When Marcus and I were looking for a house one thing we were looking for was one that didn't have a lot of renovations. I knew we both did not have the experience to make something ourselves with certain things. When we found OUR house, we could not have been more excited to have a home mostly updated! Little projects here or there need to be done, but we don't have to gut the whole house! SCORE!
Our master bathroom looks like the 60's that it came from that is why we decided to start there! This past weekend we tied up our shoe laces and tore up the bathroom WALL! The fun factor was tearing it apart, the scary part was trying to figure out how to make it look pretty after it was torn down!
Being the first time we tiled a wall, we made a couple rookie mistakes. Biggest one we didn't have enough tile and didn't check to make sure it was still in stock. We finished about 3/4 of what we needed and then found out it was a discontinued tile.............Fail. Poor Marcus was so discouraged by our non-straight lines that he didn't want to go any further. So we decided to reach out to a couple of local professionals for round 2! Once it is complete I will make sure to do before and afters here!
How To Choose Your Wedding Photographer | MW Photography | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer
At this point you have man, ring, and the date set! Now you are here trying to figure out what to look for in a photographer. A lot of people search google and pinterest for the top questions to ask each vendor they are considering for their wedding. But here are four tips photographers secretly want you to consider when choosing a wedding photographer!
1) Love their Style. A photographer's style is something they have worked on and polished to be something that really speaks to them as an artist. If all the pinerest photos you are pinning are dark and moody but all the photos on your photographers website are light and airy, you are looking into the wrong photographer. Take a good look at the photographer's work and know that is what your wedding photos will look like. If you do not like their style you will not like your wedding photos. At that point it is time to move onto a photographer whose style matches one that speaks to you!
2) Have A Connection - your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of your life! To help you feel comfortable, make sure you have a human connection with your photographer! On your engagement shoot and your wedding day it will feel more like having a friend there with you the a complete stranger, which will make the day more enjoyable and make you and your groom be more comfortable!
3) Make sure they are specialized in Weddings. Just like cooking has people specialize in pastries, appetizers, or main courses (anyone else craving a cupcake?) Photographers will have specialties - fashion, food, conceptual, portraits, landscape, urban, new born, and wedding photography. As each style of photographer is a beast of a different nature, it is wise to find a photographer who specializes in weddings. They will know from experience the equipment and skills needed to capture your day completely and know how to hand any problems that pop up.
4) Have the same photo values. This is something I do not get asked a lot yet it is so important. When you look back on your wedding photos what are the photos you want the most to have. Each wedding photographer has a part of the day they looooooove shooting over everything else. Is the same piece of the day that you are most excited for match the photographers niche to shoot? My favorite part of the wedding day to shoot is the bride and groom portraits. Bride and groom portraits are seriously the biggest things that drew me to wedding photography and they regularly take me breath away. I want my MW couples to value those portraits as much as I do.
These are just simple tips to help you choose a photographer that is the perfect fit right for you!
What is a First Look & Why It is Important | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer | MW Photography
Planning for your wedding day can seem overwhelming because of all the choices you have to make! I know you want everything to be perfect and that through this process you have consumed many cups of coffee trying to figure it out. (I am currently on cup number 2 of the day) I wanted to help give you some insight regarding choosing whether or not to do a first look on your wedding day.
The First Look is simply a intimate time at the beginning of the wedding day when the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony.
In my experience (with other MW couples and my own) the first look between the bride and groom can be the most intimate part of the day. It helps get all the jitters and emotion out at the beginning of the day. It gives time to your groom to truly admire the hard work you have put into the details you have planned for months working out : your dress, jewelry, hair, and makeup. Another benefit having a first look is getting all photos taken care of at the first half of the day. Once the first look is done you can jump into wedding party portraits and by the time the ceremony comes all the formal photos will be done; giving you the advantage to party the rest of the night and to enjoy your time with your guests to the fullest.
One of my favorite memories from my wedding day was seeing Marcus before the day even began. First thing that morning we drove to get our marriage license and afterwards went to grab coffee. As we sat in the corner of Starbucks we talked about what we were most excited about for today. It was the best thing just the two of us relaxed and eager for our day to start. The our two time first look on the wedding day isn't normal, but it is a memory i will always cherish.
I will be having a Facebook Live on this topic at the end of the month, which you can watch here : https://www.facebook.com/mwphotographymn/
