Filming at Hotel Carmichael has been on our bucket list since we entered the wedding industry a few years back. What we didn't expect was for everything to align the way it did — the sweetest couple, the most beautiful spring day, and the greatest media dream team to capture it with. We already knew the day was going to be fabulous when we saw it was booked with McKenah of M. Childress Photo and her second shooter Sonia, and then when we found out Jenny with SHE Designs was the one planning it, we figured it couldn't get any better. But it did! After we met Bridget and Keegan — wow. The love they share, the passion, the silliness, the way they push each other to chase their dreams — it was special. It was truly an honor to capture such an important day in their lives. This was the first wedding of our 2026 season, and it set the bar SO high.
Okay, okay — to the details of the day! Bridget and her girl gang were tucked into the bridal suite on the fourth floor, sipping champagne in their PJs and laughing their way through hair and makeup. Two floors above, Leonard was with Keegan and the guys, deep into a game of Magic: The Gathering — can't have wedding nerves when you're locked into a match.
While dropping off vow books and rings, we caught a piece of magic we couldn't have planned if we tried. Leonard was setting up a drone shot of Keegan stepping onto the sixth-floor balcony when we spotted McKenah on the fourth-floor balcony directly below the guys. All the ideas came at once! I headed back to the girls to coordinate Bridget, Leonard went outside with the drone, and Sonia stayed with the guys to help coordinate Keegan. After a chaotic three-way call and BOOM — we got the most incredible shot. We were all fired up, and it was only the beginning of the day. This is why it's so important to let your timeline have room to breathe — that's where the creative moments live. It also helps to have a really supportive photo/video team, so everyone gets what they need and the shots that remind us why we do what we do.
Bridget's dress was unlike anything I had ever seen before — a gorgeous lace top with a basque waist, a bow in the back, and a veil that glittered when it caught the sun. Timeless, classic, elegant. Their balcony first look was full of butterflies, and Keegan's reaction to seeing his bride did not disappoint. And first looks aren't only for the girls — Keegan revealed his custom tux was lined in a deep red, his favorite color, a small memento to himself we absolutely loved. They exchanged their private vows right there — just for them — before slipping away with us, McKenah, and Sonia for portraits along Hotel Carmichael's vintage staircases. Our only wish was that we had more time. They were so natural, and so down for whatever crazy ideas we had.
As guests began filling the ceremony seats, a special song played. Bridget's grandfather had once written, recorded, and sung a song himself, and Bridget wanted it at her wedding. It was a love note from her family's past pressed into the present — a thread of Irish heritage woven straight through the moment they became husband and wife. It was so special, we asked the DJ to send it our way so we could weave it into their film.
As for the unity candle — well, the spring wind had other plans. It kept blowing the candle out, and we caught the sweetest moment between both of their moms, laughing and helping each other keep the flame lit.
Cocktail hour pulled everyone inside Hotel Carmichael's warm, glowing rooms. Signature cocktails were passed around, the room loosening into laughter. The reception that followed was full of love — speeches from families and friends that hit every note, a surprise slideshow, and a song Bridget's dad had written that the two of them didn't see coming. Then came the moment they'd been quietly working toward for months: a choreographed first dance. They absolutely crushed it. Bridget surprised her mom by dedicating her bouquet to her, and the moment they shared had us all touched. There was the levity, too, of a guest splitting his pants on the dance floor — the kind of perfectly-imperfect detail that makes a wedding feel like the people in it. And as the sun dipped, Leonard slipped outside with the drone one more time and we caught some dreamy shots of Bridget and Keegan dancing in Carmichael Square.
You know it's been the absolute best day when it sadly flies by, when you wish you had two more hours, when you find yourself laughing alongside the planner and the photographers — that's when you know you're with the right couple and the right team. Bridget and Keegan, thank you for letting us into the most love-soaked day of your year, and for trusting us to hold all of it. We adore you both, and wish you so much love and happiness.
Xoxo,