Why I Prefer Small Intimate Weddings
Two months ago, I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding that reminded me why I fell in love with wedding photography in the first place. It wasn't held at a luxury venue. There wasn't an elaborate timeline or a guest list stretching into the hundreds. It was on a small farm in the country for a close friend of mine, with only ten guests present.
And somehow, it felt bigger than many of the large weddings I've photographed.
As photographers, we spend a lot of time talking about light, composition, lenses, and locations. Yes, those things matter; I love beautiful light just as much as anyone else. I also appreciate good fashion, thoughtful design, and all the little details that make a wedding visually stunning. But lately I've found myself asking a different question: When did weddings become productions?
Somewhere along the way, it feels like the wedding industry began convincing couples that their day needed to be bigger, louder, longer, and more elaborate. Ten-hour photo sessions. Endless content creation. Timelines built around social media instead of memories.
Sometimes it feels like the wedding itself becomes secondary.
For me, photography has always been about preserving moments, not manufacturing them. That's why this small wedding stayed with me.
Nothing about it felt like it was trying to impress anyone. Every choice had purpose. Even the dinner was catered from Olive Garden. Not because it fit a certain aesthetic, but because that's where the bride and groom had their first date.
No one apologized for it, no one tried to make it seem more luxurious than it was. It was simply part of their story. Those are the details I love photographing.
As a wedding photographer, I've never wanted to be the center of attention. I don't want couples to spend their day looking at me more than they look at each other. My favorite place is somewhere in the background, quietly observing…watching parents wipe away tears they hope no one notices. Friends laughing over stories they've told for years. Hands finding each other without anyone asking them to. Those moments can't be posed; they can only be witnessed.
I think that's what draws me to intimate weddings. There's room to breathe, for conversations, for silence, for people to actually experience one of the biggest days of their lives instead of performing it.
