Brady & Heather – Scottsdale Wedding Photographer
So awhile back I got an email and a call from this couple back in Pennsylvania. During our first “consultation” over the phone I found out that Brady loves to golf and Heather loves hiking that they were planning a destination wedding here in Arizona with friends and family. They had heard I was a wedding photographer in the area who was familiar with destination weddings from our good friends a the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. How cool! Destination weddings are so great because they are usually relatively small, intimate, and offer a unique look into the lives of the people who are there to love and support the couple. We discussed the ceremony and everything they wanted for their big day. It was going to take place a the Boyce Thompson Arboretum outside of Phoenix and suggestions for a good reception location close by. We talked on the phone a few times and made all the arrangements via email and the date was set.
Fast forward a few months and I get a call from Brady… “We’re going to change plans for the wedding,” he said. Boy did they ever! I’ve seen a lot of weddings, each one is special, each one different, but THIS one, WOW. The change of plans was to rent two homes in Scottsdale for their wedding. One home would be for Brady and Heather and some of their guests and the other would be a beautiful 5 acre estate in North Scottsdale’s Pinnacle Peak area overlooking the valley. Its at this location I would arrive to have one of the most laid back, intimate weddings I’ve ever had the privilege of shooting. Fast forward to about 3 weeks before the wedding and I find out that they are still looking for a florist and a few other vendors… so I referred them to one of the best I know, Jodie Dobbe with Blooming Mill to hook these two up with some fantastic flowers ASAP.
When we arrived I had to find Brady and Heather… after all, I had never met them in person, and in fact, I didn’t know what they looked like! I quickly found Heather, already in her beautiful dress, doing some final touches… and she was so excited. She wasn’t quite ready (but almost) to do her shots just yet so I went find Brady. Brady is a die hard golfer, so much in fact that he played 18 holes before the wedding (and as I write this he’s in Virgina at a Golf Channel Tournament)! I had to laugh, because I’ve recently taken up the sport and it’s TOTALLY addicting if you’re not careful, so I can see the urge…there are so many great courses here in the valley of the sun. I introduced myself as Brady was getting ready and slipping on his tux. Great timing… the gentlemen were just starting the process. I think this was the first time I’d ever seen the bride ready before the groom!
The room permiated with anticipation, but not the type of usual anxiety that surrounds a wedding and all the planning. There were key differences that made this wedding feel a little unique. You see everyone was already at the venue so there was no rush to get anywhere at a particular time. It was a casual environment with an elegant twist because everyone present were close friends and family and all done up for the wedding. The cake was already there and in place because they just so happened to have a Pastry Chef in the family so Heather and the girls actually made the cake the day before while the guys were out golfing. My wife couldn’t get over how cute that was!
We spent a few minutes before the reveal moment to get some shots of Heather in the room where she was getting ready and she totally blew us away. She felt so natural in front of a camera and you can see by the shots that she totally rocked it! Later she said in passing… “I used to model wedding dresses in a past life.” That made me smile… because I knew it had to come from somewhere! We had a huge window to the right of the bed that had a Roman shade and acted like a 10 x 10 soft box that poured the most soft and beautiful natural light onto Heather. I was thinking that the day couldn’t get much better than this… but I hadn’t even gotten to the reveal moment yet!
So…as time went on I felt myself enjoying the opportunity to be there more and more. There was no set time for anything and these two were super relaxed. We did a reveal moment so they could see each other before the ceremony and I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people so excited to see each other. There was so much feeling and passion in the moment and so much love gushing out of these two I couldn’t help but love my wife even more (who happened to be standing next to me) and remembering our wedding day. This is the exact reason we LOVE to shoot a reveal moment for our couples. These expressions and emotions just can’t be expressed when you are stuck in front of a crowd during a ceremony, not only does it seem awkward, it’s probably a little inappropriate because it’s such an elegant affair.
I’ve got to run and shoot a video but I’ll ad more later! To be continued…
I love solving problems and creating something from nothing.