Documentary Style Wedding Photography in Action | Real Love Stories
If you’ve read our first post about what documentary style wedding photography is and why we love it so much, you already know this: we believe your love story is enough. Your joy is enough. The way you naturally move through your day, fully present, surrounded by your favorite people, is more beautiful than anything we could ever manufacture. Our role is simply to see it, honor it, and document it as it unfolds.
We want to go a step further from telling you what it is and now show you what it really looks like.
These are some of our favorite moments we’ve captured over the years, ones that couldn’t have been staged or planned. They’re not just about the couple (though we love our lovebirds!), they’re about the people they love, the emotion in the room, the little things that give context and texture to the story.
These are the kinds of moments you get when you trust your photographers, embrace the present, and let the day unfold exactly as it’s meant to!
One of our favorite running threads through a wedding day came from Nick gifting his brother a Game of Thrones sword as his best man gift. It was funny and sweet in the moment, but what made it so memorable was how the sword kept reappearing throughout the day. During the reception, we caught his brother showing it off proudly (as one should)! And later, even though he wasn’t holding it during his toast, the emotional weight of that gift felt even more significant having seen the love between them when the sword was shared. It wasn’t just a gift, it became part of the day. A perfect example of documentary photography building layers of meaning.
After the ceremony and before the reception, Frances stole away with a few close friends to freshen up. It wasn’t a “photo op,” but the energy in that room was so rich with joy! We quietly captured the moment and ended up with some of our favorite images from the day. These weren’t planned, they were simply real. Frances being surrounded by her people, all of them in it together. That, to us, is magic!
Also, the quick, quiet moment when Luke popped in during the getting ready time earlier that day? So intimate and full of love!
After the crowd had thinned out, Mehrgol and Jasper shared a final, private dance. This moment was so incredibly powerful and the beauty and emotion in this last dance is something that couldn't have been set up or forced. It just… happened. We got to preserve that deeply emotional moment for them. These are the kinds of photos you don’t even realize you’ll treasure until you see them later and feel it all wash over you again.
One of our favorite frames from Emily & Corbin’s wedding wasn’t even about them. It was the maid of honor’s fiancé, calmly making coffee for the whole crew that morning. It was simple and generous and completely human. These kinds of moments matter just as much as the big ones!
Children at weddings are often some of our favorite subjects. They live so fully in the moment, and they’re never pretending to be anyone other than who they are. At Lillian & Justin’s wedding, we caught a little boy in glasses gently playing with his grandma’s hair during the ceremony. Later, a group of kids ran wild and free through the open fields, laughing, chasing, exploring. These moments breathe life into a gallery! They remind us what weddings really are: a celebration of love, across generations.
We love our dance floor photos! They’re wild and funny and intimate and joyful. There’s just something about people fully letting go that feels so honest. You’ll see it in the way someone sings along with abandon or the way an auntie kicks off her heels and starts spinning. Some of our most treasured galleries have dance floor moments that are nothing short of iconic. That’s the magic of documentary style wedding photography: nothing is too small to matter, and no one is left out of the story!
Ultimately, Documentary Style Photography Is About Seeing
What we’ve come to realize over the years is this: we’re not just photographing weddings. We’re witnessing and observing. We’re honoring what’s already there, not staging a perfect scene. We see the beauty in the things you might miss. And together, we give it back to you in a form you can keep forever!
So if you’re looking for wedding photography that tells the truth of your day, the quiet, the hilarious, the heartfelt, the unscripted, reach out! We’d love to be a part of it!