This may be one of my favorite posts of the year!  Not only do I get to re-live our couples’ beautiful days (all 29 of them this year), but I get to savor the fun we had documenting those for them!  It’s also a chance for some of you to get to know Dylan and me a little bit better, not just our Austin wedding photos.  It lets you get a peek into some of our behind the scenes working AND know that what we do on wedding days is more than just take pretty pictures.  Hopefully, it also emphasizes that whomever you hire as a wedding photographer needs to be someone you get along with because they’ll be there with you for a good portion of your wedding day.

My knees after a wedding are often super dirty, as I try to duck to be out of the way of guests who want to see the action of the day.  

We don’t usually sign the marriage license for our couples, but an exception was made for Tammy and Brian when they decided to take us to Belize to photograph their elopement! 

I have bustled many, many a dress in my time as a wedding photographer.   Usually, we go back to the bridal suite to get the train tied up, but, sometimes, we get that dress fixed just where we are. 

I’ve also helped brides get dressed.  I can get the buttons looped faster than most can with a crochet hook and don’t mind helping our brides get into their shoes, as shown here.  

I’ve gone barefoot to two of our weddings this year.  The first one was a wedding in the sand that the bride and groom decided to forgo their shoes, so we did, too!

The second was just after one of the many rain storms that hit Austin this year.  As I was moving around the seated guests during the ceremony, my foot somehow found a mud-hole that claimed my shoe.  To keep shooting, I had to free my foot of the shoe and leave the shoe behind.  You can see me shoeless below.  Sacrificing your shoes for your couples is just another day in the life of this Austin Wedding Photographer. 

If there is ever a fun angle for Dylan to shoot from, that is where he’ll be!  He’s gotten some great shots by running upstairs to shoot through windows or over balconies.  

I tend to show people exactly how to pose or give them various options to choose from.  Here, I was using Jordan’s sweet mom as a stand-in “bride” in a “mirror me” situation, showing the bridesmaids how to pose.  Don’t worry – I made sure to ask her permission before invading her personal space.  

In my mind, if I cannot show you the pose, I shouldn’t expect you to do it.  

I absolutely ADORE long veils.  If I can get under the wedding veil with our couples, magic can happen! 

I’ve coached most of our couples how to cut a wedding cake and what to do for cute photos afterwards.  Most know that when I tap my lips, they should kiss each other.  It’s super helpful when they walk back down the aisle after the ceremony and just after the cake cutting when they can’t hear me over the reception noise.  

It’s not just the brides that get dressing help.  Our grooms know that you only button the top button on your jacket and that the boutonniere goes on the left lapel.  

We actually love getting super cute shots of the children at weddings!  They’re so much fun!

We even praise the littles and show them the picture, if they want to see!

Sometimes, getting a great shot requires us to find a different angle that others may not think of.  

Dylan is acting as the flower holder and sniffer.  I think he approved.  :D

Our couples don’t usually ask us to jump in a photo with them, but we love it when they do!  :D

Dylan still reigns as the dress-whisperer between the two of us.  If a dress needs to be hung, he has the height.  

If a dress needs to be fluffed, he’ll get it just right.  

If a bow needs to be tied, Dylan is the person for the job! 

He also handles all of our veil in the wind shots.  

He’s always a gentleman and will help carry the train of a wedding dress, so it doesn’t drag in the grass or pick up dirt.  

These shots are proof that I can do those things, too!  (Dylan is just more detail-oriented than I am most of the time and catches it first.) 

Dylan is also super helpful with grandparents with mobility issues and escorting our brides across slippery rocks while wearing heels.  Kristin is such a TROOPER for braving the river rocks in heels! 

That one time the bride and groom BOTH wanted a huge hug when they got to the end of the aisle after being pronounced man and wife.  I cried.  And my heart swelled a million times over!

Dylan and I photo-bomb each other.  Occasionally.  

I really have absolutely NO IDEA what is happening here, but it made me laugh! 

Very rarely, we’ll share a peek at the back of our cameras with our clients.  

Please know that Dylan is in shorts because we’re at a bridal session, not an actual wedding.  No, he doesn’t usually go to bridal sessions but asked to tag along for Stormy’s bridals at The Plantation House.  

This photo may be the only behind the scenes shot we have where we’re both in the same image! 

Here, I was trying to hide our bride when her dad showed up early and unannounced.  It could have lost the effect of the daddy-daughter first look moment, but we were able to “hide” her just in time!

We sacrifice our own safety to get the shot for our couples!  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gotten burned with a sparkler so our couples get their fabulous exit shots.  

Here, Dylan is acting as stand in, so our couple doesn’t have to stand out in the cold waiting for me to get my lights set up just right.  He braved the freezing cold with me to make sure all our settings were correct before bringing out our bride and groom away from their party. 

Even though our couples get their wedding day images and can share them with friends and family, we’re still willing to put our cameras down to take a group shot on someone’s iPhone (giggling inside while we do).  

We make the PRETTIEST faces for each other when we’re testing our light. 

His shorts and unbuttoned shirt are because we just finished a styled shoot, so this was NOT his wedding day attire.  

There you have it!  A brief glance into a day in the life of a wedding photographer.  We do way more than just take beautiful images and we have a ton of fun doing it!  A great big shout out and THANK YOU to all our amazing couples who allow us to follow this crazy dream of ours!  We owe it all to y’all’s trust in us and GOD’s many blessings.

– Mylah Renae

Austin Wedding Photographer