Intern Insights: My First Wedding
Our story today both starts and ends with Sydney and I eating Moe’s in bed in the hotel. And there’s a reason for that; weddings are hella chaotic. It’s hard to explain because they’re such contained chaos and a very elegantly dressed chaos at a beautiful venue, but don’t let that fool you!
2:00 p.m. Sydney and I are getting ready in the hotel. She’s teaching me how to pack a bag for a wedding day. “This pouch,” she said, gesturing to a netted, zippered pocket of her camera suitcase (for lack of a better word), “is for backup batteries. I bring about seven to every wedding.” I gaped at her.
She continued, showing me where she keeps extra lenses, cameras, snacks (oatmeal cream pies, I’m really giving away industry secrets here), hair clips, safety vests, life jackets... you get the picture. Preparation is essential for any shoot, but especially a wedding day.
3:00 p.m. We arrived at the venue, and it was one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen. I tried to multi-task and take in the beautiful lowcountry afternoon while carrying light stands as we wandered through the tall grass. The beautiful old door stuck a bit as we tried to get it open, but we were rescued by the Spellar’s wedding planner, Sam.
Sam took us upstairs, and I looked around at the bridesmaids swirling around us, going back and forth with mimosas and trinkets the bride needed for the big day. Then we met Jamie — the woman of the next six hours — in her getting-ready suite. She hugged Sydney, and although the slightest hint of nerves edged at her voice, she was beyond warm.
Sydney pulled out her super-important not-so-secret sheet of her timeline for the day and handed me a pen as we began to go over it. This, as I learned, was a way for us to make sure we had all the necessary family photos done in time and were running on schedule for the ceremony.
3:30 p.m. At this point I had become very familiar with the upstairs hallway of the house that was between all the bridesmaids’ rooms. It was where the magic happened and also where Sydney and I were running back and forth. We took the happy couple’s rings away for some detail shots, and somewhere in between my second and third trip downstairs, someone found a save the date for us to use, and Sydney found the perfect backdrop. I checked detail shots off the list.
4:00 Since the groom and his side of the wedding were ready before Jamie was, we took Jordan to do his photos with his groomsmen and family. It was a near-well-oiled machine of checking off photos from the list and calling out who was next and on deck that didn’t even take an hour. Family members embraced sweetly beneath palm fronds, and the shade kept the worst of the afternoon heat away. The groomsmen lit up while taking personality photos, and I, for not the first or last time, felt lucky to be a part of this day.
5:00 Now that Jamie, our lovely bride, had been photographed getting ready and was fully ready, it was her time for even more photo ops. We began with an emotional first look with her dad and brother, and then it was time for the bridesmaids. I dried flower bouquets, held anything that was given to me, took candids, and made sure everyone was smiling for Sydney’s camera.
6:00 Ceremony time. Sydney and I set up at the back of the ceremony beside the DJ and the videographer. We dropped our camera bags in the reception space, hid our other bags in the bushes, and tried to get as quiet as possible while walking on gravel.
I don’t have much to say about the ceremony besides that it was so beautiful. I crept around the sides of the ceremony, trying to get the best angles of the Spellars saying their vows.
6:20 As soon as it was over, we were scrambling to get in place for the big dip on their way out and then to transition to the reception. I helped Sydney switch out her lens and held lights because now the sun was setting, but we still had family photos to get through. I watched Sydney go fully into work mode, commanding the crowd of family members to make sure we got every single perfect shot.
6:45 After that, I am pleased to say it was fairly smooth sailing. I hung out and photographed the first dance and the cake-cutting. Sydney and I took a beyond needed break to chow down on some smoked gouda mac and cheese (YUM) before hitting the dancefloor.
11:00 p.m. The Spellars had a beautiful last dance as their exit, and their guests blew bubbles around them. You gotta check out the photos.
12:00 p.m. Sydney and I take our makeup off. We ate Moe’s in bed. We unpack and reconfigure everything because she has another wedding the next day, so batteries must be charged, and lenses must be swapped out. Then we sleep like rocks.
