Couples come to us all the time looking for answers about their wedding photography. Here are a few questions that we hear a lot:

“We want to get married at our church, but it’s not very pretty and we’re afraid we’re going to miss out on having great photos.”

“We want awesome shots of us as a couple, but we also don’t want to miss out on spending time with our family and friends on our wedding day.”

“We are on a tight budget so we’re having a friend take photos on our wedding day, but we really want to have a professional take the most important shots – the ones of us as a couple.”

The answer: A Bridal Session!

A bridal session is a portrait session of a couple in their bridal attire on a day other than their wedding day. These types of sessions can take place before or after the wedding. The concept may be a little untraditional, but it can also be the perfect solution for couples struggling with how photography will play a role in their big day. In addition to that, we LOVE to shoot them! We decided that rather than have us tell you how awesome bridal sessions are, we’d have some of our past clients do it for us! We sent a little survey to three of our awesome couples and here’s what they had to say about their experience . . .

Why did you choose a bridal session?

Meghan & Matt: We choose the bridal session for two reasons: we wanted to get some great photos of Matt and I in our wedding attire and secondly, we wanted our wedding day to just be about our love and sharing that love with friends and family. The bridal session enabled us to get amazing wedding photos with many different poses and backdrops without worrying about taking time away from the activities on our actual wedding day. On our wedding day we had no idea when photos were being taken, we were simply in the moment. I think that’s the way it should be!

Julie & Jimmy: We decided to do a bridal session to eliminate stress and pressure from the day of our wedding. I wanted our photo session to be a personal, intimate time as a couple that did not have the pressure of time and schedule. We also had the chance to use a unique location for our bridal session other than our actual wedding venue. In addition, taking photos on the day of the wedding keeps your guests waiting around and getting impatient so we wanted to minimize that too.

Katie & Justin: We chose a bridal session for many reasons, but primarily to allow us to have a variety of backdrops for our wedding photos. We knew our backyard would be a great ceremony site, but did not offer many photo backdrops. By choosing a bridal session we could choose a location that reflected our personalities and taste. On top of that, by shooting our photos before the wedding we were able to spend more time taking our photos and enjoying our wedding day with our family and friends. After all, you pay for the wedding you should be there to enjoy it, right?

How did you choose the setting for your session?

Meghan & Matt: We choose Sedona for our bridal session because that’s where we were getting married. We originally choose Sedona because that’s where Matt proposed while we were in college :)

Julie & Jimmy: We were blessed to have someone volunteer their amazing old fashion 1920′s car and their beautiful home and landscape for our photo session. The scenery and old car totally fit the classical big band theme of our wedding. Our second location was a suggestion from Ryan and Denise. The resort had a great variety of backgrounds and was very clean so I we wouldn’t have to worry about getting my dress too dirty.

Katie & Justin: We were very conflicted on what type of location we wanted for our bridal session. Justin wanted an intimate location well known to us. I wanted a picturesque location with a lot of background options. Ryan & Denise listened to our needs and came up with the perfect place – Jerome, AZ. With the small town Arizona feel that we love, we were able to have the best of both worlds.

Tell us about your “first look”. What was it like? What kind of emotions did you experience?

Meghan & Matt: The “first look” was AMAZING! I was filled with excitement to see my handsome soon to be husband in his tux. I have to admit, I did get a little teary eyed. It’s a magical moment meant just for the bride and groom (I will remember the look on Matts face forever).

Julie & Jimmy: (Jimmy) I was anixous to see her and when I did she looked so beautiful. She was breath taking. (Julie) The thing I liked about the first look was that I had the freedom to react and have personal moments with Jimmy. Our first look was filled with tears, hugs and some sass ;-) I have such amazing photos capturing a progression of emotions that I would not have been able to express while walking down the aisle. Our first look photos captured our personality and approach to each other; they are some of my favorite ones.

Katie & Justin: When we were deciding whether to do a bridal session, I had been worried about our “first look” not being at the ceremony. Would the ceremony still be as special? Absolutely yes. Seeing my husband waiting for me at the top of the aisle was an exciting moment that our “first look” could have never changed. Our first look was in a park in the heart of Jerome, AZ, just a few days before our wedding. Ryan & Denise scouted the location before the “first look” in order to find a gorgeous and intimate backdrop. They thought of every detail in choosing the location – from the ivy enveloped staircase straight from a fairy tale to the perfect lighting. When I arrived at the top of the staircase, Justin was faced away from me. Justin and I were both giddy with excitement about this moment. We had looked forward to it almost as much as our wedding day. When it was time for me to call Justin’s name to turn around, I couldn’t stop giggling. Knowing I was there, Justin turned and smiled. We kissed and we laughed. It was the perfect start to our wedding weekend.

