I've wanted to blog for awhile now about "One on One" time and how wonderful it is. And after I finished editing Rachel & Andrew Rome's wedding images, I knew there was no better time than now.
Rachel and Andrew were married at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, AL on April 17th, 2010. The wedding party first got ready at The Portier House and after the ceremony the reception took place at The Courtyard Manor on Dauphin St.
When Rachel and Andrew booked us to photograph their wedding back in May 2009, they were both certain they wanted to go the more traditional route and not see each other until the ceremony began. And we supported that 100%! After all, the day really is about the bride and groom and it being exactly how they want it.
Rachel called me this year, several months before the wedding and asked me some more questions about "One on One" time. Though she had been certain about waiting, she and Andrew both were starting to worry a bit about their nerves on the big day :) After going into more detail about the benefits of the "One on One" time and showing her images from another "One on One" time, Rachel & Andrew decided it was the best decision for them as well.
So, what is "One on One" time all about and what are the benefits......
"One on One" is when the bride and groom have a completely private time, (with the exception of their two very quiet and non-obtrusive photographers), an hour or more before the ceremony. We position the groom in a setting (maybe at the altar of the church, or several feet away from the front door of the church or home where the wedding is taking place...) and then the bride makes her entrance for her groom to see her for the first time and to spend some very special moments together.
(Below all of the following images, I'll go into detail about all of the benefits of the "One on One" time....)
This was just a small selection of the many images we captured during Rachel & Andrew's "One on One" time.
Of all the benefits of choosing to see each other before the wedding, the biggest one is the emotion that can be captured in the images during this time! When a bride and groom wait and see each other at the beginning of the ceremony, they unfortunately don't have a single moment to talk or embrace, it's showtime! But with "One on One" time, the bride and groom can take all the time they want, and an abundance of love and joy can be seen and felt, and fortunately captured permanently in their wedding images.
For most, that's reason enough to choose to have "One on One" time. But some of the other factors that make the decision even easier include:
-getting out any pre-wedding nervousness (helps most couples anyway :) Lol!)
-more private and intimate
-being able to take all posed group pictures before the wedding, in a much more laid back & relaxed way
-being able to leave directly from the ceremony to the reception
-not having the stress of just wanting to get through pictures after the ceremony so you can hurry up and get to your reception because everyone is waiting
-not having to worry about whether or not to let your guests go ahead and eat or wait on you to arrive after the pictures
-eliminates the expensive of the cocktail hour if that was a consideration
-actually seeing the setup, decorations, food, etc. at the reception before everyone else and before anything gets messed up
-being able to enjoy the reception from beginning to end with your guests
-potentially having more pictures with you and your spouse on your wedding day
For some brides, they really want that image of the groom's face when he sees her walking down the aisle for the first time. With "One on One" time, not only can we photograph your groom's face when he is seeing you for the first time when it is intimate and personal- just the two of you...but we also photograph his face when he is seeing you for the first time in front of all of your guests as you are walking towards him...and as you can see, Andrew was still moved to see Rachel appear at the other end of the aisle......
As much as we see the benefits for our clients to choose to have a "One on One" time, we still want it to be about what they want and what is important to them for that day. Hopefully this write up and these images help any bride and groom who are planning their wedding know if doing something like this might be right for them. We would be happy to share more images and advice if you are getting married and want to get an even better idea of all of the ways "One on One" time can help make your wedding day less stressful and potentially more enjoyable- for each other, for your bridal party, family, guests, and other vendors.
Congratulations Rachel & Andrew!! We loved being a part of this last year as you planned and prepared for your wedding day. From the engagement and bridal sessions, the wedding day, and your viewing in the studio this morning to see all of your images! Can't wait to put together an album for you :)
Bill & Jaclyn Robinson
