DESTINATION WEDDING WOODLANDS DENVER COLORADO MELISSA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEC + CASSIE

I clicked with Alec + Cassie from the get-go. We bonded over being outdoorsy, our mutual love for sports, and our absolute obsession with good coffee. But beyond our shared interests, I instantly understood their vision for their wedding day.

They wanted to show their loved ones back in the Midwest exactly why they had fallen in love with living out here in Colorado. They wanted a full weekend celebration surrounded by everyone they love, soaking in the incredible specialness of having grandparents make the trip out, and doing things entirely their way. Think wood-fired pizza, a gelato popsicle truck, and dancing until the very last seat on the shuttle was finally taken. Oh and free coffee tokens to be sure you started your day out in the best way. Done! I'm in!

The Big Question: "Have you shot here before?"

As a wedding photographer, this is one of the most common questions we get asked. And don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of value that comes from the experience of knowing a venue inside and out. We know exactly where to go if the weather suddenly turns left on us. We know where to hide when Aunt Sally arrives a solid two hours early. We know precisely where the sun will be sitting at 2:00 PM, and just how fast it gets pitch black in the winter by 5:00 PM. But what matters even more than a specific venue layout? Two things: Experience & connection between the couple and the photographer. After photographing weddings for over 21 years (whaaaaattttt!), I can honestly testify that I’ve seen it all. The phenomenal, the questionable, and yes, even the downright illegal. (: I've done photos in the dark with no electricity. I've done them under the green sky of a tornado with sirens blaring. (Outside!) I've done them where the Secret Service were guests and a friend of Rhianna. The what is happening right now? Doesn't rattle me. I've seen it all and it's to capture it in an authentic to the couple way that isn't sitting on the fact that I've photographed at your venue enough times that I could help myself to a fork in the kitchen for dinner.

But all that experience doesn't matter in the light of connection. You can have the most beautiful venue, the most experienced with your venue team, and if you don't resonate with it or them, it makes all the difference in your experience. Which means you'll look back at your photos and memories with a less than version of the magical day it ought to be. As your wedding photographer, I will quite literally be with you more on your wedding day than any other person! Even whom you're marrying!

It took maybe five minutes of a convo with Alec & Cassie to realize on my end that they're my people. I only take a select amount of weddings per year so I can be all in for my couples so for me, I really focus on do we click more than have I photographed there before. How many hours is it? Ha! Or in the case....What state is it in? I'd fly back to Colorado any day for you Alec & Cassie. You two are amazing! As is Denver. The city you hosted us Midwesterners so well!