Words cannot adequately express how grateful we are to have worked with Long on our wedding, not only because the photos were amazing but also because how Long naturally went above and beyond for us in so many ways. From the moment of our first... phone conversation with him, we felt connected immediately. He really understood the vision that we had for our wedding and went above and beyond to help us think through it in more detail. He also offered very welcome feedback on our wedding day timeline - we incorporated all of his suggestions, and the day went seamlessly.
We had a destination wedding and so planning it remotely was tricky. We got rained out by thunderstorms the day of our planned engagement session, and Long went above and beyond to help us try to find an alternate indoor location. Eventually, we made the decision to reschedule during our next visit to North Carolina because we really wanted to venture up the mountains of Asheville, and he reserved multiple days for us in case the weather was bad again. The new session happened the week before our wedding, and it was just what we needed to calm our nerves. We were a bit nervous at first because neither of us are naturals in front of the camera, but Long was so easygoing that we felt relaxed, and the photos turned out beautifully. Another pleasant surprise was how much we connected with Long and how easy it was to talk with him and share fun stories. We got to know each other well during the session and enjoyed the sunset together.
On the wedding day, Long was incredibly professional and calm. He arrived at the venue early and immediately began scoping out locations for our photos. He also gave us just enough direction to understand how to pose without it coming across as unnatural or too formal. All of our friends and family members raved about Long and in particular, he was incredible with my parents. They've never been to a Western-style wedding and Long did an amazing job explaining things to them throughout the day and helping lead my dad through the first look. We never asked him to do this, but he did it anyway because he is such a thoughtful and kind person, and it was because of him that we ended up with so many incredible photos from that first look! He also kept track of our photography schedule so that we could focus on the day. We had an outdoor wedding, and it was unexpectedly hot (88 deg. in late October). There were lots of bugs as a result, and at one point there were crickets all over one of the flower girls' dresses. He was really patient even while she was crying and helped pull them all off without skipping a beat. He also kept checking in with everyone to make sure they weren't feeling overheated.
There are so many more wonderful things that we could say about Long, but perhaps the most significant is that with him you are getting so much more than a vendor. He really does feel like a friend and there is no mistaking that he played a big role in our wedding experience. We're going through our photos now and are in awe of how they turned out. There were so many beautiful moments captured and we'll treasure them forever!! Thank you so much, Long.