Your Wedding Is Not A Photoshoot

January 19, 2025

WelCome to “How To Wedding: advice from a Photographer who Has seen Some Stuff.”

“Your Wedding Is Not a Photoshoot (But It Will Be Beautiful)"

As a wedding photographer who’s shot over 150 weddings, let me let you in on a little secret: your wedding is not a photoshoot. It’s a day where two people make life-changing promises, surrounded by their loved ones. My job? To document that day beautifully—without ever losing sight of why we’re all there.

The WHY of Your Wedding Day

At its core, a wedding isn’t about the flowers, the cake, or even the photos (gasp!). It’s about creating a new family, bound by promises that are heartfelt, emotional, and deeply personal. That’s the real reason everyone has shown up in fancy clothes. As your photographer, I honor that.

Yes, I’ll capture gorgeous portraits. Yes, I’ll make sure you look amazing. But your schedule and your sanity are always going to be more important than squeezing in “just one more pose.”

Professionalism Matters

Here’s something I take very seriously: I show up to every wedding prepared and professional, ready to nail the essential shots on the first try. I’ve done my homework. I know how to handle lighting, timing, and all the curveballs that weddings like to throw at us. I start with safe, classic shots—those “in the bag” photos that you’re going to love forever.

After that? Sure, I might get creative and try something a little bold. But I won’t waste your time fussing with my camera settings or trying to reinvent the wheel when you should be enjoying your day.

Bride pulling the groom across the street. They are both wearing big work boots instead of typical wedding shoes.

The 30-Minute Rule

One rule I never break: no posed photos of the couple in the 30 minutes leading up to the ceremony. Why? Because you deserve that time to breathe, relax, and mentally prepare for the vows you’re about to take. Weddings are emotional, and I want you walking down the aisle feeling grounded—not like you just ran a marathon through a magazine photoshoot.

Any posed photos we miss before the ceremony can absolutely happen during the reception. Trust me, everyone’s more relaxed by then, and we’ll still get those frame-worthy shots.

Bride and groom kissing while her dress blows in the wind.

Balancing Beauty and Meaning

At the end of the day, I’m here to document your wedding authentically and beautifully while keeping the focus on what truly matters: the start of your marriage. It’s not about capturing every single Pinterest pose or staging elaborate shots that eat into your time with your loved ones. It’s about making sure your wedding feels like your wedding.

So, let’s create something stunning together—but let’s also remember why we’re here. Spoiler alert: it’s not for the Instagram likes.

Bride and groom backlit during their first dance as husband and wife.

However you do it is the right way to do it.

January 10, 2025

Welcome to How to Wedding: Advice from a photographer who has seen some stuff.

"However You Do It Is the Right Way"

When it comes to planning a wedding, there’s one thing I tell every couple: however you do it is the right way. You’ve probably been bombarded with advice from well-meaning relatives, Pinterest boards overflowing with ideas, and TikTok influencers who seem to know exactly what your wedding should look like. But let’s be real—your wedding is about you. And the only right way to do it is the way that feels authentic to your story.

Lesbian couple snuggling in the trees on their wedding day.

Personalization Is Key

Whether your vibe is “classic and elegant” or “backyard BBQ with a bounce house,” your wedding should reflect your personality as a couple. Love pizza? Skip the filet mignon and serve pies. Not a fan of cake? Go for donuts, ice cream sandwiches, or heck, even a giant cheese wheel. Want your dog to be the ring bearer? Do it. I promise, no one will ever complain about a cute dog in a bow tie.

Remember, you’re not planning this wedding for anyone else—not your grandma, not your nosy coworker, and definitely not for Instagram. The more personal your wedding is, the more memorable it’ll be—not just for you, but for your guests too.

Bride and groom lifted on chairs while dancing the hora. Notice the brides amazing floral dress instead of a traditional white wedding dress.

Throw Tradition Out the Window (If You Want To)

The great thing about weddings today is that there are no rules. Want to walk down the aisle to a Metallica song? Do it. Don’t feel like wearing white? Rock that colorful jumpsuit. Not into bouquet tosses, garter removals, or choreographed first dances? Skip them. Traditions are only meaningful if they’re meaningful to you.

Groom spraying Champagne while bride is ducking from the spray. They are both standing in a fountain with water spraying everywhere.

The Perfect Wedding Is the One That Feels Right

Let me say it again for the people in the back: however you do it is the right way. The goal isn’t to throw the “perfect” wedding. It’s to celebrate your love in a way that feels true to who you are as a couple. So, whether you’re writing your own vows, exchanging them silently, or communicating them via interpretive dance (hey, no judgment), just know that the best wedding is the one where you feel at home in your own celebration.

This was a Hallowedding and the bride wore an AWESOME black dress.

St. Paul Wedding: Elizabeth and Julius

December 14, 2020

A photo blog showcasing a St. Paul wedding photography package during winter highlighting the wedding from the getting ready stages through the reception party.

Twin Cities Wedding Photographer: Beth and Bryce

September 18, 2020

A photo blog showcasing the wedding photography of Beth and Bryce in the Twin Cities, MN. Photos shot by Twin Birch Studios.

