Bridal Portraits of Leslie Willis

Photographer: Nicollette Mollet
Bride: Leslie (Perrier) Willis
HMUA: Kate Yancey

The Story of Leslie & Jaxon Willis 12/30/12

“It’s raining a little outside,” was definitely a statement I remember hearing as I was adjusting my camera settings.

“It is?!” Leslie looked back to see Amy, the wedding coordinator, peeking through the door of the Bride’s dressing room. Usually, it’s not always a good thing to hear when it’s raining on an important event, but this was different. Rain on your wedding day symbolizes good luck in the sense that it is bringing water to a dry place, for example, like watering a plant–causing a flower to bloom.

Back in August, Leslie and I sat next to each other during a Fever Dreamer show. I hadn’t even met Jaxon yet, but I recall constantly hearing about about how “awesome” he was. ( Blog post from that day with photos of Leslie and the show )

“Have you met Jaxon yet?” she said. This was the first time I had ever heard Leslie talk about him. I could tell she was already head over heels for him. Leslie has  definitely always been one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen, and Jaxon happened to be the lucky one who swept her off the market.

“It had been a month since I had seen him because he had been off in Atlanta for work,” says Leslie, describing the significance of the purple chair at White Rhino Coffee House in Cedar Hill, Texas. “It was sometime late April that I saw him over my laptop from the couch and he was sitting across from me in that chair. I awkwardly told him I loved him because that was the first thing that came to mind. It was only natural that I profess my love for him right then and there. I mean, he came back from Atlanta looking like a Greek God. That’s when he started laughing it off, so I attempted to save that moment by saying he was tan… and I liked his tan skin. I started working on my government paper after that because I was mortified. Six months of repressed emotions and I felt like I blew it in one phrase… but it worked!” For those of you who do not know Leslie… she has a great sense of humor, lol. I asked her if they had a “special song,” and she replied, “‘I Just Do,’ by Dear And The Headlights. It’s almost identical to the beginning of our relationship.”

“In the coffee shop, you sipped your drink

and we all sat and talked.

My mind had wondered off

alone to find a thought

as beauty poured out when you talked.

You stand still in my sight,

a switch got hit somewhere back in my mind.

Just then I realized there what I had to do,

’cause I couldn’t stand to look at you

across another crowded room”

and know that you would not be mine.”

I feel so fortunate to have gotten the chance to be in charge of Leslie and Jaxon’s memories. I also feel honored to know that years from now, my photos will be the ones they will always look back to.

“I’m going to cry,” said Lisa sniffling as she held her daughters’ hands.

“Liz On Top Of The World” was the song Leslie walked to down the isle. My face was hidden behind my camera, but I looked like a sad, sad sour patch kid and couldn’t help by cry. :.)

“Now, ladies and gentlemen… Leslie & Jaxon have something to show you.”

“Midnight City,” was a song that Leslie and Jaxon booty danced to on their wedding night (I got some great photos from that).

However, it turns out that this song has a story too: “On our way down to get our engagement pictures done,  Jaxon was trying to cheer me up because the curl in my hair fell… So he made up some ridiculous dance moves to that song, and it stuck with me.”

Jenna & Garret Fitzgerald; 09/24/11

Garret & Jenna

On Saturday, September 24th, 2011

I photographed Mr. and Mrs. Garret Fitzgerald’s wedding.

Definitely more to come about that beautiful day, but as for now, here is a preview:

Keep checking back for the rest of the story!

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So Nine Months Later

To follow up on Christina and Lee…

Please play video for music.

Nine months later, Mr. Christian Dale was born :)

The couple were sweet enough to come back to me, and I felt honored to photograph their little angel!

Now they are living happily ever after!

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There’s Always A First

Please play the video above while viewing over the wedding photos of Christina and Lee.

My first real wedding job was early September of 2010 over Christina and Lee’s wedding, two very lovely people, especially Christina, the bride. Their love story was sweet too, and the way they interacted with each other was adorable. I was taken aback by how understanding and laid back Christina was–definitely not your typical bridezilla.

I arrive early and people are decorating tables, arranging flowers, and the sun is on the brink of setting–it’s all very country yet elegant. Everyone there was friendly and smiled back every time. As the ceremony begins to approach, I am sweating more than I had anticipated. As the bride comes out of the dressing room (which led straight to the aisle), my heart begins to race because all of a sudden it hits me–This is one of the most important days of their lives, and I was absolutely responsible for capturing these moments–properly exposed, of course. As I had mentioned before, the bride was very understanding and open to helping young artists (as she had told me), but I was NOT about to let them down. As the bride walks down the aisle, Cody (my boyfriend actually) is playing the guitar with the song Over the Rainbow (along with their other family member). The sun was setting so beautifully, everyone’s face glancing over at the bride whilst the groom watched her walk with his eyes sparkling–you know, all of that romantic cheesy stuff that everyone loves to hear–and I began to panic because the sun was slowly descending into the earth, leaving me with less light to perform. I was somewhat panicking, trying to use the tripod and the flash. Sadly, some of the pictures turned out blurry but there were a few that worked.

Be that as it may, I was so uneducated when it came to weddings (for one thing) and especially with pricing. I had prior knowledge that wedding photographers charged a lot for weddings, but I never really understood why, in fact, I thought ‘how hard could this be?’

Now, here’s where I rant. Unfortunately, this wedding was my guinea pig and all I had on me was a measly Canon T2i and the standard 18-55mm lens that came with it. I was so ignorant as to what was ahead of me! Weddings can be scary! Anything can go wrong, and I mean anything and when “anything” happens, it’s the most terrifying feeling in the world. Not only is LIGHT stressful with weddings, it’s so candid. You have to find the right smile, the right tear, the right laugh, and perfect moment to catch, and they can happen within less than a second. It’s like swatting flies, except… well, much more graceful and discreet.

Like I said, LIGHT is stressful. You’re sweating physically and mentally. I put forth all of my hard work and effort because my entire body and soul is engaged while trying to capture these moments. After a wedding I am, again, physically and mentally exhausted but in the end it is so worth it. These are moments caught on camera for this couple to remember for the rest of their lives, and you were able to provide that for them.

So when people underestimate the price of professional wedding photographers, think about it. They are using expensive equipment that they had to buy for themselves (or rent), putting forth all physical, emotional, and mental hard work and effort alongside with many other things such as worrying if you have enough battery, enough memory, whether all flashes have enough battery and whether you need to change them, having to check the LCD screen to see if you are under or over exposed while those special moments are passing, running to one side of the venue and running to the next to catch another quick moment, making sure you’re also an entertainer by smiling and making conversations and keeping people comfortable while you take their snapshot. I mean, there are so many things that all add up to that price, it is well worth it.

Brides and Grooms to be, spending money on a wedding photographer is the best investment you’ll ever make. It’s money that may be gone for now, but you eventually gain it back and what’s important is that you have those memories exactly as you remember that night. A $50 camera with an on-camera flash at Walmart can maybe capture the moment just as well as a professional using professional equipment but the quality, the light, the ambience, the mood, and the talent behind that picture really can make you remember that moment so much better.

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