Documentary Wedding Photography by Stacey Doyle

Sep 1, 2023

documentary wedding photography showing a bride peaking out of the curtain at her guests just before walking down the aisle.

About a million years ago (okay, 21 years), I began my business journey in photography.
One of my main focuses back then was documenting weddings.

I loved capturing loved ones celebrating being together and sharing in the story of the couple’s love.

I really didn’t ever see myself backing away from that world.
Until I did.

another Boston MA wedding in the Boston Public Gardens. This was a very popular + beautiful location for many to get married.


Here’s what happened.

Around 2010 or so, wedding blogs were huge. Like, mega. They were the go-to spaces to find ideas for your wedding, from decor to dresses to the most popular current day wedding fads.
And, Pinterest was also born that year.

emotional wedding moment when bride reads a note from her groom during the getting ready portion of the day, providence rhode island
chicago illinois wedding, bride waiting for her dad to walk her down the aisle
bride excitedly greeting her guests as she arrives at the church for her wedding ceremony Newport Rhode Island


I had been documenting weddings since 2002 (actually more than that, since I did a number of years working as someone’s unpaid assistant to “earn” my wedding photography stripes).

So, for 8 great years, the world of weddings was dominated by documenting:
capturing the true and real moments of a day.
The emotions. The happy tears.
The feels.

fun wedding photographed in Mexico
emotional father daughter dance during the wedding
emotional moment between friends during the reception at a wedding held in a vineyard
delicate detail of a bride's hand laying on the skirt of her dress waiting for the start. of her wedding ceremony Chicago Illinois


It was all so good.

But then, the blogs + Pinterest came along.
And the move away from documentary photography started.
Sad day.

This crumbling of the desire for documentary style wasn’t the blogs or Pinterest’s fault.

They needed to show case pretty things, things that could potential bring in dollar dollar bills (y’all).
So they shifted the focus from emotional captures to capturing details.
Capturing things.

Things that could be bought, sold, and marketed.
Staged moments.
Cookie cutter.

Don’t get me wrong, I love cookies.

But everyone started using the same damn cookie cutter. and the same damn cookie recipe.
Because that was what got them noticed by the publishers.

Imagine a world with only one type of cookie – no.
Actually don’t.
That’s scary.

cheers with champagne, a detail moment during the speeches at a wedding at a vineyard in CT
excited guests greet the newly married couple right after the ceremony, Bristol RI


Couples started to focus more of their attention on how their weddings looked instead of how their weddings felt.

It felt as though people weren’t paying much attention to who they were as a couple, just whether they might get their wedding showcased on a blog or in a magazine.
They got lost in the “maybe I’ll get published!” bs.
And forgot to tell their own story, their way.

I’m sure that was fun for some.
I mean, it is kinda cool to see yourself published online or in a magazine.
But in the end, everyone’s weddings started to look exactly the same.

Boring, bland, uninspiring.
Formulaic.
No personality. Nothing unique to them, as a couple.
Nothing with real feeling.

fun detail shot of guest's shadows during the reception of a wedding captured in Nantucket MA


And I’m not here to slam anyone for wanting this. Fads come and go all the time.
And at the time, this fad was major.

People started to lose their damn minds.
I cannot even tell you how many meltdowns I saw in person because of the over focus on The Things and the deep NEED to be published.
It was the start of Reality TV era too, so, yea.
My take on that would be a whole other post! haha.

mother of the bride holding the hand of close friends as she watches her daughter marry her love, private estate in New Hampshire
cute detail of the bride walking to the portrait location at Waterplace Park in Providence RI, showing of the Louboutin red of her wedding shoes

I will say this, I photographed my last wedding in 2019.
I wasn’t doing much of them by then because I did stick to my documentary roots and the demand for that was high.

However, pretty much every client I had from 2002 until 2019 totally cared a LOT about their person,
their families, and their friends.
Sure they had details at their weddings (which I did photograph lovingly) and we did take portraits, too!
They loved their outfits and colors and all the extra bits.
But it wasn’t THE main focus.

emotional moment of a bride crying while getting ready for her ceremony. she got teary eyed while the veil was being placed on her head, Chicago Illinois


They loved the documentary approach. They wanted the emotions.
They wanted the true and raw and real version of their unique days.
Thank the Baby J.

Unfortunately, they were far and few between, and I couldn’t sustain a business on that.
So I had to pivot.
I had to step away from wedding photography and set my sights elsewhere.
And with my move from Rhode Island to California in 2019 it was a perfect time to shake up my offerings and the way I approached the photography I offered.

a moment after a Newport RI ceremony on the beach. The bride took a moment after the ceremony and people enjoying the day at the beach look on. Definitely saw a deeper story when I captured this moment.
emotional moment after the ceremony when the bride hugs one of her guests, Chicago Illinois


Nowadays, I photograph headshots and business photography for businesses small and large.
I create work and tell stories of fabulous makers and artists, capturing their food, products, and more.

Would I still photograph a wedding? Sure. I’m actually doing one this year, for a friend.