What was the most memorable part of the experience?

Meghan & Matt: We loved hanging out with Ryan and Denise and coming up with all kinds of different photo ideas. The most memorable for me was getting in the water with our wedding attire on . . . burr! I love the pictures and it was so fun! Ryan and Denise were troopers, and they even got partially into the water too!

Julie & Jimmy: The most memorable part was probably our first look. Also, there are so many fun moments we had with the old fashion car. One of my favorite moments I did not even know was being captured till I saw the photos. There is a great shot of me resting in Jimmy’s arms during a break when we didn’t even know they were shooting!

Katie & Justin: Because of our location, we were able to walk around and explore on foot. We found stairways, courtyards, benches, windows, and nooks that we felt were our very own; each one was a special memory. We remember the bench that seemed sculpted from ivy and twinkle lights, the jungle gym where we played (yes, in our suit & dress!), the baby blue VW bug behind the “No Trespassing” sign, and the inconspicuous parking lot with the amazing view. Our bridal session became a memory in itself, apart from our wedding day.

Would you recommend this type of session to another couple and why?

Meghan & Matt: I would highly recommend a bridal session to other couples. Actually, my advice would be that it’s mandatory. The bridal session decreases stress and increases happiness on your big day!

Julie & Jimmy: Absolutely! By doing a bridal session, we were able to have multiple locations outside of our wedding location. We were also able to have personal intimate time on a relaxed schedule taking away the pressure of our wedding day. We have photos of intimate moments and photos that capture how we interact over just posed shots.

Katie & Justin: In talking to my married friends, many regret that they rushed their photos in order to get to their reception. They were often disappointed by the number of photos or the lack of variety. By choosing a bridal session we didn’t have to sacrifice the number or quality of the photos. The bridal session allowed us snuggle and kiss for an entire day AND experience our entire wedding reception. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

For more information about bridal sessions, feel free to email us at studio@simplyknotphotos.com.

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Why should we book an engagement session?

Shooting engagement sessions is one of our favorite things about working with wedding clients.  The engagement session gives us a chance to get to know you as a couple away from the business of your wedding day.  We often tell our clients that shooting an engagement session with us is kind of like a double date :-)  It’s a time when we can talk to you one on one (well, it’s actually more like two on two) and hear all about how you met, what you love about each other and all the other things that make up your love story.  In addition to getting to know you personally, it also gives us a chance to find out what you’re like in front of the camera so we can make the very most of our portrait session with you on your actual wedding day.  When we show up on your big day, it will feel like we’re old friends – not a couple of crazy paparazzi chasing you around with cameras all day – and we’ll already know how to make your photo experience the very best that it can be.  Not to mention the fact that you’ll have a lot of fun snuggling with your honey and you’ll get a ton of beautiful photos out of it!

How do we choose a location?

The location is entirely up to you!  The most important thing to keep in mind is that we want YOU to be a big part of the process!  We want you and your spouse-to-be to have a great experience and end up with photos that reflect who you are and tell your story.  When we start to brainstorm ideas for a location we will ask you things like, “what do you do together for fun?”, “are there any places that are significant to your relationship?”, “what type of settings have you seen in other photos that appealed to you?”, “what do you consider your personal style, individually and as a couple?”  We can make lots of suggestions based on areas where we like to shoot, but our ultimate goal is to come up with a place that fits YOU!

How long does it take?

We tell our clients to allow two to three hours for an engagement session.  We typically shoot at more than one location and/or spend time walking around together to get a variety of shots with different back grounds.  Overall, we like to be able to take our time and have fun together - you’ll have plenty of time to relax in front of the camera and we’ll have plenty of time to get to know you.

What should we wear?

