Originally published on February 2, 2009
One of the questions that comes up quite often here in the hive is, “how long did it take for your photographer to get your proofs to you?” Ms. Gazelle nominated Mrs. Avocado’s post on why your photographer may tell you it will be 8 weeks (or more) before you get your wedding photos back.
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As soon as I saw this post on the blog of Ksenija Savic (who might just have a harder name to say than I do!), I commented and asked her if I could re-post it here. I loved Anne Ruthmann’s post on Weddingbee PRO that talked about this very subject (and in fact, Ksenija’s post was inspired by Anne’s post). Ksenija took things a step further and broke down in hours how long each step of the process takes.
All the words and photos past this point are by Ksenija herself. I hope this helps you understand just a little bit better what it takes to process a wedding.
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Why does it take so long to receive my wedding/portrait images?
(Heather & I decided to collaborate on the verbiage for this post!)
While we haven’t had anyone ask us these questions, at times we wish they would! We wonder if people might be asking themselves these questions, or if they perhaps want to know more about the logistics of it all!
Let’s use a wedding as an example! Here are the basic steps of the process we fine art photographers go through the minute your session or wedding is over.
Step one:
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Hello again everyone! I couldn’t resist this opportunity to stop by and revisit our wedding in a really unique way. Several of the photos below are ones I never would have shared (because I liked others better), but they all highlight really happy things that I love talking about.
First, our exit from the temple. If you read my posts when I was planning my wedding and recapping, you may recall that for LDS weddings the ceremony is held inside with no video cameras or photography. This photo shows our public debut as husband and wife!
Our full wedding party, minus one junior bridesmaid. Out of my bridesmaids two are married, and one will be married this March. I haven’t been a part of many wedding days lately and I miss it (and let’s be honest, I really want to help someone with their wedding planning 
).
We recently took a trip to Europe and I wanted to share with the hive our favorite highlights from our time in Vienna. We were only there for a short time (one evening, one day, one morning) and so we didn’t experience much, but a little bit of research before we left ensured that we would love to go back and do it all again! Feel free to play the song below while you read this post. I don’t think the lyrics apply at all, but I had the line “Vienna waits for you” running through my head while I wrote this post. 
We stayed at the Imlauer based on a recommendation from my father-in-law. Our room was much larger than what I had in Rome with my mom, and they had free internet, which is a must for me.
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I know it’s been a long time since you’ve seen my icon pop up, but I’ve got a crazy story that I just had to come back and share with you!
Back in March a writer getting married in Italy was announced. Miss Carousel, remember her? I know I was really excited to hear all about her wedding, and I decided to send her an email letting her know we would be coming to Italy to find out if she had any advice regarding where we should stay and what we should see. She didn’t just write back a few ideas—she composed an extensive spreadsheet brimming with resources and an itinerary complete with estimated costs!
I wrote back a BIG thank you, and asked a few more questions, but never heard back from her. I stop by Weddingbee every so often, and I noticed she wasn’t showing up here, either.
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Recently in the world of wedding blogging there has been a bit of an uprising from those who are tired of looking at inspirational sites filled with posts that are portraying anything but “real weddings.” Though there are certainly beautiful, detail filled weddings out there, with details that brides have slaved over for hours (I know how hard my Weddingbee gal-pals work!) some of what you are seeing comes from staged shoots, done specifically for building the photographer’s portfolio. I have nothing against those shoots, but it can be disheartening for an everyday bride to log on to Style Me Pretty or Ruffled and wonder why their wedding photos don’t match up.
I agree with those who call for more transparency on the wedding inspiration blogs, and that both photographers and bloggers should make it very, very clear when they are posting something that’s staged. When you are hiring someone, you need to know that the images you see in their portfolio are moment caught during the wedding day, because a Wednesday afternoon staged shoot with hand-picked vendors and controlled lighting is completely different than a chaotic Saturday wedding filled with abandoned timelines and difficult lighting situations.
A new wedding inspiration blog that has grown out of the desire for more authentic photojournalistic wedding photography is called moment junkie.
