Weddings

Weddings with Stephanie are very casual, modern, & elegant with a photojournalistic flair. Stephanie takes special care to capture the event & all of

the emotion that goes along with it while taking an unobtrusive role.

"I love to stand back & snap portraits of those tender moments that truly make the day... a bride reading the little love note that her soon-to-be husband has written, a daddy kissing his little girl on the forehead just before opening the

doors to walk her down the aisle, a groom seeing his beautiful bride for the first time & tearing up....these are moments that just can't be posed!"

Prior to the wedding day, Stephanie meets with her wedding clients to discuss

their ideas for their big day. "Brides start dreaming of their wedding day as little girls. They've flipped through endless bridal magazines, visited wedding sites & blogs, & have ideas in their heads of what they want their special day to be so I

sit down with my bride & groom to hear what they have in mind. They may have a certain location for their group portraits that they'd like, a crazy pose that they want their bridal party to take part in, or even a portrait from their parents' wedding album that they want to remake. This shared input coupled with the

unplanned events of the wedding day is what I love about shooting weddings!"

Generally, wedding coverage with Stephanie Raechelle Photography includes pre-wedding candids, group portraits, and the wedding ceremony and reception. (Although it can be altered to your personal needs). Stephanie follows the events of the day, snapping portraits to “tell the story” of the bride & groom's big event down to the smallest details for the couple, family, & friends to treasure forever.

Planning for Great Wedding Portraits

Great wedding portraits, the ones that you point to when you come in to meet with us & say, “I want our pictures to look like that,” (you know, the ones that

you have seen on websites, blogs, or maybe have even ripped out of a magazine that feature a beautiful sky, romantic lighting, & an amazing location) take

successful planning to achieve. Here are some tips to planning your wedding day that will help ensure we will be able to capture those gorgeous shots for you.

1 - Make time for portraits The images we produce on your wedding day are going to be the one thing that you look back at & cherish for years to come…So why do so many couples only allocate a small portion of time & effort into their wedding day portraits, rushing through them as quickly as possible? We recommend that you allow one hour for group portraits, family portraits, & bridal party portraits, depending of course, on the size of your family & bridal party. This allows plenty of time for travel, fun shots with your bridal party & leaves some “wingle room” just in case the day’s events get behind schedule (you never know when a groomsmen is going to forget his pants or a family member will arrive late). In addition, the best lighing for those great bride & groom portraits are the hour leading up to sunset. So if you want striking skies in your portraits, we recommend alloting a special time for the bride & groom to “sneak away” for some romantic shots during that golden hour. We are always available to assist you in planning your wedding day timeline. 2 – Consider a “First Look” If you are uneasy making your guests wait while you take portraits, then consider breaking free from tradition & have the majority of your group portraits taken prior to your ceremony. A “First Look” is a great opportunity for the bride & groom to take a break from the wedding day chaos & spend some private time together, & allows you to go straight from the ceremony to your reception. With the exception of a few “golden hour” bride & groom shots, the day’s group portraits will be complete before the ceremony even begins, allowing you to relax & take in the day. 3 – Keep family members on track Family group portraits can sometimes be the most time consumming. We try to go through these shots as quickly as possible but often, family members end up stopping to chat & slow down progress. We recommend asking a close friend or member of the wedding party to be in charge of keeping family that you would like included in the portraits together & paying attention.

The “First Look”

I know it's a big tradition (esp. in the South) for the groom to not see the bride until she walks down the aisle (and I completely respect this), but have you ever

really thought about why this is. The tradition started back in ancient times when marriages were arranged by families and were often nothing more than good

business deals. To ensure the groom wouldn't have second thoughts at the sight of a bride, perhaps less attractive than he's assumed, the groom was prohibited from seeing the bride before the wedding. This tradition has remained through

the years, mostly because of supersition about it being bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. However, many modern brides are kicking this

tradition to the curb & embracing the “First Look.”

