Whenever people learn that we work together & we’re married they always ask: How do you do it? Most of the time, working together is a blast! It means spending more time together, gives us something to work on as a team, and brings us joy. On the other hand, sometimes it’s really tough. Our lives aren’t perfect, and sometimes we fight (shocking, right?). We’re two very different people with different ideas, styles, and methods. At the beginning of 2016 there was a lot of friction between us when it came to the business. It led us to have some tough but necessary conversations. After looking inward and trying to find where the problems were, we came up with solutions that catapulted our business & helped our marriage!
The Problem
Through all of this, the best thing we discovered was we both excel in different areas on a wedding day. Alec is phenomenal at candidly documenting a day from the ceremony to the reception. He see things in a documentary sort-of way. I am the polar opposite. I am much better at the smaller details & making sure that everything and everyone looks their very best. What we didn’t realize was that we were trying to be the best at it all. We both wanted to take the lead throughout the entire wedding day & it was hectic. Both of us would get stressed when we weren’t getting our way. It was making working together difficult in so many ways.
The Solution
In March, we made the decision that something had to change. It was then that we began to separate the day into our strengths. This means that Alec started taking charge of the family formals, ceremony, and reception. Katie now leads on the details, bridal portraits, bridal party, and couple’s portraits. Once we shifted to this method, we saw a dramatic change in how smoothly our weddings went. All of a sudden the power struggle stopped, and in its place we began encouraging the other to take over! We began producing better images, enjoying ourselves more, and began serving our couples better than ever before!
The decision to allow ourselves to work within our strengths, and encourage the other in theirs has been such a blessing! We’ve found more joy in working together and even allowed this same idea to help us in our post production. Alec culls the images, and Katie edits them. Now we have found ourselves editing three times as fast. Three times, y’all! It’s crazy.
So, if you are out there working with your spouse, family member, or even your fiance as you’re wedding planning, we highly recommend taking time to assess each others strengths and weaknesses. Then, figure out where you could be allowing yourself to let go & let them step in and visa-versa! We hope that it blesses you & your business as much as it has ours.
Blessings,
Katie & Alec
