The Rose Reflective, an interview

Milly Baine is a wedding photographer from Huntsville Alabama is bringing the mood back to wedding photography. She’s also showing everyone that people in the south don’t always have to go for the light and airy wedding photography that’s so popular there. She aims to showcase a variety of people across her portfolio, and even started her own wedding photography workshop to help others do the same thing. I’m lucky enough that I’ve been able to watch her come up in the industry and see the positive changes she’s making across Alabama and Tennessee. Now, I’m lucky enough to count her as a friend.

Website | Instagram | Tiktok | Vendor Profile

Cost : starts at $5950 for weddings and $2950 for elopements | Photographing weddings since 2016

What are you shooting on? And do you offer film as well?

I shoot on two Sony A7iii bodies, a 35mm lens, an 85 mm lens, and sometimes creative lenses for my digital setup. For film, I shoot a Pentax 645N for medium format and a vintage Pentax manual body with a 50mm lens.

Describe your editing style.

Moody, cinematic, and a bit weird.

Tell me about your working style, and how hands on are you?

With weddings, I am mostly hands-off. I love true documentary photography. I will sometimes influence a shot by moving the subjects into better light. With elopements, I definitely take more of a leading role. I always give my couples room to breathe though, and I never interrupt a special moment for the sake of a photograph. 

What’s your favorite part of a wedding?

The moment directly after a ceremony when the couple has a moment to themselves before the rest of the processional arrives. It is only a few seconds, but their interaction is always so sweet. Then their closest people get to join in on the celebration, and it is that much sweeter!

What do you value the most about your career?

I am so grateful to document one of the most joyous days of my couples’ lives in rooms full of love with people that may not ever all be together in the same room again. To be trusted with photos of anything THAT BIG is incredibly humbling. There are times I have documented the last interactions people have had with a loved one, and that is so sacred, important, and powerful. I am thankful to be able to give that to people. 

Tell us a story about one of your favorite weddings.

I met Katie and Eliza for the first time in Nashville for their steamy session, so I got to know them pretty intimately and rather quickly. Their wedding day was such a turning point for me– I had never seen a wedding done like this. They held an intimate wedding in Dolly Sods, West Virginia. Eliza painstakingly made a chainmail bib link by link for Katie to wear over their blue dress. Eliza wore an embroidered deer buttonup shirt with a bolo tie. Their dog Ruby was in attendance; RIP, sweet girl. They got married in the rain with a fire ceremony and a blood pact. A small canopy of 14 umbrellas formed the audience for their ceremony. It was beautiful and passionate. I photographed the whole ceremony barefoot, because my shoes were making too much noise. Afterward, everyone dried off, changed clothes, and loaded up to go to their reception AirBNB. Katie and Eliza wore sweats. Their reception consisted of a hotdog machine, the best macaroni I have ever had, sand art, and a lesbian poetry reading. Their bar was an old wooden TV displaying a floral projection where the screen once was. Their cake topper was two lesbian cowgirls. It truly was a dream. Every detail was intentional and everyone truly enjoyed their time together. 

What do you think needs to change within the wedding industry when it comes to client experience?

Communication. It is okay to be honest with your client about the work you do, your limitations, and any problems you face along the way.

What advice would you give to couples planning their wedding?

Do you. I don’t care if it is weird or different. If it is YOU, it is going to be cooler and more enjoyable than any alternative. This is too monumental to try to please anyone and everyone who has an opinion.

What’s a challenge you’ve encountered within the wedding industry? How did you get through it?

The economy. I have restructured to be a little more accessible for couples within the Southeast. I am still not the least expensive option, but my pricing is more doable for a broader audience. 

Share a real review you’ve received.

“Milly is one of the most talented and hard working people I’ve ever met. Her photography is genuine and truly a reflection of her and the couples she shoots.

She was so flexible with me and my husband and our plans. We went from planning an extravagant wedding to an elopement, but ultimately decided on a micro wedding with just our immediate family and Milly was excited to hear we were doing something authentic to us. She immediately sent me her availability for our new time frame and we got married two weeks later.

 Not only did I receive the best photos anyone has ever taken of me, but I also gained a friend. Not once throughout the process did I feel like a burden.

I lost both of my grandmas before our micro wedding and Milly showed up with soup and offered me her shoulder. I lost my dad 12 days after I got married. Milly immediately sent me all the photos she had with him in them. Not once did I ask her to, she did so out of the kindness of her own heart.

I truly mean it when I say she’s the most genuine, hard working, and caring photographer I’ve ever met. My husband and I both have said if we had to do our wedding over, hiring The Rose Reflective would be the one thing that we didn’t change.

 I am forever in love with our photos from our day, and find myself gushing at every new set of couples she posts. Her photography is truly a work of art.”

— Erika Beyersdorf