Affordable Wedding Photography: Alex and Charles

September 9, 2020

A photo blow showcasing the affordable wedding photography of Alex and Charles. Photos shot by Twin Birch Studios.

Keeping Your Wedding Safe In A Pandemic

July 8, 2020

It is SO, SO hard to have the day you’ve thought about for years get upended by a global pandemic. A typical wedding is the exact opposite of social distancing as friends and family gather from far and wide to celebrate your declaration of love and commitment. If you choose to hold a wedding in 2020 - how can you keep the event magical without sacrificing the safety of your guests? I have collected some tips here and if you have other things you are doing to keep folks safe at your wedding, I would love to see them in the comments.

Reduce your guest list: We might as well start with the elephant in the room. The more people that attend your wedding the greater the chance there is that someone will be positive for the coronavirus even if they don’t have any symptoms. In addition, by having fewer people present you are providing more opportunity for folks to socially distance. (And you can actually have quality time with everyone, a rarity at larger weddings.)

Encourage Mask Wearing: You could even provide masks to your guests in your wedding colors. Face coverings can reduce virus transmission by as much as 90%. We are all used to seeing black tie required, or hats desired. Maybe find some humor with “masks required, pants desired.”

Fresh Air: The most recent studies point to the high likelihood that coronavirus is able to survive up to three hours floating in the air as an aerosol in droplets as small as 5 microns. By having your wedding outside the wind is constantly diluting the viral load with fresh air. If you are having a fall wedding open as many windows as possible in your venue to dilute the virus.

Screen guests for early symptoms: I am pretty sure that none of your guests want to be the person responsible for a mass infection event. I also think that guests will appreciate that if everyone is being screened that they can feel that much more comfortable during the day. One cheap and quick ways to screen guests is to do an infrared temperature check. Here is a link to some good infrared thermometers on Amazon. Another symptom that often appears even sooner than a fever is the loss of a person’s sense of taste and smell. At your screening station you could set up some squeezable condiment bottles with a recognizable smell in each. Have your screener give a bottle a squeeze sending a puff of scent at your guests and see if they can guess what is in the bottle. Having a few different bottles can make this important screening test more of a game. Some scents that would be easy good candidates are coffee, peanut butter, toothpaste, vanilla and or mint extract (placed on a cotton ball so it doesn’t evaporate to fast), Are these tests perfect? No, but they are a great reminder to your guests that we are living in a pandemic and that you are doing your best to ensure everyone’s safety. You can find squeeze bottles here. If a guest has a fever or has lost their sense of smell it might be better to invite them to watch the wedding on Zoom than attend in person.

Providing Personal Travel Size Hand Sanitizers: The new studies I have seen seem to indicate that surface transfer of the virus is less of a concern than previously thought. However, good hand hygiene is always a great idea and is also reminder to guests that going to a wedding is risky and you are doing your best to mitigate that risk. Add a colorful ribbon and it’s a wedding favor. Here is a link.

Give them Room: In every way you can provide guests with space to socially distance. Space chairs during the ceremony, have fewer people at each table, make a bigger dance floor, etc. One tip I found was to have a standing ceremony so guests can stand where they feel comfortable.

Skip the Buffet: Having a plated dinner prevents crowding in the line for the buffet. It also prevents serving utensils from being touched over and over by different people.

It’s Going to be Great!: I know all of this sucks. You should allow yourself space to grieve your wedding plans. But also know that even though it might not be the wedding you hoped for, it is still going to be great because you are going in as two people and coming out as one family and that is super important!

Danielle and Luis Get Married

June 16, 2020

Even a global pandemic could not stop Danielle and Luis from getting married. The guest list was small but the love was not! Here is a sneak peak into their day.

A Wonderful Family Tradition - Copying Album Covers

September 6, 2019

Over the last six years I have been part of an amazing family tradition and it's not even my family! The Robinson clan hire me ever so often to recreate album covers with their kids as band members. I have posted a few of these albums before but today I am going to post all of them in reverse chronological order starting with the one we just did last week.

How to Include a Child in Wedding Photography

July 23, 2018

A photo blog on how to incorporate a child into the photography of your wedding or family photo shoots so they feel included & special moments are captured

Lifestyle Photography: Documentary Family in Shanghai

April 28, 2018

A photo blog showcasing a day in the life of a family with a young child in Shanghai; this documentary lifestyle photography is a full day event for a family.

Family Engagement Shoot

March 12, 2018

Jon, Lauren and Tucker have already been a family for a while. So for their engagement session we decided that it would be fun to do a documentary session of a typical weekend morning just so we could get to know each other before their big day. Tucker took a little while to warm up to me but soon we were all having a great time playing peek-a-boo, reading books and having a tickle. It was such a pleasure to spend time with such a loving family. I can't wait to document their big day.

Family Photographer: Snow Day

January 23, 2018

Minnesota can be beautiful when it behaves. Last night we received a foot of snow. Today school was cancelled the temperature was in the 20's and the sun was out. A perfect day for sledding. Here are my photos from our afternoon on the hill.