Hey brides! It’s Andreia here. Welcome to my blog. I realize that so many brides have no idea how to hire a photographer from out of state so i’m going to walk you through the process. I’ll share details from a real life couple, Sarah and Jacob, and their Chicago wedding. For those of you who don’t know, I’m based out of Detroit, Michigan (for now) and I travel the US shooting weddings for all kinds of amazing people.
How to Have the Perfect Chicago Wedding
First off, you need to find someone you love- or a few someone’s work as well. Then just reach out. That’s it. its so simple. You might be nervous and excited about finding the right photographer and guess what? We’re also full of emotions when we receive your inquiries! Every couple is another love story waiting to be captured and we love doing just that.
Sarah reached out to me on Facebook one morning after seeing some photos I had recently posted that she fell in love with. After talking a bit we scheduled a facetime call. When my brides are out of town, it’s either Facetime or Zoom calls until we meet in person! We chatted for about 20 minutes, got to know each other for a little bit and got a makeshift wedding timeline mapped out. I just love shooting destination weddings and a Chicago wedding was next on my list.
Step Two
Once you get the price from your photographer, ask them what is included and what is extra I follow an a la carte form of pricing my weddings which means that everything is priced separately. That allows each bride to customize their wedding to their desired needs! If you want an heirloom album or engagement session, we add it on. Side note, engagement sessions with me are half off when you also book your wedding with me!
Step Three
The wedding day. Whether you have a Chicago wedding or a Colorado wedding, I will always be there a day or two before to make sure everything is looking great. I scout out the locations one last time and then I get the bride updated with anything I find just to make sure we’re on the same page.
Their Perfect Chicago Wedding Day Story
I arrived in Chicago the day before Sarah and Jacob’s wedding. As I walked around downtown Chicago, we decided to head over to The Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier to check it out and see how it was looking inside. As it were, something had happened and they were CLOSED for repairs. One location down, but still hopeful we decided to check out the second location. They were also under construction! Despite calling these places beforehand, showing up in person is always always always a good idea. I had a few backup locations researched so we headed over to every single one, walked a million miles, got blisters on our feet and ended up finding the perfect spot for them.
On the wedding day, I woke up in the same hotel as Sarah, super convenient, and went up three floors to meet her with her details.
Quick side track to talk about that hotel. We stayed at the Graduate Hotel Evanston. Umm, INCREDIBLE. It was low key, you could totally miss it but the interior was amazing! I set up her details, her dress, and them with their first look all in their lobby! (Pics for proof!)
The day went smoothly, they were both amazing and laid back and it showed in their photos. We ended up having the best time on the Navy Pier despite not being able to actually go into the gardens and walked around downtown Chicago for some amazing shots of the wedding party and the couple with the city life around them. Her pearl covered veil along with her romantic pearl flower crown just made everything seem so magical and surreal. It was truly a Chicago wedding for the books!
Basically….
If you choose a photographer you can trust, your wedding day will run smoothly. I do get it though, it’s hard to trust someone who you literally just met that day. That is why I stress the importance of an engagement shoot so so much to my couples. It’s a bunch of bonuses all packed into one. You get to work with your photographer, you get to practice being in front of the camera before the big day, and you get some pretty amazing professional photos done too! Bottom line, my Chicago brides, don’t think twice before you message me, just do it and let’s get this party started!
XOXO,
Andreia Danielle
