Feeling Cherished How To Support Your Wedding Photographer 

I have officially been in the wedding industry for 12 years! I have had the joy of photographing 133 weddings now! WHAT????? 

It’s so exciting to welcome all my 2020 clients, but I want to take a moment and recognize the phenomenal stand up clients I’ve had for the past decade. I honestly have had some bomb shell brides that are incredibly talented at making me feel cherished and supported. 

I have been doing a lot of self discovery and personal growth over the past year. I’ve been trying to figure out what makes me tick. What’s life giving and brings ME joy? What makes me feel cherished and supported in my business?

I’ve spent a lot of years focusing on my clients and finding joy with them. But what about me?  Sometimes when you are building a business you are just trial and error and take the work that comes your way. You are in survival and/or “OMGOSH someone wants to hire me?????” mode!

But after a decade in the business I’m starting to realize that I can be a little pickier about what kind of clients I take. I’ve been really good at setting boundaries on how MANY weddings I take ( I only take 12 a year- with minor exceptions) but I haven’t been picky about what kind of clients. I’ve been REALLY lucky to have drawn in some seriously fantastic people. So I’ve been digging deep and figuring out what makes me feel special as a wedding photographer. I thought it would be helpful to share!

I know for a fact that supporting local businesses and helping women grow their online presence is REALLY exciting for me.

I LOVE being a part of large movements and moving them forward with gorgeous content and inspiring these people to engage in a new way. Small projects are good too but not always as life giving to me personally. There is nothing quite like getting rapped up in something larger than myself! I have even created an entire new membership option within my business specifically for local businesses and bloggers. The membership is designed to help these women (and men) draw in their audience with phenomenal spirit filled content. Mostly this is creating photography content monthly or quarterly for their websites, social media, PR, and advertising…but in a big way it’s also creating education and resources to empower others to dream big and make their lives better and easier! I talk a LOT about my creative content, but I don’t talk a lot yet about my education and workshops. That is going to change in some bigs ways in 2020- but alas that is a totally different blog post! 

Today I want to focus on the kind of BRIDAL clients that bring me joy, as well as give you one important piece of advice to help your wedding photographer feel cherished and supported.

I’m sure this is a work in project but I can tell you a few things that are life giving to me ….

Brides Like Amber

It’s true- today feature is inspired by brides like Amber ( This is her wedding feature after all!) Amber fell in love with my work. She HAD to have it, even if it wasn’t completely in her budget. She took my advice on a videographer that would give her an amazing unique styled video as well (Shameless plug for my friends Denver and Beth with Cineprose!)

It was incredibly important for Amber to have a style of work that felt life giving to her AND to work with someone she could get along with and feel close to on her wedding day. 

In return she was life giving to me.

From day one she was ON it. She filled out my questionnaires for planning the timeline, portraits, and giving me details and vendor names so I could tag and set up a successful flow for her day.

She was constantly encouraging, building up, and supporting me with her words. I worked out some things to make our budgets fit together and she was grateful thankful and ecstatic. She didn’t take my hard work for granted. I am VERY often willing to budget my budget a little to work with clients that respect and cherish me. HINT HINT. Never be afraid to ask but it’s important to any artist that you recognize they are worth every penny and MORE they are asking for. SOOOOO much goes on behind the scenes for photo and video. The 8ish hours we spend on your wedding day pouring out our energy, joy, and creativity are just the tip of the iceberg behind what we do.

Amber knew that. She gave my work and my personal self praise not only before the wedding but on the day AND an incredibly kind email thanks the morning AFTER her wedding!  No JOKE. THE MORNING AFTER. And because Amber respected and loved what I did… so did her family. I felt loved the entire day.

Thoughtful brides like Amber that take time to support, encourage, and praise my work is SO life giving to me. I have been so lucky to have MANY brides like this over the years.

Words of encouragement are on the top of my love languages.

I don’t want to be treated like “the staff” no one wants that…

Unfortunately that happens a lot in my field. I have been gracious enough to only experience that a few times- but it has happened to me, and NEVER again am I interested in just being there to shut up and take pictures…That’s just plain ugly.

I am an individual with a unique gift and eye for beautiful photography. I am a hard worker that cares deeply about helping my clients experience their wedding day as joyful and beautiful. I go above and beyond ALWAYS. I give it my ALL. EVERYTHING. I pour out my energy, creativity, and kindness on all my clients. In return- I desire for them to pour themselves out too. To cherish me and my work. To respect what I do and see the quality and care I offer to my clients. Those clients are life giving to me! Thank you thank you thank you. You know WHO you are!

I want to be an important part of your wedding day, unique and valued and cherished. Don’t we ALL? So let’s love each other WELL!

Enjoy the fuits of Ambers love and respect with gorgeous story telling images from her and Geoff’s wedding day. May they view these photographs year and year and smile with pure joy. And may their grandchildren cherish them and pass them down for generations to come.

WEDDING LIST

It takes a village for a wedding dream to come to live so check out the hand-picked team that came together to help the couples wedding vision for this “Feeling Cherished How To Support Your Wedding Photographer” wedding feature to come true.

Venue: Wedgewood Weddings @ Lindsay Grove

Videographer: Cineprose

Hair & Makeup: Knotti Salon

Floral: Shelly Walker In Bloom – www.communityfloristaz.com

Cake: Amy Kossman- Piece of Cake Desserts

DJ: Damien Barber- Beluvid Entertainment

Gowns: Grace Style & Bridal, Bella Bridesmaids –

Menswear: Nicks Mensware

Flatlays/Paper: Shutterfly

Quartet: Emotions String Quartet

Feeling Cherished How To Support Your Wedding Photographer

See More Wedding Features CLICK HERE

Pinterest Arizona Wedding Inspiration- Click Here.