Wedding Wednesday: Photography

Thank you for being as excited as I was about our Style Me Pretty feature! Now, back to the Wedding Wednesday programming. Today we are talking all things wedding photography. If you have any wedding photography related questions let me know in the comments!

When looking for a photographer I didn't really have much background information to go on. So I do what most adults do… I took to the internets! A quick Google search for "Nashville Wedding Photographers" brought up local photogs with prices that ranged from $1,500 to $10,000 to "investment". I knew that our wedding budget couldn't handle those who were asking for an "investment", & if I had told Tyler that a photographer could charge $10,000 he would have cried. So I called/emailed the mid-range vendors ($2,000 - $5,000) to get the scoop.

I email interviewed a few & quickly crossed most off the list of potentials - too many exceptions, too much money, already booked on our date, etc.

We ended up sitting down in person with 2 photographers, & just felt a click with Jessica of Jessica Ranae Photography. Her prices were right, she offered all the amenities we were looking for with out any extras we didn't want to pay for, & she was just a joyful human that we knew we would enjoy working with throughout the whole process.

Jessica ended up doing our engagement photos (2 different shoots, over 2 different days in 2 locations, one with both pugs!), & was with us the ENTIRE day of our wedding (9a - 11p). Before the wedding she sent us a lovely package with a personalized hanger (as seen in our photos) & the 5 Love Languages book. After the wedding she sent us a gorgeous package with special prints, thumb drives with all the prints & a copy of our full rights for photos (to take to photo printing places if needed, which has already come in handy). During it all, Jessica was easy to get ahold of, extremely up front/straight forward. 

As I didn't have a wedding planner (just a day of coordinator), Jessica was also indispensable in figuring out much of our wedding schedule leading up to the big day (so much stress eliminated thanks to her calm & reassuring presence!) She was flat out amazing!

Looking for your own wedding photographer? 
Things to consider:
- Cost (Remember to think about the base price + photo prices + day of tips + any extras)
- What your package includes (engagement photos? number of locations? hour limit?)
- What you actually want. Don't want bridal portraits, don't pay for a package that includes them. Looking for 2 shooters, make sure your photographer offers it!

Look for:
- Full rights over pictures (so you can print them how you want, when you want)
- Unlimited time on the day of (some photographers I looked at had a 4 hour limit, can you imagine hitting your time limit & your photographer missing your epic exit? Or having to decide to dish out major bucks just for them to capture your get-away-car moment? No thank you!)
- Someone you enjoy working with. You are going to spend MANY hours together, as magical as you imagine the big day, taking photos gets tiring, you need a positive person who you truly like.)

Jessica is no longer a Nashville photographer, but you lucky brides-to-be in The Twin Cities of Saint Paul, MN & surrounding areas be sure to look her up!

All photos by Jessica Ranae Photography.

Wedding Wednesday: For the Guys

I of course have tons more to over share in regards to our wedding, way more than would fit into "Wedding Week", so from now until I get it all out, I hereby decree Wedding Wednesday.

This week is all about the guys. I have to hand it to Tyler, I mostly let the guys just do their thing, plan their outfits, & show up on the day… & they totally rocked it! It certainly doesn't hurt that Ty has the most amazing group of guy friends, wonderful people that kept me laughing all day long, kind souls that helped my parents clean up at the end of the night, & ran tons of errands for us the next day while we were jet setting to the beach.

When I started out the planning process about a year ago, I was surprised that this collage I made of my "boho groomsmen" vision got pinned so many times on Pinterest! I guess other people are just as clueless as I was about what the menfolk should be wearing!

It was actually Tyler's idea to have the guys wear mix-matched but similar pants. I was trying to explain what the ladies were doing (see their fabulousness here), & Tyler thought that the guys were getting to pick out their outfits too… after I heard the record screech to a halt noise in my head, I had to agree, it wasn't a bad idea (he does in fact have a few of those from time to time)…. off topic, but why is attempting to explain Pinterest to a man harder than communicating with a giraffe? 

The groomsmen outfit directive was: bring your own pair of charcoal grey pants, a white button down, & navy suspenders. Tyler supplied the matching ties & navy Converse sneakers. Seriously, most of the guys already owned the pants + shirts and only ended up purchasing a $5 set of suspenders from Amazon. Budget friendly indeed! And they went home with a classic pair of Converse and versatile tie from J.Crew… happy friends!

The other men's attire decision we had to make was vests, jackets, vests & jackets, jackets no vests, or none of the above. We went with no vests + no jackets for the groomsmen, and Tyler went with no vest + jacket for the ceremony, but then removed the jacket for the reception (you did see his sweet dance moves in the wedding video, riiiiight… he of course can't be encumbered by a jacket when he is busting out the stanky leg on the dance floor!)

