I hate to play favorites, and it’s hard to do so when I’ve only photographed three weddings of my own, but Mandy and Stephen’s wedding would probably be it.

The light was perfect on that beautiful October day, the weather was as well. The ceremony was held at a church at which I’ve always wanted to photograph and the reception was at a hall across the street. Mandy was gorgeous in her ivory gown and Stephen, so handsome in his black tux. There is a whole different level of in-loveness and cuteness of a couple that is hours away from getting married than of a couple who’s weeks or months away from their special day.

Seeing their excitement as they were getting ready was once thing but witnessing those few moments right before the first look was something else. Sure, I’ve been present during first looks as a secondary photographer before but this was my first ever first look going solo. It was just the three of us and I tried my best to make it seem like it was just the two of them. This wedding held a lot of firsts for me but more importantly, it held Mandy and Stephen’s first magical moments as a soon to be married couple and then finally, as newlyweds.