Hello hello, welcome back to Allison in Wonderland! We’re already so many posts into my wedding series – I can’t believe it. So far, I’ve talked about my favorite venues in the MD/DE/PA/VA area and finding my dress… and today, we’re diving into how to find your photographer! I know in my last post, I said today’s topic would be about how to determine the right size wedding for you but with everything going on with the coronavirus, I’d like to give some love and exposure to talented, local photographers first! I’d say finding the right venue was my fiancé and I’s top priority but choosing the right photographer was definitely up there. After all, these are photos you’ll have forever so you want to make sure you get it right! Throughout this post, I’ll be sharing all the wedding photographers we considered before choosing the (amazing) one we’re going with. They’re all either local to the MD/DE/PA/VA area or are willing to travel to wherever your wedding is! I’ve also linked all of their websites so you can easily click through to see their work and pricing. Let’s get started…
Finding the right photographer for our wedding was really important to me – almost more important than the venue. I love photography and have such a specific look that I’m going for so this was the first thing we tackled after getting engaged, aside from finding the venue. The first thing I did was consider the photographers I’d already shot with in the past or knew personally. Did they make me feel confident and comfortable during the shoot? Did they capture the vibe I wanted? Was I obsessed with how the photos turned out? After thinking that through and finding a long list of other photographers who I’d come across on Instagram (hint hint: search #delawareweddingphotographer or something similar for your state to find options), I dove into their photos. Is their work unique or do they only have the traditional wedding shots that everyone has? What do past couples have to say about working with them on their wedding day? Are they in my price range? All these things were major factors as I whittled down my list. The 10 photographers below checked all my boxes – they’re photography superstars and I hope I get to shoot with all of them soon.
KEMP COLLECTIVE: Kemp Collective is a wedding and elopement photography duo who is actually a couple themselves… how fun! Their photos always have a beautiful authenticity to them and they definitely have the editing style that I LOVE so we were quick to add them to our list. Click here to check out their website!
BROOKE MICHELLE: Brooke is incredible! I’ve actually shot with her a couple other times for blog things so I knew she had to be on my list to check out for wedding photos. She’s so fun to work with and incredibly uplifting, which is a great thing to have on your special day. Her photos are very light and bright and beautiful and perfect to capture your wedding memories. Click here to visit her website!
SPARROW AND LACE: Oh my goodness… can you say BEAUTIFUL!? I really can’t imagine a more beautiful aesthetic than hers (click here to see). I always look forward to seeing new Sparrow and Lace photos on my feed and I love love love the moments she captures! I imagine a wedding day captured by her would be perfect.
SOUTH OF INDIGO: South of Indigo is an elopement and small wedding photographer so her life is basically traveling around, living in her car for most of the year, and capturing incredible images! When she’s not living in her car, she’s based in California but willing to travel anywhere for love… now that’s what we like to hear! Click here to check out her work… hint hint, it’s amazing.
MOLLY JANE: Molly is another photographer that I’ve shot with a few times before… she’s so fabulous! She really makes you feel comfortable right off the bat and is so supportive of whatever vibe you’re wanting. Her direction while shooting is amazing and her editing couldn’t get any better – the photos come out so crisp. And she has a little baby on the way! You’ll definitely want to check her out for your wedding day. Click here to see!
SINCERELY THE KITCHENS: The Kitchen’s are a husband and wife duo that does photography AND videography so if you’re wanting both, these two might be for you! Their work is incredible and you can really tell how passionate they are about what they do. Another fun thing about these two is they have a photo booth camper that you can rent out and it’s so cute! Click here for their website.
KATE ANN PHOTOGRAPHY: Kate is a photographer my fiancé and I actually shot with right before the coronavirus quarantine began for an engagement shoot and she was amazing! Such a sweet gal and the photos turned out amazing (the featured photo at the top of this post was taken by her!). Her positivity and direction really helped us throughout the shoot and I’m dying to shoot with her again! Click here to check out her cute website.
NATE BITTINGER PHOTOGRAPHY: Nate Bittinger is another one who does both photography and videography and his videos are fantastic! His work has a really surreal look to it and it’s stunning. A lot of his photos, at least recently, are in the mountains so if you’re doing a mountaintop elopement, he would be perfect! Click here to check out his site.
BECA HALE: Beca is based in North Carolina but available to travel wherever she’s needed! Her work has a really fun and cool vibe and she seems so great to work with. All of her photos show someone smiling and it just makes you feel good! Click here for more info on Beca!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEANNA MICHELE: Deanna is a destination wedding photographer so if you’re traveling for your wedding, so will she! Her Instagram bio says she’d likes to chat with her clients over margaritas and tacos and what could be better than that? Most of her photos have a little bit of a darker, moody vibe and I’m really into it for a Fall or Winter wedding! Click here for her website.
Those are all the wedding photographers we considered… aren’t they all wonderful!? Hopefully this was helpful to you if you’re planning a wedding in the MD/DE/PA/VA area or just looking for some pretty photos! I’m sure they’d all love to do an engagement session with you if you want to give them a try before booking for your wedding. Any guesses which photographer we chose for our wedding day???
Finding our photographer was one of the most exciting parts about planning our wedding because the photos mean so much to me so I’m so glad I can pass on my “research” to all of you! If you have any questions or comments, be sure to leave them in the comments section below – I love to hear from you. The next post in my wedding series will be all about how to know what size wedding is right for you… don’t miss it!