Wear something that reflects YOUR personality and style!  Since couples have the option to change clothes at some point during the session, many couples choose to do one more formal outfit (such as a dress or skirt for gals and a button down shirt for the guys) and one more casual outfit (like jeans and a more casual top).  We don’t encourage wearing matching clothing unless it has a particular significance for you – or unless you really do wear matching clothes in your every day lives :-), and we do recomend that you avoid tops that have a really strong pattern that would draw a lot of attention aware from your face.  Your clothing choice is entirely up to you, but we recommend that no matter what you choose it should to be something you’d be ok sitting on the ground in for a short period of time.

Can we include our pet?

Yes!  We are open to including pets during an engagement session, but as they are a bit unpredictable we ask that a family member or friend come along to help look after them.  We suggest that we include the pet during the first half an hour of the session and then the family member or friend can take them back home so we can spend the rest of the time focused on you without any distractions.

When will I get to see my photos?

Three to five days after your engagement session, we’ll post a preview of your photos along with a slideshow set to music on the blog.  We encourage you to forward the link to family and friends and share your images with others.  There’s even a comment section under each post where people can leave you messages.  The rest of the photos will be edited within three to four weeks and put into an online gallery where you can purchase prints and other items.  Within a week of your gallery launch, you’ll recieve a customized disk of low resolution images in the mail which you can use as you wish.  Full resolution images can be purchased separately or by individual image from the proof gallery website.

What is a Guest Book Album?

A great way to showcase your engagement images is with a guest book album.  These are modern, coffee table style albums designed with blank space left for your wedding guests to leave you special messages on your big day.  These albums are used in place of a tradition guestbook where guests only have room to sign their names.  After your wedding, the album will serve as a wonderful momento of your engagement session and contain all the love and well wishes from your family and friends.  You won’t want to just throw this guest book in a box with your other wedding keepsakes, it will remain out to look at and share for years to come!

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We live in the age of Facebook, blogging and zillions of other online photo sharing sites that allow our clients to share their photos in all kinds of ways.  This is one of the reasons we choose to include a disk of images with all of our wedding packages.  Sharing photos in digital format is something that’s important to everyone these days.  So you may be asking yourself, if I have a disk of photos, why do we need a wedding album?  We’ve put together some thoughts that may give you some answers to this very common question:

1.) A wedding album tells your story.

After your wedding day, how often do you think you’ll sit down at your computer and look through a disk of 600-800 images?  Probably not too many times.  That many images can be a little overwhelming.  While it’s so important to capture all of the moments that take place on one of the most important days of your lives, looking through all of them can be a little tedious.  Individual images may have the ability to capture a moment, but a wedding album tells your story by focusing in on the highlights of the day.  A disk of photos lacks the narrative effect of a custom designed album.  The whole reason you have a photographer document your wedding is to share it with others.  Your album is the perfect way to do that. 

2.) It’s a work of art.

Photos are meant to be printed!  When weddings were shot using film, can you imagine what a client would have thought if their wedding photographer just handed them a roll of negatives?  That’s basically what a disk of images represents – undeveloped negatives in digital form.  Your wedding photos are intended to create beautiful printed works of art that will serve as a lasting symbol of your love.  A professionally designed, high quality album is the perfect work of art to preserve your most cherished memories.

3.) It’s your first family heirloom.

You will be so excited the day your wedding album arrives.  You’ll look at it over and over again, and it will probably feel like one of the most valuable things you’ve ever owned.  But the true value of your album will come into play many years down the road.  Imagine showing it to your kids!  Imagine being able to show them how amazing you both looked and tell them all about how the story of their family first began.  That’s when it’s really worth the investment.  Your album truly is your very first family heirloom, meant to be shared and past along for generations.

4.) It’s made to stand the test of time.

With constant changes in technology, we don’t even know if the average computer will read your DVD of images 50 years later.  Your wedding album is made with archival materials intended to last a lifetime.  These images will not fade – and neither will the beautiful memories of your wedding day.

5.) You’ll wish you had.

Every time a new album arrives in the mail, we get SO excited to share it with the couple.  Seriously, these albums are AMAZING!  We never invested in an album from our big day, and it’s always been something we wish we had.

We custom design every wedding album to tell the unique story of each couple’s wedding.  We also give our clients the option to order a wedding album up to a year after their wedding day.  That way if things are a little tight right after the big day, they can wait a few months before making another big purchase.  We even offer a special 20% discount if parents or other family members want to purchase a duplicate copy of the couple’s wedding album.  If you have any questions about albums, feel free to check out the pricing section on our main website or send us an email at info@simplyknotphotography.com.

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