Some years later (and plus one Prince Charming), I have forsaken my flower girl dress, and in return, find myself planning a wedding with absolutely no clue how to proceed. (Maybe it would have been helpful if I'd been collecting trunks full of ideas and fabric swatches?) I do know this, though: the only thing I came to realize meant more to me than the actual man I would marry, our future successful marriage, and our loved ones who would be present on the day we say our vows, is the photography.
I'm no expert. But when my mother gave me a digital camera as a college graduation present (and because I was moving to Ireland, she knew I'd want to capture absolutely everything) I developed predilection for photography. When I came back to California after my stint abroad, I was wandering through an estate sale & consignment shop and came across an old manual SLR camera. It, and film photography, has become a bit of an obsession for me in the few years since then.
So when it came time to start thinking about wedding photography (okay, I admit it: I scavenged the Internet for glimpses before we actually got engaged), I did so with a lot of excitement. As it turns out, though, making googly eyes at wedding photography on the Internet is a lot less exhausting than trying to find a photographer in your area, and within your real-life budget.
Just days after Corey and I got engaged, it felt like my head would explode with all of the possibilities and PRICES. Guys, photoraphy is expensive. Thankfully, Corey was very supportive of my very strong feelings about this particular issue. I realized I had high standards and expectations, and Corey was the absolute picture of patient and forgiving.
We met with our first possible photographer a week or two after we got engaged, and although we had been impressed with what we'd seen on his website, meeting him gave us a different feeling. It was disappointing. Lesson One for us in wedding planning: give yourself options.
Then came the onslaught of my emails and inquiries to other photographers I found doing Internet searches, asking around, contacting other bloggers and offbeat brides planning weddings who had scored beautiful, interesting engagement and wedding photos. I finally emailed one photographer whose work was absolutely stunning.
We were in luck! Nataliya Cole wrote us back and told us right away that, for what we were looking for and the budget we had in mind, she could do it for us, no problem.
Here's a sneak peak at our beautiful engagement photos...
We've got some great ideas about how to share these photos with you guys, so keep your eyes peeled!
- Morgan
P.S. If you haven't given us your email/mailing address yet, please do so at morganundcorey@gmail.com! We love you!
