There is a flurry of activity during the wedding preparation. So its good to stop and take a moment to remember why you’re getting married. A lot of the time, a bride and groom will schedule a ‘first look’ which is a private moment when they see each other for the first time that day before the ceremony.

But sometimes the bride and groom will want to have that amazing moment when they see each other for the first time down the aisle. I love these weddings! You can get an incredible reaction from the groom - from happy laughter to tears of joy.

In this case, I’ve found that a pre-ceremony gift or personalized letter really brings a unique intimate touch before getting to the church. Sam and Steve opted to do this. We collaborated prior to the ceremony to get the letter reading recorded on audio and read by the correct person. This way, Samantha read her own words in her voice and Steve did the same.

I’m so happy that Sam and Steve chose to work with me before their day to create such a unique moment in their wedding highlight.

You can also have the bride and groom read the letters aloud . I tend to avoid this option since the bride will be reading the groom’s letter and the voice over won’t be in the correct voice. You can still make this work! It really depends on the couple.

Finally, if the bride and groom may want to keep their letters private. In which case, you can just grab a moment or two of them silently reading it on film. This can also have a wonderfully personal effect on the overall video.

March is the month for weddings! My 2019 wedding schedule started on March 9th and didn’t let up till April. My first wedding was with Kelsey and Tommy! Kelsey and Tommy were such a lovely couple who were there to have a fantastic day! You can see the fun they’re having with their wedding party and with each other by the way Kelsey and her bridesmaids jump on beds, and with Tommy’s joyful laughter caught in the ceremony audio.

Kelsey and Tommy’s ceremony was held at The Conservatory in St. Charles, Missouri. Venues like The Conservatory are great because they have that outdoor wedding feel but still have a roof over your head in case the rain wants to show up unannounced to your big day. During Kelsey and Tommy’s day, it was fortunate that they chose this venue since it was raining off and on all morning.

Another similar ‘outdoor wedding venue’ in St. Louis is the Jewel Box in Forest Park. The combination of glass and greenery makes the venue seem almost tropical! I’ve shot weddings at both locations and they’re ideal for those brides who want an outdoor wedding— even if Missouri weather doesn’t cooperate.

We got some amazing photos and video taken in downtown St. Charles before ending the day at the Lake St. Louis Ballroom. The venue overlooked a beautiful lake that, again, brought a nice touch of the outdoors to Kelsey and Tommy’s wedding!

Big thank you to Kelsey and Tommy for allowing my team to come and capture such a beautiful wedding! Here’s some kind words from Kelsey:

“Holly was so great to work with! From the initial phone call to discussing details the week before she made sure she had everything covered. She got the video back to me in great time, and it is perfect! If you are considering video service at all definitely do it and let Holly help!!” - Kelsey

There tends to be less weddings in the January and February months. But Jeanie and Alejandro's January vintage inspired weddings was truly beautiful! The couple planned a small and intimate wedding at the Jewel Box in Forest Park. So while it may have been winter outside the wedding was surrounded by lovely blooms and deep greens.

Having some sort of wedding exit is another rare event at modern weddings. I was thrilled to catch this sparkler moment! To watch this moment press play on the video to the left!

Jeanie's wedding had small vintage style touches here and there that gave an old-fashioned and romantic feel to the entire day. The bride let me know that a particular 1940's classic crooner song was the inspiration for their love story. I wanted to incorporate that into their final video love story. Thank you to Jeanie and Alejandro for allowing me to be a small part of their day! For full highlight video click below.