This Photographer Will Make You Look Like You Belong in the Movies

bride and groom standing in flames

When you think “Matthew Druin Photography” there are three words that need to immediately spring to mind: LIGHTSABERS AND FIRE. There are three other words that should closely follow: FREE DESTINATION WEDDINGS. Here is a visual representation of how Atlanta-based Matthew Druin is going to make you feel on your wedding day:

epic photo of bride in fieldbride standing against blue and purple wallbride dancing with dog at wedding reception

The written representation of how Matthew Druin will make you feel something like this: like you are in a field with your wings unfurling behind you in the wind, shimmying with your dog because you were wise enough to bring him to the wedding, pressed up against a wall because your wedding photos are going to be that show stopping.

bride and groom standing in street flower girl bored during wedding ceremony

You guys just went and booked him, right? OH WAIT BUT DON’T JUST YET: Matthew Druin is giving away three free destination weddings, and you’re going to want to get in on that.

Matthew Druin and company are so super cool that they are offering a free wedding collection experience (that’s right: it’s an experience) to three couples. You’ll get full wedding day coverage, wedding digital files, and a wedding album that will you make you cry rainbow tears (and you’re only responsible for travel expenses). The requirements? You’re one of three couples who are getting married in 2016 or 2017 in Alaska, Hawaii, outside the US, or somewhere extremely unique.

bride and groom wedding exit with lightsabers

This is how I feel about this situation, and I’m not even getting married:

There is no one else we would have wanted to shoot our wedding. Matt was incredibly talented and professional throughout the entire process. I never had to worry about him, he was always a step ahead of the process, always securing meetings with us to ensure we had everything we wanted for our special day, always the first to arrive, and made it completely stress free for both my husband and me. Matt is incredible with turnaround, like no other professional I’ve worked with. Matt is able to position himself in such a way throughout your event, that he captures the best moments as if he was standing right next to you, yet you had no idea he was there to take that picture! He produces high quality photographs that we still cannot stop looking at, and neither can or family members and friends. He truly captured the best day of our life and we will forever be grateful for his services and work. —Corrina O.

couple at trainyardwedding couple standing together

I had the best experience with Matthew Druin Photography. From beginning through the end of this process, Matthew was so flexible, which was the thing that stood out the most. The second biggest thing is the quality of the work that we received. My guests, my husband, and I were truly overly impressed with everything. If given the opportunity I will definitely choose him again. He was very accommodating, professional, and fun, and he captured the true essence of our wedding and engagement. —Aubrey B.

bride and groom walking in field bride and groom in industrial yard bride walking to ceremony site

Matthew Druin is based in Atlanta and travels anywhere in the lower forty-eight with no travel fees (really). His packages being at $2399, and include six hours of wedding day coverage, a private viewing gallery, on-location engagement photos (and delivery of high-res images), a twenty page wedding album, a free personalized bridal registry, discount off the team’s Booth Riot! photo booths, and again, no travel fees anywhere in the continental US.

Things only get sweeter from there: additional options include a second photographer, individual high quality prints, custom albums, custom guest books, custom gallery mounted prints and canvases, fusion and standard slideshows, and photo booth rental.

bride and groom silhouetted against red background bride and groom photo from above
Matthew Druin Photography specializes in all awesome people and relationships, and as it turns out, so does APW. If you’re ready for the Matthew Druin experience, he’s ready for you.

Learn more about the team behind the lenses, check out their wedding galleries, and get in touch to find out how you can snag one of those FREE weddings!

How to Elope (And Not Tell a Soul)

wedding band with skeleton inside it

Q: I was recently offered a job overseas. It’s an incredible opportunity where I would get to live in a country I love and have all of my expenses paid for. To put it mildly, I’d be absolutely stupid to turn it down.

