Free Wedding Guide

Don't know where to start when planning your wedding? I am here to save the day! Enter your email here to get your free wedding guide and a glimpse of how I do things.

Thank you for subscribing!

MENU

Being a wedding photographer is a huge responsibility; one we don’t take lightly. Our job is to literally come alongside our couples and help make their day the absolute best it can be. Wedding photographers put their heart and soul into each one of their couples’ big days. By the time a bride books with us through the journey to her wedding day, we’ve had back and forth communication, Skype planning dates, and multiple conversations. We’re also the one vendor who quite literally is by the bride and groom’s side from beginning to end on their wedding day. It’s fair to say because of the energy and time we invest, we often don’t consider ourselves just a vendor on someone’s wedding day, but a trusted friend.

I make it a priority to invest time into creating a friendship with my brides and grooms, as do most wedding photographers in the industry. It’s important to me that my couples and I are on the same page and that we click. Who wants a stranger they don’t get along with following them around on their wedding day ?? Uh, NO ONE!
Since we as wedding photographers put so much into our relationships with our couples, I wanted to break the ice a little bit and share with all you brides out there the five things most wedding photographers wish you’d do, but probably would never ask of you. Here we go!

planning tips

1) Send Us Your Wedding Invitation

Okay. Duh. If you booked us, we obviously already know when and where your wedding is. We don’t want an invite for logistical purposes. There’s just something so exciting about getting mail from your couples that lets you know they count you as a guest at their wedding- not just the photographer.

2) Tell Us You Trust Us.. and Then Actually Trust Us.

If you’ve hired us to photograph your wedding, we hope that means you fully trust us to create magic for you on your wedding day. Trust (to us) means asking what time is best for photos and adjusting your timeline accordingly. Trust is giving us the authority to make decisions regarding the location and time of your portraits so they’ll be the best ever. Trust is NOT giving us an entire page long shot list you got from Pinterest. If you truly trust us to capture your wedding authentically, we don’t need a shot list. We want to create photos for you that OTHER people will pin on Pinterest.

planning tips

3) Text Us Photos of Your Dress

This might just be me, but I’m a hopeless romantic. I LOVE it when my brides text or email me photos of their wedding dress once they’ve chosen it. Maybe it’s the giddy little girl inside me, but I adore texting and sending silly GIFS to my brides. I get to connect with them on another level and show them how excited I am to capture their wedding day.

4) Keep Us In The Loop

I want to be as involved as possible. I am literally going to be there every step of the way (the third wheel if you will) and the more I know about you or your wedding day the better I will photograph your day! Let us know when you get the dress, what your most excited about and even if you’re stressed about your oldest friend creating drama on the day of your wedding. Honestly most photographers are a jack of all trades and will probably be someone to help keep your day running smoothly so we need to know (or want to know) all there is to know about you and your day.

planning tips

5) Give Us an Actual Spot at a Table With a Name Card

There are two reasons we love when brides include us at an actual table and not just in the corner tucked away behind a curtain to eat a vendor meal. First, this make us feel valued and cared for that you thought to include us and feed us the meal everyone else is having. (Vendor meals are typically cold sandwiches or something else equally sucky and when we’ve been on our feet all day working hard, ALL we want is a hot meal.) Second, if you don’t give us a seat at a table in the reception area, we’re typically forced to eat off in a back room where we’re more likely to miss important moments happening throughout the evening. We will know what it feels like to be a guest and what might be important to them. It’s great to get to know the guests and maybe even hear an embarrassing story or two about you!!

planning tips

6) Treat Us Like a Friend, Not Just a Vendor

This last one is a general summary that most wedding photographers wish brides knew, but would probably never tell you to your face. We want to be your friend, straight up. If you’ve chosen to invest in us and trust us to document one of the best days of your life, we take that so seriously. We love this job. We love getting to come alongside you and be an extra bridesmaid with a camera. We are there for you and we want you to know that, truly. If you treat us more like a friend than a vendor, not only will your photos turn out 1000x better, but HEY… you’ll also get an actual friend. Win win.

