The Value Of Hiring a Good Team
When hiring your wedding team it’s so important to make sure you are gathering the right people! You want vendors who understand that your wedding day is something so important, and it’s imperative to them that everything goes as smoothly as possible!
A month Leading up to Anna & Austin's wedding day Austin's mom unfortunately passed away. So Anna in her hope, sat in her car alone asking Austin's mom to flicker the lights during the ceremony to let her and Austin know she was there. Yall she turned the ENTIRE building off an hour before the ceremony! We’re in the midst of a snowstorm and Anna is relaying this story of a sign to us and I’m doing everything I can to hold back tears. Because how damn special that even in a moment of chaos, she finds such a beautiful thing to hold onto, and I can’t cry, not yet. There are things to DO.
Now if you’ve ever been to a wedding you know there's lots of lights and music and a million other things going on behind the scenes that you don’t see. Because we had no power, there was a snow storm and guests were arriving we were doing everything we could to make sure this ceremony happened and the wedding day continued. Getting more candles, finding a speaker, battery packs to ensure we had some kind of power, and Mikayla (my lovely bestie and second photographer) even offering to sing them down the aisle. Yall, we were putting in the WORK to try and find solutions working with the venue and staff.
First Major shout out to Mikala (2gathermore venue design specialist) for absolutely handling this challenge like the pro she is. Due to other unforeseen circumstances, she was the only one able to be there who was in charge. She is always amazing to work with but she absolutely stepped up and got shit done! Love yah girl you were phenmoenal!
Secondly HUGE shout out to Kristin at Forever Memories events for literally just showing up to be a helping hand. This woman was not hired but just came to the rescue purely out of the goodness of her heart to help out. This is absolute dedication to your craft. If you need a planner, y'all she is IT. When you don’t have a planner or a coordinator for your wedding a lot of those tasks tend to fall on your photographer simply because we’re with you the entire day! So I literally could have cried when Kristin showed up to help during this. Wedding days are intense and busy, and then you add a major snowstorm and no power on top of it? Yeah, It was all hands on deck!
Thirdly, thank you to Mike at Love Plus One Wedding DJs for trying to make sure we had functional music and for being such an amazingly kind soul and kick-ass DJ. As well as the venue staff, Kristina's catering, and everyone else who stepped up to do the extra mile that day!
During these two hours we were simultaneously doing what we could to ensure guests were comfortable and updated, Anna and Austin were informed of everything happening, still taking photos switching around the schedule so we could still use all available light outside, and setting up all the things.
Finally, we were able to get them down the aisle and married! We made our way back to the bridal suite to sign the marriage license and yall I shit you not the power turned back on right at that moment. There were literal cheers, whoops, and yells of excitement all across the building, but especially in the bridal suite with Anna and Austin surrounded by all their closest friends and family. It is a moment I will NEVER forget.
The rest of the night went off without a hitch and even ended it a stunning snowfall full of fluffy white snowflakes and lots of joy from Anna and Austin and all their guests.
Now I tell you this amazing story because it truly reflects what it means when I say I am a photographer who gets you, and why it’s so important to hire people you know will have your back even in a crisis. Who values you as a couple and not just someone to take pretty pictures of.
Getting text messages like this
“You guys just both rocked so much and made me feel so good about everything happening. Every time either you entered the room nerves were calmed. I really didn’t think photographers could be so impactful to the wedding experience. I trusted you simply to capture the day but you guys helped make many memories behind those photos. You both exceeded my expectations and I am so incredibly grateful. I know I’ll be seeing you in the future…You will be the permanent capturer of our happily ever after. My happily ever after”
Feels so incredibly impactful and shows me that I’m showing up for you guys in every way I can. If Anna and Austin hadn't perfectly curated their wedding team, their day could have been stressful, and full of worry and anxiety. Most likely would have had to do everything themselves and not be able to fully enjoy those moments despite the mishaps!
So when you’re looking to hire your vendors for your wedding day, ask them a million questions, ask them how they handled a crisis at a wedding (while I hope it doesn’t happen to you, things do happen and you want a prepared team!) Ask your photographers about themselves and their why behind what they do! Get to know each and every vendor the best you can because these are the people who hold your wedding day in their hands! Who do you want behind you?
Vendors
