Photographer: Katie Whitcomb | Photographers, Ceremony/Reception: Basilica of Sacred Heart at Notre Dame, Catering Venue: Gillespie Conference Center, Band: Midnight, Florist: Wygant Floral, Cake: Arlene’s Wedding Cake, Hair & Make-up: Nicholas J. Salon

Keaton and I met through mutual friends, and have been friends since our junior year of college. We didn’t start dating until the March after we graduated, though. Keaton sent me a bouquet of lilies (my favorite flower) and roses in January of my first year of teaching, partially to help my lift my spirits in the middle of what was a really tough year, but also to sort of put himself on my radar. Not sure of what I wanted and definitely not interested in the distance thing, I resisted him for a while. But eventually he broke through and we started dating that March.

Keaton knew he was going to ask during time off at Christmas, but he had to wait to have the opportunity to talk to my dad, which didn’t happen until the end of break. We spent a week and a half doing all sorts of romantic and fun things in both Colorado and Michigan, but I still had to wait because he had to talk to my dad. Just before lunch on Keaton’s last day in Michigan, we went for one last walk down my street (a snowy, rural dirt road in Michigan). We walked for about 45 minutes talking about the next time we’d see each other right before I was set to deploy for 5 months (a deployment that didn’t happen, thankfully). On the way back we paused next to a snow covered field with a frozen pond. He knelt down and pulled out the box in his pocket, said six words, I said one very enthusiastic word (several times), and huge hug and a kiss were exchanged…and the rest is history.

Again, an internet search brought up several options and, after looking through many of the samples, we decided that your pictures hold the most emotion and really capture the feelings of the day, rather than just a still image of something that happened. You also seem to be able to fit any style, which is good because Keaton and I wanted creative but nothing too wacky.

I looked up a couple of venues online and then my mom and I went and visited them one day. A few we were able to eliminate straight out because they just didn’t fit our needs. We were down to two. We finally decided on the Hilton because the room was perfect, the prices were good (with a lot included), the venue is attached to the hotel, and the woman who helped us out and showed us around was absolutely amazing. I really felt comfortable with her and I could tell she was going to take good care of us.

As I said before, I will have calla lilies in my bouquet. Though they are not the standard lily, they are still beautiful and will be the main white component. I will also, hopefully, have blue irises, only picked because they will match the blue bridesmaids dresses.

We kind of have a couple of themes going right now. One is the color scheme, which is navy blue and silver. I just really like the colors together and they fit in winter very well. We also have a sort of winter-y theme going on, obviously because it will be the middle of January in Indiana. Our invitations and toasting flutes have calla lilies on them because they are a beautiful flower and I will have some in my bouquet. And we will also have some angel decorations because Keaton and I look to our guardian angels a lot for protection and guidance.

I don’t know the details of my cake … I know that it will be 4 layers that are kind of separated from each other (space in between them) that will be filled with flowers. They will be round cakes and two different flavors. We’ll hopefully have some blue and silver ribbons at the base of each cake and maybe some small sugar snowflakes or other simple decorations. Nothing too crazy.

If it was just up to me I’d say smashing the cake in Keaton’s face But as a couple we’ve decided that the best moment was our first dance.

Start early, but don’t forget to have fun. Keep in mind that the details that you stress over generally won’t be the things that people remember. For example, no one will remember what type of chicken I have at my wedding. They’ll remember if the food is terrible, but as long as it’s passable no one will notice. They will remember if you look happy and if the dancing was fun. That’s about it.

To view more images from Jessica & Keaton’s wedding, go to www.pictage.com/1086649

]]> http://www.katie-whitcomb.com/blog/wedding_photography/jessica-keaton-are-married/feed/ 0 http://www.katie-whitcomb.com/blog/engagement_photography/sarah-peter-are-getting-married/ http://www.katie-whitcomb.com/blog/engagement_photography/sarah-peter-are-getting-married/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:08:32 +0000 katie http://www.katie-whitcomb.com/blog/?p=2633 South Bend, Indiana Engagement Photographers | January 29, 2012

When I first talked to Sarah for her phone consultation, I fell in love who this couple was not only as individuals, but their obvious love for one another. Sarah was telling me how they met and how he proposed and it was that moment that I knew, I just HAD to photograph their wedding. If for no other reason other than to document such a great love.

