behind the scenes

Today I want to talk about behind the scenes of shooting a wedding because we see the final product of photos usually and not all of the 'what goes into' the photo parts. Like movement of a dress-- (every fabric even photographs differently). I've second shot with so many different photographers and every single one has their own style. It's important to also know what your Bride + Groom need from you too. Some people like a lot of direction, with posing and some don't like it at all. I always get moms hugging me a ton for some reason so I think I'm the kind of person who is really aware of everyone around me and I want to make that work for YOU. If I see small moments like a sister tearing up over a first dance, I know moms will love those photos too-- I totally appreciate when they notice and hug me too ;)

Even second shooting I'm the girl seen tapping my feet to music, shouting hellos to everyone I meet, and I may even do a couple tumbles to get the perfect shot (or a laugh!). Over many weddings I have met so many great people to shape the way I take photos now and I promise to give you the best experience! I wanted to blog some photos from a wedding I actually second shot! I got the chance to hang out with the guys (which a second shooter usually does) and it was so much fun! This couple was absolutely adorable trading gifts and letters too:

Venue: Boat House at Confluence Park

choosing a wedding venue in columbus

Let's talk wedding locations: how do you pick yours? I think most everyone would say they start with a budget. You can't choose prices until you make a list of everything wedding and set a budget for everything big ticket. Things such as guests food, cake, PHOTOGRAPHER ;), attire, dj, etc. It's definitely okay to call venues and ask for a real price breakdown upfront. You don't want to pine over a place you can't afford OR miss out on a venue that is perfect of you! 

Tip: Not choosing a date beforehand, instead a month or a season will set you up to get a YES from a venue!

Do you base your decision on the needs of guests, location, simply aesthetic of the venue, or something completely different? I'd love to hear more of what YOU think! Ps, here's a beautiful wedding at Brookshire (which I'm so glad the weather was pretty for an outdoor ceremony!):

choosing disney over other vacations

 I get that its a money commitment and thats BIG. We all know theme parks are pricey but the best ones are always going to be even more. So having a plan and sticking to a budget helped us make our Disney dreams come true. 

 For all those non Disney enthusiasts out there (whyyyyy) I'm going to tell you why it's not that bad. First off, its by far the cleanest park I've ever been to. I'm all about clean bathrooms and restaurants too. Secondly, the lines aren't that awful-- if you plan ahead with fast passes and have the app you won't wait in line but 15 minutes for rides. And I have some good ideas for things for the kids to do in those in-between times: like play-doh works wonders, or the Heads Up! App is awesome. You can def pack small things for them to focus on instead of the wait. And always plan ahead for restaurants. That really made our trip. I had it mapped out where we would stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and could tell my husband up front what to expect for the wait and menu. Be a true wizard and know it all ;)

I also think the thing I didn't like of everything was the buses. Yes they weren't awful and the wait times varied ALOT but I would choose a resort with a monorail. It's worth it in my opinion. As far as hacks by park I'll leave that to another post. But seriously think of giving Disney a chance-- the staff is helpful and the rides are worth the money. What are some other things you want to know about Disney to make your trip even better??