My First Wedding!

So i know its been a few months since i started this blog and you guys have probably been waiting to hear about my first wedding. Well here it is finally.

It all started on my birthday when I was with my friend Whitney and she had just gotten engaged after being in a relationship with her boyfriend for a few years.. I was asking her about the wedding and she said she was planning on getting married in 6 short months. I thought that was simply insane YET easily do-able. We started talking and she was telling me that they wanted a private ceremony with just immediate family and everyone else would be invited to the wedding. Well the thought went through my head that this was the perfect situation to offer my services for the ceremony. I told her that I would love to shoot her ceremony since I wasnt gonna be a guest. They were on a budget so it would be benficial to both of us and they would just have to hire someone for the reception. So it was set, I had booked my first ceremony!!! Then all of a sudden, reality set in and the "oh shit" moment hit. This was real. It had been a goal of mine since I first started taking this more serious, but the moment was here and it happened in a way that wasnt in my plans. But i fgured that the opportunity arose and we have to start somewhere so why not taking pictures for a friend of mine whom trusts me.

Along the way, the situation arose where the private ceremony was no longer happening and they had decided to have the ceremony at the same spot as the reception. Because of a budget I was now all a sudden the MAIN photographer as well as a guest as the wedding. How was this going to be possible? I decided that I definately needed help bc I also wanted to enjoy the wedding as well as be in pictures myself so I posted in a Meetup photography group that I was apart of and got ONE bite. I knew it was a long shot bc i couldnt pay much and the wedding was in San Diego. BUT one girl was responsive and very much interested. Coincidentally her boyfriend lived in San Diego and she would be able to make a trip of it. She was also interested in helping me for longer then the 2 hours I could afford SCORE!!!
So the wedding finally came, i was nervous as hell, but very much excited. It went fast and went great and lots of pictures were taken. My 2nd shooter stayed the entire time and put in so much work, I definately got lucky. I was able to take lots of pictures yet also enjoy the wedding and be in a few myself. It took my one month to edit and my friend/bride LOVED them. After that I booked two more weddings for people I know. One just past this month and the next is in a year and people kept getting sent my way. I wanted to start as a 2nd shooter first to get some experience without having to be the main shooter but plans change and people like my work, so I have to take the opportunities as they come and trust in myself as much as others are trusting me with their special day. I still plan on hoping to be able to 2nd shoot sometime in the near future, especially before moving on to working with people I dont know yet, but its beginning and my wedding portfolio is finally coming along!!!!