I love a church wedding!

Especially one in a church as beautiful as St. Luke’s Episcopal.

I love a church wedding, even if the church has rules about photographing during the ceremony. At St. Luke’s, photographers are only allowed to photograph from the balcony at the back of the sanctuary. The balcony at St. Luke’s is a long, long way from the altar.

As a photographer I have to shoot with a camera that has a silent shutter and lens that is telephoto. It’s challenging to find a way to capture the emotion of the day from the balcony perspective.

It’s a challenge I happily take on. The limitation pushes me to do something different. It shakes me from the usual routine of a wedding.

When I shoot a wedding at a church, one of the first things I do is introduce myself to the officiant and any person at the church helping to ensure the sacredness of the ceremony. At St. Luke’s that included the rector, the vicar, and two women of the wedding guild.

Sometimes when I speak with the people who assist in making sure the wedding runs smoothly and according to the church guidelines, they tell me about photographers who get angry about the restrictions placed on them or photographers who flaunt the rules.

This make me sad.

The ceremony is one part of the wedding day. For many, it’s the most important part. But there are other things to photograph on a wedding day.

Here are a few favorites from Tanmay and Elizabeth’s wedding day.