Formal pictures

• Bride and Groom with wedding party
• Bride full length showing back of gown
• Bride full length showing front of gown
• Bride only close up posed pictures
• Groom full length
• Groom Close up posed pictures
• Bride and groom, full length, traditional
• Bride and groom, full length, romantic
• Bride and groom close up posed pictures
• You might seriously consider doing the above just prior to the wedding (see previous post)

Individual Poses

• Your Soloist
• Your clergy person
• Your candle lighters
• Your ushers

Family Pictures

• The Bride with her mother
• The bride with her father
• The bride with both parents
• The brides parents alone
• The bride and groom with her parents
• The bride and groom with her family
• The bride with her grand parents
• The groom with his mother
• The groom with his father
• The groom with both parents
• The grooms parents alone
• The Groom and the bride with his parents
• The groom and bride with his family
• The groom with his grand parents

Group Wedding Party

• The bride with the brides maids
• The groom with groomsmen
• The Bride with the maid of honor
• The groom with the best man
• The bride with the flower girl
• The groom with the ring bearer
• The ring bearer and the flower girl

The Ceremony

• Candle lighting
• Seating of Grooms mother
• Seating of the brides mother
• The processional
• The bride on her father’s arm
• Exchange of the rings
• Unity candle lighting
• The first kiss
• The introduction of the newly wed couple

The Reception

• Overall view of the reception area
• The Wedding cake cutting ceremony
• The bride and groom feeding each other
• The wedding toasts
• The bride tossing the bouquet
• The groom removing the garter
• The groom tossing the garter
• The bride and groom’s first dance
• Close up of hands and the wedding rings
• Candid photographs of the guests

While the above does not include all of the possible photography requests and ideas there are it does give you a place to start thinking about what you want and what your budget can afford for those precious memories from your wedding day. You can contact me for a form to use that will help you get started in planning your wedding photography needs at mike@prophotos365.com if you are planning on using our services for your wedding. It is our hope the the above information will help you decide on what you would like captures on your special day.

One of the hardest things to work on is your budget for your wedding!

 There are so many hidden expenses for Weddings today that a realistic budget needs to be done.  We all hate this part but if done correctly and early on you will benefit greatly.If you do not have one please consider making one before you start contacting vendors such as:

1. The site for your wedding will have a cost based on your needs. Are you having any celebrations after the wedding at the same site (dancing – buffet – cake cutting ceremony). If so each event adds to the time and personnel required to meet those needs.
2. Your Wedding dress needs to go into your budget even if you are fortunate enough to wear your mothers wedding dress as alterations and dry cleaning will need to be done.
3. Your flowers and bridal bouquet needs should be added to your budget and here time is important as not all flowers are readily available year around and your florist will need plenty of notice time before your wedding to get everything shipped in and ready on time.
4. If you want a caterer to handle all of the food preparation they also will need to meet with you early and schedule the time and location of your wedding. Many factor play here like is there a usable commercial kitchen and if not then all food must be handled in a portable fashion. Also many professional caterers provide the necessary utensils for all food and beverages. Here again also check on the legality of service any alcoholic beverages on the site of your choice as this is not always an option.
5. Are you going to be responsible for the Brides maids and the grooms men cloths for this event and if so time is not your friend here so plan ahead here to save confusion later.
6. The decorator, is it going to be a professional company or your friends. If you use (I Recommend this) a professional decorator consider using a coordinator from that business to smooth out many of the bumps in your road that will happen. Here I believe you can actually save money if you get a good one as things will be on schedule and your hourly costs will be minimal.
7. Another area worth serious consideration is are you using live music or a Professional DJ service like Mr. Lobbo DJ services or maybe live music in your church and the DJ services for the reception and dancing. But a word of caution here is in order as a good DJ service is usually booked way out in advance so it is in your best interest to consider booking your choice early on.
8. All vendors from the Pastor/or person officiating at your wedding will need phone and contact numbers with names for any site you choose to use. For example a wedding at a small quaint chapel and the reception at a larger hall or restaurant will require addresses and contact names and numbers for all even those just attending your wedding.
9. The wedding Photography company like ours Prophotos365 will need to talk to your person performing the wedding ceremony so there are no misunderstandings on the use of flash during your wedding and to secure a good area for pre- wedding photos and post wedding  photos. Most Photography companies have packages that can fit most budgets but if you wait too long you may have to take a higher charging company and not get what you want or deserve.
10. Then there are the little things like the map to your wedding and banquet site and getting it to those that are from out of town. The room and facilities for those that need a Hotel and even car rentals can be prearranged with your help (you are local they are not).

