wedding.
than your
even more beautiful
marriage
in building a
wedding days.
on their
and serving them endlessly
loving
in my clients,
Booking/ consultation FAQs
How can I reserve you for our date?
If we cancel the wedding, will we get our money back?
How far in advance should we book you?
Do you shoot ethnic/ gay/ intimate/non-denominational weddings?
What do packages include?
Do you offer discounts for weekday, Sunday, or off-season weddings?
What type of camera/ equipment do you use?
Do you have liability insurance?
Do you charge travel fees?
Have you shot at my venue before?
What is your photography style?
Booking/ consultation
engagement
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Frequently Asked questions
your wedding day
My venue is very dark. Can you handle low-light situations?
Who will be photographing our wedding day?
How many hours do you recommend for wedding day portraits?
Do we have to do a first look?
What will you wear to my wedding?
What should I expect from you on my wedding day?
What if something happens and you can't make it to my wedding?
Booking/ consultation
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Frequently Asked questions
your images
What touch-ups do you provide standard?
Do you include every image you shoot?
When can we expect our completed wedding images?
How many images do you typically deliver for a wedding day?
Do you provide RAW files?
Do you back up our images?
How soon can we see sneak peeks of our images?
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Frequently Asked questions
How far in advance should we book you?
As soon as you have a date!
I regularly book as far as 20-24 months out.
Because I take on a limited number of weddings each year, the sooner we can chat, the better!
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do you charge travel fees?
My standard travel range is 100 miles from zip 61241.
For weddings 101-250 miles away, I ask for one night's lodging.
Travel fees for weddings beyond 250 miles are determined on a case-by-case basis.
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How can I reserve you for our date?
Get in touch!
Fill out the contact form here on the site, shoot me an email, or send me a message via Facebook or Instagram.
The contract must be signed and the retainer of 33% paid to officially hold your date.
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Do you have liability insurance?
Absolutely!
I do my very best to limit the possibility of any issues. But, if Grandma trips over a light stand which then falls and whacks Uncle Bob in the head, I'm covered.
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do you shoot ethnic/ gay/ intimate/ non-denominational weddings?
For sure!
Love is love. Do I really need to elaborate?
Frequently asked questions
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have you shot at my venue before?
If it's in the QCA, chances are good that I have shot at your venue.
If not, I will take steps to make sure I am familiar with the space, often by visiting the venue beforehand, and creating my game plan for the day.
Frequently asked questions
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what do packages include?
Packages start at 8 hours of wedding day coverage and each one includes a second photographer, as well as digital images of your wedding day. Each couple also receives the 72-page SDP bridal guide, vendor recommendations, and a custom wedding day timeline. Additional custom USBs, wall art, or Italian-leather album can be added, as well.
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what is your photography style?
I describe my style as timeless and joyful. Others have used the words bright, airy, or fresh.
I aim to capture classic images with a creative or modern twist.
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if we have to cancel the wedding, will we get our money back?
It's never a good situation for anyone when a wedding is canceled, so I like to keep that in mind in situations like this. I have likely turned away other weddings for your date, as have all of your wedding vendors. For this reason, I cannot refund 100% of monies paid. The initial 33% retainer will not be refunded. Any monies paid toward the remainder may be refunded minus expenses IF the wedding is canceled more than 90 days prior to the date. Within the 90 prior, no monies will be refunded.
Frequently asked questions
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do you offer discounts for weekday or Sunday weddings?
Yes!
Please reach out for details!
Frequently asked questions
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what camera/ equipment do you use?
I shoot Canon and always bring two cameras, a multitude of lenses and flashes, and oodles of memory cards. If you'd like to know specifics, please reach out.
The important part for you to know is that I shoot with multiple redundancies. I am prepared for camera/ lens/ flash failures and I take many steps to assure your wedding day images are safe.
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When should we do our engagement session?
That's totally up to you! Some couples like to do their engagement sessions right away so they have them for save the dates or invites. Others prefer to wait for a specific season.
Unless you have a short engagement, I would say 6-12 months prior to your wedding date is pretty standard.
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where can we do our engagement session?
That depends what you have in mind? City? Park? Rural? I've got lots of ideas!
Want to go to the Old Capital building? I'm game.
Let's brainstorm together!
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what is included with our engagement session?
I love engagement sessions! They are our chance to get to know one another and get comfortable before the wedding day. Prior to your engagement session, I will help you with outfit choices and we will work together on location selection. We'll spend 60-90 minutes on location capturing lots of fun and romantic images of the two of you. Then, within two weeks, your engagement gallery will be ready to download!
