Today’s post is from my heart… I know it looks wordy, but it’s worth the read.

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all the words..
, because it may stop you making the worst decision of your wedding, like I did.

Nine years ago I married the love of my life, my soul mate.  Corny? Maybe… but both of us felt it!  This was my second wedding, the first being the all out elaborate affair, the second being small and intimate.  I loved both of them but there is one huge, extraordinarily deep regret from my second wedding that I implore you to hear.

On 9th August every year my hubby and I sit on the couch together, legs entwined, a bottle of wine and a Thai Curry and look at our wedding video and then follow it with a very small display of photos. We feel the same pinch of sorrow, and get the same bitter taste in our mouth every year from the one decision that we made, so so wrong.

Make sure you don’t make the same bad decision I did.

Nine years ago we made a bad decision by biting the bullet on our budget with our Photographer, and bitterly regret it to this day, especially when I am now blogging about incredibly talented photographers like Alpine Image Co. Nine years ago, even after checking out our photographer and agreeing that what we both saw in his studio was stunning wedding photos… we chose him, but, and this was a big but… we chose the only package we could afford, which was one of his smallest.  And we got his cheapest work!!!  Had we bought his top package, we may have ended up with the kinds of photos that we saw, and loved, in his studio.

Out of 200 or so photos, we like 3!  It breaks my heart every time I think about it and still while I write this I feel that same burning in my tummy and tension in my body; it so upsets me.  Even on our wedding day I had to tell him what to do to try and get some great shots.  Would you believe that the three shots we like are all the ones I composed.

This is a life-time investment, spend as much as you can.

I implore you to consider my words, and to discuss it with each other because your wedding day will physically only last for one day but could live an eternity through beautiful, creative, stunning wedding photos that capture you both in the midst of what will be one of the greatest days of your life.  Don’t just count on memories or OK photography, because ten years on, it’s hard looking back, trying to remember all the little details.

Imagine not being able to showoff  stunning wedding photos of you two around your house or not having that romantic pic of you two beside your bed.  Imagine having your photos still in a plastic bag nine years on … that’s where mine are.

This is why I am passionate about bringing you wedding photography inspiration as often as I can.  I scour the internet, I scrutinize pictures and I drink a ton of tea before I blog about them but I will work my Sophie Dahl butt off to get them to you, I promise you!

What should your money buy?

So what should you pay for?  This is my mission – I want to show you what great wedding photography is so that you get an idea of what yours should be like.  Black and white, colour, documentary, traditional, it doesn’t matter what style you choose, that depends on what you like but it jolly-well does depend on quality so don’t just judge their studio shots, or their online gallery.  Talk to them, read testimonials and research!

It doesn’t mean you need a mortgage for them, just time, research and an appropriate financial investment.

What is great wedding photography?

Here is one of my favourite recent finds whom I keep stalking! 🙂  What I love about Alpine Image Co is the moodiness they seem to capture in all their wedding photos, no matter who the Bride and Groom or where their pictures are being taken, you feel the subjects, not just see them.  Their shots are composed to a degree of perfection and entice you to look further into the photos.  And, they’re different!  I do like things that are different, I have to admit.  They take risks, experiment, look through the lens at their subject and their environment.

So this is what stunning wedding photography looks like.  Meet Brie and Leonard.  I LOVE Bries black wedding dress!

Great photography + a great photographer that you get on with + the biggest budget you can throw at it = Stunning Wedding Photos that last your life time.

The image above of Brie won an award for Anna of Alpine Image Co, The NZIPP Iris Award which attracts hundreds of entries from around the country and overseas each year.

This image above has captured a really personal moment between the two. I adore it!!!

This image is sultry, sexy and so damn romantic!

Anna, Miles and Jen as a team have won multiple awards internationally and in New Zealand where they are based.  As one client of Alpine Image Co said “I am particularly impressed that there is not a bad photo in the bunch.”.

This is what you want to say when you see your wedding images!!!

Brie & Leonard’s wedding

There is a superb story behind Brie and Leonards wedding photos.  Brie did not want a bouquet, she wanted something different so Anna from Alpine Image Co sugggested the rams skull which she uses for her photographic students… Brie loved the idea.  I think the photo above with the Groom holding the rams skull in front of his face is brilliant!

Brie and Leonard said when they booked Alpine Image Co: ‘The photography is CRUCIAL to us. While we recognise that there are certain moments in every wedding that should be captured, what we really want from our photography is difference. We don’t so much want our photos to capture the day but to be unusual works of art with depth”.  That’s what wedding photography should be, composed, un-composed and captured moments.

Brie and Leonards words after they saw their photos: ‘I don’t even have the words… Leonard and I had a perfect day and we owe so much of that to you … Somehow you took what was in my mind and made the reality even better than I could have hoped. Your vision is truly astounding and the fact that you have the talent to make that vision a reality is amazing’.

My passion, my promise.

Some bloggers out there are passionate about Vintage, or passionate about bringing out your rebellious side or helping make your wedding full of all those pretty things; it’s wonderful inspiration for you but one of my promises to you is that I will show you how to not make the same mistake I did and ensure you have many stunning images from your wedding day.

Thanks to my new job as a blogger I am now head buried in submissions from some wonderful people around the world which helps me bring to you a great showcase of talent to help you make your decision when choosing your photographer.

Alpine Image Co. are in my top five. They are also wonderful, beautiful people to deal with and that means a lot.  Check out their Mt Cooking wedding photos or the wedding in The New Zealand Alpine Mountains for some more great examples of their work.

I hope all these images inspire you in some way and I hope you choose to spend as much as you can on a photographer and make sure you have stunning imagery to hang on your wall, not a bunch of photos in a plastic bag, buried in a cupboard.

Zarn