Wedding photography is kinda a funny thing.  When brides book me, they are not really quite sure what they are paying for.  If you book a great florist like La Tee Da Flowers, they can point to a photo or show you a real bouquet that will look exactly like your wedding flowers.  You can go to Edible Art to taste and see the actual cake you will eat on your wedding day.  But, photography is different.  I can’t show you your wedding photos.  I can show you other photos I have shot, but the actual photos from your wedding have never been created before.  You are booking the PROMISE of beautiful photography.

You are booking me based on trust that I will deliver something unique.

When Lauren booked me, this shot of Drew was on the front of my site.

When Lilli booked me, this shot of Lauren was on the front of my site.

When Angela booked me, this shot of Lilli was on the front of my site.

When Nakitha booked me, this shot of Angela was on the front of my site.

(Nakitha’s getting married in October 2010 so you’ll have to wait to see her photo.)

Each of these shots is different.  These brides didn’t book because they wanted the exact photo they saw on my website.
They booked because they trusted me to capture a shot that had never happened at their wedding.

Booking a wedding photographer is more about trust than a package price or actual photography.

You are booking me believing that I will show up 1 year from our meeting date and capture something never captured before.

You are booking me because you believe I understand what your day means to you.

You are booking me knowing that I’ll see something on your day that no one else can see or document.

You are booking me because I promise to give the memories you have yet to make a photo that matches.

It’s a trust and promise that I am honored to have.

To all my past and future brides, thanks for trusting me.

Maybe it’s because Sara is starting to grow up.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too many weddings where brides rush through the day.

I’m not sure what it is, but lately brides and fathers have been on my mind at weddings.

I have a fantastic tip for you brides on your wedding day: Spend time with your dad.

This is the thing with most dads, they are kinda numb to the whole wedding thing.  You and your mom or friends have planned the day.  As guys, we clearly have little or no opinion on the colors you choose or the type of flowers you use in your bouquet.  The whole process is by women and for women.  There is one part of the day however that Dads are very, very clued into.  The part where they “give you away”.

Some dads joke about it, others cry through it, but all of them have a feeling about it.  Here is my tip to you: find a way to honor and thank your dad sometime the week you get married.  Maybe it’s by having that super traditional Father-Daughter dance.  But guess what, some dad’s don’t like to dance.  Especially with 283 people watching them.  Some dads like iHop.  How about taking him to breakfast the day of your wedding.  That’s right.  The morning you get married you CAN spend 30 minutes with your dad.  Trust me when I say that nothing will make him feel more honored and loved than you spending a few moments alone with him.

Here are a few things I’ve seen brides do.

It’s amazing how a simple 3 minute chat at the candy table before the day gets going can mean so much.

Lauren’s dad kicked everyone out of the bride’s room to spend a few moments alone with her and give her a gift.

I loved this moment between Amy and her dad.

Erika actually called her dad and talked to him for about 5 minutes before he came to walk her down the aisle.

And, if the only thing you can do with your dad is the Father/Daughter dance, dancing to “Thriller” is the way to go.  (Happy Anniversary Kim & Josh)

Here’s the deal, I WANT Sara to get married.  I’m sure that I’ll love the guy she is choosing and be thrilled to see her find happiness in him.  My “fear” is that I’ll be forgotten.  I see this in dads in many of the weddings I shoot.  They don’t want to take over the day.  They just want 10 minutes with their daughter to hug them and tell them how proud they are.  Give your dad time on your wedding day.  Even though he’s not your number 1 man anymore, he desperately needs to be reminded that he’s number 2.

Every now and then when I’m meeting with a new bride, she will timidly say… “I hope you don’t think this is rude, but what if you get sick the day of my wedding.”

It’s funny because I can always “feel” when the question is about to be asked and I can see the hesitation on their faces.  Almost like it’s rude of them to even mention it.  I’ll share with you what I say to them and save you the “embarrassment” of having to ask the question yourself.

First off, it’s a great question.  Seriously, this is your one and only wedding day, so knowing what your photographer or any other wedding vendor will do if they get sick is something you HAVE to ask about.  If you ever talk with a vendor who says anything like “Don’t’ worry about it, I never get sick. Things will be fine.”  You may want to start looking for someone else.  People unwilling to talk about backup plans, typically don’t have a back up plan.

So, without further a due, here is my What If I Get Violently Ill The Day Of Your Wedding Plan.

