I captured moments from a perspective no one else could
My brother’s wedding was unlike any wedding I’ve ever experienced, and not just because it broke all the usual “rules.” It was deeply personal in a way that will never happen again for me. For the first time ever, I wasn’t just a photographer or just a guest. I was a bridesmaid, a sister, a business owner, and someone who was emotionally invested in every single moment.
I’ve photographed countless weddings and I’ve been married myself, but this was an entirely new perspective. Weddings usually fly by when you’re the bride or the vendor. This one felt slower, fuller, and more meaningful, like I was truly present for every layer of it.
Seeing a Wedding Through a New Lens
I had never been a bridesmaid before, which alone made the day feel special. Being so close to everything, while not being “on the clock” in the usual way, changed how I experienced the day. I got to mix two worlds that will probably never collide like this again: my personal life and my creative work.
I was emotionally invested, but in a fun way. I still had my cameras nearby, but I wasn’t responsible for capturing everything. I could simply witness it. And that balance gave me a perspective I’ve never had before.
A Reunion Decades in the Making
One of the most meaningful parts of the day was seeing so many of my brother’s groomsmen, friends he’s had since kindergarten. Some of them don’t even live in the U.S. anymore. These were people who hadn’t all been together in decades, suddenly reunited in one place.
It felt like a family and childhood friend reunion wrapped into one beautiful day. At the same time, there were people from later chapters of life, college friends, study-abroad friends, people I’ve grown close to over the years. My husband was a groomsman, I was a bridesmaid, and it felt like all the worlds were colliding in the sweetest possible way.
A Venue That Felt Like Childhood
The setting made it even more magical. Instead of another white, modern wedding venue, the wedding took place at a 120-year-old mansion. Running around that space, searching for friends and family, genuinely made me feel like a kid again.
They served pizza and tacos (yes, both), and even had a taco truck drive all the way up from another city to cater the wedding. It was relaxed, joyful, and completely them.
A Deeper Empathy for Families on Wedding Days
Watching my family experience this day gave me a whole new level of empathy. I’ve always had compassion for couples and families—understanding how much pressure and emotion comes with wanting everything to be perfect. I’ve never taken stress personally as a vendor.
But this experience added another layer.
Seeing my parents, my siblings, and my extended family go through the emotions, expectations, and preparation gave me a slower, more intimate understanding of how meaningful wedding days truly are. Now I don’t just know how it feels, I’ve lived it from the inside.
That perspective will stay with me forever and absolutely shapes how I show up for my couples.
Watching My Brother Find His Person
My brother and his wife had been together for four years, and I like to joke that they were already married, they were just making it legal. They are truly the same person in all the right ways.
She loves him deeply and brings out the joyful little boy he was growing up. She loves the truest version of him, the version only family gets to see, and it’s everything he deserves. Watching her bring that out in him was incredibly emotional for me. They couldn’t be more perfect for each other.
Trusting the Artists Who Captured It All
One of our wedding gifts to them was hiring Figgy Photo Emma as their photographer, and I’m so grateful they trusted me with that decision. She was calm, relaxed, and incredibly talented. The photos we’ve already seen are stunning, and I can’t wait for the rest.
It was also fascinating, and honestly really fun, to experience another photographer working with people I’m so close to. She was wonderful to be around, and I’ll fully admit I was fangirling a little getting to shoot alongside her.
The same goes for Lauren Taylor Visuals. I photographed Lauren’s wedding just a few months ago, and now she was filming my brother’s. Switching roles like that made the day even sweeter. She sent a sneak-peek video that felt like a movie trailer, and everyone was in tears.
And the florals by Crooked Roots Florals were unreal. The vision was springtime colors in winter, and they matched the vibe perfectly, fresh, joyful, and beautiful.
A Gift I’ll Treasure Forever
Emma let me bring my cameras and shoot throughout the day, completely trusting me to play and create alongside her. That meant more to me than I can explain. Film is already deeply meaningful to me, and having it from a day like this, one that holds so much personal weight, is priceless.
I captured moments from a perspective no one else could. Not better, just different. Sister moments. Quiet moments. Emotional moments that only I could see.
And that’s something I’ll treasure forever.
