Lara Leimbach Photography (and a confession)

I have a big confession to make. I am a bit of a stalker! I adore wedding photos. One of the best parts of being an event coordinator is getting to see how the pictures turned out! It's terribly interesting to see how the pictures compare to the real event. There are surprises; the things that happened while I was setting up chairs or holding the door open for the cake delivery. The picture below of Justin (the groom) and his brother (the best man) is a perfect example. What are they doing?

There are the moments that weren't captured at all; there are no pictures of the pouring rain that plagued this wedding. No shots of photographer Lara Leimbach and her assistant Dawn running from overhang to overhang, soaked to the bone and clad in orange plastic ponchos. Looking at the pictures, you'd never guess that the majority of the shots were taking during our first big summer rain storm.

There are pictures like the one above that make you forget all about the months of effort and expense and work. Pictures that highlight how beautiful a wedding can be - that moment before the flowers wilt, or spaghetti sauce gets spattered on the dress. The pictures that show how it all came together on The Day, and how all your planning really did pay off in a big way.


Ooooh! And this picture from the toasts. The candid shot when nobody was even aware of the camera being there. It captures that moment in time when these two people were so crazy in love, that they didn't even mind gushing about it in front of 120 people!

Yes, I am a stalker. From the second a photographer walks into the building I'm chatting them up to get their card, and to find out if they are interested in sharing their photos. If I somehow miss out on that opportunity, I usually end up googling the photographer, or frantically emailing the newly weds to make sure I get included in the email with the link to the online gallery. Sometimes, impatience gets the better of me and I check the photographer's blog and client gallery to make sure I haven't missed anything. That is why I so appreciate photographers like Lara who are willing to share their pictures, and send out sneak previews!

I know all of you who read this blog are kind of . . . sort of . . . stalkers too. So many of you bring in pictures printed from these posts and asking "how can I create this look," or "which florist made this?" I see some of you haunting doorways during 4:00 ceremonies to see what your wedding in 6 months or a year will be like. Yes, I saw you! But it's okay. I get it. There is a certain amount of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering required to pull off the perfect wedding...and nobody has asked for a restraining order. Yet.