I have all the time in the world.

You are probably wondering why there is a photo of a turtle on a wedding photography blog.  No, it’s not because this is the Bride’s favorite pet and he will be in the wedding, can you imagine waiting on him to make it down the aisle?  Good guess, but that’s not it.  There is, however, a story behind Mr. Turtle’s portrait.

I was standing at my kitchen window a few weeks ago having a snack, when I noticed this turtle near my neighbor’s gate.  I don’t often see turtles where I live so I decided to grab a camera and snap a few shots.  I had made three shots when I heard the office phone ringing.  I rushed back inside and caught the call, it was a potential client inquiring about May 1st, 2010.  The call went well, we spoke about twenty minutes or so, but didn’t set an appointment, they wanted to “look around some more.”  I don’t push for appointments, so I just said, “sure, call me when you are ready to meet.”  I went back outside to resume my turtle photographs and he was just gone!  Now how far can a turtle go in twenty minutes?  Apparently pretty far!  I looked around for him everywhere and he could not be found!  I didn’t think anything else about it, uploaded the images to the computer and went back to work.

Two days later I received an inquiry from a potential client that had been referred to me, their date? May 1st, 2010.  Long story short, we made an appointment, I visited with them in their home, and they booked me that night.  Two weeks later, I get a call from the pervious potential client wanting to sit down and discuss their wedding plans.  They were disappointed to hear their date was taken!  I did give them the names of some other photographers I liked, and wished them luck.  This has happened more than once over the years I have been shooting weddings, one time I had a potential client miss her date by the space of an hour!  I don’t “hold” dates, or “pencil them in,” I try to be fair by making it “first come, first served,” it’s a common practice in the wedding industry.

It’s just not limited to photographers.  I had a client a few years ago hire me in what I would consider an unusual way, she booked me first before her church!  We were chatting about the wedding and the church she wanted for her wedding when she mentioned she had not yet confirmed with the church, or given them a deposit.  I told her she needed to call them today, confirm, and make arrangements to pay the fee.  She said, “Oh, I can do that tomorrow, I’m going shopping for a gown this afternoon.”  After some urging from me, she called, spoke with the church and found out it was being shown that afternoon for a wedding on the same date!  Needless to say, she was there within an hour with a check!  Please understand, this was not a church in downtown Atlanta, this was a small church below Newnan, you would never think it could be busy with weddings, but it was.  Had she went shopping that day, she might have lost her church!

My point with these two stories?  Let’s go back to the turtle, I thought for sure I would be able to go back out and resume making pictures of the turtle.  I was thinking that he might at best have gone a few feet, after all, he WAS a turtle, how far could he go?  Well, I for one was surprised when he was gone, gone, gone!  How does this relate to you and planning your wedding?  Some things are unique, like churches, wedding and reception venues, even more so when you are talking about a specific date and time.  It’s a similar situation with artists and artisans, like photographers, florists, cake makers, bands, etc.  The question is, do you want THE photographer, florist, or band, or do you want to settle for less than your heart’s desire?  Get the unique elements set before you go shopping for the dress, they mass produce those.  I had a client just recently select a Priscilla of Boston gown for her April wedding.  I’m sure it will be beautiful, especially on her, but they will probably make several in that size and style, not just one.

So, hopefully you already have your date set, church and reception venue booked.  Now it’s time for your next steps.  If you are in the process of finding a photographer, please visit my page “Three Things You Should Know“, it’s a guide to selecting the right wedding photographer for you.  And the timeframe you have for finding one?  It depends on your wedding date, to give you some examples, I have a client for November 2010, coming to meet with me Thanksgiving week, she will be in Atlanta then, she has her venue already booked.  My Spring 2010 should be fully booked by the upcoming holidays, if it’s not, Christmas engagements should finish it sometime after New Years.  This is not just me, but other full-time professional photographers as well.  Most of my current clients have booked me several months in advance of their weddings.  Please keep in mind, this is a similar situation for other wedding professionals as well.

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Legends 183

This past Tuesday evening I had the privilege of attending the preview of a new event facility in Atlanta.  I had been invited by Suzette Wilson with Brides Atlanta and I am so happy she did!  The preview party was held at Legends Banquet & Special Event Center.  This “new” location is in one of the oldest churches in Atlanta.  This church had set empty for years, unused and unloved until it’s recent purchase and renovation.  You may have seen the church before from I-75/I-85, it’s just across the Interstate from Turner Field on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard.  I must say, I was blown away by this “new” event space!  It has almost 4,000 square feet of space in the main ballroom and will easily accommodate 200 plus guests, but that’s just the main floor! There is the “183 Room” which has 3,500 square feet, a built in stage and the feel of a high-end nightclub.  There are additional features that will make this a very popular spot for weddings, not the least of which are the two decks that face the Atlanta skyline and Turner Field.  I can see those decks being put to use for some really great wedding shots!

It was not just the facility that had me impressed, can you say FEAST????  There were two food providers at the event, one I had heard of and wanted to taste, and the other I am so  glad I met!  For quite some time I had heard about Celso’s Cakes and wanted to taste for myself what all the excitement was about.  Well, now I know! heaven! that’s some good cake!  I’ll be adding them to my referral list very soon!  An unexpected but pleasant surprise was the caterer for the evening, MC Events.  They call themselves “Atlanta’s Best Kept Culinary Secret” they are pretty much right because I had never heard of them!  Their food was great, presentation perfect and the wait staff was very pleasant and efficient.  I spoke with the owners Belinda and Craig Fitch and they told me they had been in business about ten years focusing primarily on the corporate catering market and shifted recently to social catering.  I’m thinking they won’t stay a “Secret” long once word gets out!  As you can guess, they are going on my list as well!

I had quite an evening, great food, some good conversations with interesting folks, I couldn’t ask for better!  Best of all, I now have three new “Friendors” to add to my referral list!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

How Sweet!

Many of my clients return and request that I photograph the newest members of their family. Just a few days prior to her parents eighth wedding anniversary, this beautiful baby girl was born. In these images she is a little over a week old.

I hope these images bring you some of the joy I experienced making them!

More from this series is available at my main site in the Children and Family Gallery.

Love It!

Little Feet!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer