Many wedding planners seem to rely on their couples’ wedding photographers to receive photos for their portfolio. While it’s not a strange thing to do, there’s a risk things don’t turn out the way you hoped.

For different reasons, I might not be able to send you photos of your work: there wasn’t time to take photos of the styling; as a wedding photographer, I work for the couple, and they might not want you to have/use their wedding photos; and a wedding is not the moment to create new branding portraits for you.

Except when you book me as your brand photographer while you are working a wedding. Like Margreet did. She wanted to document this autumn wedding for her portfolio. So she asked if I wanted to spend an evening with her at the venue.

On a cold and wet afternoon, I rode my bike to Oudaen, a castle in the city centre of Utrecht, to photograph Margreet at work — and to lend a hand in making the paper crane garlands, a personal touch she added based on the stories the couple shared with her during the preparations for their wedding.