November 7, 2018

Kress Building Wedding / Birmingham, AL / Tina and Stuart

I’ve known Tina for about five years; we met in my previous life as a teacher. I liked her immediately, but after working with her, I liked her even more. We have a few things in common-she’s vegan (I’m the less dedicated version-vegetarian); we were both art majors in college; and she stepped in just as I was preparing to leave teaching so I helped her transition into my position. After teaching for 15 years, I felt a sense of obligation and ownership. Even though I knew photography was calling me to dedicate myself fully, it was a little difficult to leave. Knowing Tina would be there, made it a lot easier.

Although I haven’t known Stuart as long as Tina, he is equally likable and easy to get along with. And it was obvious upon being around them together how much they love each other and that their wedding day would be a hoot! They wanted something different, and I long for “different,” so we were an awesome match! They forwent some of the traditions of a typical wedding day. There were few preparation and detail photos, and they felt the bouquet and garter toss unnecessary. I thought it was great to break tradition and re-write the script! They also wanted to be documented more than posed, which meant I got to take loads of candid photographs. It almost felt as if they were reading my bio to me as they described their wedding photography style.

As you can tell from the photos so far, Tina and Stuart are fun! Tina laughs all day long and they’re downright silly together. They “get each other”. Stuart obviously adores everything about her and she, him.

They were interested right from the start in finding a venue in the city of Birmingham. I believe the word “industrial” was used a couple of times in early discussions. Kress Building was a perfect location for them. They loved all the metal and glass; and they were crazy about the rooftop and view of the city, especially the colorful mural and Alabama Theater. Even their wedding party was extraordinary; it consisted of groomsmen, bridesmaids, and bridesmen. Because they loved their venue, they wanted to make sure to have a photo of the building itself so we photographed several times in front of the main doors. I love the gold accents! I had to include several of the photos from when Tina gave Stuart a gift he’ll never forget. He’s a big fan of John Lytle Wilson’s art (a Birmingham artist), so it made perfect sense that she give him one of his pieces framed. He was noticeably surprised and so expressive! DJ Prez even had Stuart dancing; if you only knew what a feat this was! I think he had a good time! It was an incredible day that was made even better knowing that these two are the real deal! I couldn’t be happier for them and that they chose BANG Images to photograph their wedding. It was a true honor!