October 19, 2018
As our business has grown over the past few years, we’ve found that what truly gets us excited about certain weddings is the way we feel about the couple. Yes, of course we love when the details are beautiful (gimme alllll the lush flowers and letterpress paper goods!), but it doesn’t fill my heart the way that it does when we show up to a wedding for a couple that is just as excited to see us as they are to see their wedding party. We truly pour our heart and soul into our wedding couples – the time leading up to it – getting all of our ducks in a row, helping with the timeline – being present the entire day of the wedding – and all of the editing and post processing afterwards. Each and every wedding is more than just a date on a calendar to us. It is truly a part of our story, too. That being said, we think consultations are an important part of our process. It should feel that way for you, too, as you search for your vendors. Consultations help you ensure that you’re getting the best from your photographer too, whoever that may be. In order to serve with our very best, we take on a limited number of weddings. We’ve found that 15-20 weddings a year is our sweet spot – which is why we want to make sure up front that we fit our couples from the perspectives of overall wedding vibe, image style, day of expectations, and personality.
So, what can you expect on a consultation call?
These calls usually last about 45-60 minutes. We start the call by getting to know you! We want to hear more of your story – what led you to this point. Where did you grow up? What are you passionate about? What did you study?
Then, we want to hear a little about your wedding day! Is this an intimate affair for just your closest friends and family? Or are you throwing a huge celebration and you’re ready to party?! Do you want to keep things traditional, or do you want a more laid back day? I love hearing about the colors and what pieces of the planning you’ve already tackled. What are you using as inspiration?
After that, we typically open it up for questions. Is there something off the bat that you want to know more about? We’re happy to clarify and provide answers.
When we’ve addressed your questions, we usually go over what’s included in our package. What makes us different as photographers and what service we’re bringing to the table. This can be a little repetitive to our pricing guide, but we want to make sure that you’ve processed all of the information and there are no surprises down the line.
After the call, Thomas and I will have a heart to heart about whether or not we’re a good fit for your wedding day. What makes a good fit? Sometimes a good fit comes down to our skills as photographers (does our style align with the venue and the timing of the day?). Sometimes a good fit comes down to expectations (is this couple having a 30 person wedding party and not doing a first look?). Sometimes it comes down to our own schedule (do we have 4 other weddings that month already? Can we really push ourselves to shoot another and deliver a high quality product?) It is more than just these three examples – it isn’t just a checklist that we go down – our business isn’t that black and white – but we do think through how we would fit into your day as photographers. If we feel that we are a good fit for your wedding day, then we will send along a quote for you to review.
We truly feel like consultations are like first dates. We want all of us to get off the call and have that “I can’t wait to hear from them!” feeling of excitement. That’s how we know it is the beginning of a great relationship! I promise, unless it is a wedding weekend, we won’t follow the three day rule and make you wait that long to hear from us. 😉