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/

5 Tips for Your Getting Ready Room | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer | For The Bride

Hey Beautiful! I know at this point your well on your way to planning through your wedding day, trying to make each part unique to your vision.  To start the day off, you are imagining yourself with your girls getting ready and jamming out to your favorite tunes. I gathered some tips to help you choose your location in the morning that will help make your getting ready photos fabulous. 
 

 1. Choose a location with lots of natural light. Having proper window light in the room makes photographing it so much easier. It evens out the light on your skin and can give a more dramatic look with the lights and shadows. The light on your face becomes more evening making any overhead yellow lighting disappear and can save you from harsh shades from overhead lighting. This is one of my stables for getting ready photos!

2.  Choose a spacious location.  Having bigger room to get ready in makes for easier mobility for everyone in the group. It also benefits when taking your photos because you can have a corner with all your stuff and the other corner cleaned up for photos!  Having a large getting-ready room is a luxury, I know, but think about how many people will be in your getting ready room overall, just you and your bridesmaids? Nope! You will also have your makeup artists, hair stylist, your photographer and cinematographer. Don't forget about your family.  They really start to add up! 

3. Choose a location personal to you.  Having the location at your home or apartment showcases more of your personality! It gives your photos a personal touch of your life and lifestyle with your room, your photos on the walls. I love shooting in this kind of enviroment because it also helps your be more relaxed durning the morning process.

4. Choosing on-location room will eliminate travel time. If you are planning on cramming a lot of things in a short amount of time, a getting-ready room at your ceremony location would be ideal. It  helps keep travel times to a minimum on your timeline and you will not have to worry about traffic or unforeseen issues on the roads. It will also give you the opportunity to start on your photos immediately while incorporating your ceremony location in your photos!

5. Choosing the same location as your groom gives you more photos of both of you getting ready. Having your bridal ready room in the same hotel or house as your groom gives your photographers the opportunity to go back and forth between your rooms. Your wedding day gallery will have both sides documented.  If you are considering an album, this option would be ideal to capture the complete story of your wedding day. it will also give you the opportunity to immiduately jump into first look photos once you are all dolled up and ready to go!