I have thought for a long time about going to a full day coverage instead of hourly, and watching this bride try to organize her day so that she could have enough getting ready portraits and still have the cake cutting, really made my decision.  Starting now I am only booking full day coverage.

What does full day coverage mean?

You are hiring me to do a job, to photograph your wedding comprehensively, telling the full story.  For some weddings this takes 6 hours, for others 12 hours.  I actually did 14 hours one time on an unlimited package, but not many weddings go this long. My hubby was shocked when I called him after 11pm still sounding energized.  It was a completely laid back day, where no one was worried about time.

When you book your wedding, I will set the day aside for you.  A few weeks prior to your wedding, we’ll go over the details (your hair appointment time, the ceremony start, if you are seeing each other first, how big your family is), and I’ll suggest a starting time for photography, usually at least an hour or two before you put your dress on.

Why do you want this?

• You don’t have to miss any part of your day being photographed.  When most people get engaged, they think a wedding is 5 or 6 hours.  Then you start to add on getting ready photos, bridal portraits, first look, family photos and the hours start to add up.  Most brides start talking about moving the first dance to earlier in the reception so the photographer can leave, or choose to only have photos of the bride getting her veil on, when the real getting ready starts way earlier in the day.
• You are not the type of person that likes to follow a clock, like me.  I realize we have to get you to the ceremony at a specific time of day, or within a reasonable amount afterwards (as the bride always has a right to run late).   I am there to tell your story, however it unfolds. I want you to enjoy your day and experience it to the fullest.
• Your wedding album and children will thank you. Imagine 10 years later showing your wedding photos to your little girl.  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to share the whole day as a complete story?

Is hourly coverage still possible if you don’t need all day?

Hourly coverage will be available only for  intimate weddings / elopement style that really do just need a few hours.  Hubby and I had less than 20 guests, and were super thankful to our photographer for agreeing to a special two hour package.  For such special circumstances, I will still make exceptions, and can create a custom quote for you.

Here are some great moments from early in the wedding day.

Kelly was getting her hair done in a church room full of her sisters, and her mom came in for the first time. As her mom came near, she started tearing up.

Kelly’s niece was the flower girl, and all the sisters did her hair while she watched in the mirror. Here the little girl’s mom hands her the mirror to see the back of her hair.

Cassie took a break in the church hallway from getting ready, and her baby daughter came over to her. It was such a tender moment. On the right, Cassie gets her makeup on while the bridesmaids do each other’s hair in the background.

Becca in her bathrobe, who I just met for the first time 20 minutes earlier, catches a glimpse of herself in a small mirror at Hotel Lucia. The bride and her maid of honor were getting ready for her urban rooftop wedding.

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Our house can be a bit hectic in the mornings. I am so used to it, that it never even occurred to me until my mom, who is visiting, commented on her first morning. I tend to wake up while my hubby is in the shower, sometimes our little girl is the culprit waking me up. Other times she sleeps deeper than ever laying across our queen size bed, as the morning light starts to roll in. Once she is up, I go downstairs and get food ready for my hubby so he can squeeze in a few minutes with the little one. Even if it involves a diaper changes, it’s still time together. Downstairs it’s breakfast to go for hubby, lunch in a box, breakfast for the furry ones, toddler in the high chair and finally some food for me.

I do all this in a very sleepy state.

This morning it was all of a sudden 8:15 by the time the routine was done, and I realized I needed to get ready for my portrait session. I put on a bit of extra mascara and change my outfit a couple times, since I was about to get a turn being on the other side of the camera. Almost ready, I told my daughter I had to go out and take pictures. She ran to the closet I keep my gear in and said “camera”. I took a few minutes to show her the photos (of her) still on the memory card, which just made her smile.

A bit later, I met Deanna Russell, a photographer friend, at Jenkins Estate. We did a business portrait swap. Getting in front of the camera for a photographer always feels a bit odd. We explored the park a little bit, and found some great buildings to use as backgrounds for our portraits. Here is one of my favorites portraits of Deanna.

When the florist walked into the room with the bouquets, the little girls’ eyes all lit up. She made these fun pretty little balls of flowers, with a ribbon to hold them by. Playful and lighthearted, just perfect for flower girls.

The wedding was held on the bride’s cousin’s land, a beautiful field with tall trees in the back.  It was in Longview, Washington, the town both Melanie and Adam grew up in. We started the day at the father of the bride’s home, where she got ready, surrounded by her bridesmaids and family.

Some brides are hesitant about having the photography start too soon because they don’t want to feel bothered during these precious moments before their wedding. I think this depends on your relationship with your wedding photographer, and on their style. I try to be as much of a fly on the wall as possible, observing and documenting your wedding day.

I always ask my brides how they feel about being photographed during this before the wedding time. Are you modest? Are photos before your makeup ok? I also make it clear that they can kick me out at any time for a few minutes and I will understand.

What about the men? On occasion I get asked about the groomsmen getting ready photos. I do tend to spend about 90% of my time before the wedding photographing the bride and her bridesmaids. Typically, once the groom is in the final stages of dressing, I’ll sneak over for some shots of the guys.

So, when should I have you arrive? Back to the starting question, it depends on you. In most cases two hours beforehand is a good amount of time, if we are not doing formal portraits until after the ceremony. Two hours before the wedding, most brides already have their hair done but still need makeup, their dress, and final touches. Emotions tend to start getting in full swing about an hour to 30 minutes before the wedding, making for memorable photos.

There are so many wonderful parts to the wedding day but I think the anticipation of before the wedding may be my favorite.

Becca is the first bride I have photographed without ever meeting first.  She trusted her fiance’s opinion of me, and welcomed me into her hotel room before hand to be part of her getting ready experience.  Here is a mini-sneak peak, taken at the Hotel Lucia.

There are a lot more photos to come, and I’ll be posting again as I sort through them.

Becca & Eric – Congrats!  I hope you are having a great honeymoon.  I’ll be in touch when your web gallery ready is ready.

One thing neat about this wedding venue was the bridal party dressing areas. In the first picture we are upstairs in a two room area, complete with a restroom, piles of mirrors, big tables and chairs. Attached was a balcony overlooking the entire venue. In my previous post, I show the men’s dressing area, which though small was complete with a projection tv. The guys were watching football as they were getting ready for the wedding!