We have five (5) wedding package prices that will cover most weddings and we will on meeting you to see what your needs are. Some times things go on and the photographer is there longer than the package price covers so we also have a add on labor charge for his time. If your site is out in the country we will discuss travel time and all costs so there are no surprises. In my forty plus years in sales I have found getting to the needs and expectations early on and deciding which plan fits your needs will be in your best interest it is your wedding and money so please do not be afraid to ask about costs right away. On our web page you will find the email address to contact me and I can send you our pre meeting forms so we have most of your needs on paper already. From there we will build your quote and settle on the final price. Most important of all is to get started early and get your vendors lined up and committed, in all cases you will need to make a deposit to hold the trades people and the date/s you want and need. Our area of coverage is from South Seattle to and through Lewis County Which includes University Place, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater Chehalis and Centralia to name a few. 

We will be adding to this post with more information regularly so check in and feel free to use the reply form below if you have questions for us.

The day of your wedding you do not need to deal with anything except as smooth of a day as possible. So some things to consider from the photography aspect of your wedding. Time is always precious and you will be nervous enough with out unnecessary delays. One thing you can do and control from the beginning is the time you allot for your photographer to get all of the images you want for those precious memories to last your lifetime.

1. If you can allow the Bride Groom and family pictures to be taken before you walk down the aisle
2. Meet with our Photographer ahead of time and make sure the Wedding Check List is filled out and available
3. Go over the Wedding check list with the photographer so you both understand what is expected of us
4. Decide and agree on the Wedding package that meets both your budget and needs at this same meeting
5. Remember each facility and or minister has their own rules about flash during your ceremony we have to follow those rules
6. Please ask family and friends to allow the photographer to do the job they are hired to do in most cases this is not an issue but you do not want a posed picture to have cousin Bob’s head and video camera in the background. (Yes this happens)
7. When you are having an outside Wedding consider a back up area for photo taking (grand parents do not like getting wet when they are all dressed up).
8. If you allow no less than one and a half hours before the actual wedding for your Posed pictures (depends on the package you choose) all should go well.

We have various packages and package discounts that will be discussed with you prior to your agreeing to use our company for your wedding photography. When the final selection is made you need to pay one half of your agreed on amount to hold that date for the photographer/s, and the final amount needs to be paid on the day of your wedding. You will have proofs within one week and from there you select the images used for your package. Your images will not be delivered to you if there is an outstanding amount on your bill. You will also receive a CD or DVD with all of the selected images ready for review and printing.

Our basic area of coverage is all of Thurstan county, Lewis county, Pierce county and most of south King county. If you want to contact me go to the link below, ProPhotos365 and click on the email for Mike there. I check this account on a regular basis and will get back to you within a reasonable time.

The reason for the first suggestion is that everyone will be fresh and happy before the walk down the isle you will never look better or feel better than before the wedding. Also the guests will appreciate the short time from your walking out married and the following banquet dance and cake cutting ceremony and you will appreciate this time also. You can check out our sites at MikesDigitalSolutions  and Prophotos365 for more information.

We hope the above information is of a help to you in the planning and enjoyment of your wedding. Let us know if you would like more information on preparing for professional photography for your wedding or event.

Sincerely Mike