Feeding Your Photographer | Bridal Business

On the eve of Thanksgiving, a holiday whose main goal is to be thankful for those in your life eat until you go into a turkey coma, I thought a good topic for this week's bridal business would a little bit of education on feeding your photographer (and videographer!) during the wedding reception.

Nearly all photographers address their meal in some form in their contract. Requirements vary from:
- Simply requiring a meal, vendor or otherwise.
- Requiring a meal that is the same as all guests.
- Others don't make it mandatory, but will leave the premise to acquire their own meal if one isn't provided.
And truth be told, I've never heard of a bride having a problem with any of these. It makes sense that we are working, on average, 9 hour days and need a quick meal to refuel.

What isn't normally in the contract, but is usually discussed when developing the timeline is the importance of when your photographer eats. It's pretty simple, no one wants pictures of themselves eating, so what better time than after you and your head table are served. I cannot stress enough... this is not because we think we are special or more important than your guests.  It is just more efficient as we are assured to not miss any big events -- dancing, toasts, etc. -- our main focus and most important goal of the day. We sit nearby for maybe 15 minutes and are still ready to go at the drop of a hat.

And again, I've never heard of a bride having a problem with this. So why even write this? Because there is one person who consistently does have a problem with this....

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Rose Hill Manor Wedding Photographer | Susan & Stephen

Weddings are about one thing: celebrating the union and love of the beautiful bride and handsome groom. Of course there are other things! Fun dancing, delicious cake, tearful toasts, and a grand exit throughout the day.  At the core of everything is the love of the bride and groom. Susan and Stephen's wedding day was no different; hundreds joined together to lift these two up in celebration.

But outside of that core value, everything else was different! See the dancing wasn't just dancing; these two, as well as many of their guests, were very skilled and made the entire dance floor look like a ballroom competition! And the cake wasn't just any cake; it was handmade by the bride and featured a Star Wars theme!! The exit was one for the books; Stephen's family comes from New Orleans and they did a traditional "Second Line" through the reception out to their getaway car! You could truly tell that for as much thought as the guests put into Susan & Stephen's love, Susan & Stephen put just as much back into ensuring their guests had a wonderful evening.  I had the honor of joining Ali (of Alisandra Photography) as second shooter to help capture all of these moments for this wonderful couple.

Venue | Rose Hill Manor

Lead Photographer | Alisandra Photography

Videographer | EMotion Pictures, Inc. 

Flowers | Rick's Flowers 

Wedding Dress | Ellie's Bridal

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Ellicott City Engagement Photographer | Amber & Sean

As soon as Amber said those 4 little words, I knew we were a perfect match. "Black, white, and gold," she responded when I asked her wedding colors; the same as my brand colors. 

Okay, okay, I'm TOTALLY kidding! I definitely don't base whether or not brides are a good fit on their wedding colors!! But, it did tell me that she definitely had great taste (in my opinion) and would have a very similar style to mine. Amber wanted to incorporate some natural pictures into our shoot to complement the posed pictures and we decided a little picnic would be a cute way to do that. What I didn't realize that it was going to be a champagne and chocolate truffle picnic! See what I mean? Great taste, that's my kind of picnic! 

And as if to further my point, Sean, Amber's fiance, asked her to marry him in London -- one of the most beautiful and elegant cities in the world. Sean was across the pond for work and extended his stay by a week so that Amber could join him for a short getaway.  He bought a private cabin on the London Eye and when they reached the top, he dropped to one knee and asked her to be his wife. Isn't that just so romantic!?

These two are tying the knot next March in Baltimore, MD -- a day that is sure to be filled with a stylish bride & groom, gorgeous details, and lots of dancing!


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Mexican Riviera Getaway | Personal

Last week Rob and I packed up our suitcases and headed to Mexico; for the first time ever, we were headed somewhere warm when it was cold here in DC! It was definitely a little weird to be packing swimsuits and maxis while dressed head to toe in sweats (partially my fault, I refused to turn on the heat pre-trip) but it was so worth it!

We only had four days, so we wanted to make sure we had a good balance of pool time (hello, all-inclusive) mixed with sight seeing. We really wanted to get to Chichen Itza, but it was too far so we opted to see Tulum and Coba instead -- they definitely didn't disappoint! Tulum is located on a cliff side overlooking one of the most beautiful turquoise beaches I've ever seen, the kind you think only exist in pictures! And Coba is unique because it is one of the only Mayan ruins that visitors can still climb to the top, which was so cool, but also kinda terrifying if you think about it... And finally, we snorkeled in the cenotes which are basically these super clear underground rivers that span miles and miles of the Yucatan peninsula. There are approximately 7,000 alone just in that area (see, you learn something new every day). Some are open so can you swim and snorkel in them; others are literally underground and the only way to access them is by diving with flashlights! If we ever go back, that is on the top of our list!

Funny story: Rob and I get off the plane in Mexico and head to where we meet our shuttle that takes us to the hotel. After waiting a minute, we are ushered to a shuttle and hop in the front. I hear an "Alicia?" and turn around, all the while thinking, "who the heck do I know in Mexico!?". It's fellow VA photographer ladies: Laura Gordon (who did our AWESOME 3 year anniversary pics here) and Sarah Goodwin. They were in Mexico to shoot a wedding that weekend, but we couldn't all get over that fact that we ended up on the same shuttle at the exact same time -- we were even on different flights! The world is a small place, folks!