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The photo booth is the kind of trend that I hope never goes away! As time goes by (two years now), the more I love the photos we got back. Without this, I never would have seen a lot of our guests this relaxed. We didn’t have dancing, so all of the other photos are a lot more formal, but the props and whiteboard pushed people to let loose. Favorite picture? The one of my great-grandma. She’s very close to the end of her life right now, and it’s so lovely to be able to picture her this way, full of sass, and remember all of the wonderful times we’ve had together!
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Usually when things become popular I tend to run in the opposite direction. I either want to be way ahead (doesn’t everyone?) or so far behind that what I’m doing is considered “vintage”, not trendy.
The photobooth became the exception to that rule. With a photographer willing to supply the manpower, and Mamacado in possession of the equipment, I just couldn’t pass it up. It was free after all.
I collected wigs, gloves, hats, feather boas, and other accessories for people to dress up in. I started to wish our wedding was on November 11 instead of on October 11, because we would have been able to get all kinds of great Halloween stuff for really cheap! Most of the supplies actually came from the dress-up box of an 8-year-old family friend.
The mini white board was a very last minute addition to the prop box, and ended up being the hit of the booth.
When I said goodbye that one time I told you I’d be back every once in awhile, and I meant it. This time it’s to share glimpse of my SIL’s wedding invite, a wedding we will be flying out to Poland(!!!) to attend this October. I am beyond excited. Mr. Avo frequently tells me to stop getting my hopes up about the event, because I talk about it as though it’s going to be the BEST WEDDING OF ALL TIME. I have no idea what weddings are like there, but I’m not sure that they are the often-over-the-top DIY plan-your-brains-out type of shindig that we like to throw in the States.
The invitation we got in the mail was far from boring though. Look, a wax seal! (Albeit a broken one, it had to travel a long ways all the way down to Dallas to find us.) The paper it was printed on was really cool as well, I’m not sure where you would find paper goods like that in the US.
I’ve had our wedding album in hand for a few months now and finally got around to taking some photos so you can see how gorgeous the finished product is. The album was designed by the company Albumesque, and assembled by the company KISS wedding books. Both are companies that work exclusively with photographers. I wanted an album that focused on clean and simple design elements that allowed the photos to really remain the focal point. All photos by Kelli Nicole Photography.
The album came with this lovely floral case. I store it inside whenever I don’t have it out to show it off to protect our big investment from accidental damage.
Today marks the first of what I know will be many wedding anniversaries for us. How do I know? Because we aren’t going to make it happen. We aren’t soul mates. We were never “meant to be”. We chose this, and we are going to continue to choose to make it work for the rest of our lives and beyond.
I’ve written a lot about our wedding, 29 posts to be exact. If you want a detailed summary of the entire experience visit my last post about the wedding experience and scroll down to see a list of links to all of my recap posts.
For this anniversary post I went through a few thousand photos (literally) and chose 5 that describe some of my favorite moments of the day.
I can remember the way I felt at our “first look” so clearly. The endowment ceremony and time together in the celestial room the day before had been so calming. Everything felt so right, and we couldn’t stop smiling at each other. I was so sure I wanted to be with him forever.
Want to spend a few minutes with your beloved before the ceremony breathing in each others’ excitement, but do you also want the first time he sees you to be the moment you walk down the aisle?
Consider doing what this couple did and use blindfolds! I don’t know this couple, so this might not be the situation I think it is, but doesn’t it look like they decided to spend some time together before the ceremony without actually seeing each other?
Becoming a Blogger
I wrote my first blog post of all time on May 1st, 2004. I discovered the world of blogging a few months prior when I did an internet search on my American Eagle t-shirt phrase and found a LiveJournal page by a girl in New York. It all seemed so ridiculous and self-involved and my friends and I mocked the people who would do such a thing. Then, I swallowed my pride and decided to start my own. I started my first blog with this sentence of a post: “I am not sure what this is; I am at work and I get really bored so I thought I would try this out.” Pitiful, right? Then I found this article on Time.com while surfing the ’net at work one day, and realized that blogging could be something powerful and exciting, so I began to write scores of mediocre posts detailing my life and different things I found online. I had no readers, a handful of comments, and averaged about 50 posts a year. Definitely not Weddingbee material.
