Wind & Willow Studios share Elisha and Emily’s love filled amazingly fun and glamorous Berkeley Fieldhouse Wedding.

What struck you as a great wedding decision that Elisha and Emily made for their day and how did you best share this in their album?

Elisha & Emily really prioritized the right things on their day – their love for each other, their unique love story, and the people closest to them. Having had to postpone their wedding once already due to the pandemic, I think it really brought into focus for them what was most important. Emily & Eisha wanted their guests to have an amazing time, so they made sure to schedule time to spend with them, had amazing food like an oyster bar, a sweet DJ, and a drag performance to start the party off right! We made sure to capture lots of candids of them enjoying their time with their important people, and having the most amazing time!

Having previously shot at Berkeley Fieldhouse, how were you best prepared to leverage the best qualities of the venue in your album?

The first wedding that we shot at Berkeley Fieldhouse had a very limited timeline for photos. Having more time with Elisha & Emily allowed us to play around with some other backdrops while having a good idea of where the light was best, which spots worked for larger group family photos, where we could take the couple for a more private intimate moment, and the like. Berkeley Fieldhouse has so many different nooks and crannies that provide great photo backdrops, so it was definitely exciting to be able to utilize more of this beautiful venue.

What are some of the best aspects of a smaller intimate wedding from the perspective of capturing it in photos?

Intimate weddings definitely have a different feel to them! They somehow feel less rushed, and less hectic, and we think this translates to our couples feeling less stressed. It allows us to get photos of them interacting with their guests in more dynamic ways, since they aren’t spending the whole evening going around to thank everyone.

Being able to get photos of everyone on the dance floor having a great time makes for much more interesting photos than a receiving line.

What traditions and customs did Elisha and Emily incorporate into their wedding day ? 

Elisha & Emily had such amazing traditions that they wanted to incorporate into their day. To celebrate Elisha’s Jewish heritage, they celebrated the end of their ceremony with the traditional breaking of the glass. They also started the party with a drag show, followed by the hora, where both brides were lifted into the air on chairs while their family and friends danced in a circle around them. Emily’s family has an amazing tradition where they all gather around and sing a family song, so they followed the hora up with this special moment!

It was very evident throughout their whole wedding how important family is to them, so capturing both their reactions and the involvement and joy of their families was key during these traditional moments! It’s such a powerful thing to have these customs shared between generations, and having photos to reflect back on these memories is key!

Collectively you have professional degrees in photography and also photo preservation. What did these formal trainings bring to your business and what were some of the best revelations you have made in the process of crating your beautiful collections for couples.

We really believe that you can never stop learning! Getting photography degrees is not only what brought us together, but what taught us the technical skills needed to be professional photographers. Tori went back to get her masters degree in photo preservation, which has given her a new insight into the importance of memory and the interconnectivity between family and remembrance. It has also led to a greater understanding of the importance of printing your photographs!

What is the balance between having a distinct photography style and creating a unique variation of it for each wedding ?

We like to balance documentary style photography with prompts to encourage movement and emotion. We think it is so important to document the wedding in front of us! This means allowing the day to unfold in its own unique way, but since we keep our editing style consistent all of our galleries have our trademark Wind & Willow style on them.

You so adeptly and beautifully captured the movement of the wedding .

Thank you – that is so kind of you to say! We really love capturing movement in our photos, and these two gave us plenty of great moments for that!

What three words would you use to describe this wedding and how did you best prepare to capture these qualities?

Intimate, fun, and unique! We knew ahead of time that this was a long-awaited wedding, and that Emily & Elisha wanted it to be a party! We discussed and customized their coverage so that we didn’t waste time on photos they didn’t care about (like getting ready) but had lots of time to capture the drag performance, the hora, and the general festivities later on in the evening. We also knew that these two were incorporating special and meaningful traditions into their day, which we knew we had to capture for them.

We were able to steal the happy couple away from the reception for a few brief minutes to get some extra portraits at golden hour – something we suggest for all of our couples, not only because the lighting is gorgeous at this time of night but because it allows them to have a little time to reflect on the day just the two of them. We think intimate moments like this are really important to schedule into your wedding day because you end up being so busy and the day really truly goes by so quickly!

 

“I’m just interested in what makes a photograph.” Mary Ellen Mark. How does this quote resonate with you ?

We feel this quote touches on the fact that a photograph is the freezing of a moment in time. There exist moments before and after that one, so why was that moment the one that was chosen? What went into the creation of that photo, and what is the story behind it? Seeing a photograph of a wedding, for example, makes you want to know more about those pictured in it – who are they, what are their stories? We really seek to create storytelling moments that give you a bit of what happened that day, with those people, even if it can only be a small part of the story.

 

VENDORS

Photography:  Wind And Willow Studios

Videographer: Crawford Media Co

Brides’ Dresses: Papilio Boutique

Florals: Thyme Studio

Venue ; Berkeley Fieldhouse

Hair and MUA: Corrieelle Artistry  @corrieelleartistry

DJ: Grump Loves You @grumplovesyou

Drag performer: Miss Moço  @missmoco