How much coverage do you need on your wedding day?

All of it!  Just kidding...seriously, how much coverage do you need on your wedding day?  What pictures do you want?  Deciding on what types of pictures you want is your first step.  Talking to your wedding photographer will help you outline your day's events, and figure out what your priorities are.


Getting ready  There are a lot of classic photos to take during this time, that will help tell the story of your wedding day, including pictures of your dress hanging, your shoes, your mom adjusting your veil.  It is important to talk to your photographer to find out how much time you'll need before the ceremony.  We tell our brides to not get dressed before we get there, so that we can get all of the detail shots that you'll adore.

Sneak Peek  Some brides decide to get their portraits done before the ceremony, to help ease time constraints between the ceremony and reception.  The sneak peek idea, is that the bride can sneak up behind the groom, and when he turns around and sees her, she still gets to see the element of joy and surprise on his face.  These images provide a more intimate and emotional scene.

60-minutes of bride and groom time  Your wedding day is short, and there is almost no time for brides and grooms to spend any time together.  Most couples are busy with receiving lines and family portraits.  There have been countless couples who look at their pictures after the wedding, and wish there were more and better photos of just the bride and groom.  These are the photos that you'll hang on your wall, send out in thank you cards, and put on your facebook profile. 

In addition to the great pictures we capture during this time, it is a very peaceful time for you and your new husband to actually have a few minutes alone that day.

Ceremony This one seems like a no-brainer.  Everyone knows that they want the wedding ceremony covered.  You want the pictures of you walking down the aisle, lighting your unity candle, and giving roses to your moms.  Depending on your location, there may be certain restrictions for the photographers to adhere to, and time restraints as well.

Portraits  This is something to discuss with your wedding photographer.  Are you planning a lot of group shots?  Do you want to go to different locations for portraits?  These things can affect how much time you need for your portraits on the day of your wedding.

Reception  What kind of reception are you having?  A traditional reception can include toasts, dinner, special dances, cake-cutting, dollar dances, bouquet and garter tosses.  In addition to which formalities you want to include, dinner can be a buffet or a sit-down affair, and that affects your timeline, too.  Whether you decide you want to have coverage of all the formalities, or only some, will also affect how much coverage you need on your wedding day.

When you schedule your bridal consultation with us, we will go over your timeline for your wedding day, and help you determine how much coverage you'll actually need.  While every wedding is unique, we typically recommend coverage begin an hour before the ceremony and end two hours after the reception.  Factors that might affect this would be things like getting your portraits finished before the ceremony, a large family or lots of family pictures, locations, dinner type, and formalities included at your reception.

Dane turns ONE {cake smash!}

Happy Birthday, Dane!  We have been photographing this family for a few years, and first met Dane when he was 3 months old.  We decided on an in home session with some one year portraits and ending with a fun cake smash!!!  We love cake smashes, let us know your "theme" for your little one and we can come up with a fun birthday shoot!

   

 

Such a cutie!  He did wonderful for his session, so many smiles and what a fun cake smash!!!

Now booking Senior Sessions for Spring & Summer!

We are taking appointments for Spring & Summer Senior Sessions.
We currently have weekday evening and weekend appointments available.  Our appointments do fill up quickly, so make sure to contact us soon to see what we have available.

Our Senior pricing is:  $200 for a 1 to 2 hour portrait session that includes a DVD of edited images with print release.  We edit every picture for color correction, black/white, retouching, etc.  We do not limit the number of outfits, however, the more you change, the less time you will have for the actual session.  2-3 outfits is pretty standard for one of our senior sessions.  Our senior sessions are limited to one location.  Some locations, such as forest park, have many backgrounds available (the muny, art hill, the boathouse, etc.) and this would only be considered one location.  Once you contact us to set up your session, we will get to know more about you and your style.

             

We also offer print packages, senior books, set of proofs, proof books, etc.

Contact us to set up your senior session!  We can answer any questions you may have on locations for your portraits, and your clothing choices.

   

How to get the most out of the bridal fair

Hello Brides!

It's engagement season, and that means one thing....Wedding Fairs! The one-stop shopping and inspiring trade shows created just for you! All of the vendors pay to rent a booth, so that they can be there in front of your eyes. These are great opportunities for you, to see vendors' work, to taste their food, to meet them and talk to them and ask all of your questions. How can you, as a bride, get the most out of these opportunities?

First, buy address labels and print them out on your printer the night before. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, and wedding date. Most vendors will want to collect your information and it will be quicker and easier to peel and stick your label than to hand-write all of that information 100 times that day! Also, it's much harder for your vendors to screw up your email address if you have it typed instead of handwritten.

Definitely create a separate email account for your wedding planning!  Most bridal sites, wedding fairs and vendor booths ask for your email address, and it's great to have a separate account for all of those emails!  You can get creative and use your names and wedding date.

Travel light! You will be receiving a lot of information from the photographers, caterers, bakers, venues, dj's and florists. Most of us will give you a flyer or brochure for you to look at later. If you come in with lots of belongings, you may find yourself with too much to carry!  Also - dress comfortably (especially comfortable shoes!).  There is a lot to see, so lots of walking!

Stop and talk to the vendors! Many vendors will include drawings, freebies, or show specials for brides who book from the show. Many of these great deals won't be advertised on their website or on their facebook page. If you don't go and talk to the florist, how will you know that she's offering a free toss-away bouquet- or maybe you already have a florist in mind, but find a great bouquet idea at her booth!

Make sure to remember which vendors stood out.  It is hard at the end of the day when sorting through your packet of flyers to remember who your favorites were! Some of our brides have written on the back of flyers, or brought stickers to mark their favorite vendors' flyers. 

Look through albums and prints on display.  You can get lots of wonderful ideas by looking through vendors albums and prints, such as flower bouquets, color combinations and definitely portrait ideas!

Be prepared to make appointments with the vendors you like. Not many vendors will expect you to commit to their service the day of the wedding fair, but many will ask you for an appointment for further consultation. If you like the vendor and their services, be prepared with times that you are available to meet with them. This is especially true if you have a popular wedding date!

If you can get a list of the vendors who are going to be at the show beforehand, take a look at their websites and be prepared to meet them with a list of questions. This is your opportunity to ask questions and get their answers!Here is a list of questions for you to ask your photographers.

Lastly, be sure to have a good time and enjoy yourself. Bring your girlfriends or your mom, and make a day of it! Depending on the vendors at the show, there might be hair or make-up stylists there to give you a make-over, or bakers who have a cake for you to taste! Many of the bridal fairs will have fashion shows for the boutiques to show off their dresses, and who doesn't love a good fashion show?

**We are offering $200 off of our wedding packages until the end of this month, February, 2013 as our bridal show special!  Email us at info@tomorrowstreasuresstl.com for package pricing information!

Baby Madison is here!

Baby Madison made her appearance a few weeks early! She is gorgeous and just so sweet. She did so wonderful for her first photo session, I was able to capture such great images for them.