Weddingbee Blog

What’s flush tea?

Taking that first crack at looking natural in photographs was no easy task for me, but before we even got there, we had to find a photographer.

For some reason, finding a photographer for this wedding has been a major source of stress for me. I didn’t know this would be the case at first, so I dove into finding a photographer with the same gusto as everything else. Mucho gusto, that is.

But then I hit a wall. I had too many photographers. I was getting follow-up calls at the most inconvenient times. I couldn’t coordinate schedules with Momma Kettle or Mr. Kettle to set up meetings. I began avoiding the calls like I was avoiding a bill collector. It was bad, y’all.

Image: Lockhorn vs. Lockhorn Blog / Cartoon by The Lockhorns

The biggest thing is that I wanted engagement photos taken. And I wanted to use those photos as our STDs. I had already made the bunting banner!! And I wanted to get these photos done by the end of June. I had to find a photographer at least for our engagement-photo shoot.

I knew there was no way I was going to end up with a package deal for e-photos on top of the wedding, so I let that go pretty quickly. The next job was to find a photographer who wouldn’t hound me to sign a contract for all our wedding photos.

Enter Mr. Kettle with his amazing, I’m-a-musician-plus-I-have-a-ridiculously-large-family connections. In the span of a week, I collected business cards and phone numbers from probably four different photographers just by going to family events and gigs with him.

We ultimately decided to go with his cousin who’s a photographer. I went to his website and checked out his photos. I wanted photos of Mr. Kettle and me just being us with no embellishment. His photos looked just like that.

For his price ($300), we got a photo shoot. He was open for shooting as long as we needed in as many places as we wanted. He also agreed to give us a CD with the images as well as access to his website to download them whenever. Gotta love that family connection!

I ended up getting an opportunity to make our Moo cards and STDs earlier than expected, but he was on it. He had our photos available for me to use within a couple days. If you’re looking for a photographer in the Chicago area, send me a private message and I’ll tell you how to contact him.

We decided on just one location for our pics because we didn’t have a whole bunch of time that day. Mr. Kettle took a gig (which is a recurring theme on pre-wedding-stuff days). I’m not gonna tell where we took the photos just yet—I want to see if any Chicagoans can figure it out!

I chose this place because it is literally my favorite place on the planet. I love that it’s this escape in the midst of so much bustle. I can sit on a bench and read my Kindle and feel like I’m tucked away from the world, but so close to the pulse of it all. So without further ado, our e-pics!

All images from The Nu3 Buzz Media

I started off incredibly awkward. Mr. Kettle has done photo shoots for album covers, so he was better.

Still standing awkward, making photos I barely want to use for our thank you cards…

What to do with my arms? So many decisions. At least Mr. Kettle has an amazing smile in this one. And of course, the wreath looks fantastic!

At this point, we were having waaay to much fun. But look how great our STD bunting looks!

The bunting is really popping in this photo. Too bad we decided the kissy photos might be a bit too much, ’cause I really love this one.

My smile is still awkward, my hand is too pose-y, and the wind was blowing the bunting. I was feeling pretty proud about the durability of the banner at this point.

What was Mr. Kettle pointing at? This is the obligatory walk-toward-the-camera shot.

I had just started getting comfortable and we were actually able to have a private moment even though a family member was nearby and lots o’ passersby were noticing us.

I ended up using this one on our wedding website cause it’s so playful. I had been dying to have my sunlight-streaming-through-the-leaves shot. Yay!

Yeah, we kinda got into the kiss. Cue uncomfortable averted eyes. I do love this shot. Maybe I’ll frame it and put it up in our house.

If I didn’t look like a turtle here, I’d like this shot a lot more. Mr. Kettle looks so protective and safe.

There is a crazy story behind this photo.

Mr. Kettle is looking to see which bird had just pooped on me and whether he was still up there.

We sat on the grass to take pics and a bird promptly pooed on me. I thought it was a bug on me until I noticed the “bug” was soaking into my dress. Good thing Cousin Photographer’s girlfriend was there. She helped de-poo my dress and we moved forward. Mr. Kettle told me I couldn’t be a bridezilla because I didn’t freak out about the incident or let it ruin the rest of our day.

More weird smiles. But I think I just have weird laugh-y faces, maybe. I put this one up for the background. Can anyone guess what that is in the background?

This is a favorite. This went on the website and on our Moo cards, and I’m considering getting it framed.

More awkwardness. I couldn’t stare off into space. Who knew that was so hard?

I do love the shots of us on the bench. The whole time I was asking Mr. Kettle, “Where are you looking?” He’d respond, “at the light pole.” Then I’d go, “Which light pole? The top, middle, or bottom? I want us looking at the same spot so this pic doesn’t look weird.”

Turns out over-thinking a photo can do that, too…

Since we were in the park, we had to go to the playground. While we were pretending to be carefree and fun, we actually had a lot of fun.

This is the pinnacle of awkwardness. I didn’t know how to stand. Apparently, I’m too pose-y.

Oh wait, it gets worse.

Mr. Kettle is, of course, a natural. Sooooo cute. Sigh. I love that man!

This was better, no?

I think Cousin Photographer gave up on getting me to be “natural.” We took hundreds of photos, so we winded it down and headed to Mr. Kettle’s gig.

The shoot was actually a lot of fun. I was amazed with how good some of the pictures looked in spite of my awkwardness.

Wedding Planning Tip #4: If you have a chance to take pics before the wedding, do it! Get comfortable in front of the camera—you will appreciate getting past the awkwardness.

I did learn that comfort with the photographer helps. I want all family and friends to be guests at the wedding, not vendors. So we’re back on the hunt for another photographer. And by we, I mean Mr. Kettle and FSIL Grand.