A month and a day ago, RLP Studios photographed what was one of the most fun, lively, emotional, and lovely events of our studio’s history: the wedding of Emily Brock Jones and Josh Jones. We had met them as we do many of our couples, through an online wedding resource, but their situation was a little bit different: the timing of their wedding was of significant importance because Josh is in the Army and would be being deployed shortly after the wedding. We spoke on the phone and they were just so sweet that I knew from the first interactions that it was going to be a really fun event. Because we are a full-lifestyle studio we have decided to take a only a select number of weddings a year, with couples who we just click with and adore, and Emily and Josh certainly fit the bill. But that was just the beginning. As we began hearing about the plans we became more and more excited: it was booked at one of our favorite venues (the Abernethy Center in Oregon City), and they’d also booked our very favorite entertainment team, Event Team Entertainment. (We have several amazing DJs that we work with, a list of which will be on the blog shortly! But Event Team just takes it to a whole new level). Will and I both have considerable military backgrounds in our families and so we loved that component, including that the male members of the bridal party would be in full dress and perform a sabre arch. We were really looking forward to the day for the months in between when we met and the actual event.

But then, the day arrived and the plans played out and it was even more fabulous than we could have even hoped for. After all, it’s not every day that the dad of your bride is a former, and celebrated, member of the NFL. Or that the groom’s father is a decorated colonel and educator at West Point. There were emotional components that made the day sweet in truly profound ways. Their families, without exception, were absolutely lovely to work with. And the party! Oh, the party. Both families love to dance but I have to say that the Brocks take the cake for the funnest family that I have ever worked with– their nearly 10-minute long lip sync sealed that without exception! The day was an expression of joy overflowing from beginning to end and I am so glad that we were able to document it for them.

To view many, many more images from the day, please visit the RLP Studios’ Facebook fan page gallery.

“Mark,” I ask, pen poised over my notebook, “if I’m looking for a wedding photographer, what questions should I ask?”

Mark looks thoughtful. “Couples are mostly asking the right questions,” he says. “But there are some questions they should ask themselves before they interview a photographer.”

1) What is most important to you on your wedding day?

“When you create a budget, what number do you base that on? Is it some recommended percentage found on the internet?” Mark asks. “Figure out what is most important to you as a bride– mirror you and spend your money on that. I’ve known brides who only wanted to spend $1000 on photos that should last a lifetime, but they spend $1800 to rent a Hummer for two hours.”

Mark explains that your photographer and videographer are the only vendors who provide a service that lasts beyond your wedding day. It’s not something that can be trusted to someone who might be able to capture the moments the way that you’ve dreamed of. (See point #4 for more on that). Most little girls grow up looking at their mother’s wedding album. But for modern brides opting for inexpensive packages or do-it-yourself albums, chances are their albums won’t be around to share with their kids. They’ll be tattered, faded and falling apart.

2) What kind of experience do you want to have on your wedding day?

“Your photographer will be with you when you’re getting ready at home, at the church, at the reception and afterward you’ll be interacting with them to go through pictures and design your album,” Mark says. “They are the vendor you need to invest the most time in.” That’s not to say that other vendors aren’t valuable. But for someone who will be your right-hand man (or woman), you want to be sure that you love them as well as their photography. And they’ll be able to recommend others in the field, from a wedding coordinators to DJs, who are critical to the flow of the day and have great reputations as well.

Just about everyone knows someone who has been burned by a photographer. When you interview photographers, imagine if you’ll like working with them. You want to hire someone who will help you create the wedding day experience you want.

3) How do you want your photographer to interact with you?

“Understand the difference between styles,” Mark says. “There’s photojournalistic, candid, formal, completely posed… Our style tends to be more traditional with your family photos, contemporary and modern with you.” (RLP Studios also combines a more documentary approach, with occasional composition at key moments).

In Mark’s experience, most couples don’t know exactly what they want until they see it. That’s pretty normal, considering that many have never planned a wedding before! Have potential photographers show you the difference in styles and you’ll know what you want. And be sure that you see several of their complete weddings so that you can see how their style flows throughout the day. Anyone can present 40 great photos on their website but you want to be sure that they have the expertise to carry that throughout the event.

4) Are you hiring a photographer or a wedding photographer?

Kat stops munching her baby spinach salad. “A wedding photographer knows the flow of a wedding; they have experience and knowledge. Someone who’s just starting out in weddings doesn’t have that experience.”

Every experienced wedding photographer can regale you with stories of the wedding where they learned to be cautious of this or that, or how to negotiate a tough situation. When you decide to hire someone who is just starting out you agree to be a part of their learning curve.

Mark describes a meeting he just had with one of his couples who had booked him for a short period of time. They wanted to have a receiving line after the ceremony and didn’t realize that this particular church doesn’t allow any photos at all during the ceremony. They were going to have to go back inside and restage them. “I told them it’s just not going to work for what you want to do.” Mark smiles. “I’m going to tell you the reality of your day. I’ll even share some things that you may not have considered…”

In this case, Mark offered to take photos separately before the ceremony since he and Kat would both be there. If a couple is having their ceremony and reception at the same venue, he’ll suggest the idea of taking photos before, so that they can enjoy more of their day, but he will always respect their choice. It’s their day!

“A weekend warrior just taking photos on the side won’t know to make those suggestions,” Kat says.