After 11 years as a professional photographer, Kelli Carrico has captured many precious moments between newlyweds, but there are many couples who are throwing out the rulebook and opting for more daring wedding pictures instead.
Carrico, from southern West Virginia, has noticed a huge uptick in couples steering away from the orthodox wedding pictures, telling Newsweek that "couples absolutely became more adventurous" with the style of photography they demand.
Carrico loves capturing such beautiful moments for couples to cherish forever, but it certainly isn't always plain sailing. Some couples would go to great lengths to get their ideal wedding picture, and most recently in June 2023, the mom of four was responsible for getting the shot of the bride and groom in the exact moment a plane took off behind them.
She said: "In my career I've been asked to hike down paths we never knew where they ended, photograph weddings during lightning storms, and stood at the edge of cliffs, which were all far more dangerous or dumb than this event actually was.
"I knew my followers would appreciate the uniqueness of this clip and felt confident many would actually think it was dumb, and that's ok. I was also aware many would ask why I didn't just photoshop it, and that's ok too.
"Truth is, the way we actually did it wasn't dumb at all. It was totally and completely safe, but to the naked eye, standing under a plane right after take-off would be a bit dumb."
What made this shot of Amanda and Kevin on their special day even more incredible was that Carrico only had around three minutes to work out how they would shoot the memorable photos before the plane took off.
"The obstacle was mostly the short amount of time we had to make this happen. We only had a few minutes, and this was a one take impromptu shoot. I had to get it right the first time, no do overs, and no time to be overly creative," she said.
There's little doubt that the photography is vital for anyone planning their wedding, as it provides lasting memories for everyone involved. According to data collected by wedding website The Knot, 83 percent of couples planning a wedding said that photos and videos are the most important element.
The figures also reveal that 88 percent of couples hired a photographer, which is the third highest vendor hired for the big day—behind only a wedding dress vendor, and a venue. Couples don't want to skimp out of the photography costs either, as the average price is around $2,600 per wedding now. That's higher than the average price for the dress, the DJ, or the cost of a florist.
Since Carrico shared the clip of the couple's unique wedding shoot on her TikTok account (@kellicarrico30) it has generated an abundance of attention online. Carrico joked on TikTok that it was "potentially the dumbest thing" she's done as a photographer, but it's amassed more than 4.9 million views, and over 165,000 likes so far.
Carrico told Newsweek: "The response has been overwhelmingly positive and fun with most people thinking this was a great, unique experience for the couple. The attention has been exciting as well and all the likes, comments, and shares have been so appreciated.
"I will also say, some people wished we would have done something a little more wild or different, and loved to point out this could have been done with AI technology instead of standing under the plane. But over the years, I've learned that when people aren't in the moment, they often don't see everything that goes into creating an experience for a couple rather than just an image.
"Of course, we would have loved to do multiple poses and angles and have them running with the plane but that simply wasn't possible. The most challenging shoots rarely have anything to do with death defying stunts but typically look more like surprise blizzards, a derecho, a missing groomsmen, or a melting wedding cake."
Social media users can't get enough of Carrico's photography, which she continues to document on her TikTok account. But as the demands become increasingly bold, even she is beginning to question how far she is willing to go.
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