When my good friend from college invited me to coffee and made me promise not to talk about her upcoming wedding, I happily agreed. Being an obedient friend, I was ready to go down a long list of non-wedding topics. But five minutes in, my friend blurted, “I can’t find a wedding photographer.” “What do you want your photos to look like?” I asked her. With an exasperated tone, she said, “I need to find a photographer that will make all our choices look amazing and also knows what my best angles are without looking pose-y. I want the photos to look like something out of Kinfolk but without the heavy-handed edited feel.” Obviously, our coffee turned into dinner.
If she asked me the same thing right now, I’d tell her what she’s looking for is someone like Sarah Gormley. Based in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. (but shooting weddings up and down the East Coast and beyond), Sarah captures moments with grace and thoughtfulness. The details, the outfits, the table settings, and the venue all serve as the backdrop for the real stars of the day—you and your bestest army of your real-life people. The results are beautiful, emotionally honest, and authentic.
Sarah’s approach to weddings is about being present and mindful, which is probably why her work captures the emotion you’re feeling on your wedding day, and the love between you and your most important people. Here’s what she had to say about how she approaches her work:
Weddings are an opportunity to stop and enjoy some of life’s most beautiful simple pleasures—friends and family, music and food, dance floors and flowers—and indulge in all of these things with the people you love. My wedding photography prioritizes not only a couple in love, but all of the loving relationships that flourish on a wedding day. Couples who choose to get married alongside their family and friends do so because they deeply value those relationships and they want to honor and thank those who have loved and supported them. Celebrating their love and joy means being surrounded by people who mean the world to them. As a wedding photographer, I am honored to invest time and energy into my couples so that I know about their relationships with their family and friends and help hold space for real, emotional moments to unfold and be photographed.
Sarah’s photos make you feel like you can hear the conversations. You’re in on their inside joke. Sarah doesn’t just make you look #iwokeuplikethis cool because you got married in a greenhouse in a cemetery, with a ridiculously cute dress and badass tattoos; she captures all the feelings: the scrunched-up nose whole face smiles, the happy weepiness, the fierce hugs, adorable cats, and passionate kisses. Flipping through that gallery is a roller coaster of wonderful emotion, just as a wedding day can be.
And don’t just take my word for it—Alison and Dave totally adore her:
Choosing Sarah Gormley as our photographer was one of the best decisions we made. What I loved about her work was that none of the weddings or engagements she shoots look the same—everyone looks beautiful and happy, but also like themselves. That’s because Sarah captures the real people and real weddings that she shoots, rather than arranging them to fit a shot list or a script. And to top it all off, she’s just an absolutely lovely person to work with. Sarah was an incredibly calming presence through the flurry of pre-ceremony photos, and at the reception, I almost didn’t notice she was there, until she would materialize out of nowhere to snap a shot. She never posed or interrupted the action; she just captured it. We were beyond thrilled with the results: the photos are warm, intimate, and personal, and they perfectly captured how excited and giddy we were all day. What I love most is that they’re beautiful photos not just of “our wedding,” but of us. Sarah also has an incredible eye for visual storytelling, and she caught some truly amazing, touching candids of our friends and family. We can’t thank her enough.
The good news after the good news? Sarah Gormley is a destination wedding photographer, and she will travel anywhere in America for the all-inclusive flat rate of $3,800 and anywhere in the world for $4,500. That includes up to 10 hours of coverage, an engagement session, and any and all travel expenses. Sarah has photographed couples from the rice fields of Indonesia to the hills of Scotland. (You can see when she’ll be in a town near you right here.) But make sure to reach out to Sarah ASAP, because her 2018 calendar is booking up quick!
Sarah Gormley is booking up quick for 2018, so get on that! CLICK HERE to get in touch.
