Have Camera, Will Travel: From ‘Yes!’ to ‘I Do,’ with Staci Brucks

Wichita, Kansas-based wedding photographer Staci Brucks is up for anything. Local engagement session and wedding or destinations to the far corners of the globe. By offering destination wedding photography, Staci is able to satisfy two of her passions: creating timeless imagery for couples in beautiful places.

Like many other photographers, Staci’s journey as a wedding photographer started out on a different path. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise science and worked in cardiac rehabilitation for almost five years. Then in 2019 she bought her first camera and taught herself the craft, through YouTube and hands-on practice. She explains, “What started as a hobby quickly grew into a business, and I quickly left healthcare to pursue photography full-time.”

Staci’s go to lenses for her Z6III are the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II and the NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S. The combination of these two lenses allows her to capture everything from portraits to candid, emotional moments.

A Wedding Photography Style Beyond Trends

The homepage of Staci’s website has five words listed out: Luxury, Timeless, Classic, Bold and Romantic. So, we asked Staci what those words mean to her.

Luxury: It’s about the entire experience, from thoughtful communication to creating beautiful imagery and making my couples feel taken care of.

Timeless: I want my photographs to feel just as beautiful decades from now as they do today, beyond whatever trends are popular.

Classic: I love simplicity, elegance, and intentional compositions that never feel overdone.

Bold: Boldness means having a creative point of view and making images that feel confident, artistic, and memorable.

Romantic: It’s capturing genuine connection, quiet gestures, and the little moments that make a love story unique.

Engagement Photography: Building Trust Before the Big Day

Staci explains that many of her couples will book both their engagement sessions and wedding photography with her. She says the engagement sessions, “allow us to connect before the wedding, build trust, and help couples feel comfortable in front of my camera. It makes the wedding-day experience feel more natural and personal.” Staci also encourages her couples to move naturally when interacting with each other, with the goal of creating, “something artistic that still feels authentic to them.”

Destination Wedding Photography: Love Stories Worth the Journey

“I love capturing both the beauty and emotion of a wedding day,” Staci says. “From thoughtful design details to genuine, unscripted moments, every wedding tells a different story.” Couples should look back at their wedding photographs and not only remember how everything looked, but how it felt.”

Staci also loves traveling and destination wedding photography allows her to combine her passion for photography with travel. 

Exploring new places, architecture, landscapes, and cultures inspires me creatively. It’s exciting to create imagery that incorporates the destination while capturing the genuine emotion of a couple’s celebration.

In fact, Staci loves travel so much that she lists her travel calendar on her website, which shows where in the world she’ll be at certain times during the year, whether for weddings, creative projects or personal travel. “It helps couples see when I’ll be in their area and creates opportunities to photograph engagement sessions or additional weddings while I’m there,” she says. 

Added to that, she’s even got a dream-destination discount that she’ll offer to couples when their wedding plans align with her travel goals.

Wedding Photography That Lasts Beyond the Day

Look to her website and you’ll see an important statement Staci puts forth about wedding photography and why couples should make the investment into quality photography. She reminds prospective clients that long after the food is eaten, the flowers have wilted and the music fades away the photographs live on, as a tangible testament to their love story.

On her site’s blog, you’ll find real weddings, engagement sessions, venues, and destination stories. It’s both a portfolio and a resource that helps couples get a better feel for my style and experience. 

Staci posts her clients images in an online gallery and will give them a release to use the files on their own, but she also believes in the importance of printed photographs and artwork. “I love helping couples preserve their images in meaningful ways,” she adds.

Plan the Day. Savor the Moments.

As an added help to her couples, Staci offers a wedding-day timeline to clients. “I want my couples to feel supported beyond just the photography itself. I help them think through their wedding-day timeline so there’s enough time for portraits, details, and candid moments without feeling rushed,” she says, adding, “My goal is to create a smooth experience that allows couples to be present and enjoy their day.”