Phase One:  Call My Father In Law
My Father In Law is not really a great photographer, but he is a great doctor. :)  If at anytime leading up to your wedding, things start to go downhill for me, it’s nice to know that I have an on-call family practice doctor who can prescribe crazy doses of medication. :)

Phase Two:  Shoot Sick
If I’m not feeling well, that does not necessarily mean that I’m too sick to shoot a wedding.  I have shot about 5 or so weddings when I was “sick” and I never mention it and you past brides out there didn’t know it was happening. :)  I would never show up and get you sick, but shooting when I’m a bit under the weather is not a big deal.

Phase Three:  Call A Professional Wedding Photographer
I literally am friends with about 20 wedding photographers in the East Texas area.  These folks all shoot a very similar style to me and are people I know would do a great job documenting your day.  I would cover for them at the drop of a hat and I know they would do the same for me.  I have a list with their names and numbers printed out and it sits in the top drawer of my desk.  Danielle knows that if for any reason I am unable to make it, she can pull it out and start calling down the list.  These folks would show up, shoot, and deliver amazing images to you.  The only thing you would miss is my witty and charming personality. :)

The good news is that in over 5 years of shooting I have never missed a wedding for any reason.  The better news is that if for some reason anything were to happen, I have a plan in place.

Also, I thought It would be fun to show a little video of me about 30 minutes after I had my wisdom teeth removed last year. :)  Hydrocodone was my friend. :)

By now I’m sure most/all of you have heard that Apple came out with this iPad thing.  Some people love it, others hate it.  My family falls into the category of “love it”.  Here are a few photos of the kids in action with it.

Since I got it about a month ago I have had about 6 client meetings and each of those couples has almost been more interested in it more than my photos.  I get all kinds of questions about it and basically the meetings end up with me talking about the wedding with the bride while the dude just looks at comic books on my iPad.  Hey, as long as they’re booking right? :)

The most common theme seems to be “It’s basically like a big iPhone right?”  Let me answer that question with a little story.

Imagine all you knew as a child were bath tubs.  Then one day, someone explained and told you about a “big bathtub”  it’s like 10 times the size of a bath tub.  No big deal right?  I mean, we’ve all seen bath tubs and know what they are.  The thing is, once you actually get into a swimming pool you realize this is nothing like a bath tub.

That’s exactly what owning an iPad is like.  The photos and technical specs don’t begin to do it justice. I can’t even begin to express just how much our kids love this thing.  They are constantly reading, watching movies, or playing games on this.  This will be the only computer they grow up knowing.  It’s amazing just how “strange” a keyboard and mouse seem to a 3 year old, but every kids just “gets” this device.  It took Luke, our 2 year old, about three minutes to figure out everything he needed to know about it.  This is the future of computers, education, books, movies, and wedding planning.  That’s right, I said wedding planning.  You know that ridiculous binder you have full of pages, phone numbers, lists, and photos.  They will all be on this device within the next year.  Now you are interested right?

If you are a parent of younger kids, you HAVE to really consider getting this for your family.

If you are a student, you should totally convince your parents to get you one for school.

If you are a bride, you and your fiance will fight over who gets to keep this till you get married.

If you are thinking about booking, call me up and I’ll give you a free demo at our meeting. :)

One of the things that really makes weddings fun is getting to share your day with your closest friends and family.

One of the things that really makes wedding planning NOT fun is deciding who your closest friends and family are.

Time and time again, when I meet with couples and talk about how the planning is going, the thing that constantly brings the most stress is the guest list. Whether it’s the addresses, narrowing it down, or licking and stamping the envelopes, the guest process seems to be one of the more stressful parts.

Erika & Phil took a slightly different approach when it came to planning their wedding.  They only invited immediate family.  :)  Thats right, the 11 people you see in that photo are all that were there to witness their vows.

(Actually, myself and super cool wedding videographer Vanessa McKellar were also witnesses, but you get the point.)

Phil’s comment to me was he “didn’t want to be introduced to anyone on his wedding day”.  Not a bad way of looking at it.  Erika told me they wanted a smaller wedding, but as they started coming up with the guest list it kept getting bigger and bigger til they decided there was only one way of doing it.  Just family.  I have photographed weddings with hundreds of guests and a wedding with less than a dozen guests.  There is no right or wrong way to do it.  My advice to you is invite who you want.

It’s your wedding.

If you only want 50 people there, invite 50 people.

Trust me, your friends and acquaintances that do not get invited will not stop being your friends.  They may be confused at first.  But if they are truly your friends, then they will understand.  They want you to be happy.  If having 50 people at your wedding makes you happy, then they will support you.

Side Note: You may end up getting less gifts this way, but we’ll assume you’re OK with that.

If you want to see more images from Erika & Phil’s September 9, 2009 wedding click here.
I’ll give you one more shot to entice you click that link.