Weddingbee Blog

When prioritizing our budgets, the number one thing after reception was photography, so I knew that was where we needed to begin the vendor selection process. There are so many talented photographers in Chicago with price ranges all over the board that I was so thrilled to know that quite a few of them fall into our budget sweet spot. Sure, there was the one that I loved from the get go that was not doable in our budget (whose blog I still frequent), but the majority of the names I got from the boards were spot on. Some of the popular ones, like the great Miller + Miller that Miss Giraffe is spending her wedding day with was already booked for our day. So, it seemed like we were off and running again with more than a year to the wedding in a race against all other brides in Chicago for 9.10.11.

Photo by Miller + Miller Photography

Photo by Steve Koo Photography

Photo by Jeremy Lawson Photography

Photo by Alix Klingenberg Photography Photo by FigPhoto

One of the coolest concepts that we found was a one stop shop of sorts where you could get a package deal with photography, videography, music and DOC all from the same company. There was also a music & photography company only blocks from our venue that piqued our interest. C’mon, we’re planning a wedding without a planner and without our moms living in the same city—how great would it have been to get all of the vendors at the same place? The only drawback? We loved the 4 in 1 package, but it was just out of our budget, and while we could have moved things around, we weren’t convinced that we needed to spend that much moolah, especially since we weren’t convinced that we needed professional video. So on to the photography & DJ company we went. We liked their work, but it just wasn’t as arty as we wanted it to be. Besides, I didn’t feel like I had much chemistry with the photographer who would work with us, and if she’s with me from my skivvies in the morning to my sore toes at night, we’ve gotta have a bit of a spark, right? Maybe it’s because the Baconator wasn’t there for the meeting, but they just didn’t seem right.

It was time to go the traditional route and meet with photographers one by one. At the time, the Baconator was managing at a Starbucks just west of downtown, so we scheduled the meetings at his store so that he could be a part of it. We met with a talented young photographer who had shot her share of weddings as a second shooter and was finally getting out on her own. Her work was pretty fantastic and had the arty but not-too-arty vibe we were going for. We both got along with her, and even though we had another photographer to meet with a week later, I had pretty much made up my mind that she was the one.

A week later, I rolled back into the Baconator’s store to meet with Jordan from JordanQuinn Photo. A few weeks earlier I got an IM from one of my sorority sisters that simply said “Hey, do you need a photographer? I was in a wedding last weekend with a girl I think you’ll love.” My sister was right on. Jordan is exactly the type of photographer we were looking for: quirky, willing to trust her instincts, professional, fun, artistic, a coffee lover, and super talented. Remember when I mentioned wanting a “spark” with our photographer? Yeah, this gal has it in spades. Our meeting went well beyond the hour we’d planned for and I pretty much want to be her best friend. We had a blast at our engagement pictures last October and I can’t wait for her to be part of our big day. I know that in the 10 hours, she’s going to capture not just the traditional photos of us with our family, but also those moments that can often missed like guests just enjoying themselves and grandma cutting up the dance floor.

Photos by JordanQuinn Photography

Photo by JordanQuinn Photography

Photos by JordanQuinn Photography

Photo by JordanQuinn Photography

Photo by JordanQuinn Photography

Did you think that you had a vendor picked, then change your mind at the last moment? Did you get any suggestions from unmarried/unengaged friends?