Then I started dating this great Polish guy, and things were looking good. Really good. Like, marriage good. I’m not sure exactly how or when I found Weddingbee (sometime in September or October I think), but I posted excitedly about it in November of 2007:
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Professional photographers are very passionate about insisting that you shouldn’t ask just any friend with a camera to take your wedding photos. But aren’t they just out to make some money? They are running a business, after all. What’s the real difference between a professional with a fancy Canon camera and your friend with one?
Seattle Bride set out to answer that question and the results are quite fascinating. They asked Cody Ellerd, a professional travel writer with a Nikon D60 to tag along with Joey Hong of John & Joseph Photography at the wedding of Vicky Wu and Chris Nicoll. Cody Ellerd has had a few of her shots make the covers and pages of magazines so she definitely has an eye for photography! To quote her, “If you didn’t budget for a professional photographer at your wedding, I’m the friend you might call to take pictures.”
After her experience with John Hong, Cody has changed her mind about hiring a friend for her own wedding which she is in the midst of planning. To quote her, “I now disagree more than ever with the digital-age adage that “now everyone is a photographer”. Tens of thousands of dollars in education, equipment and experience separate me from the pros. Professional photographers, like any other artists or business owners, need to spend money to make money. When you hire them, you’re helping them pay for their investments.”
An example of Cody’s shot:
And John’s:
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I have never felt so grateful to have only one sibling in my entire life, because marrying off a family member is exhausting! I am sure it was much more so for my mother who outdid herself on the DIY details of this wedding. But Sistacado looked beautiful, and they both were so happy, and that is all I have ever wished for her.
I know it’s a bit unusual for someone to “recap” the weddings of their sibling, but I think you’re going to agree that it would be a good idea in this case because of the amount of unbelievably awesome DIY details my mom and sister came up with! I have a few iPhone shots I took throughout the day to act as teasers for right now, and when Kelli Nicole (yes, Sisatacado loved Mrs. Avo’s photos so much that she used the same photographer!) gives the photos back I’ll see if I can get my hands on them to share some of the inspirational details with all of you.
A bridesmaid with no updo experience did her hair (after a failed attempt to do her own) and she altered a strapless dress to make it temple ready. Can you believe those sleeves are built onto what was once a strapless dress? The pleats on the bottom and at the sleeves were her own design.
In 17 days, my little sister and I will be switching roles from the ones we had last October. I’ll be the MOH and she’ll be the bride! LDS girls tend to have short engagements (mine was quite long at 7 months), and she’s pulling this thing together in just over two months.
I’m so happy for her, and I’m very excited to be wearing the black dress and new nude heels seen below (please try to pretend I’m wearing makeup and did my hair), but I’ve been feeling a little soft around the edges lately after gaining a total of 15 LBS since my wedding day in October.
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Have you ever seen Hello Dolly? There is a scene where Dolly sings to Mr. Vandergelder, “Goodbye! Goodbye! Goodbye! Goooooooodbye. Don’t try to stop me Horace!” Dolly says goodbye, but she doesn’t really mean it, since she has no intention of ever leaving.
Scroll to 44 seconds in the video.
I show you this so you understand what I mean when I say I’m pulling a ’Hello Dolly’. I’m saying, “Goodbye,” but what I really mean is, “Goodbye for right now.” Friends and family frequently ask if I’m still writing for that Weddingbee thing, and my response is, “Always!” I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to give it up completely, and so you will continue to hear from me sporadically throughout the years until Bee says, “Enough Avocado!”
But for right now, I need a break. Somehow, life seems even crazier now that the wedding is over. I have school to worry about, a husband to take care of, and lots of other exciting things going on in my life. Rumor has it though, that my sister is considering throwing her own big party this fall, and since she has promised me the official role of wedding planner, I’ll have plenty to tell you about!
Why the big dramatic post about my break?
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Mrs. Avocado, Seattle Age and Occupation: 23, Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant Engagement Date: July 27, 2008 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 30, 2008 Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000 About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