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I'm super uncomfortable in front of the camera! Will you help me?
Yes! I will tell you where to put your hands, where to look, whether we're smiling or serious, all those little things. I'll break out some cheesy jokes, we'll chat about your wedding vision, and before long, you'll forget you're in front of the camera!
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what if something catastrophic happens and you can't make it to my wedding?
I assure you that the absolute most important thing on my calendar will be your wedding. I take my commitment to you both very seriously, and the last thing I would ever want to do is be absent at your wedding.
However, life does happen. Should I end up in the hospital or someone in my family has a major medical emergency, I do have a contingency plan.
First, I always shoot with a second photographer. Second, I have an amazing network of QCA and Chicago photographer friends who would step in to help, if necessary.
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who will be photographing our wedding day?
Me, of course! I do not hire out your wedding day. You are putting your trust in me to capture your big day and I will be there.
I will bring with me a second photographer who is trained in my style and will produce stylistically similar images.
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My venue is very dark. Can you handle low-light situations?
While my style really shines with outside locations and venues with ample natural light, I am well-equipped and prepared to handle low-light situations.
Frequently asked questions
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how many hours do you recommend for wedding day portraits?
That largely depends on two factors-- how many family portraits you'd like to do and whether or not you plan to do a first look.
For family portraits, plan to allot five minutes per group.
Bridal party portraits can take 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your party.
Ideally, bride and groom portraits can be taken at/ after the first look and again around sunset, for a total of 30-60 minutes.
These are all things I work in to your custom wedding day timeline.
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Do we have to do a first look?
Absolutely not! Some photographers require clients to do a first look, as it does allow for more bride/ groom portraits. However, I've heard countless grooms talk about that moment they first see their bride and how they've imagined that moment for a long time. I can't fathom taking that moment away from anyone. We will do whatever you feel comfortable doing.
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what will you wear to our wedding?
I promise not to wear white. I will wear a professional outfit that is comfortable, allows for movement, and fits the dress code for the event. Sometimes this is a dress, sometimes a jumper, others maybe black capris.
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what can we expect from you on our wedding day?
More than the basic photographer stuff- coming prepared, posing people, and capturing moments- I pride myself on being there for both of you to handle whatever needs done. I'm not there merely as a photographer, but also a friend. I've buttoned dresses, passed on messages, entertained kiddos, fixed veils, and pinned countless boutonnieres. I will help however I can, while also keeping an eye on the timeline, communicating with vendors, capturing your laughter and your tears, and celebrating your love with you both.
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do you give us every image you shoot?
My job is not only to take your wedding day portraits, but to give you the very best images from your day. I take the 2000-4000 images from your day, take out all the undesirable ones, and color-correct/ edit the best.
Don't worry about missing the really important photos. I will make sure to include every part of your day in your final image gallery.
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when can we see sneak peeks from our wedding day?
I give each of my couples two rounds of sneak peeks. The first round is during your reception on your wedding day. While the head table is eating, I upload and edit my favorite 20-50 images from your day and share those on a television throughout the evening of the reception.
The second round of sneak peeks comes 48 hours after your wedding. I feature you both on my blog, tell a little about your love story, and share more of my favorites.
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what touch-ups are included standard?
I am not a PhotoShop guru, and I don't believe in misrepresenting any part of your wedding day. I won't make anyone look skinnier or younger. And I won't change the entire background of an image.
I will color-correct all final images and do limited touch-ups to the couple's portraits. Standard touch-ups include teeth whitening, eye brightening, acne removal, and stray hair removal.
More extensive editing is available on a case-by-case basis.
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when can we expect our completed wedding day portraits?
The process of culling, editing, and preparing your wedding day images takes four weeks.
You will receive a link to your online gallery for sharing with family and friends. And, I will have your custom USB to you shortly thereafter.
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how many images do you typically deliver from a wedding day?
The number of images in your final gallery will be 75-100 per hour of coverage. An eight hour wedding will produce 600-800 final images, for instance.
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do you provide RAW files?
In accordance with industry standards, all files are delivered in JPG format.
RAW files are only part of my work-- the sketch, if you will. The remainder of my art takes place during the editing and color-correcting process.
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do you back-up our images?
Your online gallery of high-resolution digital images will remain online for at least one year. The sheer quantity and volume of images we produce and save for clients limits long-term storage.