The “First Look” is a special time, before the ceremony set aside as private time for the bride & groom. It may sound silly, but seeing each other before the ceremony can be a very romantic & tender moment...maybe even the best

moment of the entire day!

Imagine this brides, your soon-to-be husband is standing in a private location with his back to you. You walk in behind him and surprise him in all your

beautiful, radiant glory. He gets to see his almost-wife in an intimate, private setting, where he can feel free to express his love and emotion without a hundred

pairs of eyes studying him and judging his reaction. You can hug, or kiss, or whisper sweet nothings, exchange gifts or just laugh and have a good time.

You get to ENJOY the moment...a private moment that you normally wouldn't get to enjoy until after the wedding reception. And it doesn't take away from him

seeing his wife walk down the aisle; it just adds to the day! After you have both fully taken in the excitement of seeing each other &

spending 15 mins. of private time together, designated just for the two of you, then we can focus on getting some wonderful & creative portraits of you two at the location of your choice. You can both relax and enjoy the experience, rather than rushing to get to the reception on time, or being surrounded by a bunch of family members who make those intimate moments just a teensy bit awkward.

Following your special session, the groomsmen & bridesmaids and family can join in for group photographs. And, after the ceremony is over, you get to the

reception with your guests, so you can spend even more time dancing and enjoying your loved ones. It’s pretty much a win-win situation for everyone!

Albums

Searching high & low to find the best products for displaying your portraits, Stephanie Raechelle Photography offers an combination of albums that you can be proud to show off. These quality albums are designed to compliment your

portraits & are custom-designed by Stephanie with your style in mind.

1 – The Designer Wedding Album The Designer Wedding Album is a flush mount album with attitude -- Exquisite quality combined with fabulous leathers and design options & you get to pick every aspect of it. These albums offer a choice of over 45 materials that range from quality basics to the most sophistocated looks around with numerous cover design options including single & double tones, accent leathers & fabrics, & even satin and classic canvas. They also include the option of up to 3 cover cutouts that allow your favorite portrait(s) to peek through the beautiful cover. Featuring 40 custom-designed pages to fit your personal style, amazing doesn't even begin to describe these albums! 2 – The Live.Laugh.Love. Album These flush-mounted albums are available in 6x6 & 9x9 square formats, & are perfect for sharing your wedding portraits to family & friends. Each page of the "Live.Laugh.Love" Album is printed on outstanding FUJI professional photo paper, is matt coated & embossed. The thick pages of this album provides great durability & comes in your choice of black or milk color core. Each album is customed-designed by Stephanie, including the beautiful image cover, to fit your style. These albums are available as parent wedding albums or upgrade engagement & bridal session albums. 3 – The Session Album The Session Album is a 5x7 album featuring your favorite 10-20 images from your recent portrait session. Each page of the Session Album features a bordered print with your choice of either white or black color core. These albums are custom made & feature your choice of a wide variety of cover materials. Session Albums are included with Engagement, Bridal, Encore, & Bridal & Maids’ Trash the Dress Sessions & may be added to any collection. (And they are perfect for displaying your favorite engagement or bridal images at your wedding reception)

Wedding Extras

The Designer Proof Box: The Wedding Proof Box is a handmade case wrapped in a custom-designed canvas exterior. The box is included with all wedding collections & holds 4x6 prints from the day's events. As with all of our boutique items, the covering of this box is created to fit your style, featuring your favorite portrait & optional custom text.

The Designer Signature Mat Box: Personalized with the couple’s name & wedding date and a favorite image, the designer mat box is beautifully printed & treated with a protective coating to ensure that it lasts forever. And tucked away inside this box is a selection of 20 mounted prints which may be displayed for wedding guests to sign or on a table top easel in your home.

The Sweet 16: The Sweet 16 is a 12x12" mounted composite featuring 16 detail shots from your wedding or recent session. We take lots of care to capture images of every small detail during your session...but you may not want a large portrait of every shot. The Sweet 16 allows you to elegantly display 16 of her favorite detail shots in one portrait that is the perfect size for a table easel.

Frequently Asked Questions 1 – How do we book our wedding? The first step, is to meet with Stephanie (1) to make sure your personalities work well together & (2) so that you two may discuss your vision for your wedding day. Once you have decided that Stephanie is the photographer for you, please call or email us to let us know what services you would like. We will send you a contract & your date will be officially booked once we receive your signed contract & a non-refundable deposit of 20%. 2 – When is the remaining balance due? We ask that another 20% payment be made 8 wks. before the wedding date & that the remaining balance (60%) be paid 4 wks. before the wedding date. 3 – Do you carry backup equipment? Stephanie always carries a minimum of two cameras & a variety of other backup equipment just in case something may happen. 4 – We do not need an engagement session; can we take this out of our collection? Collections may be added to, but not taken away from. Engagments sessions are included in the collections as a way for us to get you know you as a couple. If you decide you don’t want this session, you may want to piece together your own Wedding Collection from our A La Carte menu. 5 – Do I need to give you a list of all of the wedding shots we would like taken? Kindly, no. You will receive a questionaire before your wedding where you will inform us of any special people, requests, ideas, etc. which we will discuss in detail. As far as general wedding day images, we will take care to capture all of the standard wedding shots that we know you would like. 6 – Will we meet up before the wedding to go over details? You will have an opportunity to meet with Stephanie about your wedding each step of the way including before your engagement session, bridal session, & wedding, to discuss ideas, any changes, etc. If her schedule allows, Stephanie will even attend your wedding rehearsal so that she will know specifically where she needs to be for the best photographs, the best locations of group portraits, etc.

WEDDING COLLECTIONS

Our Signature Collection

This Collection has been created based on our most popular requests from clients & remains our top pick in Wedding coverage combinations.

A One-hour Engagement Session with a 5x7 Session Album A Custom-Designed Guestbook featuring images from your Engagement Session

Up to 5 Hours of Wedding Day Coverage by Stephanie 4x6 Prints of final, edited wedding images in a Designer Proof Box

An Online Gallery following each session for sharing with friends & family A 10x10 Designer Album for Bride & Groom

$3,000

And for the couple who wants IT ALL, we have created...

The Couture Collection A One-hour Engagement Session with a 5x7 Session Album

A Custom-Designed Guestbook featuring images from your Engagement Session A One-hour Bridal Session with a 5x7 Session Album

A 16x20 mounted print from the Bridal Session Up to 8 Hours of Wedding Day Coverage by Stephanie & her assistant

4x6 Prints of final, edited wedding images in a Designer Proof Box An Online Gallery following each session for sharing with friends & family

A High Resolution Disc of final, edited wedding images A 12x12 Designer Album for Bride & Groom

(2) 9x9 “Live.Laugh.Love” Parent Albums

$6,500

A LA CARTE WEDDINGS

For those clients who prefer to piece together their own Wedding Collection, we have created our A La Carte menu.

Wedding Coverage

Up to 8 Hours of Wedding Day Coverage with online gallery & 4x6 designer proof box $5,000

Up to 5 Hours of Wedding Day Coverage with online gallery & 4x6 designer proof box $2,200

Up to 3 Hours of Wedding Day Coverage with online gallery & 4x6 designer proof box $1,400

Photography Sessions A One-hour Engagement Session with a 5x7 Session Album $225

A One-hour Bridal Session with a 5x7 Session Album $225

A 1.5-hour Bride & Groom Encore Session with a 5x7 Session Album $300

A Bridal Trash-the-Dress Session with a 5x7 Session Album $225

A Maids’ Trash the-Dress Session with a 5x7 Session Album for the $300 Bride & a disc of 10 favorite images for each bridesmaid

