Engaged: Trisha and Sam

The Ultimate Guide!

I always say I love the clients I work with and I really do! Part of the branding philosophy I believe in is that if I put myself out there ie. my favorite jeans, nail polish color, my dream to play piano, live in Florida, I love love and how I hate tomatoes... I will attract similar people, or repell the oppososite. I think its working because, I want these people to be my BFF's! A recent bride gave me an article she found in Bride's magazine about photography. The "Ultimate Guide" they call it. Personally I love when clients give me this type of direction. Here's why!

1.) I genuinely care and love my clients and I know they feel the same about me when they clip articles or photos as suggestions and helpful tips to me.
2.) I'm not offended when they specify exactly what they want. Clipping internet or magazine images for inspiration saves me steps in my wedding prep process and I know that they're poses or images you'll love.
3.) I get a better understanding of what my clients want or need. Instead of paying for expensive Market Research (like larger companies do) you're telling me EXACTLY what you like and don't like! It helps me focus my business down onto the things that best serve my client's needs. Its a good way to keep up with wedding trends too.

There are some really great tips in this article both for photographers and clients. I'll be breakin' it down here for ya!

Wedding Sneak Peek: Canton Club {Rachel and Sam}

ohhhh my goodness was this wedding divine... truly... there's such a wonderful and magical story that I intend to share with you all here... but I wanted to give you a sneak peek! Rachel and Sam are two very special young individuals. It was evidenced by the love shown and spoken by all of their family and friends that gathered.

PS - if you're in the Cleveland/Canton area... the Canton Club is gem!

Happy Summer weekend kickoff! Enjoy :)

Wedding: Amanda and Josh

Amanda and I met in college. She is one of the spunkiest people I know. She is completely fun loving and has a huge heart. Josh is a new friend of mine. He's nothing short of a goofball and these two together know how to have a good time, despite a little rain.

Wedding Day Schedules

After my post Monday Mallory, from Maui Photography and a fellow online photog friend messaged me about how I do my schedule for a wedding day. After comparing notes, we decided to each do a post on what a typical wedding day schedule looks like for us. What I love about this business is that every last detail becomes so personal and unique to the photographer running it. And unique to each and every bride and groom. Mallory and I's schedules look very different, but they both work for us!

I always work backwards from the ceremony start time. In this case its 5:30 and I like for all the pictures to be complete at least 30 minutes before the ceremony so the bride and groom, bridal party, family and everyone else involved can have some down time to really soak in the glorious moments of anticipation that lead up to such an important event.

This is an example schedule for a couple choosing NOT do a first look. A first look is when the bride and groom share a special intimate moment before the ceremony to see each other.

Traditional Schedule:
1:00 pre-church photos/details
2:00 arrival at church – candids of arrival/getting ready (bridesmaids and bride)
3:00 - Groomsman and Groom getting ready and formals together
3:45 – Bride dressing with mom (Bridesmaids dressed and ready to go)
4:00 - Bridesmaids and Bride Formals
4:30 - Bride’s Family
4:45 - Groom's Family
5:00 - Pre-Ceremony Photos done
5:30 – 6:15 Ceremony
6:15 – 7:30 Second shooter getting details of reception/guests arriving
6:15 – 6:45 dismissal of guests
6:45 – 7:15 Full Bridal Party shots
7:15 - 7:30 Bride and Groom alone time moment
7:30 - Travel/Arrival at Reception

The rest of the evening I let play out naturally. I photograph the scheduled events, usually as the DJ orchestrates it and I'm getting extra detail shots and guests.

I realize that it seems I have quite a bit of time that I have scheduled to shoot before the ceremony. I do this for several reasons.

I believe that it plays a big part in my brand. Story telling and getting lots of detailed shots of how the day unfolds is how I most like to capture a wedding day. The other part is that I like to be there to get a feel for the day. To get to know family members, the bridal party, even the staff at the ceremony location. It helps me get a better understanding of who my bride and groom are and the pace of the day.

The other reason I do this, is for padded time. I have never liked feeling rushed or stressed, and I realize that I do my best work when I feel most comfortable with people I am working with and can be in tune with the environment I'm shooting in.

I am certainly not an expert at this, and I'm sure as my business evolves so will this schedule. Would love to your thoughts fellow photographers! How do you orchestrate a wedding day?

Polyvore.com - Royal Wedding

I was seriously smitten with the wedding today. I thought Princess Catherine looked divine. A true modern fairy tale.

wedding by giulia B-day 23.09 featuring white gold rings