The first time I met Jennifer in person I was over an hour late. I felt so horrible and thank God that she forgave me because I was determined to make it up to her.

In just a few weeks they are getting married at the Cathedral of Christ the King here in Atlanta. Getting together for engagement photos does wonders for the wedding images when the day comes. By that time, I’m hanging out with friends, not clients.

My friend Chris Torres from 6 of Four Creations came and hung out and took pictures with me. Thanks for that, buddy.

Now for a quick story… shortly after we got to the park, a passerby (who just happened to have a cooler of beer on wheels) took pity on Rob and his predicament and dropped off some supplies for the journey. The man said he knew that cuddling in the park with his girlfriend while some guy took pictures was DEFINITELY not Rob’s idea. In the end, the beer helped and Rob did a great job — of course, having a beautiful fiance like Jennifer made it pretty easy.

I’ll be seeing you both soon!

Ben

It was only a matter of time. This Sunday the New York Times ran a half-page full-color article (”Is This Any Way to Treat Vera Wang?“) about a trend that is finally becoming mainstream enough that most brides have at least heard of it: Trashing the Dress.

They even have a slideshow with some images from some of the best known photographers in our industry.

So what is Trashing the Dress?

Over at trashthedress.com they get that question all the time, and here’s their answer:

Go ahead, you know you want to. Trash it. Get it dirty. Get it wet. Roll around in the mud. Drench it in the ocean. Totally trash it.

Why? … Why not? You’ve made a commitment to your husband. He’s your one and only true love, right? Then you’ll never need the dress again. And no, your daughter won’t wear it in 20-30 years. So you have two choices:

1. Suffocate it in plastic and throw it in a closet
2. Show your husband how committed you are by trashing the dress, and get some great fun pictures while you do it!

There is also a great post from the bride’s prospective that pretty much sums up what most brides are thinking who want to do this. Some brides buy a second cheap dress to trash in place of their $8,000 Vera Wang dress. Some say the actual wedding dress is the only way to go. Keep in mind that frolicking around in the ocean or jumping in the pool doesn’t usually trash your dress, but rolling around in a gutter probably will.

Whatever the case, in the end, it’s all about the images.

So for just a few moments, imagine…

Ben

You’ve got to like a guy named Ben. I mean, look at this mug.

And then there’s Natalie. Can you believe that she used to be a co-worker with the Legionaries of Christ? For those who don’t know, that’s about 2 steps shy of the nunnery.

We had a great time at Piedmont Park and later at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. Natalie is originally from Atlanta and was here visiting friends and family. I’ll be covering their wedding in Charlotte, NC in September.

They were so easy to take pictures of I could’ve taken shots all day. Natalie was definitely working the [100% real] eye lashes. Ben confirmed that this is the look that ultimately led to his demise…

I often will share images with my wife as a cull and edit them and her reaction was “awwhhhh” which I’m guessing is the reaction of most women to this image…

Ben Vigil, Charlotte, NC Engagement & Wedding Photographer

I wanted to give a BIG HUGE CONGRATULATIONS and a little blog love to Matt Adcock and Sol Tamargo who got married this past weekend.

Well, kinda.

It’s all legal now in the states but they are doing the big wedding bash down in Mexico later this year. Matt and Sol are both amazing award winning photographers who have become good friends. Matt has been one of the biggest influences on my development as a photographer (whether he knows it or not) — it was very refreshing to meet a photographer with his passion and who was eager to share information with the dork that kept bugging him with silly questions.

I know Sol is going get him all cleaned up and respectable.

Congratulations!

Ben