i wasn’t supposed to photograph this wedding, and i’m so glad i was able to.

back in august of last year, a friend of mine (and incredible photographer), ansley, shot me a text asking if i was busy on the weekend of october 18th. she had been asked by her friends sarah and matt to photograph their wedding in upstate new york, but found out she wouldn’t be able to because of school (booooo). because of this, she asked if i would be interested in grabbing the torch and photographing sarah and matt’s wedding instead.

of course, i said i was interested. shortly after, ansley, sarah, matt, and i all sat down together for a consultation meeting so we could meet in person, talk through their wedding plans, and see if we were all a good fit.

we hit it off immediately.

i loved their story — two theater kids who met on set, who love musicals, who love things like dnd, and who love spending time together over really good food. they’ve experienced so much together in their relationship, and you could tell how much those moments helped shape the love they share now. they were so excited to talk about their story and their vision for the day, and i loved every second of hearing it.

once we started talking about what they envisioned for their wedding, it honestly sounded like a dream. they planned a small backyard micro wedding at a stunning airbnb outside of albany, new york, right in the middle of october. the weather was beautiful, the leaves were deep shades of orange and yellow, and the entire setting felt like fall at its absolute best.

but the thing that stood out to me the most was something else entirely.

sarah and matt didn’t want their wedding to be just about them. they saw the day as a merging of their friend groups — a celebration not just of their love, but of the people who had been part of their lives and their relationship along the way.

sarah and matt love their people. like, really really really love them. hearing them talk about their friends and how important those relationships were to them immediately pulled me in. i was such a huge fan of how they spoke about the people closest to them.

fast forward to october.

i arrived at the first location for the weekend as a complete stranger to almost everyone there, aside from sarah and matt. but from the moment i arrived, everyone welcomed me with a warmth that made it feel like i had been part of the group all along.

that night there was a bonfire, a cookout (i still think about those burgers matt made), and a maypole ceremony. the entire group dynamic was magnetic. there was so much warmth and excitement in the air, and it had me genuinely excited to photograph the wedding the next day (more than i already was)

and when the wedding day arrived, it was just… perfect.

truly.

it was one of the most beautiful days i’ve ever had the honor of being a part of. the way their friends showed up for them — and for each other — was incredible. there was laughter, happy tears, and one of the most insane dance parties i’ve seen at a reception.

every ounce of love that everyone there had for sarah and matt, and for each other, was on full display. you could feel it just as much as you could see it.

i know this post is a little long-winded, and if you’ve read this far, thank you (i promise i’m almost done).

something i always try to do when photographing weddings is get to know the couples i work with as much as possible. with sarah and matt, i didn’t have a lot of time before the wedding day itself — but they, along with their incredible group of friends, made me feel like we had known each other for years.

i can confidently say that sarah and matt and i are now friends because of the weekend i spent in their world capturing the biggest day of their lives.

sometimes it can feel really strange walking into a wedding day as a stranger. in many ways you’re a fly on the wall, quietly observing and documenting moments. but the way sarah and matt supported me, encouraged me, and the way their friends welcomed me into their circle is something i will always carry with me.

the way they made a photographer from athens, georgia feel like part of the group meant more than i can really put into words.

it’s something i’ll continue to lean on during the days when photography feels difficult — a reminder that this work really does matter.

sarah and matt are proof that, in some way, i must be doing something right with photograph- even when it sometimes feels like i’m not doing anything right at all.

sarah and matt, thank you for allowing a stranger into your world.

and to your entire group of friends — thank you for treating someone from athens, georgia like one of your own.

it will always mean the world to me that i was able to capture your wedding in albany, new york, and to meet such an incredible group of people.