The problem is that in order for my partner to come along for the adventure, we’d have to get married—not in a year, not in a few months, but in a matter of weeks. Now, the whole “marrying this dude” thing isn’t an issue; we’ve lived together for several years, own three pets together, and have known marriage was something that would potentially happen down the road. The problem is the now-accelerated timeline. What we expected to do in the next three to four years now has to happen as quickly as possible. I’m slightly bummed, since I don’t have the extra cash to get a nice dress, get my makeup done or hire a photographer for a courthouse ceremony—but not bummed about missing the whole “traditional” wedding. We fully anticipate having a “normal” wedding in the next year or two, once we can save up the funds. We just don’t want to be apart for the next three years, so this is our only option.

We aren’t sure how to broach this news with our parents. I can’t speak for my partner’s parents, but my family is very traditional, and I know my mom is not a fan of courthouse weddings, non-traditional weddings, or anything of the sort. She constantly compares my “life timeline” with that of her friend’s children (all getting married and planning huge affairs taking place this year), and she is known to belittle both me and my sister when we share news or accomplishments that don’t align with her beliefs or expectations. This won’t go over well, and I know she’ll have a million opinions about how a wedding should/shouldn’t be done. Mostly, I know she will tear down the “later wedding” idea and accuse us of trying to have a “cash grab” when we already did the thing that people “care” about (the marrying part). I’m stressing just thinking about the guilt trip she’ll give me for the rest of my life.

How can my partner and I make this easy on both sides? Should we just do it and break the news later? How do we treat telling extended family, who will likely be hurt by being excluded?

—Anonymous

A: Family, man. As someone who has been there (our wedding date of choice was immediately shot down by a family member who claimed she couldn’t attend with such short notice—six months before the date in question), let me say this: I understand where you’re coming from.

Of course, all the understanding in the world doesn’t do you much good, especially when you’ve got a veritable time bomb ticking above your heads. When it really comes down to it, I’m pretty sure this is exactly why secret elopements started in the first place. And truly? It can be as easy as the two of you getting a little dressed up, heading over the courthouse for fifteen minutes (or making an appointment, depending on where you live), and doing the deed before heading out to a nice dinner and a few celebratory drinks. You can always plan to have the wedding you/your mom have been imagining, and no one has to be the wiser—unless one of you spills the beans.

There is one loophole, if your parents are savvy to it: if anyone knows that your partner can’t come with, you’ll need to have a story up your sleeve about a magical visa situation that saved the day. There’s a tiny bit of deception involved, but it sounds like that’s a small price to pay to avoid the colossal heap of head- and heartache coming your way otherwise.

When it comes to planning to elope and stay secretly married, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • If you tell one person, assume you’re telling everyone: The whole point of secretly eloping is that you do it secretly, meaning you really shouldn’t tell anyone else. Not your sister, not your best friend, no one. If one person knows, then it’s safe to assume at some point, someone else will know (loose lips sink ships and all of that). Think of it as a super fun, kind of hot secret for just the two of you. Your secret marriage is a take it to the grave secret.
  • If you do tell people, downplay, downplay, downplay: If you don’t think it’s realistic that neither of you will make it without telling anyone at all, make sure you make eloping sound like the most basic, banal decision you could have made—a totally pragmatic choice so the two of you could be together. Make sure whoever you do tell understands that the courthouse elopement is an extremely separate thing, with no family or friends present. By all means, have fun with it—just don’t include anyone else unless you want to include them all.
  • figure out if your parents are before or after people: In other words, if you really can’t deal with the idea of letting down your parents, decide if they would react better to being told before or after the elopement in question. If you think your mom, despite anything else she might bring to the table, will feel really betrayed by your decision… then maybe consider looping her in. If your family will support your marriage whether or not they find out about it before it happens, then don’t say a word.
Some people truly can’t imagine not getting married in front of their nearest and dearest, so a secret elopement could never work. To those people, I say this: absolutely nothing legal happens at most wedding ceremonies. Unless you’re signing the paperwork in those fifteen minutes, what your friends and family witness is the totally non-legal professing of love that you guys want to do. That’s a beautiful thing, but it doesn’t mean that you’d be legally getting married in front of everyone if you waited and didn’t secretly elope now. So really, what’s the difference if it’s done way before the fact? The ceremony can seal the deal, complete with your families in the front row.
And real talk. Your mom isn’t going to be happy no matter what. So, do you.
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