Meyer Theatre's Backstage | Shane and Michelle's Wedding

Shane and Michelle’s wedding was personally special because my wife and family were on the guest list (I would have also been a guest had I not been the photographer). It was a surreal day having two of my normally-separate worlds collide, but I really appreciated seeing Becky, my wife, smiling from the crowd and helping me with light stands :)

Having the shared experience, it was also nice to talk with Becky about our favorite moments from the day and see where they overlap. For example, there was a young girl (maybe around 12) that stuck in both of our minds.

At the end of the ceremony after the couple walks back down the aisle together, I like to have a “second first kiss” with their friends and family cheering behind them. The next day, Becky told me the young girl was bursting with so much excitement that several heads turned and tried to calm her down; it was pure uninhibited enthusiasm, and I wish more people could celebrate with her gusto!

Later in the evening, the girl approached me while I was setting up lights for the first dance.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said. “What is that?”

“This?” I asked pointing to my flash. She nodded.

I had a few minutes, so I explained how it worked and showed her a picture of what it’ll do; the light in particular was going to be a “kicker” and create a soft highlight on the back of the couple’s heads.

After my quick demonstration, she looked at me with a serious expression, “Thank you for explaining that to me. It was very helpful.”

Venue: Meyer Theatre’s Backstage

DJ: Delta Dawn

Just about everything else was done by family!