the prevost photoblog

Blacksmith’s Shop, Columbia State Park, Feb. 2008

30 second exposure for sky combined with short exposure for tunnel.

That’s what it sounded like as I stepped on it in the dark. Made me quite nervous, as I expected there would be water underneath, but there wasn’t.

Somehow a sheet of ice was suspended maybe half an inch above the pavement. This was taken about 15 minutes later when it was light enough to see.

Taken at 6 AM when it was still dark—and cold!

I find that it is rarely superstition anymore that keeps brides and grooms apart prior to the ceremony. Rather, I think it is that there is a sense of tradition involved, and that some think it will spoil that “first moment.”

Let me say at the outset that this is a personal decision by the bride and groom that completely respect my couple’s wishes in this matter. I don’t demand that my couples do it any particular way. But I do see it as part of my job to act as an advisor. There is no one with the couple on the wedding day longer than the photographer—as such, the photographer is in a much better position than anyone to see the day as a whole, and to have a good idea about what works and what doesn’t. I just think it is my duty to give my couples options. And whatever they choose, it is my job to work within the constraints they give me to produce the best photography I can.

Because of the limitation on time on the wedding day, any decision that affects the schedule will involve trade-offs. The biggest trade-off of all, in my opinion, is time spent together.

In a traditionally-scheduled wedding the couple has anywhere from zero to 15 minutes alone together. When I got married, it was zero. Most of my couples that opt for this schedule get about 15 minutes—usually after the ceremony, after the formals, prior to the reception. That’s all, for the whole day.

Months and months of preparation and planning and anticipation, and the couple—the people who should be sharing time together—get zero to 15 minutes alone.

Not only that, but the formals take longer, as many groupings could not be done beforehand without both the bride and the groom in them. This leads to the most dreaded time of the wedding for the guests—waiting for photos to be done. Setting up groups—again—just so we can add in the bride or the groom.

Many couples see value in having some alone time together that day, and their day is not only more efficient, but some say more memorable and fun. Efficient because most or all of the formals can be done prior to the ceremony. More memorable because the couple gets to have a private meeting to start the day, and get to spend 1-2 hours together. More fun because things are less rushed, the couple gets to spend more time with immediate family and wedding party, and because all the excitement from the ceremony carries over to the reception—there isn’t that long delay between the two.

But I want to point out the really important part of what I just wrote—that the couple gets to have a private meeting to start the day. That anticipation of seeing each other for the first time that day, dressed in their wedding clothes, is something special. But instead of having that moment in front of a large crowd, where everything is scripted and the opportunity for spontaneous expression of real emotion is severely restricted—it is a much more relaxed and emotionally gratifying atmosphere.

The couple can express their joy, even shed tears, without fear of embarrassment. They can touch and talk to one another about what they are feeling—something I’ve never seen a couple do in front of all the guests.

That this is a great way to schedule a wedding was confirmed in a very personal way to me a few years ago when my own daughter got married. She had been my assistant at weddings for a few years, and so had ample exposure to all kinds of wedding situations. She chose to see her groom prior to the ceremony. She had to convince her skeptical groom, a very traditionally-oriented guy—he was in the Navy. It was gratifying to me that my son-in-law seemed to enjoy himself so much that day—he didn’t realize what a madhouse a wedding was and how little time he had to share that day. I know that he is happy with his decision.

Here are the shots from their first moments together (and no, I didn’t take these, becker did)