Liz and Mike | Wedding at Franchescos in Rockford IL

This couple.

Yeeeaaahhhhhh, I am having trouble starting out this blog. Not because I do not have any ideas on what I can write, it is more of the problem of what I *should* write. There are a bunch of crazy memories from this classy group that I should probably keep to myself for the time being. I will say this though, it is a mini rant but I will get to my point eventually. Being a wedding photographer is tough. There is no simple way to say it, other than that. You have long hours both shooting and sitting in front of the computer, you have to manage so many different personalities on a wedding day, you have to plan, you have to budget, you have balance the fact that every Saturday you are dealing with the most important day in the two people’s lives, you have to show value to your work beyond pretty photos, you miss holidays, anniversary’s and birthdays…. I could go on on. What makes it all worth it for me is at the end of the wedding night, I give the couple a hug and I feel like I have made 2 new friends. Liz and Mike were just that, friends. We navigated all the planning, budgeting, timeline, people and in the end where were in a field taking a night time photo and laughing about everything we have experienced together over the past year. I do not want to be just a check mark in the box for photographer when a couple is searching for one. I do not want to be just another vendor. Honestly, I do not want to even be just their photographer. For Liz and Mike they both went out of their way to know I was not just their photographer and for me, that is the greatest compliment I could ever receive.

Liz and Mike, as you are setting into your lives as husband and wife, I just want to take a moment and personally thank you for selecting me to be your photographer and letting me become more than just that. You two will always be a couple that makes everything that I do so worthwhile. Congrats!