When I talked to Lara Swanson from Lara Swanson Photography about how she got to the place of becoming an independent wedding photographer in Washington DC, she explained to me that, "I used to work for studios and the reason I stopped was that I never got to know the couple — I went in blind, took photos I thought might be meaningful, and never really made a connection."

Lara went on explain that, "Now I'm picky with my clients — I don't take on couples who are going through the motions, taking steps they think they have to take. I take on much fewer clients than I could so that I can devote more time and care to learning about each couple and their wedding."

This care is evident in both the wedding photos that Lara takes, as well as the articles she writes on her blog. Past posts include explorations of inclusive language in client documentation, as well as a series called Wedding Conscious, Socially Conscious.

But all this would be moot if the nontraditional wedding photography from Lara Swanson Photography wasn't beautiful. But oh, it is beautiful. Here are a few of my favorite shots …

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Last weekend I have the honor of getting to attend the inaugural meeting of the Offbeat Bride DC Wedding Co-op. For those of you who have read the book, you probably remember the wedding co-op idea — Susan Beal's brilliant concept for sharing information and resources with other brides. A reader in Washington DC named Jamie (a lovely type-A after my own heart) decided that she was taking the idea and running with it, so she recruited some brides and set up a live journal community to compare notes, share resources, and commiserate with other DC-area brides.

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