Boston MA wedding at the Public Gardens - the bride and groom got into their get away horse drawn carriage right after their ceremony, which coincided with a Zombie Walk
Outdoor intimate Newport RI wedding
Emotional moment during the speeches of a wedding in Hilton Head Island, SC

But I’ll only photograph a wedding if 95% of the day is documented.

If you are okay with me capturing your happy moments, the silly bloopers, the raw ugly cries, then cool.
Game on.
If you don’t care about being published (cool if it happens but you won’t meltdown if it doesn’t).
If you want authentic, if you want raw.
If you want REAL, then let’s talk.

If you’re not a friend or a friend of a friend, that’s okay – reach out.
But, please know, I am not low cost. Nor am I even close to mid-range.
If you have a high budget to invest in your wedding photos, awesome.

If not, you can still reach out and I will happily share some amazing people from RI to California, that I would trust to photograph your wedding.

fun laughing moment of love and family during a reception in Cape Cod MA
fun father daughter dance taken during the reception o a wedding held on a yacht in Boston MA
Beautiful atmosphere shot of an intimate outdoor wedding in Newport RI

I don’t need images for my portfolio. I don’t need exposure.
I don’t even need to showcase your wedding on Insta or my own blog (but it’d be cool if I could).
I don’t need practice.

emotional and fun moment before the bride gets ready to walk down the aisle, her ring bearer is running around with a paper airplane, Evansville Indiana
Gorgeous moment of a bride and groom in their wedding golf cart, on Eleuthera & Harbour Island at The Lone Tree
fun dancing moment at a wedding in the Boston MA area
Lovely moment before th bride walks down the aisle at her hometown church in Beaumont Texas
The bride walking down the steps of her childhood home to see her groom for the first time, MA


What I would need is the ability to float through your day and capture things as they naturally unfold.
I want to capture the true story of your day.
You’ll receive my vision of your day.

And while it’ll be my vision, it will always be your story.

touching moment during a wedding ceremony of the bride and groom embracing Pawtucket RI

I’ve been extremely lucky to be invited into so so SO many people’s precious and private days.
I’ve photographed weddings all over the United States and outside of the country.
I’ve worked in well known locations to very private homes.
I’ve documented weddings filled with celebrities and well-knowns.
I’ve photographed a Kennedy wedding on the Kennedy Compound in Cape Cod.

I’ve photographed many people from all walks of life,
people who fell in love and wanted to celebrate that love with the ones they hold closest to their hearts.

And that’s what matters to me and my cameras. The connection. The care. The love.

Engagement moment taken around the Brown University campus in Providence RI
touching moment of the bridesmaids hugging the bride before she is about to walk down the aisle, taken at a private home in the Maine area
bride and groom kissing walking away from their ceremony, newly wed, taken at a private estate in Maine
loving hug given to the bride after her evening ceremony in Providence RI
Happy moment when the groom and his brother joke around with the wedding guests during the reception, Bristol RI


What did all these different people have in common?
Their deep and true love for one another.

fun detail of a guest at a wedding on a yacht in Boston MA cheersi'ng members of the Navy and their families floating by their vessel
mom walks her daughter down the aisle at her wedding in the Providence Public Library PVD RI
a quiet moment between a daughter and her father after their father daughter dance, Evansville Indiana
fun moment of a groom and bride laughing while dancing during their receptions at the Dorrance in Providence RI


I have really been so blessed (and I don’t use that catchy word lightly here) to be able to witness and document such moving moments in people’s lives.
They have these images forever now.
Forever, their loved ones, captured in that moment in time where they were having fun, laughing, dancing, hugging, crying, being.
Together.

a bride and groom embracing on a cold winter day outside of a bright red garage door in Chicago IL
A beautiful moment between a bride and her dad as they head to her wedding ceremony in Providence RI
the moment right after the ceremony at the Art Club in Providence RI as the bride and groom get into their get away car


Some of the people in these images are no longer with us.
I am so happy I was able to be present, to be the one who focused on each and every face during their wedding event.
Because now, even though some of these folks aren’t here, their memory will live on in their hearts.
And in their photos.

I am quite lucky that I was able to do this for the many years I did.
I really am.
And I thank every single couple that trusted me to capture their days.
Thank you. I love you.

moment during a toast for the bride and groom during an intimate wedding ceremony at a private estate in the Cape Cod area


Okay, with that, I did remove my wedding work from my website recently since that is not my focus any longer.
But I am also really proud of the huge body of work I created over these many years.

So I decided to add some of my favorites here:


Is this all of the photos I’ve ever taken or all of the weddings I’ve ever documented? Not even close.
But it does give you an idea of the work I have done.

Thanks for taking a look!

And if you’re getting married, congratulations πŸ™‚

Do me a favor, make your wedding day YOURS.
Do it your way.
Make it about you and your love story.
While this day is for others to celebrate with you,
the point is to CELEBRATE YOU.
So please, do it your way.


ALSO:
Black Lives Matter
LGBTQ Lives Matter
Trans Lives Matter

Everyone deserves to have a wedding day they can look back on with hearts in their eyes and love in their hearts.
Because LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE!!!
πŸ©·β€οΈπŸ§‘πŸ’›πŸ’šπŸ©΅πŸ’™πŸ’œπŸ–€πŸ©ΆπŸ€Ž





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