Hey, hey, hey — it’s the Alders!

Scroll down to learn more about each of our specialties.

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Bella’s specialty

Let’s just say I do things a little… differently.

If you’re here on our site, I know you’re hunting around for the best photographer to match your style, wants, and needs. It’s hard to know who to pick, hard to know who is saying the right words, and what does aperture even mean?

So I won’t lie to you, or sugar coat it. I want us both fist bumping the air so happy we found each other. I want us screaming praises from the rooftops. I want to be serving you and only you on your wedding day not trying to triple book myself to earn more money.

To me, it is not about the money. I want to work with you and only you, representing your actual true, raw, weird, wild, majestic, magical, and beautiful selves. I want the kind of relationship where at 9pm you’re texting me asking who I recommend for hair and make-up in Joshua Tree.

When it comes to photos (and friendship), I’m your girl.

Bella’s history

As cheesy as it sounds, I have had a camera in my hands my whole life. I received a film camera from my dad one Christmas when I was four years old, and I documented everything. The older I got photography kinda fell on the back burner as I became busy with life and college.

The week after Brachen and I got married, my Dad fell terminally ill with colon cancer, and was given two weeks to live. After my Dad died, I felt so hopeless. The days all felt so blurry and hard. Christmas rolled around, and my new sweet husband stood by our tree and handed me individually wrapped SD card, after battery, after lens cap, finally building up to my first ever DSLR camera. And that is when it all changed. I would go to a shoot and be filled with happiness and the love that those couples had. I couldn’t recreate the emotions I felt or the deep belly laughs, and I began to crave it.

I started taking on more and more shoots until I felt confident in my abilities and decided to make it into a business. I haven’t looked back since. Now my little company has grown and it is now both mine and my husband’s full time jobs. How cool is that?

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brachen’s specialty

Every year on our anniversary Bella and I sit down and watch our wedding video. We have changed so much since then, and so much has changed around us. There have been hard times and glorious times. And when the footage starts to roll and we see those young crazy kids frozen in time stars in their eyes, it all comes rushing back, and it hits me, just how grateful I am we found each other.

If you didn’t know I am Deaf. And hang on Karens, before you write me off, let me tell you why having a Deaf videographer will be the greatest decision you make.

Anytime Bella and I leave the movie theatre we both have very different comments about the production we just saw. I am gawking at the cinematic masterpiece, the flawless transitions, and the incredible drone shots. While Bella always wishes there had been a few more jokes. I am able to literally tune out all the noise around me, and hone in on the moments, the emotions and the little details most people are too busy to notice

Bella and I are also both fluent in ASL which let me tell you is game changing during a silent elopement when we can subtly have a full conversation about who is going where and what shots we are getting without disrupting a single guest.

Brachen’s history

I have a background in nature photography, my dream day is hiking up to a gorgeous spot waiting all day and then snapping the most breath taking shot of a wild buffalo. After years of hearing about Bella’s adventures with her couples, and road tripping to the spots I got a little FOMO, and decided to find my niche. I switched my camera into video mode and started practicing. After about a year of shooting for friends and family, I dove in. Now I absolutely love it. I am constantly telling Bella my ideas and visions for future videos, and I can’t wait to make your day a cinematic masterpiece your children’s children will cherish.

Better together

Now for the nitty gritty, real stuff. Wanna know how we met?

Buckle up it’s a wild ride. Brach was my ASL Teacher at Utah State.
Feel free to use this time to pick your jaw up off the floor while I now justify how we aren’t weird.

It was a new semester and the first day of class, I had my hair curled, and had my Led Zeppelin shirt on. I remember walking into his class and immediately thinking, “Oh he is cute.” Taking my seat and then for the next hour and rest of the semester not understanding a word he said.

My little sister has Autism, so I grew up signing with her, so let’s just say I was far better in my head, then I was in real life. His class was hard. He never spoke during it, and the whole class was taught in sign language. Truth be told we didn’t even like each other. I thought he was too strict of a teacher, and he thought I was too chill of a student.

We didn’t start talking until the semester was over and I was sure my grade was off the line. (Still failed the class though fair and square. Don’t worry, I re-took it… twice.) So come on, not as scandalous as it sounds. Cut me some slack. After a little bit, the talking lead to a great long friendship, which lead to a year of dating, the dating lead to love, then came marriage, and of course a puppy, and a baby in a baby carriage. Looking back, were we crazy and so young? Absolutely. Would we do it again? Absolutely. In our defense we are in Utah, and that is a slow timeline by Utah standards.

But usually when asked, we will just say we meet in college. So our secret is safe with you, right? Wink Wink.

We have a little girl named Mila, are hoping to Adopt, and a rowdy dog named Eb-Dog, naturally. What else would you name a dog? We love traveling, crazy hobbies and each other. Our friends joke that our personalities are a more relaxed Jess, and Nick from New Girl.