In some ways I like a rehearsal dinner better than a reception. It’s smaller, more intimate, and it’s only the closest friends and family. No distant acquaintances, no wedding crashers. The result is deeper conversation and a much more palpable sense of joy.
Two Families Who Already Knew Each Other
At our first meeting, Amalee and Todd told me their families were close, and that the two of them had practically grown up together, hunting, fishing and working on their trucks.
It’s one thing to hear about family bonds. It’s another to walk into one.
The Lowake Steakhouse
When I pulled up at the Lowake Steakhouse, which I have on good authority is the best steak for miles and which has been open since 1951, I registered that I probably ought to feel out of place. My subcompact car was surrounded entirely by diesel trucks.
Maybe it was how friendly the family was. Maybe they put something in the steak. Either way I was greeted warmly and immediately regaled with stories about Amalee and Todd as children. Three glasses of sweet tea and one ribeye later, I felt like part of the family.
What I Took Away
If there’s one thing I’m grateful to these two for reminding me, it’s that a wedding is not only the joining of two people but of two families. And in this case, two of the nicest families I have ever met.
A Note On The Gear
Filmed on the Sony FS100, the FS700 and a Canon 7D.
And since everyone keeps asking: this is the last wedding film I shot without an a7S II. Every wedding from here on is on that camera.