Wedding Extras Rehearsal Coverage (2 hrs w/online gallery) $300 Set of 100 4x5 Custom Save-the Date Magnets $350 Set of 50 Custom-designed Thank You Cards $200 Set of 100 wallets $100 16x20 Mounted Portrait $125 Wedding Day Sweet 16 Portrait $75 20 pg. Portrait Guest Book $125 8x10 Designer Signature Mat Box $400 4x6 Wedding Prints in a Designer Proof Box $500 5x7 Session Album $150 9x9 “Live.Laugh.Love” Parent Album $600 10x10 Designer Wedding Album $850

Wedding Timeline 1 – Initial Consult – So, you’ve set a date & are in the process of finding a photographer for your wedding. You visit our site & love our work, but what’s next… Send us an email or call us & let us know you’d like to meet to discuss your wedding needs. During our meeting, usually at a coffee shop or other casual spot, we will get basic information about your big day & learn a little about you. This is the time to ask as many questions as you’d like, & to get to know Stephanie to see if her style & personality is what you are looking for. At this point, if you or Stephanie feel that you don’t “click,” it’s perfectly okay to say so. We book a limited number of weddings each year, & want those weddings to be fun for both us & our clients…if personalities don’t work or if our modern style is not for you, now is the time to find out (not on the wedding day). 2 – Book your Date (contract & deposit)– If you feel that Stephanie is the photographer for you after your initial meeting, it’s time to reserve your wedding date! Please email or call us to let us know what services you would like & we will send you a wedding contract. Your date will be officially booked once we receive your signed contract & your non-refundable deposit of 20%. 3 – Engagement Session – (up until 10 wks before your wedding) If your Wedding Collection includes an engagement session, Stephanie will contact you before your session to discuss locations, ideas, & to pick out your session album cover material. About 3 wks following your engagement session, you will be emailed your private gallery password to view your final images from your session. From these images, you will select 20 of your favorites to be included in your Session Album. Stephanie will use images from your engagement session to design your Custom Guest Book (if included in your Wedding Collection) which will be presented to you around 2 wks prior to your wedding. 4 – Bridal Session – (up until 6 wks before your wedding) If your Wedding Collection includes a bridal session, Stephanie will contact you to discuss locations, ideas, & to pick out your session album cover material prior to your scheduled session date. About 3 wks following your bridal session, you will be emailed your private gallery password to view your final images from your session. From these images, you will select 20 of your favorites to be included in your Session Album. Any large bridal portraits to be displayed at your wedding reception should be ordered at least 2 wks prior to your wedding date.

Wedding Timeline

5 – Final Wedding payment – (4 wks before your wedding) We ask that the remaining balance (80%) of your Wedding Collection be paid 4 wks prior to your wedding date. 6 – Final Consult – About 2 weeks prior to your wedding, you will have a final meeting (either in person or via email) to review your photography schedule & to make any last minute changes. 7 – The Wedding Day – Have fun & be yourself! You've planned this for a long time so take a deep breath and relax. Everything will be beautiful! 8 – Encore Session(s) – Following the wedding (not just the day after), you may decide you’d like to take some additional creative, romantic shots of you & your spouse in your wedding attire that you just didn’t have for during the ceremony (A “Day After” Session). Or you may even decide that you or your bridesmaids may like to take part in a Trash the Dress Session. Either way, we will get some awesome, show-stopping, dramatic images that you will treasure forever! 9 – Online Wedding Gallery – You will receive an email 8-10 wks following your wedding letting you know your password for your private online gallery. It is here that you, family, & friends will be able to view all your final images online. If a Designer Proof Box with 4x6 wedding prints was included in your Wedding Collection, you will choose your favorite wedding portrait from your online gallery & Stephanie will design & order your custom box. (These boxes generally take 3-4 wks to be delivered from the lab). 10 – Wedding Album Design – Along with your gallery password, you will receive an Album Design form to be filled out at your convenience. This form lets Stephanie know your favorite images from the wedding so that she may include them in your wedding album design. 11 – Wedding Album Delivery – You will be notified as soon as we receive your album.