Elizabeth and Tanmay's St. Luke's Episcopal Wedding

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.

Ada and Greg's Holy Trinity Parish Episcopal Wedding

Ada and Greg’s simple and elegant wedding took place at Holy Trinity Parish Episcopal Church in Decatur, Georgia. The Rev. Greg Tallant officiated and relatives and friends came out in force to celebrate and show their support for the couple.

The service included prayers, hymns and a homily about how the love in a marriage gives us a tiny glimpse into the depth of God’s love for all.

The wedding ceremony was followed by a reception with shrimp cocktail, black pea hummus and tiny tacos, among other foods, in the church’s fellowship hall. The couple cut a cake, which they refrained from smashing into each other’s face.

Relatives, including the two flower girls, decorated Greg’s car while the couple greeted guests in the fellowship hall. The couple exited the church to a flurry of bubbles.

Wedding Photographer in Atlanta , serving Decatur and all of Dekalb County.

A Faith-Centered Wedding at Holy Trinity Episcopal in Decatur

Mary Martha and Nathan’s lives center around their faith and so it was no surprise that they would plan a faith-focused wedding, as well.

According to Mary Martha, “Although we also looked forward to the reception, the ceremony was the most important part of our wedding day.”

Their service followed that traditional Episcopal celebration and blessing of marriage, complete with communion. Mary Martha said that it was important the they celebrate the sacrament with friends and family.

While the ceremony was Episcopal at its core, it incorporated aspects of Nathan’s Quaker tradition. And friends and family played different roles from reader, to acolyte, to organist and choir member

Here are a few favorites from before the ceremony, while Mary Martha and Nathan were getting ready. And a few more from their ceremony, taken inconspicuously from the sides and the back of the sanctuary.

Wedding Planner, Smooth As Butter

Church, Holy Trinity Episcopal

Venue, The Georgia Freight Depot

Atlanta wedding photographer