Round two of our Best of the Best series finds our couples (mostly our brides) getting ready on their big day! For an explanation of Best of the Best, click here.

Aaron’s picks:

In general, looking over the getting ready images for this year was really fun for me because it’s a chance to highlight Heather’s work. It’s not that I don’t shoot this part, it’s that the girls get to do so much more of it … and Heather enjoys it a lot more than I do. You’ll mostly see my work in the other categories, but this category is definitely her show! 

This is one of my favorite shots of the entire year. I loved it from the moment it came up on screen. Just about perfect in my opinion. 

I love this shot for pure fun factor. We worked Kenzie so hard before the ceremony, she was around for all of the creative time. By the time the ceremony came around she as ready to sleep … even after she got on stage.

Not a lot of words here – just gorgeous!

I love images that tell a story all by themselves. For me this shows the wonderful, nervous jitters before seeing the person you’re about to marry for the first time on your wedding day.

I’ll be honest. I can almost always articulate what I love about an image. This is not one of those times. It’s just one of those random, candid moments … and I love it.

Heather’s picks:

Aaron and I actually overlappped in the getting ready category and this is extremely rare as you’ll see. I think it’s because there were a few images that really floated to the top of the pile. They are gorgeous examples of what it feels like to prepare for the biggest day in your life. I think I’m drawn to the getting ready part of the day because it’s not just about putting on makeup or a dress – it’s about friends and family coming together to help a bride. It’s tender, it’s filled with trust and it’s usually a lot of fun!

The fate of this picture was sealed a few months ago at Aaron’s Professional Photographers Assocation meeting. He grabbed a bunch of images to review as possible entries in an upcoming print competition. When this flashed on the screen, a handful of photographers gasped. What more can I say.

Prior to the PPA gasp, this would have been my favorite image. It’s one we both love (and another that we see each day in our studio). Samantha was a dream to photograph. She is strikingly gorgeous and honestly I could have picked a few favorites from her getting ready shots alone.  

I LOVE Annie’s eyes in this picture! It’s that simple for me. Just stunning!

Next up – Ceremony!

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