Hey! Welcome to my blog! I’m so excited you are here. I hope you find lots of helpful tips and that something I say resonates with you. If you’ve clicked on this, I’m assuming it’s because:
- You’re a bride looking for an elopement photographer
- You’re a photographer needing some advice
Well, first, I’m going to speak to my bride tribe right now. I want you to know, before booking a photographer, why you need to hire a certain type of photographer for your incredible elopement day.
As for my photographers – I hope you are able to find how you can help your brides by creating some kind of email, or blog post like this. It really helps answer questions brides are facing when planning their elopement and provide them with a sense of confidence and encouragement to book a photographer for their elopement. You can learn more about photography and marketing tips here!
For My Brides!
I created this post so you can truly understand why having an organized, reliable photographer is one of THE best decisions you can do for your elopement.
Let me walk you through my story first. I am sharing this to show you why hiring an organized photographer makes all the difference in your happiness – elopement day, and every day after that – especially when going through your elopement photos.
My Wedding Story
When I got married, I knew that the most important thing I wanted was getting back stellar wedding photos. When I had finally found a photographer and videographer duo, I began creating a slideshow presentation to show them exactly what I wanted for my wedding photos in terms of location ideas, poses, and so on.
I gathered everything I had on my Pinterest wedding boards, Instagram, and Google to show them where each wedding location was, what photos looked like from others, and what I expected from each location.
They had never done a wedding for a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before. So, I knew I had to be the one to help prepare them for the big day. I did this not only through explaining how these types of temple weddings go, but by really showing them.
During our second consultation meeting, I pulled up my slideshow and went through everything with them – from the temple exit to the family photos. I had all of the example images for them, organized by each type of photo I wanted.
At the end of our meeting, I reassured them that I knew they’d provide excellent photos while using their own style to execute them. I knew they had their own style to portray that I loved (it was a very true to color look – it was my favorite type of photo editing back in 2016, and luckily one that I feel has, and will never go out of style!). My desire was for them to be confident during our wedding to take charge and capture each moment as I expected. I also did not want to have to stress about what my photos were going to look like the day of, either!
On my wedding day, my photographers’ intern had to take over (long story – we can save that for a later time). Though I was ensured it was going to be just like having the main photographer there, it was not. This intern, bless her heart, had not been briefed on any of the expectations I had. Nor was she one to take charge.
After our sealing, we cheered while exiting the temple and took time chatting with our friends and family. I had realized that the photographer was snapping photos but was waiting for me to take charge and give direction on what to do and where to go next.
You will soon learn that your mind is everywhere on your wedding day! I wasn’t stressed out at all, nor was I some awful bridezilla. But, I was totally overwhelmed by everything going on that organizing photos on my own accord was not on my radar and totally threw me off! I didn’t remember what locations I had for group, family, or bridal party photos. That’s why I had prepared the photographers beforehand!
So, I spoke with some of my family and asked them if they could guide the photographer and just make do with what we had. Our large group photo was taken in the harsh light on top of a fountain – look below. It’s pretty hilarious! But, it was not the beautiful steps on the side of the temple in the shaded area I had originally suggested.
In the end, we had to improvise on photo locations and my aunt stepped up and told everyone where to go and who was getting photographed next. We don’t have any photos of Josh’s extended family and completely forgot to do groomsmen’s photos (luckily, we got those at the reception).
Overall, I am pretty satisfied with my wedding photos because the ones we have still look beautiful. However, the lack of communication and organization still irks me to this day!
Looking Back…
I was not a photographer at that time, but two years later started up my photography business and knew that I did not want ANY bride to have the experience I did, or one that was worse.
I promise that being organized as a photographer saves my life now and saves stressful times for my brides. It saves time, energy, and money. There will be peace between the bride and the photographer. It gives you the results you are hoping for!
An Organized Photographer Is Stress-free!
What does being organized look like? I’ll tell you how I do it.
- Consultation Meeting – Once you book me, we meet-up, get on the phone, or Facetime to get to know each other a little better and run through any details I need to know. I review expectations that we both have to ensure we’re on the same page. Sometimes, this happens before you book, too!
- Relationship Questionnaire – I use this to help me get to know the bride and groom on a more personal level. I learn about how he proposed, what you like to do together, and more! This goes out as soon as you book me.
- Engagement Outfit Guide – I send an outfit guide with my Pinterest Outfit & Location idea boards, too. This goes out as soon as you book your shoot or a few weeks or the week before your elopement.
- Engagement & Formals/First Look Photoshoot Email – I send over an email with all of the details and things to do to prepare for the photoshoots we’ll have before your elopement day (depending on the package you choose and what type of shoots you’d like to book!) Usually, this is sent the week of the photoshoot.
- Elopement Preparation Checklist – This literally goes over everything we need to know – from getting ready details, your vendors, addresses, attendee details I should know about, and so on. There is also a spot for you to add additional comments that I need to know about. I have this on my phone day of – just to remind myself in case I forget. This goes out the month of your wedding.
- Elopement Photo Checklist – This gives you all of the options for photos I typically take. It gives you a chance to add additional ideas for photos, too! I bring this on my phone, too. This goes out the month of your elopement.
- Emails – I send emails throughout your elopement preparation time frame with ideas for your elopement, such as thank you ideas, vendor suggestions (if located in Utah), San Diego recommendations here FAQ’s answered by me, etc. I ensure we are both feeling prepared for the big day.
- Promptness – I arrive on time or just 5 minutes before any photoshoot. I am always 5-10 minutes early to elopements and any events going on! I also get photos back to my brides within 1-2 weeks of the shoot – so you don’t have to wait long!
Questions to Ask An Organized Elopement Photographer
There are ways you can ensure you find an organized elopement photographer.
After you’ve browsed on Instagram, Pinterest, Thumbtack, or Google and have found some photographers to reach out to – you need to ask each the right questions.
Here’s some that you can ask to find out what they do in each situation.
These are just some examples that I think can get you started on the right track. But, let me reassure YOU right now. I am not the photographer for everyone, but if we are a good fit, I promise to be the organized photographer you are looking for.
The goal I have as a photographer is to make YOUR LIFE EASIER. I want to help keep your day as stress-free as possible. I do that by staying organized and learning all the ways I can make your elopement and photo dreams come true.
