Meet Kalli Obray, the 26-year-old wedding videographer from Spanish Fork, Utah who’s taking TikTok by storm. Folks are really responding to her positive take on shooting wedding first looks! Obray, owner of Kallico Videography, has five years of bridal videography experience under her belt. In recent years, she’s enchanted brides-to-be with her candidly inspiring affirmations.
On March 19, Obray shot a first look for a couple whose wedding – one of the first she’d shoot – was set for April. This emotional moment has become more popular in Utah, as couples look for fun creative ways to connect prior to their ceremony. On March 28, Obray shared a video of the exchange on TikTok. She explained her creative way of calming nerves during these vulnerable encounters.
Obray’s big takeaway is the need to establish an easygoing environment for the bride and groom. She starts out every first look by asking the bride to enjoy being fawned over and feeling like a queen. This deceptively simple but effective reminder, she says, goes a long way in bringing ease and connection where separation and tension would otherwise exist.
“There’s one rule for this, and it literally is just to make her feel like a million bucks,” – Kalli Obray
In her experience, few people understand how to do battle and end up being pressured to respond a specific way in these defining moments. Obray explained that there’s a double standard and an expectation for men to react with extreme enthusiasm or crying. She inspires them to be true to themselves and not feel limited by their environment.
“It’s just about feeling like you have to do that if that’s not who you are. It’s just a good reminder to be yourself and not feel pressure to respond in any specific way,” – Kalli Obray
Obray’s guidance speaks to so many of us couples who walk the emotional tightrope of wedding planning. She notes that when she focuses on the men during these scenes, they just look more at ease and real.
“I think centering the men doing that before we do it really, really helps too. You can almost, like, see the stress ease off of their back a little bit,” – Kalli Obray
Her TikTok clip has resonated with brides and grooms all over the country and for good reason. They love that while she plays supportive cheerleader, the focus on true emotion and feel over fake performative shit is real.
Obray knows that just having the cameras on is enough to heighten nerves, making people feel even more like they’re in the hot seat. Her goal is to reverse this trend by creating a safe place for couples to talk about what they’re feeling honestly.
“There’s this expectation of, ‘Oh, my gosh, I have these cameras pointed at me. I feel so spotlighted right now,’” – Kalli Obray
Always looking for beauty, Obray finds and documents the tender, magic moments that make life extraordinary. Her commitment is in making brides and grooms feel valued and comfortable with their decisions on their big day.