After a year where we thought we felt our business could fall apart, here we are happy to report that we completed 35 weddings. Wow… I’m sitting here amazed yet again at what God can do and how He always provides for us. No disease, no virus can stand in His way… I’m humbled by His faithfulness and promises, and come what may, we continue to place our hope in Him and Him alone.
While we certainly love every client that we have the privilege to serve and every wedding is of course lovely, we also wanted to recognize a few exceptional weddings that we got to experience this year. So, without further ado, here are our SEVEN awards that is very important to us as wedding photographers. And, we hope that our future brides will find it resourceful to learn why these aspects are important for not to just have a great wedding day, but important for great portraits too. Please know that some were very difficult to choose, but we believe in winners, so here it is! (Each category has a link that will take you to the blog post of the winner’s complete wedding day.)
Most Photogenic Bride
Most people think that being “photogenic” means that you’re just better looking or thinner. Now, those things I admit helps, but it’s actually not true. You can be the prettiest, but you just may not be a good model. You have to have something that’s not physically seen. It’s this thing called confidence that shine from within. No matter how “perfect” someone may look, if they don’t have the confidence or feel comfortable in front of the lens, it’s going to take a lot more effort on the photographer. A photogenic person is not only just confident, but easily understands the directions we give and knows how to pose naturally well. The light loves her features and falls on her face beautifully. As a photographer who does not work with models, this confidence is everything to us. Every shot becomes, “boom baby” and even if she tried, she just can’t take a bad picture. This award goes to our bride, Rachel, who had a stunning intimate wedding at the Christ the King Cathedral in September. Congrats, Rachel! You’re truly beautiful inside and out.
Best Dressed Bride
There are photogenic brides and there are photographic dresses too. Yes! Your dress matters…. in fact, we drive to every wedding wondering what our bride will be wearing that day and can’t wait to see the reveal of her dress. That sets the tone and the style for the rest of day. No matter how beautiful a dress is however, if it doesn’t fit the style or the body of the bride well, it just doesn’t work. So, we encourage you to find what’s best for you regardless of the trends and what everyone else is wearing and make sure that YOU love it, not your friends or family members. And, we are always here to give honest feedback as photographers and give you advice in a photographer’s perspective. How you feel in your dress will or not bring out the confidence in you. May your dress be flattering on YOU. This award goes to our stunning bride, Marina, who chose a dress that fit all of the criteria above and looked absolutely royal.
Most Emotional Groom
I think something we tend to do is kind of forget about the groom on a wedding day, but he is just as important as the bride. I mean, how would there even be a wedding, right? As the second shooter, I get to watch something that most don't as it happens on a wedding day because my first priority is the groom. I have to capture his emotions while the lead photographer, Craig, focuses on the bride and everyone’s heads are turned towards her. It’s quite an emotional moment for me as I get to witness his emotions coming out from the beginning to the end. This is what allows me to connect with the couple emotionally and really make the day that much more meaningful. It reminds me of why I’m even there and why this day is truly an important day. This award goes to our very own, Tony, who I wish every groom could be like! I love his PASSIONATE character and fun and genuine emotions. Congrats, Tony!
Best planned / Most organized wedding
I don’t think I need to explain much as to why this is important on a wedding day, but my gosh, it sure is…. We as wedding vendors beg of you… please keep the timeline. Be ready on time because it can make or break the experience of your own wedding day. For us as photographers, time is crucial. We always tell our clients that we are photographers, not magicians. Some really believe that we can do magic tricks, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. We need time to produce what we do especially when we need to use our flash. There have been times when there were only minutes to do our job and in all honestly, it’s just not fair for you nor the vendors and in the end, you’re not getting your money’s worth. We respect the time, the money and the stress of making your most special day perfect and we are here to serve you and deliver the photos you deserve, but it’s not possible when the time is taken away from us. So, this year, our BEST planned and MOST organized wedding award goes to the most chill and classy bride and groom we’ve ever met… Elissa + Mats! You were excellent! Bravo in making your wedding day a SUCCESS!
Kindest couples
Ok… so for this one, it really was hard to choose one. In fact, it was hard to even choose two because we really do have some amazing clients. When you work with such sweet and respectful people all day, it makes you feel like you haven’t even worked at all. Sometimes, the social aspect of a wedding day can be more exhausting than what we are really hired to do, but not at these two weddings. Everyone was so polite and cooperative. They’re all so encouraging, positive, and just overall happy and joyful folks. Their kindness was so contagious and inspiring even. We left both of these weddings better human beings because from these couples, we learned how to be better. Marisol + Walter AND Farhan + Lubna, thank you from the bottom of hearts for being who you are. You guys are the type of folks that truly make our world a better place. CONGRATULATIONS!
Marisol + Walter
Lubna + Farhan
Best Dressed Groom
Have you heard of a dapper groom? Yes! Many people say that it’s easy to get dressed as a man, but let me tell you… that takes work too. A suit or a tux may seem like they’re created equal, but they’re quite not. Every man’s figure is different just like women’s and let’s just be honest… they’re some ugly suits out there. Oh, and where you place the boutonnieres can flatter or ruin the look of a suit as well. And yes, pocket squares are a must (we prefer the straight ones) and the type of bowties and ties you choose matter as well. It is crucial that the style of the groom complements the style of the bride, not clash. Just like the bride, we want our groom to feel handsome and confident in how he looks. With that being said, this award goes to our groom, Dennard, who knew exactly how to dress himself BEST for the best day of his life! His customized tux was on point! Congrats, Dennard!
Most fun / Best reception
Now, what’s a wedding without fun, right? Well, guess what? Some weddings don’t turn out this way… and you can bet ya that your party may not be fun. First, it takes organization, a lot of communication, excellent delegation and one amazing DJ to get the job done. It may seem simple…. First dance, dinner, cut the cake, make a toast and play the music. But, it takes a pro to get those things done properly. You have to know what it takes to entertain. Just like any vendor for your wedding, you get what you pay for and the DJ and your planner are crucial on that list. And, this award goes to Lenore + Goke who really knew how to invest their money on the things that matter. You know it’s a good party if I even start dancing. LOL It was truly a celebration and all the pros at this wedding did amazing and became a great team. The couple had an absolutely blast which is what matters the most and the families and friends gathered were so happy to be there for them. Lenore + Goke, bravo on one amazing party. You guys were SO fun!
Well, that’s it folks! We are about to ring in the new year, and we just can’t stop saying how thankful we are for YOU! Year after year, we get to be part your beautiful weddings and we can’t express how honored we feel. It’s not just our job, it’s our life and we are truly blessed. We don’t take any weddings or photo sessions for granted. We appreciate all of you and as crazy and historic 2020 has been, we embrace every single part of it. We can’t wait to document your new memories, your new accomplishments, your new milestones and your weddings in 2021. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!
With much love,
Craig + Unchong
Selfie taken at our last wedding of 2020 on 12/29/20. See ya’ll in 2021!