March 11, 2020
We are excited to share our March Featured Bride with you! This month we have an extra special bride because she is a fellow wedding vendor. Mary Beth of Capture Photography. We have worked with Mary Beth on boudoir shoots and weddings. She is talented, creative, and a dedicated wedding professional. Ever wonder what vendors someone who is immersed in the wedding industry would book? We asked Mary Beth what made her choose her team of wedding vendor professionals for her big day!
As a wedding photographer… who did you choose to capture YOUR wedding day?!
Photographer: Simply K Studios
Lots of people asked how on earth I chose a wedding photographer after being in the industry for 13 years. Of course, being on the other side of the camera – I had to decide who to entrust with our big day. Simply K Studios is owned by two awesome ladies that I got to know through working in the industry and it wasn’t long before we became genuine friends. When my husband and I were in Cancun (on a job with Simply K) when we found out we got our house and it was Kathy and her husband that we celebrated with.
When it came to our wedding, we knew we had to have them as our wedding photographers. The day of, Kathy and Kelly came with their sweet and authentic personalities. Not only did my husband and I feel at ease, but so did everyone around us. Their personal approach allowed for our story to be told as it was: parents laughed with full smiles, bridal party had fun and enjoyed getting their picture taken. Above all, my husband and I got to be “us”, and therefore our photographs were him and I to our core.
Also… did I mention our epic engagement session where Kathy not only listened to our ideas, but put her own creative spin on them, which blew us away!
As a wedding photographer myself (and maybe I shouldn’t be saying this ?) I would hire Simply K over and over again for the most important day of my life. These two talented women captured the very essence of who we are as a couple. Thank you, thank you, Kathy and Kelly for giving us the gift of a lifetime and beyond.
Wedding vendors tend to work closely with the DJ to coordinate the timing of the event. Did you already have a DJ in mind? Who did you go with?
Believe it or not music was the MOST important thing to me as a bride. I have had the privilege of working with Atmosphere Productions for many years now as a wedding photographer. One thing I always knew was, when I’d be working with Sam as a vendor, it would be a stress-free, well coordinated and energetic wedding. His pure love for music is infectious and even on the days when I was exhausted from working for 12 hours, you would always catch me out on the dance floor if he was the DJ!
For my own wedding, it felt like a no-brainer. One thing I made clear up front is that a lot of our music might not be typical and that we wanted the music to literally be the soundtrack to the day through our eyes. Music has been a BIG part of our relationship and we wanted that to be part of our wedding just as much. When I worried that my choices in music might be too obscure or not even available – Sam assured me he had everything we choose and more. He understood the “feeling,” we wanted and simply took our suggestions and filled the rest with his picks which we loved since he is the expert!
The preparation prior to the wedding was what surprised me the most. Being a wedding photographer, I had NO idea what was involved for the DJ. This was very eye opening. Sam took the time to sporadically check in, thoroughly go through each step of the day, and easily accommodated our not-so-traditional families. He asked questions and mapped things out so that by the time the day came I KNEW Sam had everything he needed. Even when a couple things changed that day he took care of it like a rockstar.
All the care, time and energy Sam provided for our day made him the best choice and his rates match his quality ten times over. Thank you so much Sam for sharing your talent with us and being part of the best day of our lives!
A wedding planner is such a vital piece of a stress-free wedding day. Did you already have an event planner in mind?
Event Planner: Kia of Engaged Connecticut
The DAY we got engaged I told Kia Martinson we had to have her as our wedding planner. I’ve seen her go through SO many weddings when I was the wedding photographer that I couldn’t imagine trusting anyone else with the most important day of my life.
First off, SO many people asked how we found our wedding venue and we have Kia to thank for that. She had us break down our needs and wants and that was the ONLY venue we even looked at because it was so perfect and so us.
I never imagined myself being bridezilla, but I had those moments and Kia Martinson had ALL the patience in the world. She constantly calmed my fears, answered my questions and reminded me that she HAD THIS! It was hard to let go off my wedding brain as a photographer who is always in control of things on the day, but she reminded me to simply be a bride.
Her team constantly updated me with new ideas or finds they had for our Alice in Wonderland themed wedding – always new surprises and thoughtful touches throughout the year of planning.
The day of the wedding I was SO sick and as everyone around me tried to comfort me (family and friends who were truly awesome) it was her and her team member Devin that stood with me outside, talked me through it and, wouldn’t you know, an hour later my fever broke! Devin is the type of person you just want around all the time, so imagine how lucky I was to have her there on my wedding day. Her positive, sweet nature is contagious.
Kia puts EVERYONE and EVERYTHING before her – making for an amazing experience for anyone having a wedding. Although she is awful at one thing- taking compliments!!! So with that being said- Kia you made all my wedding dreams come true and we will be forever grateful for you <3, you were born to be a planner and we love ya!
We love florals and decor! You must have photographed some beautiful centerpieces in your career. Spill, who has your go-to florals?
Flowers: Wood and Words Bloom
Wood & Word provided our flowers and boutonnières for our Alice in Wonderland themed wedding. Her art was by far one of the most favorite parts of my entire day! Her intricate details, thoughtful touches and overall creativity blew me away. She was easy to communicate with, very thorough and so much more affordable than “normal,” wedding flowers. Plus now we have these beautiful memorabilia in our home to remember our special day forever. I cannot praise Wood & Word Blooms enough!
Your gown was stunning!! Where did you get it from?
Dress: Bliss Bridal
Jessica Watcke was more like my new best friend than my wedding dress vendor. Her store has a boutique feeling without the outrageous price tags. At first I thought I wanted something loud, lavish and crazy but together we found that simplistic old fashion beauty in the most unexpected place with the dress I did choose. I hadn’t seen a dress like this anywhere before. Her staff is friendly, thorough and so caring. Although they have tons of clients, I always felt like I was their only one. I have already sent tons of people her way because of the tremendous experience I had, thank you again!
Food is super important to a successful wedding day. We always leave after hair and makeup is done and never get to see who caters! Who did you choose?
Caterer: Lizzie’s Catering
Lizzies worked with us to balance my taste buds that rival a 10 year old, and my husband who is an amazing chef and absolute foodie. Not only did have specific needs, but we had allergies, vegetarians, and kids to account for on our big day. Lizzie assured us that all of this would be taken care of with great quality and creativity. For months now, people still talk about our “awesome food truck,” and the fun food that matched our personality!
Who did your hair and makeup? It looked flawless….
Hair & Makeup Team: KiSSandMaKeUp
You guys! Huge shout out to KiSSandMaKeUp, our wedding hair and makeup team! I knew when I got engaged I HAD TO BOOK YOU! The team is so sweet, talented and attentive. Everyone in my bridal party had different wants and needs and these girls beautified my entire wedding party – including my husband – that’s right! He was given the special groom treatment which was light but professional and really gave our photographs that extra pop. I had so much fun doing my trial and did my engagement photos that day. Now I follow Pam and her team as a past bride – I love that she offers so many fun classes and get togethers!
I will be a client for life!
It was an absolute honor to be chosen to beautify a fellow wedding pro. We were so happy to be apart of her day. We want to thank all the vendors who were a part of this special day. Ready to book YOUR beauty team?
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