My Photo Faux Pas

Originally, I wasn't too concerned about wedding photography.  I had heard the saying "you can never re-take your wedding pictures" many many times, but it never really worried me.  I had it set up in my mind that we were going to pay a high school student, with camera experience, to take our wedding photos.  Adam and I would do an engagement session with him/her beforehand and, provided we liked the pictures, would go ahead and plan to have them shoot the wedding.

Mom seemed to be on board with this plan.  We had a girl picked out (that goes to school with my little brother) and were right about to set something up with them when Mom started dragging her feet:
Mom:
     "I don't know Lins, I guess I'll call them and we can go from there."
     "I just don't know how I feel about using _____.  I'll call this weekend and see if they're interested."
     "I don't see any wedding pictures on her website.  I'm worried about hiring someone that hasn't shot a wedding 
          before."
     "I just don't think we want to hire someone that hasn't taken wedding pictures."
Me:
     "I'm okay with hiring someone with little-to-no experience photographing weddings as long as it is worth the 
          difference in price." 

After about 4 of the exact same conversations with my mother, I realized that maybe I needed to start looking for a Plan B, or it was going to be October and we'd still be waiting on mom to make the phone call.   I went to my wedding "bag" (forget a wedding notebook, I have a briefcase) and pulled out some information on photographers that I received from the bridal shows I went to in January.  As I looked through the information, I saw this:
     "Collections range from $2500-$7500,"
     "Platinum $1500 (plus $75 & $300 for CDs)",
     "The Fairytale $2000 (without copyrights),"
     "Wedding-Engagement $1995"

Wowsers.  I was willing to spend $500, but 3-4-5-6 times that? eek.  I know I'm being cheap here, but really? As I continued my search I found one photographer that looked like it might fit.  I passed the information onto my mom (we'd budgeted $1000 for photography) and told her it was more than I wanted to pay but she could check it out. 


Mom got back to me the next day and told me that she went ahead and sent him an email!  My brother is going to be a senior in high school next year, and she was interested in using him for Bret's senior pictures. 


Now, Mom has been pretty much in the passenger seat during the wedding planning process.  She really wants it to my mine and Adam's wedding (even though she is paying for half), so it really surprised me that she took charge. Basically, she decided that we aren't going the super cheap route for wedding pictures.  On Friday, we sat down with the photographer, signed contracts and are rolling for senior pictures, engagement pictures and wedding pictures! And, just because we booked the senior pictures and the wedding together, we get a CD of the engagement session for FREE (hello Save-the-Dates and guest book!)

Without further ado, let's share some pretty pictures from our photographer, Grant Watkins:

(I tried to use pictures without faces as that would really creep me out if I saw my picture on another person's blog!)

All images via Grant Watkins Photography

Not only am I super happy to have a photographer scheduled for the wedding, but I really like our photographer.  Turns out we went to high school together (yay townies!), so he has a good connection to Manhattan and knows the area well.  I felt so comfortable meeting with him and I can now focus my Type-A personality somewhere else knowing that our pictures will be in good hands.  I told him about Adam's inability to smile (there is still a post coming on this, don't worry) and he didn't seem phased at all. He just said, "it's my job to make you guys look great and that's what I'll do."  

So in the end, Mom was right.  You don't have to pay $5000 for photos, but do find someone who is professional, fun and will capture you at your best.