Corrado proposed to me on June 10, 2021. People have been joking for years that it must be so hard for Corrado to top all the proposals I’ve seen. Little did I know, he would trick me into shooting my own proposal photos at one of my favorite places: on top of a mountain. There was a rare once-in-a-lifetime sunrise eclipse that morning, so we decided to go on a hike to see the sunrise and have one of our usual mountaintop photoshoots. I set up my camera on a tripod, started the self-timer, ran into my spot, then Corrado dropped down on one knee and proposed, capturing it all on camera. I honestly couldn’t think of a more memorable or perfectly “us” proposal. Oh, and he proposed with three different [returnable] rings so I could decide exactly which options I liked before buying the “forever ring”. (Great job, Corrado!)
After photographing 250 couples’ weddings, I had my own wedding on Friday, October 28, 2022 at Paramount Country Club! Corrado and I fell in love with the venue because of the beautiful mountain views, boho vibes, delicious food, and the wonderful staff. Our color scheme was peach, orange, and gold. I wore a long sleeve stretch-lace Grace Loves Lace dress and Corrado wore a light tan suit. My favorite moment of the day was exchanging our vows in the beautiful outdoor ceremony garden, officiated by Corrado’s cousin, with all of our friends and family looking on – I still get chills when I think about it! Our reception tables were decorated with lots of tall glass candle holders and peach-colored florals. I spent lots of time leading up to the wedding day DIY-ing our stationery (I love to draw, paint, and design!) including our invitations, ceremony programs, escort cards, menus, signage, and a bunch of other decor.
Now that I’ve been on the other side of the camera, as a bride, I understand weddings even more deeply than I did before. It has definitely made me more empathetic as a wedding vendor and I feel like I can relate to my clients on a deeper, personal level. Weddings are a beautiful, joyful, “perfectly imperfect” day. While it might not be the best day of your life (because the best is yet to come), it’s certainly one of the most special days of your life. There’s nothing like it. To have all of your loved ones under one roof for one day, getting to celebrate love, all kinds of love, is something very precious. Of all the days of your life, this day probably took the most planning, effort, and envisioning, and it carries so much emotional and sentimental weight to it. I’ve always truly loved my job, but after 10/28/22, I’m even more humbled and grateful to be entrusted to capture all of my couples’ big days.
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October 28, 2022
