I’m beginning to offer albums now as part of my packages and have recently chosen a company that does wonderfully simple leather, flush-mount albums. While I don’t currently have any images of what the books look like just yet, I’m excited to order sample albums to show clients and have begun to design some layouts in the process. These aren’t necessarily what the final layouts will look like, but I want to share screenshots of a couple of the spreads as I’m starting to work on them. They’re really fun to design! Working on the layouts is bringing back memories from my high school Yearbook Committee days, where we spent hours and hours designing layouts by hand using graph paper, rulers, and wax pencils. Thank goodness for Adobe InDesign, these days! :)
I prefer clean, simple layouts so that the focus is on the images themselves. Each image below (from Amber and Will’s wedding) is a 2-page spread for a 10×10 album.
Kelly and Shane have had quite the romance–they met at seventeen while at an International Baccalaureate program, and after ten years and some long distance (Kelly is currently local while Shane is living in the Cayman Islands) they are still going strong. Their wedding is next year but Kelly got in touch with me, excited to get an engagement session in before the weather got too rough in Boston. Scheduling was a little tricky, too, since we had to make sure the session took place on one of the rare weekends that Shane is in town, so I was crossing my fingers that the weather would hold out for us. Luckily, despite the recent fluctuating temperatures, the morning we chose was pretty much perfect!
Kelly suggested starting off at the Bunker Hill Monument, which made for a great backdrop, and which I had actually never visited before. We then explored parts of the Charlestown Navy Yard (where I second shot Abby and Istvan’s wedding back in June) and got even more fun shots in. I love shooting in Boston–there never seems to be a shortage of red brick backdrops!
Enjoy!
And these last two, because they are so utterly adorable!
Thanks for such an awesome session, Kelly and Shane!
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I am an incessant e-mail checker (made only worse by my recent purchase of a Blackberry!), but more than that I’m an obsessive compulsive blog-stalker. I primarily look at other photographers’ blogs but a few non-photography ones get thrown in the mix too. This is one I discovered a couple of months ago and wanted to share: Sophie Blackall’s Missed Connections blog, where she creates quirky and whimsical illustrations from Craigslist’s Missed Connections postings!
Maybe it’s the romantic in me, or maybe it’s the fact that Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are two of my ALL TIME favorite movies and they revolve around this idea of connecting/reconnecting, but I love that there are real opportunities now for people to get back in touch with each other–and that this is inspiring creative work in artists! I think I’m especially drawn to Sophie’s work as it’s similar to mine. We see something unique, beautiful, and fascinating in these fleeting moments between people and aim to capture it in our own way. Definitely check out her work, if you haven’t already!
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As I’m building up my business, I’m also starting to network with other vendors to get to know more people in the wedding industry. Jennifer Cox contacted me recently with the same goal, and we met up in Inman Square in Cambridge to chat over coffee. She is the owner of a budding wedding coordination business, Esq.Events, where she specializes in month and day of coordination. I learned more about her line of work and some of the weddings she has coordinated recently. I liked her right off the bat–from speaking with her you can tell she really enjoys assisting couples, loves meeting new people, and just has things figured out. She’s also laid back and has an awesome sense of humor, which I’m sure is a big draw for clients!
After coffee we headed out for a portrait shoot. Luckily, the trees were still colorful, and Inman itself was a fun backdrop. I thought it’d be helpful to do a little Q&A with the photos as a way to get to know Jennifer better and learn more about wedding coordination in general.
How did you get started with Esq.Events? My friends from law school and I always used to think of interesting careers we could pair with our law degrees. My favorite was always the Legal Lunch Truck, where we could dispense legal advice AND sandwiches, but Esq.Events is a close second. While I was planning my own wedding, it became very obvious that the skills I honed in law school were applicable to wedding coordination: negotiation, organization and long term planning were invaluable to me. Esq.Events is the result, and I hope to eventually expand and have a Legal Services arm of the company for Wedding Professionals.
What types of services do you provide to your clients? Esq.Events focuses on Month of and Day of Coordination. This service has gotten a lot of press in the last few years, but I view the role as stepping in the shoes of the bride or groom and helping them execute their perfect day. We worry about all the little details so you (and your mom) don’t have to!!
What is the difference between a coordinator and planner? A full wedding planner is normally hired by a couple at the very beginning of the wedding planning process. Planners suggest everything from venue and vendors, help with design and decor, assist with budget and then often manage the wedding day or weekend. Planners are perfect for couples who do not have a lot of time to spend researching and designing the wedding. Planners can also be invaluable if the couple is getting married out of state or is having a destination wedding. Full Service Wedding Planner fees do vary but can cost between $2000-10000.
Wedding coordinators are normally brought in later in the planning process (Esq.Events is normally hired 4-6 months in advance) and focus on any last minute details and wedding day organization. Coordinators are perfect for the couple who has spent a lot of time and energy planning the wedding and wants to ensure that it is executed exactly as they planned. You can expect to pay between $400-1800 for a Coordinator depending on the package.
Why might those who haven’t considered hiring a wedding coordinator/planner want to do so? Esq.Events’ tagline is “wedding coordination for the detailed-oriented bride.” I always joke the that the typical client is one that wakes up one day and realizes that he or she is not going to be able to oversee the table setup or the reception decor on the day of the wedding because there are more important things for a bride or groom to do that day. Even though you may have other vendors who can handle reception decoration, it is really ideal to have a personal advocate. It is the goal of Esq.Events that by the time our clients get to their wedding day, we are just has invested in the look and feel of the wedding day as our clients.
What do you love most about the work that you do? I love meeting new vendors. There are amazing people in this industry. I also really love the creative ideas and projects that my clients have for their day! They inspire me!
Any last piece(s) of advice for those planning a wedding? Don’t become overwhelmed with all the trends and the information available to you and don’t continue to change your plans to incorporate the newest big thing. Stick to your own personal visions and be confident that your day will be about you and your new spouse.
Jennifer is available for wedding coordination services in Boston and the surrounding New England area. Contact her at jennifer@esq-events.com!
OPEN POSTQuick peek at an image from a portrait session with Jennifer Cox of Esq. Events! We did a fabulous session out in Cambridge, and in processing the images I came across this black and white one that I love and want to share for now:
Stay tuned! I’ll be doing a Q&A where Jennifer will talk about her work and share some of her insight on wedding coordination.
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