Did you have any groom/groomsmen attire dilemmas?

Anyone else go jacket-less?

Let's here it for the guys!

all photos by Jessica Ranae Photography

If you are looking to recreate a similar look for your groomsmen, here are my top accessory picks:

Wedding Wednesday: The Ceremony

I've got to say, the ceremony part of our wedding was the part I worried about most. Would people be entertained? Were we doing it right? Would all of the wedding party know what to do? Would our songs sound good? Would it be too long? Too short?

In the end, it was, like the rest of our glorious wedding day, just right. My childhood pastor came into town to wed us. My talented friends played music (I cried). My sweet sister read a beloved poem (I cried). My father walked me down the aisle (We both cried). Our friends and family literally surrounded us (They cried). I got to hold hands with my best friend the entire time (He cried). And everyone cried tears of joy the entire time.

Scroll down to read my Do's and Dont's for your wedding ceremony:

Do:

Include your family traditions. This is personally my favorite part of weddings!

Expect that if you have littles, dogs, animals of any kind included in your plans, things are not going to go smoothly. We had a reluctant ring-bearer situation, & luckily his older brother stepped at the last minute to help. No harm, no foul, the pictures turned out cute!

Invite friends & family to share their talents. My sister read a poem, and two of our friends played music. We totally cried.

Build in time after the ceremony for signing your marriage license. You know, making it legal & stuff (bonus points if your bridal party brings you celebratory beers while you sign!)

Do not:

Stress about the time. Want a quick 15 minute service? Do it. Looking to enthrall your audience for 2 hours with a lyrical dance that recreates your love story? By all means. Everyone in attendance is there to see you, celebrate you, & party with you. Most likely you are providing them with an all inclusive party afterwards, so leave the stress behind, & you do you.

Rush. Yes, all eyes are on you. You are getting married silly! Take a deep breath & soak it in. I am so grateful that my father walked me down the aisle at a snail's pace. I got to make eye contact with all our guests, & really soak it in. Even if it did mean seeing my friend in his banana yellow SHORTS and giving him the stink eye (thanks Shawn!)

Married friends - what are your wedding ceremony Do's and Dont's?

Those of you planning your wedding ceremony - what are your must haves?

{Follow the rest of our wedding day posts}

Wedding Wednesday: Getting Inspiration

Right after Tyler popped the question, The Not Wedding came to town & it was the only wedding "fair" I had to attend to pick out all of our wedding vendors. I don't even know if you could call it a wedding fair though, this is a big fun wedding party, with everything except someone actually getting married.

I love the idea of getting to see the vendors in action & just check out the gorgeousness below from the 2nd annual Nashville Not Wedding if you don't believe me! The rest of the dreamy day can be seen on Ruffled.

Interested in getting in on The Not Wedding action in your area? See the upcoming events here.

This section of photos is by Cassidy Carson Photography 

This section of photos is by Hannah Elaine Photography 

This section of photos is by Maile Lani Photography 

Check out all the amazing vendors that made this beautiful day possible here.

Wedding Wednesday: The First Look

Back with Wedding Wednesday programming, this week I'm sharing out our "First Look".

Tyler & I decided to do a "First Look" for several reasons. Mostly because we were just so excited to see each other, & also to fix some of the logistics of the day (the timing of our ceremony with the sunlight meant that the time we could spend taking photos outside after the "I Do's" would be very brief). The biggest reason? We are both BIG criers, & I wanted to get the majority of my tears out with enough time to re-powder my face before walking down the aisle (so vain, I know!)

We elected to read the traditional vows during our ceremony, but wrote personalized messages to each other to read during our First Look. Cue the waterworks. I walked around the clump of trees to see where Tyler was standing and burst into tears. The anticipation of the day, the weight of the moment (FOR-EV-ER), the culmination of millions of tiny details, it all came flowing up & I literally thought my heart would burst with so much love.

After we read our messages to each other & took some time to soak up the silence of just the two of us, I freshened my make-up & we continued on with the majority of the bride & groom portraits. It was so lovely to have this time, just the two of us, before we were tired & hungry. I honestly don't think we would have gotten pictures that captured the excitement we held for our pending union if we didn't do them before the ceremony!

I understand why people would choose to wait until the aisle to see each other. But for us, our vision, our day, the First Look was one of our favorite parts & I am certainly glad that we did it!

Did you have a First Look? Or are you planning one?

It is just a trend? Or a wedding event that is here to stay?

What is your favorite First Look moment?

All Photos | Jessica Ranae Photography