A month ago I attended the two-day Walk Through a Wedding workshop that Justin & Mary put on for fellow wedding photographers. I have always admired their work & through their website, their blog & their brand, I felt like I already knew Justin & Mary before ever meeting them. Which makes them branding geniuses & heartfelt wedding photographers in my eyes. Going into the workshop I already knew just how spectacular they both are to their couples & fellow photographers. I knew I was going to learn a lot & be surrounded with people with huge hearts. Needless to say, I had very high expectations going into the workshop because of this. After two days of soaking up all of the information, listening to their great outlooks on photography & life, new perspectives on approaching wedding days, tackling to-do lists, etc. my expectations were exceeded tremendously by Justin & Mary.

I felt like a sponge soaking up all of this & taking it all in. I still wonder if I can find the right words to express my time with them. The night after the workshop ended I was invited to dinner with Justin & Mary & several other friends, where she asked me how I was feeling about the workshop. All I could seem to come up with was that, “My brain is mush, but in a good way!” 😉 My words did not match up at all to what I was feeling & what the workshop meant to me, but those words were still true. I needed time to process everything. I was ecstatic being surrounded by a great group of individuals, enjoying each other’s company, & I’ll admit a bit nervous! Beforehand I knew why I loved to photograph weddings & couples & all of their moments, but attending the workshop my “why” & my love for photography grew deeper.

I know now, with more clarity, just how deeply rooted my life is to my passion that I get to call a career. I have always felt that my love for wedding photography & my life were deeply intertwined roots with one another. Being able to hear someone else express how their love for their business is deeply rooted as well, helped put it into a clearer perspective for me.

I believe that our lives are made up of defined moments that mold us into kind-hearted & passionate beings that were lead to this career. Lead to a career that gives us an opportunity to give a priceless & timeless gift to others. I have new perspectives & new ideas on how to showcase that to my couples & truly make relationships with them. I could sit all day and listen to Justin & Mary teach & chat with me, that I instantaneously signed up for The Event in January & hope that mentoring will be in my future as well. Thank you Justin & Mary for exemplifying that as wedding photographers we do not want to just show up on a wedding day, but that we want to build relationships with our couples & serve them to the best of our ability.

It would not have been a workshop without a stellar stylized session with a real gorgeous married couple & amazing wedding vendors. We didn’t have just one, we had TWO! Here are the photographs from the first day of the workshop!

Wedding Dress: Milk & Honey Bridal

Styling: Antonia Christianson Events

Florals: Isha Foss

Calligraphy: Letterlynn Studio

Cake: My Cake Delights

Makeup: Makeup by Kim Porter

Venue: Woman’s Club of Portsmouth

Photographer: Jessica Ryan Photography

Workshop: Justin & Mary – Walk Through A Wedding