[snowboardgirl11]

The first wedding that I did was completely spur the moment. A family friend was getting married and had approximately 100 guests present; I had contacted the photographer to ask if I could be a second shooter, to which he heartily agreed. As I was on my way to the wedding, I got a phone call saying that the photographer was unable to make it to the wedding and that I was now the only one there to do photos. I was in a bit of a panic!! I would have had a few more items with me (flashes, lenses, etc) if I had of known that I was going to be the only one there! But, the bride and her family told me that they were EXTREMELY grateful that I was there, and not to worry about anything. (I personally don't know how the bride did not have a complete meltdown!) I did the best that I could, and given all the different circumstances, I think the pictures came out beautifully. The hardest part for me was the lack of organization by the bride in knowing what she wanted for formal poses after the ceremony. She didn't have a clue, and I was trying to organize everyone as best as I could! Normally, I would have had the bride make up a list of poses that she wanted...but of course I didn't have that to go by. Thankfully, the maid of honor had a creative flare and she helped me with some cute poses. The bride and her family were thrilled with the final product....and I ended up with a wedding in my portfolio! Lots of people kept coming up to me at the reception and were all shocked to find out that I wasn't the "hired" photographer! They were all completely in awe...I guess I pulled off the professional act. Just kidding!! I wouldn't have chosen to do my first wedding that way; however, I'm happy that my friend's wedding wasn't completely ruined and that I was able to provide her with some beautiful images of her day.