day so that you let me in fully, you trust me implicitly and then I have access to your true selves. Show me who you really are. Stop fretting about your upper arms ladies. Stop worrying about double chins, or how you look or what your best side is or isn’t. Let yourselves be seen! Let me show you how beautiful, radiant and in love you both are with each other! Or how funny or emotional or quiet. Off moments, on moments, in between moments. I want them all.
Which brings me to Jessica and Ben’s wedding. See, I had their post all up and ready to go. Then I looked through it and was like, huh, this is SO not the wedding I photographed. Where are they? Where is the love I felt, all of the emotion, because there was SO much of it! Where is that all? I looked through their images and was distracted by the color. By things that should have nothing to do with why I connect with my images and the people in them. So you know what had to happen? Well, this post had to be all in black and white for me to see them, and for them to be truly seen. This may not be the way I do every post, but I want you all to know that I am going to show each of my couples how I see them, and not how you expect them to be seen. If you are looking through here hoping to check out how the bridesmaids dresses worked with the venue? Well, look elsewhere my friends, this post is about Jessica and Ben and their big, giant love that you can’t help but see. And that, my friends, is that!
Here’s to being real with ourselves this year, and showing what we are all about…true love and honest, beautiful photography.
The Jessica + Ben Wedding team for the day that helped make their day amazing…
dress designer: Rivini bought from the White Dress by the Shore, Clinton CT
brides maids dresses: Amsale
cake: Kim’s Cottage Confections
beauty: Jennie Fresa
hair: POSH salon, Niantic CT
flowers: Charlotte Hennigan of Thames River Greenery
cinematography: Jim Altieri of Vintage Cinema
band: The LeBlanc Brothers Band
paper: Nichole Michel of Coral Pheasant Stationery Design
shoes: Kate Spade
venue: The Riverhouse, Haddam CT
Beautiful Carla! Jessica, and her tears, are just lovely! xo
Carla, you are truly gifted!!!Seeing these pictures i black and white capture all of the real “emotion” coming from all people involved. Every time I look at the pictures I feel like I am reliving the day over again.
Thank you for that GIFT!!!