Hangovers are not new in my world. I kept it classy most of my high school years with a St. Ides special brew in my hand, and an inevitable trip to the ladies’ room to then remove this special brew from my stomach by way of my esophagus. Classy is obviously a term I use lightly here. College wasn’t much better except that my drink of choice changed from the malt liquor variety to that of vodka. Smirnoff raspberry twist vodka, to be exact. That vodka may have made me a tad bit sloppy charming… but it also landed me a ‘what a man what a man, what a mighty good man’… so don’t hate.
Anyway, Hangover and I know each other well. Hangover is not my friend. He’s actually kind of an asshole… but seeing as how he only visits when I have chosen to invite him… I can’t really hate him all that much, now can I?
Now that I’m older… a mother… and an upstanding citizen (obvious sarcasm), Hangover and I only meet up a few times a year. But his much more manageable cousin has started to visit often.
His cousin Wedding Hangover is more gentle with me. She causes me to feel physically and mentally drained, but somehow she manages to place a haze of bliss over the soreness, blisters, and exhaustion. Wedding Hangover doesn’t involve a throbbing headache. Instead she uses her powers for good, and she gives me a reason to smile. She visits the day after a wedding, and usually doesn’t stay as long as Hangover. Which, let’s face it, is basically a 3 day minimum at this point in my life.
Shooting weddings is incredible, but it is a very long day of being on your feet, in heels, schlepping gear and barking commands at large groups of people who are usually in the process of inviting Hangover to come to their house the next day for a playdate. But luckily, even though the process of shooting a wedding is exhausting, I get so much from it in return.
I usually get to spend the day with some of my best friends due to the fact that Vegas has a pretty amazing group of wonderful vendors, and most of the time I get fed a pretty delicious dinner. Most importantly though, I get to witness my couples enjoying the very first day of their marriage. And that is some kind of amazing.
When I get home, I’m exhausted, yet excited. Drained, yet wired. Weary, yet invigorated. Which is good, because my night is not yet done.
I used to post a few photos from the day straight to Facebook when I got home because I wanted all of the couple’s friends and family who couldn’t make the wedding to see a beautiful photograph of the couple that wasn’t an iPhone shot with a filter slapped on it and posted to Instagram. I wanted them to see a photograph of the newlyweds before the sweaty dancing started and the fancy shoes were kicked off.
Now that I have spoiled my couples… this is something that they know I will do… and I usually have them asking for the peeks before I ever even leave the reception. Their excitement is contagious. And I want nothing more than to excite them even further by being able to see a quick peek at the beautiful images they will have as heirlooms for their children. I have spoiled them, and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Here is an image from last night’s wedding that I posted after the wedding… while the wedding party was still tearing up the Las Vegas strip (about 1am).
Insane florals done by none other than the super talent that is Catherine at Layers of Lovely, and the hair and makeup was flawlessly executed (as always) by Your Beauty Call.
