Mainstage
February 23th -27th 2025
Our Mainstage this year is filled with powerhouse individuals who have trail blazed their way into the great wide world. From East Coast to West Coast, we bring you true leaders in the industry both incredibly successful and humble.
Abby Jiu began her career as a fine art wedding photographer in 2009. In the intervening years she’s been named a top wedding photographer by Martha Stewart Weddings, and her couple’s days have been featured in People, Brides, The Knot, Over the Moon, Washingtonian Weddings, and Inside Weddings. Her signature aesthetic — timeless, light-filled, and boldly romantic images inspired by her couples’ heartfelt emotion and presented with an editorial edge — has made her one of the most highly sought after photographers for discerning couples and wedding professionals alike.
Abby’s art is strongly influenced by high fashion, interior design, and international travel. She’s had the honor of photographing weddings throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Europe in her decade-long career. Her approach to every event she documents is individualized and rooted in each couples’ unique story and locale.
Abby is based in Washington, DC, where she lives with her husband Jamey, and two kids, Cooper and Coco.
Abby Jiu
James x Schulze is a world-renowned photography brand of acutely talented artists. Partners James Christianson and Otto Schulze founded James x Schulze with a vision of the truly exceptional. With a multi-layered approach that combines editorial, documentary, and fine art styles, James x Otto intentionally capture clients in their most true form.
Named “Top Wedding Photographers in the World” by Harpers Bazaar, and with over 40+ combined years as photographers, the unique blend of talent behind James x Schulze provides an experience for clients that is like no other. James x Schulze provides clients with a final collection of images that is truly unique to their vision, each moment from a distinct perspective that is hyper-focused on communicating the experience of your wedding and documenting who you are as a couple, as families, as human beings.
James X Schulze
Corbin formed her career as a destination wedding photographer over a progression of many years, including time spent living overseas in Italy. After an initial focus on painting and drawing, she fell in love with photography during a summer at the Maine Photographic Workshops and went on to study photography at New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.
Corbin has photographed weddings in places as diverse as California’s wine country, the striking beaches of Thailand, beloved Provence, country estates in Ireland, and the hillside villages of Tuscany. Her work has been regularly featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Town & Country, and she’s captured PDN’s Top Knots Wedding Photography grand prize award. Corbin lives between Stockton New Jersey and Sandwich New Hampshire.
Corbin Gurkin
Kristin is an award winning international photographer with over 13 years of experience. Her photography work has taken her to over 20 different countries and has been published in print and online around the world. With a deep love of travel, experiences, and people, she seeks to capture wedding days in a way that feel like the viewer stepped back in time but also with modern vibrance, expression, and light. She dives in deep with her clients to truly capture them with authenticity and show their connection with each other, their friends, and their family. She’s had work featured in top wedding magazines and blogs, was voted one of the top wedding photographers in the South by Southern Weddings Magazine, and gives back to photographers and creatives who want to grow their businesses through retreats, workshops, speaking, and coaching. Her clients love the energy and calm presence she brings to her work and the understanding and depth that she captures during each celebration. Just say the word and she’ll meet you in France, New York, or your favorite place.
Kristin Sweeting
Ben Finch is a Wedding & Commercial Photographer at Finch Photo and Consultant at Finch Creative Education. Ben's diverse career story as a professional musician, motivational speaker, college professor, business consultant, pastor, and designer has given him a unique perspective in the creative space. In 2020, at the request of numerous industry friends, Ben revisited his role as consultant and began helping creative business owners learn how to run healthy & profitable businesses. When not traveling the world for photography commissions, he resides on their East Tennessee farm with his wife, Joy, their 4 kids: Brennan, Knox, Molly and Sawyer, and their Weimaraner, Hank.
Ben Finch
Kaleb Norman James is a Seattle native who began his career in floral design. When he realized he was designing beautiful events that lacked logistical direction, he took his background in corporate event planning and combined with his love of floral and design to create a full service event planning & design firm. Since its inception in 2014, Kaleb has planned weddings across the world from Italy, to France, Costa Rica to the Caribbean. Rooted in a love of travel, architecture and fashion, his designs have a strong European influence and forever find their roots in a classic, Ralph Lauren inspired aesthetic. These passions have all greatly influenced his approach to developing his signature aesthetic- combining old world grandeur, with a finely edited sense of restraint. .