Trying to schedule a time for them to come in was difficult at first, but as soon as they were able to line up all their meetings with vendors (the rest of you out of town brides know nothing about that, right? *wink wink*). I am really glad that it didn’t work out the first few dates were talked about because the snow was AMAZING! I could not believe how perfect it was at the right moments. So much so that we were able to get in an out of the session with some AMAZING photos in about an hour (SCORE! I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold).

Anyways, start swooning because Sarah and Peter will make your heart melt. You can just see the love they have for one another just beam off of both of their faces.

I really want to put an Eiffel Tower behind them in this one… Don’t ask why, but it would be perfect.

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t stare at my little boy and marvel at him. His sweet little face and his complete love and adoration for him mommy, my heart melts. I have always wondered if all my efforts with Bryce have been paying off. When we first moved into our apartment at the beginning of July last year, we had a good 30-45 days of not knowing if we were going to get our little boy back. Everything behind his eyes just sort of shut off and all of his hard work he had put into the last year just went down the gutter. Slowly, he started to come back until right before his 4th birthday he started to talk. This was the icing on the cake for me. Even though my goal has always to work at having him be a contributing member of society, I was loosing hope that I would ever hear him say “mommy” or “I love you”. I can now say that not only does he use these two “phrases”, but he’s working on learning what they mean.

Last week, we were given the amazing news from his teacher and again on Monday by his Occupational Therapist that all his hard work is really paying off and that he’s on the right track of living a life as normal for a child with Autism as one can.  This was amazing news to hear. He will most likely always have the diagnosis of Autism, but he has so much potential and is really making huge strides.

As a celebration to Bryce’s success and a thank you to all that have been so supportive and encouraging through this emotional battle for me, I am offering a fantastic sale.

Join us in celebrating Bryce’s amazing success with a 1-2 hour portrait session, 25-30 digital images and session stylizing.

As a bonus, anyone that books a “Celebrate Bryce” session, will be entered to win a 6×6 album with 10 pages from your session (approximately 10-15 images). Sessions must be booked in February (if rescheduled for any month after February, session will be billed for the full session amount).

When I first met Sophie, we were discussing her plans for her May wedding. The more I learned, the more I started to fall in love with who she is a person and even better the woman she is growing into being. Since she was having a Spring wedding, she wanted a Winter engagement session so I was kind of standby in case it snowed. If you live in Northern Indiana, you know that we haven’t had any snow until January 1st. I had noticed that we were about to get dumped on and called her right away to set up a time to do some photos. Given neither Dustin nor Sophie really like winter weather, we did our best to get them in and out of this session within 45 minutes. We spent another 30 minutes at the South Bend Chocolate Cafe talking and really getting to know one another. I was instantly hooked on this couple. Their love for one another is truly inspiring. Sophie & Dustin, thank you for being such amazing people, inside and out. Your love for one another really does shine through and you care for others was even more apparent when you spent the evening with me and the tow truck when I ran out of gas. Thanks again for all that you are. I can’t wait to be a part of such a special day in your life. Come on MAY!

I haven’t had so much fun on a shoot in a long time. This session really reminded me of my childhood. We started by taking a few photos with Grandma and Grandpa of the kids in their Korean attire. (I love family traditions)  Then, we started to document what the kids like to do on lazy Saturdays. Okay, for the record, I am in love with the bond of these two siblings. They really have a ton of fun together and you can really see the little brother looking up to the big sister.

We decided to go outside and have some fun in the snow. They had sledding racing, a few crashes, a snow ball (dust) fight, and began building an igloo. Because it was 17 degrees outside and our toes froze off, we went inside for hot chocolate. That was my absolute favorite part of sledding or playing in the snow when I was little, so it was fun to document such a fun family enjoying one another’s company.

I am asked all the time how much time is needed for the events in the day. No wedding is the same, honestly. Every weekend, our hours vary. On average, most of our brides only need 8 hours, but we do our best to make the best out of that time.

When I am creating a timeline, I always start with the ceremony and reception time. What will you being doing with your reception? How many big events will you be doing? Garter, bouquet, dollar dance, cake, first dances, etc. After those are scheduled, we generally only stay for another 30 minutes at a reception. Of course, you will see that this can be tailored a little. This by no mean is the average timeline, but it contains the basics.

