East TN Wedding photographers | Johnson City TN wedding photography | Knoxville TN wedding photos | It’s engagement season!

If you haven’t heard it’s engagement season. To be honest I was a bit skeptical about all the hype… could there be a season for engagements? Well, I believe it’s true! I believe this because I’ve had so many inquiries and bookings this past week, so love must be in the air! I’m not only getting inquiries for 2016 but I’ve had several for 2017 as well!

So what does this season mean for all the engaged couples out there going into 2016? Planning! I too actually got engaged on Christmas Eve 🙂 ( I’ll save the story for a later time… it’s a good one).

I know for some of you, you know exactly what you’ve always dreamed of for your wedding day. Then there’s some that have no idea and you get overwhelmed (I fell into this category). It’s ok to be overwhelmed there’s lots of things to think about and plan for and sometime it’s ok to ask for help!

Making things easier…

If I could give any good advice I’m going to start with this… Your wedding day will be amazing, I promise! Don’t stress over the small stuff and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Always remember what this day represents and that is your love for each other. Now that I’ve gave my two cents on those things let’s get into making things easier.

If you have no clue where to start or who to go to for things a bridal show is a great place to start! I actually really love bridal shows. Before I become a wedding photographer I had no idea where to begin with planning my own wedding so bridal shows really helped me! There’s no stress to book you can walk around for however long you like and if you find someone that you love you can book them on the spot and even get a discount! YES, High fives all around!

There’s two that I’m doing this year, one is this Saturday January 9th it’s called the Something Blue Bridal Fair located in Greenville, TN at the General Morgan Inn. This show is a smaller show but I love that for a lot of different reasons. One being that you get more time to spend getting to know each vendor (which is kind of hard at a bigger show). The second show I think you should check out is The Pink Bride the February show is HUGE! I love this show because you can get ALOT of information in one place. I’m not going to lie it can be overwhelming so try and relax before you go in, take some friends and have fun! The show is February 7th and it’s held at The Meadowview Convention Center. I’ll be at this show so come and say hello :).

Don’t be afraid to ask…

Don’t be afraid to ask other vendors for recommendations! Who better to know who’s the best than another vendor. I know for me personally I may have an inquiry but my conversation with them often times ends in referrals. Regardless if I’m booked or not I believe it’s part of my job to help others… I’ve worked with some AMAZING people and I want to share the love that I have for them with anyone that wants to listen. I think that goes for other photographers too so don’t be afraid to ask!

Ask your friends…

Most likely if your engaged you have other friends that are or have gone through planning a wedding. Ask them who they used and why. That’s a great start into planning your wedding. Spend a day and talk to vendors that your friends used and see for your self if your a good match!

The perfect fit…

Sometimes it’s hard to choose a photographer because there’s so many to choose from. I think the best thing you can do is study the photographers style to see what you like about their pictures. Meet or talk with them on the phone to see if you click. After all your going to be spending a lot of time with them and you should feel comfortable.

I know for me personally. I want to get to know each of my clients because that’s important to me and I think that really reflects in the images that I create for them. Often times when I have a consultation we may talk a little about your wedding but the majority of the conversation really is geared towards you as a couple. In my mind I have a whole year to help you plan your wedding, but I wont get to see you everyday and get to know you like I do at our first meeting. So this really is important to me.

Some people really love this and others may really want someone to just take their pictures and be less personable and that’s ok. You have to decide what you like as a couple and what your looking for in a photographer.

Things to ask…

Make sure you ask any questions that you may have. As a vendor myself no question is a silly one and you don’t know the answer if you don’t ever ask! Make a list of things to ask your vendors before you have your consultation. If your anything like me I always get caught up in the moment, so it’s a good thing to write anything you want to ask down prior to your appointment. This way you wont miss anything and you wont be in the car on the way home thinking why didn’t I ask that!

I hope this helped :). For more on this helpful series click here!

Cheers to a new year and your engagement!

Happy Wedding Planning 🙂

With love,

Michelle

For more engagement session ideas click here!