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Old Town Alexandria Engagement Photographer | Stephanie & Pat

Stephanie & Pat are one of my favorite love stories -- the kind where, in spite of all the obstacles in front of them, they still end up together. While attending Northeastern University in Boston, these two ran into each other for the first time at a house party their junior year. It wasn't love at first sight, in fact, they merely went their separate ways at the end of the night. Fast forward a few months later -- Stephanie and Pat ran into each other again during a night out and it was only days until he asked her out officially.

And then the fun part begins, right? The part where you spend every waking moment getting to know one another; going out to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to the mall, to the movies -- absolutely anywhere just to be together. Well as chance would have it, this wasn't the case for Stephanie and Pat. Pat had already signed up to study abroad across Europe that summer and was leaving just shortly after they began dating. Not too bad, Summer goes by quick! But the real kicker is that Stephanie had also signed up to study abroad in Greece -- but hers didn't begin until the Fall semester, literally days after Pat was returning home!

Despite the odds of making it through not one, but two long distance relationships within the first few months of dating, these two clearly won out. Last July, on a family vacation to Bethany Beach, Pat proposed! They will be getting married at WeatherLea Farm next October on a day sure to be filled with laughter, family, wine, and... llamas ;)

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JMU Engagement Photographer | Sam & Matt

By the time Sam & I finally met, it was like we already knew one another. She grew up in Stafford, VA and was friends with my brother-in-law, Tom and his wife, Katie. Not to mention that she also went to JMU… Oh, AND she met her fiancé, Matt, there as well! (If you remember Jenn’s engagement session from last week, she and Daniel also met at JMU -- It’s a small, but awesome, world out there!)

Like all, great JMU romances (ahem, Rob and I), these two met at a college party one random, but lucky night in 2009. I think my favorite part of their story, however, is the proposal! Post college, these two moved to Arlington to start their careers. Sam and Matt were about to celebrate their 5 year anniversary and she was able to convenience him to take her on a picnic. After picking up a box of Georgetown Cupcakes, they headed down to the waterfront to set everything up. Sam, who has a self proclaimed cupcake obsession, couldn’t NOT look in the box to decide on a flavor (ha, that ALSO sounds a lot like me…). Luckily for Matt, there was a single cupcake packaged separately, which he used to slip in the ring while she wasn’t looking. He presented it her and well, I think you can figure out how this ends :) 

We headed back to the place where it all began for their engagement shoot – my first time on campus in nearly 2 years! It felt so good to be back and I honestly couldn’t have been there with two better people. Sam & Matt, you kept me laughing the whole time! Your wedding day next September is going to be one to remember!

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Old Town Alexandria Engagement Photographer | Kelly & Drew

I know I say this all the time, but I have some seriously amazing couples -- each of them are unique in their own way and it's fun learning about what sets them apart. Kelly and Drew are definitely no exception to this because I think these two might win the award out of all my couples of "who has been together the longest".

See, Kelly and Drew have known each other their whole lives; they started dating all the way back in high school! They took some time apart in college to learn a bit about themselves, as Kelly was a few hours away at VCU while Drew studied at GMU. The distance was hard, but in the end they came back to one another which is how you know it was truly meant to be. These two now live in Centreville where they are saving up to buy their first home together! Their wedding is next October at Airlie Center -- one of my all time favorite places to shoot! To say I'm excited would be a major understatement :) :)

Side note: Tomorrow I'm going to be posting another awesome engagement session, this time at JMU with a 2015 couple: Sam & Matt. You're probably like, "okay, Alicia, why are you mentioning this?" Well. Sam and Kelly are actually very close friends!! They are part of a group of 6 couples that are all getting married in 2015. And I am lucky enough to be shooting both their weddings -- how cool is that!? 2015 is going to be a GREAT year!

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Old Town Alexandria Engagement Photographer | Jenn & Daniel

Have you ever met someone that you've had so much in common with that it almost freaked you out a little bit? Well that was definitely the case during my session with Jenn & Daniel! Engagement sessions are awesome because it is one of the first opportunities I have to get to really know a couple. There is always some light conversation at booking, but engagement sessions give me the opportunity to learn about how a couple interacts, as well as their likes and dislikes. It also gives the couple experience in front of the camera to practice posing and learning cues in the hopes that it isn't as foreign on their wedding day.

So anyway, prior to our engagement session I already knew Jenn was a JMU grad -- we were actually in the School of Business at the same time and had a few classes together! Daniel was there as well and he and Jenn met during COB 300, a 12-credit course all business majors had to take to graduate. It consisted of 4 core classes where you developed a business plan for a made up company of your choice and all 4 classes had the same students in them. Daniel and Jenn were in the same class so they spent a lot of time together that semester and hit it off immediately. So like Rob and I, another JMU romance was born.

But that's not really that unusual, tons of couples meet at college. It did get weird, however, when they were talking about how they were on their Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) day for our Friday engagement session. I asked which agency they worked for in DC and when they told me GSA, I thought they were kidding! Turns out, like Rob and I, Daniel and Jenn both work at GSA as well! The more we chatted, the more similarities we found (we were even in Europe at the same time last year).  I just LOVE getting to know my clients beyond the surface for who they truly are; it makes shooting their wedding day even more special.

Jenn & Daniel, I loved our engagement session adventures and getting to find out that we were basically the same people :) :) I cannot wait for even more adventures at your wedding next fall!

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