I can’t be more excited about our future plans for our boudoir photography. After my last post on what our plans are for this part of the business, I had a few questions come up, so I feel the need to explain the changes. Here’s the down and dirty, not information most business owners want clients to know, but most of my clients are or become friends of mine so I’m okay with putting it out there. Here’s how a boudoir marathon works (a little behind the scenes, if you will):

Pricing : In order to make any type of profit, a photographer really needs to book around 5-6 lovely ladies. Why? Because the average cost of a boudoir marathon in the local market is $250. If that includes hair, make-up and a 5×5 book, this only gives the photographer a profit of around $90/session. That doesn’t seem too bad, but there’s more. The first few marathons are great for a photographer to build their portfolio and have a chance to photograph different body types and age groups, but after a while I started getting emails asking when my next one would be and that would be the one lady I’d have sign up. (insert sad face here)

Editing : First, most of these photographers are women. They know what it’s like to see flaws in themselves so they will do little touches to make you look flawless and feel even better. No, that doesn’t mean plastic surgery, though it can borderline, I mean taking out stretch marks, liquefying love handles, smoothing skin and making your skin glow. All very slight adjustments. This is all time consuming and more work than most do on an average photo session. There is nothing wrong with it, but they are not being compensated for their time. I have found a workflow that works well for me that I can crank out a boudoir session in about an hour or two if I can lock myself in the office and not be bothered by anyone or anything.

Time : This is the #1 reason why I am going to stop doing marathons. I DO NOT LIKE the time crunch with marathons. I have found a way around it and have different techniques to get anybody comfortable. Usually that involves “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours” and I’ll show them my boudoir book. They have now seen me at my most vulnerable moment. It doesn’t always work, but I have other tricks too. Getting them comfortable isn’t my biggest concern though, I never want to stop I want to keep going with each girl and just photograph her all day. I want to have a little more fun and get more creative and that doesn’t always happen if I’m strapped on time or if I think of it too late.

So, without further ado, I give you our new boudoir pricing. When you book your session, there is a 50% non-refundable retainer fee that is due to lock in your time with the remaining balance due the day of your session. We can do the session in my studio apartment (I set up my bedroom to be perfect for boudoir photography-I’ll post some of those in the next few days), your home or we can go to a hotel of your choice. Let’s create artwork together and celebrate your unique beauty. I look forward to working with you.

There are still two spots left if our last Boudoir Marathon on February 18th: 4:00pm & 5:30pm. You seriously don’t want to miss out on this deal. It will be the last. Click on this (link) for more details.

I have really enjoyed every minute getting to know Dana and her family. Knowing how important this little miracle was to them, I was honored to document such an amazing maternity session. We spent a good 1-2 weeks constantly talking about the look and feel we wanted for the session. Having a lot of the same ideas, we went for it. While shopping for her baby shower, in the middle of a blizzard, we talked about doing a guest book with all of her maternity pictures. This is a pretty popular idea with a lot of my brides, but I didn’t think about it until we started talking about original ideas for a guest book. Being a coordinator herself, this was a lot of fun to help her put together a memory that will be given to Taylor to see how many people were anxiously awaiting his arrival. It will be followed up with his first year’s baby book, of course.

We can’t wait to meet you baby Taylor! You have already brought so much joy to so many.

I first heard that Mary & Andy were having a baby when she texted me during our Black Friday sale saying she wanted to do Maternity Pictures. If Chris wasn’t already asleep for the night, I would have grabbed his hands and jumped for joy. I was more than excited for them. They are one of THE sweetest couples I know and will be amazing parents. As we were planning for the session, I really wanted to show their love for one another that was now going to wrapped around this little baby. I can’t wait until baby Andrew arrives in early March. I can only imagine how gorgeous he’ll be.

World, meet Austin. Austin, meet this world. He was such a good little baby during his session. He pretty much let me move him as long as a kept him on his tummy and didn’t move him too much. I was pretty thankful too because I am in complete adoration over all of his images. He and his mommy came to see them yesterday and I just love it when my clients love their images so much that it brings them to tears. That is a sign that I did my job. Austin’s mommy was referred to us by Keston’s mommy. He really started a trend because a lot of client has seen the angel wings and wanted that image too. Even though it doesn’t always work out, Austin gracefully stayed asleep and immobile while I captured his angel portraits. There is nothing better than a baby sleeping, unless they give you silly face that make you belly laugh. Are you ready to SWOON with me?