I can’t speak for every photographer, but for the vast majority of us, these 5 things are surprisingly accurate for how we REALLY feel when it comes to brides and their wedding day.
Brides, were any of these surprises? Let us know your thoughts below! And for my fellow photographers, is there anything you would add that you wish brides knew? Add them below to the comments!

SOME OF MY CLIENT’S

Kind Words

Can we give more than 5 stars?! Jessica is absolutely amazing and everything you deserve in a photographer on your big day. From start to finish, she was everything we dreamed and more. She has a magical personality and the ability to make every person feel comfortable in front of the camera. By the end of the night it felt like she had been in our friends group for years and captured every moment perfectly. Highly recommend!
- Tiffany + Brandon
Hands down, Jessica is the best photographer around!  I cannot tell you how happy I am that I chose her and how grateful I am that she was able to so beautifully capture the best day of my life. I was very particular when choosing a photographer and chose Jessica based on her talent and her creative ability to think outside the box. I completely trusted her vision so when she suggested we hike to a waterfall in freezing temperatures in January, I agreed and it paid off big time. I ended up with an indescribably gorgeous bridal portrait that looks like it belongs in a magazine. My wedding pictures turned out just as stunning. She made my husband and I feel at ease, which translated into pictures that are truly representative of the love and excitement we felt on our wedding day. A bonus is that Jessica has a great personality and offers a calming presence, which is priceless among the hustle and bustle of a hectic wedding day. I couldn’t be happier with my experience with Jessica and I will continue recommending her to my family and friends!
- Brittany + Michael
Where do I start?? Are you looking for someone who's fun, innovative, and creative? Look no further! Jessica is an absolute pleasure to work with! She shot our engagement, my bridal portraits, and wedding day. Working with her was a breeze! She makes you feel so comfortable during your photo sessions. I cannot stress enough how important a good photographer is. Thanks to Jessica we were able to capture the best memories from the BEST day ever!
- Elizabeth + Manny
If you want the heart of a memory or event remembered, Jessica is the right photographer for you. My wife and I were married 10/14/18, and the first person that popped into my head for a photographer was Jessica. I have worked with her numerous times for other photo shoots and she has the essence to capture beauty in every shot. Looking through her other photos that she posts to social media always sparks creativity and awe. I will continue to always recommend her and Jessica for any special moment to be captured.
- Whitney + Sarah
You should stop looking and book Jessica! Booking her for our wedding was the best decision we made. Her charismatic, fun, and down to earth personality made it easy for my husband and I to feel comfortable in front of the camera. On our wedding day, Jessica was extremely professional but also so personable I felt like she knew exactly what to do to capture the very best photos. Jessica is extremely talented and gets your photos back in a timely manner. I would recommend her to anyone. It was an amazing experience to have her a part of our day.
- Alyse + Spencer
Jessica was the second best thing to happen at my wedding... behind marrying my husband of course ;) I was so stressed because my venue flooded and it was raining all week but she not only agreed to switch locations, she made all the stress go away. I'm still obsessed with our photos! 1000000% worth it. I wish she lived in Texas because I want more photos!!
- Alicia + Jordan
Jessica is one of the best photographers I have ever met. Looking through our photos, there was not one single photo I'm not in love with. My husband and I can be pretty awkward but the way Jessica captured us was awe inspiring. Our wedding album brought tears to our eyes. There wasn't a single detail or emotion missed. Jessica has a talent like no other to capture a mood. While the photos are beautiful works of art, what I love most is that you can see the deep love shared is them. Choosing Jessica will be the best, easiest decision in your process.
- Courtney + Josh
My husband and I wanted a photographer who would help us feel comfortable in front of the camera, and we certainly found it with Jessica. Throughout our engagement shoot and post wedding shoot, she helped guide us so that all of our pictures look natural and match our personality. She has such an amazing ability to capture the beauty of the surroundings as well. Our photos are the talk of the town, and I can't even count how many people called her and used her after seeing our epic pictures. I can't say enough about her and her work. She is just absolutely incredible
- Alexis & Collin
01
/
04
CONTACT