Find a Photographer Who Goes Above and Beyond for You
Truly, every part of your wedding day is important and memorable, but the photos that capture it all (the details, the love, the first, second, third, ALL the looks) - they might just be the most important. That’s why finding someone who you trust to do the job and exceptionally well, at that, is imperative. We wouldn’t say that it’s crazy crucial to find a photographer that’s as close to you as your bestie, but then again, some photographers slip into the role of unofficial MOH without any prompting whatsoever. Soooo, with trust and accountability in mind, maybe you really should look for someone like Melissa Koren and her synonymous shutterbug business, Melissa Koren Photography.
We’ve actually wanted to do a post on ‘friendors’ for a while now, so we thought Melissa would be the perfect person to help us put together this reasons why list.
3 reasons why you want to book a vendor (photographer, more specifically) who will go that extra mile for you.
Because flexibility is not forgotten.
Couples don’t just press pause on their lives when they get engaged - hah, that’s a funny thought, right? No, they carry on with their regularly-scheduled routine, work, family, friends, etc., and they learn to balance it all. So, finding a vendor, and one like a photographer who you’ll likely be seeing more than just the one day (for an engagement session, a pre-wedding shot list huddle, post-wedding photo postmortem, etc.), who can be nimble and accommodate your busyness is beyond! Whether that means arranging meetings with you after work hours - when they’re not necessarily off the clock, but you are - or retooling how far they’ll go for your engagement photos (because you’ve only EVER wanted to shoot somewhere that’s typically outside of their client servicing perimeters), if they’re willing to be flexible for you, you’ve got yourself wedding pro gold.
Because you won’t want to deal with extra stress.
Rolling off that last one, not only does wedding planning mean that you’ve got extra to-dos on your daily docket, it also means lots of added stress. And when your family, friends, even your bridal party can’t help to alleviate some of the strain, being able to count on a vendor to mellow you out is 🙌🙌🙌. Melissa has been described as ‘the perfect combination of positive energy and calm,’ and if you ask us, that wizardry is ohhhh-so-wedding-worthy. She ensures her clients always have fun and feel low-pressure so they can really focus on enjoying the moments they want to share with their loved ones. She anticipates her couples’ moves before they make them, and commits to being in the right place before they even have to ask. She’s organized, prepared, armed with extra equipment, the right lenses to handle even the darkest stone churches or dimly-lit receptions, and patient+assertive 24/7 so that she can take hold of any moment, even if there’s some stress.
Because a close bond yields the best results.
How annoying is it when people say ‘oh, relax, just be yourself?’ Yah, much easier said than done! And when it’s your wedding day, and there are 12,000 things to do before you say ‘I Do,’ the circumstances (combined with the fact that you’re coasting into a major new milestone) aren’t exactly conducive to chilling out and being yourself. That being said, if you do enlist someone who you’ve been able to build a friendship and foundation with in the time it’s taken to go from just-engaged to journeying to the altar, you’ll feel much more comfortable being vulnerable around them or even asking them for their help. Melissa says that her close relationships with her clients is what allows her to put them at ease. It’s how she gets the ‘in-between moments, those unexpected, significant breaths, that they’ll cherish forever.’ Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. She’ll fix her brides’ bustles, get them cocktails, play with their kids - whatever they need (whatever a bride would ask of her best friend, really) - to guarantee that love will shine through in every single image. Boom.
That friendship though…
“Our experience with Melissa was sheer perfection. I can not speak more highly about her work or how she engaged with us. She is bubbly, witty, easy going and I just love her. Planning a US wedding from Australia should have been stressful, but I was so relaxed with Melissa – and her organization, time management, and attention to detail were outstanding. We established an instant rapport with her, which made taking photos easy and we had so much fun with her. I think she truly captured the essence of our wedding day, and it comes across in her photos that she is all about love, family, and friendship. As I bride, I think at times you stress about things like bad weather etc. and as fast as those thoughts came to my head, Melissa released them and left me feeling like whatever happened on the day would have its own beauty and she would just roll with it. She is a true professional and jack of all trades. In the lead up to the wedding, we did two mini sessions with her in the springtime and also a winter snow shoot. She delivered countless beautiful photos and I know we will continue to use her for years to come. We have so much admiration for you, Melissa, and your beautiful outlook on life. So glad we got to share these experiences with you.” ~ Nicole+John
So much more than the photos
“Cutting right to it - I highly recommend hiring Melissa to photograph your milestones! We hired her to photograph our wedding (came highly recommended from a friend) and are SO pleased. The resulting photos, day-of photography experience, payment schedule, emails leading up to the event, and purchasing prints were all part of what I can only describe as a luxury experience. We saw her work and loved the exciting composition - gorgeous photos that happen to have happy newlyweds - and knew we needed to book her! We got so much more than beautiful photos. Melissa went above and beyond and was prepared for anything - like helping me take my Spanx off in a park, noticing my foot was bleeding and supplying bandaids and shout wipes for all the days’ surprises, whisking us away to take couples’ photos when the time was right, making sure we ate, removing my veil, more bandaids, fixing my rogue hair, getting us an Uber to the venue, quickly telling us how to cut a wedding cake, and being an overall wonderful human on our wedding team! Booking her was so easy, she replied to my email quickly and helped us choose the right package to meet our needs. We chose not to do an engagement shoot, but I would say if one opted to do an engagement session then they can meet her awesomeness sooner rather than later! Her online payment system is clear to use and streamlined, and she sent reminders when a payment date was approaching (so helpful). Her worksheet format for gathering info about our wedding was great! A month after our event, we received all the digital photos and ordered prints online directly from her website. It was an easy process and the site is simple to navigate while making your final printing decisions. Did I mention the teasers?! Less than a week after our wedding she emailed us a link to her blog post and we were so thrilled to see a preview so soon! Also, she wrote the kindest words about us and we turned to mush. Hi Melissa, the feeling’s mutual!” ~ Sara+Brandon
who needs a wedding party when you already have a friendor?
No, seriously, Melissa is amaze, but your bridesmaids and/or groomsmen might be a little hurt to know they’ve been replaced…. Shhh!! But enjoy $100 off your total photo package if you book before 2/28/2019!
FOLLOW MELISSA KOREN ON IG TO SEE ALL THE COUPLES WHO CAME FOR THE PHOTOS AND STAYED FOR THE FRIENDSHIP
We partnered with Melissa Koren Photography to share all the details on her shooting pursuits. As always, thank you for supporting our sponsors!