Another Rockette Season in the Books! Time for More Wedding Planning- How I Picked My Photographer, Videographer & Photo Booth Vendor
Hi everyone! So much has happened since my last post, I took a break from wedding planning once we had our venue secured! I completed yet another Rockette season and Matt, pictured above, and I have been enjoying the early stages of homeownership, engaged life, and I turned 30! We are a little over a year out from our wedding date of May 6, 2023 and are now faced with the challenging task of selecting vendors and choosing our wedding style.
Secured Venue
We are getting married at the Holly Hedge Estate and are looking to enhance the rustic charm that the property has to offer.
To see why we ended up choosing Holly Hedge, check out my first wedding journal post here.
So much of the day is already under control having selected Holly Hedge; however, we do need to bring in a few vendors to complete the full package! The past two weeks we diligently searched for photographers, videographers, florists, entertainers and photo booths. Between the Bucks Happening List, Holly Hedge’s preferred vendors, and The Knot’s website, we have been able to select who will be a part of our special day.
Looking for a Farm Wedding Venue? Check out our list here.
Back to the Beginning
I decided to take a trip back to Holly Hedge to find some inspiration and to take another look at the property. I was lucky enough to sit down with Gabbi, one of the two lovely event coordinators, to talk about my ideas and get a better feel for what I need and specific questions I should ask our vendors. We talked through the schedule of the day and smaller details such as the different decor items that are available for us to use. We also talked about where we could set up the photo booth and what type of seating chart we should consider. With about 150 guests expected, every inch of the ballroom will be needed for tables so the photo booth will likely be in the foyer/entryway.
Mapping Out My Big Day
Once I was able to get some finer details mapped out, I contacted quite a few local vendors to talk through options. Searching for vendors can be really confusing and overwhelming, the first thing most of them want to know is your budget. I had a hard time putting a set price on our budget without knowing what the going rate is for specific services. I definitely don’t want to go overboard, but I know that you get what you pay for, so I responded that our budget was yet to be determined. It’s also really easy to get lost in the details and information that each vendor has to share, which is why I chose to stay really organized by inputting all of the information received into a spreadsheet. I laid out package inclusions and price; Inclusions that were important to me were:
Photographers – length of coverage, number of photographers, editing, engagement shoot, wedding album, full printing rights(!)
Videographers – length of coverage, number of videographers, style of videos (highlight, social media, documentary style, etc), drone coverage
Photo booths – length of coverage, delivery method of photos, filters (additional cost?), travel expense (included?)
So You Think You Can Post- Make Sure!
There was a lot to review from this list of details, but putting it all into a spreadsheet made it foolproof when it came to price comparing and making sure we were getting everything we wanted in the package. The photographer we chose, Taylor Cotilla, is local to Bucks County and was really helpful while discussing what all of the “photographer talk” means. She explained how important it is to have “full printing rights”. Did you know that some photographers can shoot your entire wedding and then you actually have to pay for each photo that you’d like to save or share (even on social media). This is because those photographers actually own all of those photos. With printing rights, you as the consumer can print the images for personal use, post them on social media and share them with family friends with a few stipulations, like the photos cannot be altered or cropped. We are so excited to work with Taylor and will be planning an engagement session with her in July!
Photo Booth Brings the Fun
Matt and I attended a friend’s wedding in Chicago last summer, just before we got engaged, and I loved the Photo Booth they had! The pictures were all black and white and uploaded to a digital album. I like this idea instead of prints just because so much of how we share photos is on social media! Being able to just download the picture or have it texted right away seems easier than the classic comic-strip option. I also think the black and white is super classy! We booked “The Best Philly Photo Booth” after checking out their Instagram and seeing that they offered exactly what we were looking for!
Next Up- Dress Shopping!
I am so excited for this but also worried I won’t be able to make a decision. I’m going into it with a very open mind but would prefer not to have a ball gown style and could see myself in something more form fitting but elegant. I’ve been browsing a bit on Instagram and plan to start at two bridal boutiques: La Belle Mariée in Langhorne and Lovely Bride in Philadelphia.
For more info on local Photo Booths click here.
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