Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?

I’m in the Florida Keys right now writing from my hotel room as I prep for the start of shooting tomorrow. It was a fun plane ride with a little turbulence and the woman next to me was watching me edit the images and said “now, I like THOSE kinds of pictures!” which was a very meaningful compliment to me as a photographer because they aren’t the kind of pictures wedding photography is associated with in the minds of most people. The stars you see on the covers of magazines had hours and hours of makeup and then hours and hours of layout and photoshop work to make them look that way. When I shoot wonderful couples like Cat & Zach I want them to see their images and feel like a star. It sounds hokey but any one of my couples could be on the cover of a magazine and I want to help them see that through my images. Anyway, I tend to ramble…

I’m here for the weekend in Islamorada shooting a wedding (I’ll post some images after the weekend) but last week back in Atlanta at the Country Club of the South I met Cat & Zach for their engagement session. Cat booked me sight unseen so it was great to meet them before the wedding and get them comfortable in front of the camera. They’re getting married next weekend in Atlanta and I’m totally looking forward to it. Check out their images… we started in the clubhouse while I got my bearing straight.

This one is for Zach…

So I have a question — I couldn’t decide which if these two images to post so I put both up and I want to hear from you. Which one of these two do you like better?

I always love it when the wind is cooperative…

See you soon!

Ben

P.S. The woman on the plane also said (and her friend agreed) that you two looked very much in love!

Date: April 21, 2007
Location: Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Hair & Makeup: Muse Salon & Spa

**CLICK HERE** to see the slideshow!

One of the fun things about hanging out with Erin & Nathan’s family and friends all day was watching her mom work. She planned this entire wedding as a work of love — she’s been in event planning for years. If you’ve ever read Tipping Point (great book) by Malcolm Gladwell, she is what he calls a “Connector”. What that basically means is that everywhere she goes, she has friends. She connects people. She’s a social magnet. So it was fun to see that in action. The guy in the background is Daniel, the supercool owner of Muse Salon & Spa who treated everybody like royalty.

As you’d expect, Erin and Nathan were great! Here’s a few images but you need to watch the slideshow to get the whole effect. This was taken in the foyer at Erin’s parents and has to be my favorite wedding dress picture so far!

Erin and Nathan saw each other before the wedding and I grabbed this shot of Nathan in thought as he was waiting for his bride…

Speaking of his bride…

When the wedding party was announced they didn’t have the usual entrances. Nope. They liked to have fun and they all had a great time as you can see!

And this isn’t your usual bouquet toss. You might notice that there are two guys in the back. And no, I don’t know why. You might also notice that one of the bridesmaids is running AWAY from the bouquet!

And I’ll end with this one. Congratulations Erin and Nathan!

Thanks to Huy Cat and Christina for coming out and delivering extra special this time! You guys rock!

Ben Vigil

Erin and Nathan were referred to me by my [then] secret fan over at The Knot, Ali Mize. Ali must have sent me 5 referrals before I even knew who she was. Brides would call and say Ali referred them thinking Ali and I were best buddies and I’d be like, “Ali who?” So I finally gave her a call and insisted on meeting her for coffee, which we did. She was also at a wedding I shot a few weeks ago and she’s a blast.

As with all things, you never know the ripple effects that just one person can have in your life. People like Marilyn (who introduced me to my stunning wife) or Skotti or Susan or…

Ali.

See, Erin and Ali are friends. Erin’s mom then referred a Mother of a Bride in her neighborhood to me, who also happened to hear my name from a second Mother of a Bride in the same neighborhood, whose daughter is getting married next month, and whose engagements I will be shooting on Monday. So when the first Mother of a Bride called about her daughters 2008 wedding she had heard of me from two unrelated people in her circle of friends, which honestly, is a good position to be in as a photographer. Vicki is her beautiful daughter and I’ll be shooting her wedding next April.

So thanks again Ali!

Speaking of amazing… back to Erin & Nathan. I had a great time shooting with them at the beautiful Atlanta Botanical Garden in Atlanta. I had decided to forego some of the obligatory flora and concentrate on them since they’re getting married there in a couple weeks and we’ll have plenty of opportunity for that. Plus, the scenery will look even better in a few weeks. As you can see, Nathan settled into the lack of structure quite well…

I think this is my favorite shot of the day. I love the chocolate-y tones and serene moment.

See you guys in a couple weeks!

Ben