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What is better than photographing a couple on their wedding day? A day after session, of course!
I had a lot of fun reconnecting with Andrea and Anthony a couple of days after their wedding day for some relaxed beach portraits at their hotel, Costa Sur. The view was just amazing and even though it was sunny, it was such a beautiful time to have a session.
There is literally nothing more spectacular than two people in love with such a beautiful beach backdrop.
Monica had contacted me a couple weeks into December asking for a portrait session of her and her husband. Monica revealed to me that on her wedding day back in August, everything that could go wrong, did. It rained, her bouquet was wrong, her hair style didn't last, and as a result, they got very little photos of the two of them. So while she and her husband, Paul, were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, they took advantage of having a session done to make up for all that happened on their day. After hearing everything that had happened, I wanted to make sure we got some killer photos of the two of them. Never did I think she would bring a gorgeous wedding dress to the shoot!!!
It was absolutely fantastic and even though it was a bit cloudy, we did get a little sliver of sunset. And a whole lot of beautiful photos! Enjoy!
Jessica and Jordan had such a beautiful wedding and since they had not had formal engagement session done, we decided to do it a couple days after the wedding. It was such a perfect day and the ocean looked absolutely gorgeous and blue!
It was fun to take some casual photos of the two of them and with such a beautiful backdrop it hard not to keep shooting!
It's more often than not, that I have brides who ask if I photograph trash the dress sessions. I usually try and answer this by offering them a Day After session instead. I believe every bride, especially brides who decide to have a destination wedding, should considering having a session like this. So, I'm going to explain why and what the differences are between the two types of sessions.
A day after session is one of my favorites! They were known as Bridal Portraits and it is a session where you put on your wedding attire, choose a beautiful and breath taking location, and take your time creating some really beautiful photography of you and your hubby. Usually, I like to do this one or two days after a wedding and choose a lighter, relaxed look - which is especially nice for destination weddings! That way you don't have to really worry about the portraits on the day of the wedding and can enjoy the party.
left, day of wedding. right, day after session.
Sometimes, it just so happens that the time line of the wedding day doesn't fit into the perfect time for portraits. Like the wedding of Cristy + Eduardo, who's wedding took place in the early afternoon, which was bright and sunny. Not to mention during that hot and humid weather in Cancun. The ideal time was 6:30am, when the sun rises behind the beautiful waters. Which is what we decided to do a couple days following the wedding.
I love Day After Sessions because of the more relaxed look of the bride and groom. We can take our time creating something really unique and all of the emotions from being recently married are still present. We have giggles, flirtation, deep kisses, and emotional hugs. We have your beautiful dress and his suit to tie in the session with your wedding. We can create wall print worthy photographs and so that you can relive all of the emotions of your wedding! It's a session where you can even go for a different look than on your wedding day - maybe going for hair down and more dramatic makeup.
left, day of wedding. right, day after session.
Trash the dress is a session where you put on your wedding dress back on and either alone or with your husband, go out and essentially "trash" your wardrobe. This could mean rolling around in the water at the beach or a lake, I've even seen people do this in rivers, or throw paint at each other, or perhaps just go out to a field and get dirty in the mud.
feel like Trash the Dress sessions are really forced and not all that natural. Plus, since most of my clients are destination weddings, lugging a wet or dirty dress on the airplane is just a pain in the butt.
Really, it comes down to having some really beautiful, unique, authentic and real photographs of the two of you and not something forced into a theme or weird shot of you floating in the water (like a dead fish). I know, I know, there are some really rad photographs taken under water and there are some photographers who really nail it. For me, it's a matter of preferring the natural and beauty in wedding photos rather than "trashing" them.
What do you think? Would you rather have a Day After Session or a trash the dress? Let me know in the comments below!
*español abajo*
I absolutely love Day After Sessions. They are perfect for destination weddings as it is most likely that we have little or no time to capture the bride and groom alone. When you have family and friends coming from near and far to attend your wedding, all the time spent with them is precious. Which is why sometimes, we don't get a whole lot of time for the bride and groom.
Therefore, we do the session a day or two after the wedding! The couple is relaxed, so in love, and alone. We take advantage of the beautiful location and choose the best time for the portraits, without feeling rushed.
Cristy and Eduardo wanted the best possible light for their day after session - which meant waking up at 6am! In Cancun, the sun rises behind the ocean, which is so breathtaking, but also really early. And so.damn.worth.it!!!
Cristy + Eduardo: Gracias, gracias, gracias por confiar en nosotros como amigos y como fotógrafos para capturar tu día tan especial! Les deseamos lo mejor del mundo y que siempre sean felices como en su maravillosa boda! Fuertes abrazos y los dos!
Las sesiones que se llaman Día Después, ¡son unas de mis sesiones favoritas! ¿Que es una sesión del Día Después? Son sesiones que se programan uno o dos días después del evento para que los novios, ya mas relajados y aun con toda la emoción de la boda se toman las fotos formales. Es perfecto para bodas en playa porque muchas veces, tanto como los novios y los invitados, quieren pasar tiempo juntos ya que viajaron lejos para el evento. Así que es mejor realizar las fotos formales en otro día donde los novios pueden disfrutar y estar mas relajados, mas enamorados, sin preocupación de tiempo o iluminación y tomar toda ventaja de la locación de la boda - ¡el mar!
Cristy y Eduardo querían aprovechar de la mejor luz del día, que son a las 6am de la mañana, la hora en que sale el sol detrás del mar. ¡Una vista sumamente maravillosa! Y como pueden ver, ¡¡¡valió toda la pena!!!
