Welcome to the first blog post on my new website! I wanted this first post to be special, something important that was actually worth sharing. I decided to write about how the shutdown of weddings during 2020 and into 2021 has affected everyone, especially those who were planning their wedding. So many couples lost their deposits, their venues and their dream wedding. And no one knew when they would be able to once again be able to plan their nuptials so everything came to a screaming halt.  It seems at some point in 2020 though, folks just didn't want to wait anymore for the government to allow gatherings and the home weddings became a very popular thing.
I had already noticed before Covid that there was a trend going on. It started a while ago with the rustic weddings and then progressed into backyard weddings. An average cost for renting a venue is about $5,000 so couples could spend half of that to fix up their garden and have a beautiful ceremony and reception. But then Covid hit and this trend gave a whole new meaning to a home wedding, one that the government could not detect nor stop.
So by Fall time, I was getting phone calls to photograph these "bootleg" weddings at homes and you know what, the weddings I was honored to capture were fabulous. They were small and most had live streaming of the ceremony for outside friends and family to watch. It wasn't about being fancy or spending lots of money. It was truly a family affair and all these little touches made them so special. And you can see by this featured wedding, it was a beautiful day!