Based between Manhattan and Florida and traveling worldwide, Sydney Marie creates timeless, authentic images to be displayed, revisited, and passed down. Sydney Marie prioritises the happy memories and creates unique galleries that authentically show her couples and the people who have helped shape them.
Tell us about your business!
My name is Sydney Marie Slavens! I opened my business at the ripe age of 20 years old - shooting weddings with clients sometimes twice as old as me! I think starting my business so young gave me a different perspective on the wedding industry. I’ve seen the industry shift in the last few years and I’ve loved every second of it. Over the last 7-8 years of working in weddings, I’ve been able to cultivate an incredible community of vendors, couples and photographers - always supporting each other and most importantly, pushing the industry forward. This group of individuals, my husband and my family is the backbone of my business.
As we continue to serve the wedding industry and couples, we hope to bring a welcome atmosphere and a bit of a silly goose time to every event and encounter!
What would you like couples to know about your business?
We will always work with couples who prioritize real and raw moments over re-creation of a trend or something they’ve seen at another wedding.
We are photographers who care about our couples relationship, their family and their priorities. We do not shoot for the sake of our portfolio. We want to document the significance of wedding and what it represents for the couple and their families.
Where are you based?
Manhattan and Florida mostly, however we travel for 90% of our weddings.
Do you travel for weddings?
Absolutely! Our work has organically grown and taken us all over the world, we’re excited to shoot more in Napa Valley, Idaho and South Carolina this year.
How would you describe your style?
I think we create images that represent our couples and their personalities by becoming photographers who shoot through a wedding guests’ lens. I tell every one of our couples that we don’t want to take them out of the moment, we want to blend in and become part of the moment with them.
What is your most memorable career moment?
A memory that will forever stick with me was our semi-move to New York. For years, I have been gradually growing a community and incredible and kind clientele in Manhattan and months before our own wedding, we were able to close on an apartment in the heart of Manhattan. At the moment, I felt that all of the intense work I had done so early in my career had paid off not only professionally but personally. And that is the ultimate achievement!
What inspires you?
Family. My husband and I really value our family time. With every moment we have with them, I want to stop time and remember it forever. I’m so honored that my job is just that for people. We got married in Nov 2022, and after seeing our incredible photos of our family by another amazing partner of The Anti-Bride, Jenna Powers, it just reminded me that documentation is more than just Instagram worthy or Pinterest worthy photos, it’s about the imperfect and intimate images that are created on a day that will forever be a piece of you and your partner’s lifelong story.
What motivates you to do what you do?
I find motivation through new experiences. Most weddings we shoot are at venues we’ve never been to - and just the thought of experiencing my job in a new environment truly excites me and motivates me to be as creative and alert as possible!
How would you describe your working style?
Our working style is definitely a mix of our Type A organization and relaxed personalities. We are fans of over preparing and over communicating prior to the wedding day so that the day itself can match with our relaxed + go with the flow attitudes.
Do you shoot digitally, on film or both?
We are primarily digital photographers but have added film to our portfolio in 2021. We are always adding new formats of film and digital as we grow. Using new gear is always exciting and give our couples an incredible variety of images throughout their wedding weekend.
Do you have custom packages according to individual needs?
Definitely. We started customizing packages in early 2022 and have not looked back. We truly believe that every wedding is unique and we want our work to be focused around our couples’ priorities.
What is a favourite product or service that you offer and why?
We do a lot of timeline preparation for each wedding! We work closely with our couples’ planners to create a timeline that is comfortable and feasible for everything they envision to be photographed. We never want our couples to feel rushed on their wedding day - instead, we want them to be fully present - mentally and emotionally for each moment that happens.
Where would you love to travel to for work?
We’d love to work in Hawaii - venues are truly gorgeous there. We’re also excited to work more in Maine since we have family there. And we will be traveling to Greece next year - we’re very excited to spend that weekend with our couple!
Who is your dream client?
I’ve had the honor of working with our dream clients over and over again. Our goal is that our priorities and personalities align with our couples. We truly don’t have a 'dream client' rather than a dream scenario for our couples: The photography process is seamless and exciting with the final images telling their unique story.
What is your advice to couples getting married?
After writing a wedding planning book and getting married ourselves, my number one advice would be to sit down with your partner early on in your nearly wed season and figure out what is most important about this season in your life. What do you want to cherish? How do you want to feel? Who do you want around you? Setting this foundation early will truly enhance your overall engagement experience.
