Prior to the wedding, our communication is key. I assist in creating timelines and offer suggestions based on the couple’s priorities, such as the wedding theme, the people involved, and the venue. I am adaptable and always ready to adjust on the wedding day to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for the couple.

Here is a generalization of my approach:

Beginning: Arrive early and take a walk around the venue for new inspirations I may have missed before. Unload and double-check equipment. Find the couple, introduce myself to the wedding party and family, and discuss the start times. Photograph getting ready details, hugs, oohs, and aahs for about 30-60 minutes. If a first look occurs, I set up the location, run through the scenario, and allow it to happen unobtrusively. Go into wedding party portraits, which we discussed ahead of the wedding about who/how/where this is happening. Family portraits are generally right before the ceremony. Thirty minutes before the ceremony, we hide you from guests, get a drink, go to the bathroom, and breathe. This time allows me to freshen my batteries and get the ceremony plan down.

During the ceremony, my aim is to capture the emotions, the details, and the ambiance in a discreet manner. I strive to be unobtrusive, ensuring that the guests’ focus remains on the ceremony and not on me.

The evening is fairly candid unless you decide to do all the family and wedding party portraits after the ceremony.

Sunset. This time is beautiful for light and much different than earlier in the day. I ask for at least ten minutes with the couple to do creative portraits outside the venue. This is a nice quiet time to slow down the night now that the stress of the ceremony is over and the party has started. Dance: Depending on what is important to the couple, I will usually photograph about thirty minutes after the first dances. Sometimes couples want the bouquet and garter toss photographed. I will then work with the DJ to coordinate the time.

Yes! I have backups for my backups! I’ve dropped a lens down trolley steps at a wedding. (Clumsy human I am!) I just picked it up without panicking; no one needs to know. (except the videographer whose jaw dropped) If it’s required, I grab a backup from my bag. I also shoot with two cameras throughout the wedding. My equipment malfunctions or accidents are not any concern of my couples. I am prepared for these things to happen and carry insurance and a Canon Repair Services membership.

Yes, I actually have the images backed up twice before I even leave the wedding. My camera writes to two separate cards at the same time as I photograph. Plus, I download as I fill a card to a portable hard drive I carry with me at all times. The images are uploaded to my in-studio network mirror array and off-site cloud storage that evening.

I am an active member of Twin Cities Professional Photographers, Minnesota Professional Photographers, and Professional Photographers of America. With these memberships, I have a network of local, state, and national photographers that I can reach out to at a moment’s notice. I have photographed sick before. My clients don’t know, nor have my images been of lower quality. I have also photographed weddings over extended family Christmases and even my grandma’s funeral. I commit to a couple to be part of their wedding day regardless of what other circumstances may happen. I have a second photographer for most weddings who takes the lead, and we find another photographer.

All packages that purchase the digital galleries are full resolution and unwatermarked, and you receive full printing rights. While I take great pride in photographing sharp, vibrant, and clean photos right in my camera, I also color-correct each image to ensure you have the highest-quality, true-to-life final images. In addition, I avoid industry editing trends that are less timeless.

I will post your final gallery within four weeks of the wedding. However, if you would like them sooner, I charge a rush fee of $500 and can do a one-week delivery for your online gallery.

Retainers and contracts are essential to protect clients and vendors.

I need a signed contract and a $1500 retainer fee to reserve me for your date. In addition, 50% of your balance is due six months before your wedding date, and your final balance is due three weeks prior. 

Many factors will shape the time needed (e.g., the size of your wedding party, small kids in the wedding party, divorces and remarried parents, extended family portraits, ceremony and reception in different locations, how many portrait locations, etc.).

Generally, I request 45-60 minutes for the wedding party, 45-60 minutes with the family, and 30-60 minutes with the couple. We’ll allocate this time either before or after the ceremony. It all depends on whether you decide to see each other before the wedding for a first look.

It’s crucial for me to empower my couples in making this decision. While I always offer my sincere advice, I believe in the importance of my role as a service provider in capturing the beauty of their wedding, not dictating what’s significant to them on their special day. Here are a few factors to consider when contemplating a first look.

Your hair and makeup will be fresher at the beginning of the day before getting 200 hugs from guests and the emotion and tears of the ceremony or weather.

Typically, there are only about 6 hours left after the ceremony. How do you want to spend time during these 6 hours? Do you want to take photos away from your friends and family who came far and near to spend time with you?

Opting for a first look can be a personal moment or a shared experience with your loved ones. However, even after a first look, the thrill of the ceremony and the walk down the aisle can still evoke powerful emotions, ensuring that the magic of the moment is not lost.

The times it works best not to see each other before the ceremony are when the ceremony is scheduled earlier in the afternoon or when you have two different locations for the ceremony and reception with scheduled time for photos elsewhere. In the last scenario, I recommend providing transportation for your wedding party so people do not get lost or make detours on the way to photo locations.

Side note: First looks became a tradition centuries ago with arranged marriages. Traditionally, couples weren’t allowed to see each other before the wedding to prevent the groom from calling off the wedding and disgrace the bride and her family if he was not pleased with the bride. 

There is a time for both. I do work from a shot list with family and wedding party names. While I work hard to get to know almost everyone’s name and family at the wedding party, this allows me to move through portraits more quickly and provides a better family experience. People tend to give me genuine expressions when I know their names compared to looking at a stranger with a camera who doesn’t! Candids are how I capture all the critical moments throughout the day. For example, pictures of you walking down the aisle, your dad giving you away, the ring exchange, the programs, the flowers, shoes, the grand march, toasts, dancing, and all the parts and pieces that make the day come together.