Day 226: Photography

Did I mention we're back at Humboldt Park for both the ceremony and reception? Yep. We changed it back. After a few visits we realized Logan Square Auditorium was not going to be the right choice for us. Luckily, after a painfully long wait, we were finally able to sign on for Humboldt Park for the ceremony and reception. It was all very exciting.

Since then, I've been working on flower ideas, searching for a DJ, talking with different vendors about catering, and the list goes on and on...

Anyways, I am proud to say we have another official contract - our photographer, Alix Klingenberg!

According to everything I have read about wedding planning - be it blog, book or otherwise - they all seem to recommend that couples determine the most important detail to splurge on before diving into the details. For some people, blowing it all on the day-of threads is absolutely fine, for others it's food. For us, it's photography.

From a soon-to-be-wed couple standpoint, we're spending the most money we will probably ever spend for one single event (technically, there's also the honeymoon). Long after the dress and suit are dry-cleaned, the cake is cut and the hangovers have worn off, we'll still have our photos to hang-on to. With all of the hard work that's going into setting up all the details, having the right person to capture the moment seems more than crucial.

So for us, it's really important for our photographer fit the following criteria:

Live local.
It supports our city and cuts down on additional travel costs.

Know all the fun editing tricks.
Filters can go along way in making the most of a photo and all those editing tricks are what can make a sunny outdoor ceremony look like a wedding straight out of the '60s. As huge fans of vintage prints and artsy photography, we wanted to make sure our photographer could make it our shots look more "vintage romantic" and less "senior portrait day."

Have wedding experience.
It's great to know how to make things look pretty, but finding a photography with wedding experience is important. Even though we know we want to have more than a few not-so traditional photo poses, we also know we'll want a few the family will appreciate and having someone who knows how to shoot both with patience and creativity is crucial.

Be affordable.
It kind of goes without saying that finding someone to work with our budget is important, but figuring out what's reasonable can be tricky. Photography can run a couple anywhere from free, with a close friend doing the shots to $10K and up, for the crazies and rich people. This post on CostHelper.com gives a good starting off point if you're just diving into planning and not sure what to expect. (Added Bonus: The comments bitching back and forth can give you further insight on the great value debate if you wanna kill some time).

Share copyrights.
Kind-of a must these days with all the digital photography. This way you can print, share and pretty much do what you want with your images.


All of those important components considered, Alix is definitely the perfect photographer fit for us. When we met with her in person, she was flexible enough to meet at New Wave Coffee (nice little coffee shop in our hood), she was super friendly and very professional. She patiently sat through all of our many, many questions and with one look at her Web site, it's easy to see she can master a range of shots. From adding artsy touches to engagement sessions to really capturing reception detail shots (stuff couples may labor over but might otherwise go unnoticed by guests), she does it all and she does it very well.

I first came across her work while doing some PR work and stumbling across the infamous Taco Bell wedding. I loved the shots, and I loved the quirky couple that stuck with what felt perfect for them even if it was unusual by other people's standards. They came out looking really lovely and smart and I think Alix had a lot to do with that. Here's hoping she can do the same for us (may have her work cut out for her there :)

Here are a few of my favorites from her site, but there's a lot more if you wanna check it out:


I can't wait to see what kinds of shots she comes up with for our wedding!