landlocked bride® | midwest + mountain west wedding inspiration

A good friend of mine is always on the lookout for fun things for me to feature on the blog, so when she sent me the link to these Save the Dates, I knew I had to feature them.  They are different than your traditional Save the Date, and have so much personality (especially from the bride and groom).

I love the idea that it is a tri-fold, and features several photos of the couple, which were taken by the talented James Christianson.  The bride, Laura Dombrowski, is a photographer in the Denver/Boulder, CO, area, but is from Cape Girardeau, MO (giving her Midwest ties!).

At any rate, here are the Save the Dates from several different angles.  I was also able to find out that she had them printed on recycled paper (a girl after my own heart), which I just love. She used color, which more brides should do. And, she opted to include photos of her and her fiance, which guests really love – they can use it as keepsake.

Laura Dombrowski

I’ve already talked about how much I love the photographer we picked (I’ve raved here).  But I’m here to tell you she’s back.  Not that she has disappeared, because she hasn’t.  She just has not blogged lately because she’s been super busy with wedding season (I don’t blame her!!).  I’m amazed at how any photographer finds the time to blog during wedding season!  At any rate, I was a like a kid in a candy store when she posted last week and this week (so pardon my excitement).

She blogged about her recent trip to the Jessica Claire OC Photography Workshop (I’m super jealous, btw) last week, and yesterday, she blogged about a recent wedding, with some beautiful colors.  So, I wanted to share the beauty!

First up?  The JC workshop, of course.

I am totally swooning over the details and the light and just everything. GORGEOUS. And, did I mention I was jealous?

Up next? Her recent post about a wedding.

I’m totally loving the colors in that bouquet.

And, who doesn’t love a sparkler exit?!

All photos courtesy of Lisa Hessel Photography

I’m sure that Lisa thinks I’m a total creeper…but that’s okay, because I appreciate her talent! A ton!!

Your vendors get hungry, too!

I had a friend of mine bring up this point recently.  She wanted to know if she should feed her photographer.  My response?? ABSOLUTELY.

You hired this person to spend all day with you and capture your wedding story, trust me when I tell you they will get hungry (heck, I’m hungry while typing this).

But, it’s not just your photographer you should worry about. You should also feed your wedding planner/day of coordinator, videographer, DJ and any other vendor that is spending a great deal of time with you on your day.  You don’t have to give them a full plate of what the rest of your guests get, but at least make sure they have like a sandwich, a side and something to drink.  Many venues offer a “vendor plate” which is different (and usually cheaper) than the main course plate, so they have a chance to re-fuel.  Keep in mind that especially vendors like your photographer and wedding coordinator are there practically all day with you.  You know they’re bound to get hungry, and you need make sure they stay nourished and energized!  It is just good etiquette!

Even Emily Post thinks you should feed your vendors!

If you have any other wedding day questions, let me know!  I’d love to feature your thoughts/questions/insights on the blog.

How fun is this DIY faux-to booth idea?!

The Bride’s Cafe

Instead of setting up an actual booth or putting disposable cameras, Janie’s DIY contest winner, Hillary, shared this great idea! Buy some old-fashioned cameras off of Ebay, Etsy or Craigslist, set up a fun table, and let guests take pictures at your event of all of the happenings. Obviously you have your fabulously awesome photographer to take gorgeous photos for your, but this lets your guests get involved and take silly, action/candid shots from a different perspective.

This would be a great idea for the DIY bride, vintage bride, outdoor wedding bride. Really, just any bride!

Yes, I know this is two “things i love” posts in less than 24 hours, let alone two posts about photography.  Indulge me.

I realized I never actually introduced you all to our photographer, whom we absolutely love. If you’re antsy, you can skip down some since I first want to share at how we arrived at her.

I spent the first few months after our engagement scouring the internet for a local photographer we both liked.  We already had our venues booked and date set, so it was important that the next thing we booked be our photographer.  I had contacted what seems like a million photographers inquiring about availability, packages, pricing, etc. before we narrowed it down to a handful.  After we narrowed it down to about 4 or 5, we spend some time reviewing their bodies of work, their blogs and websites and asking people we knew that had used them before what they were like.  I had shared with my mom right off the bat who was one of our top picks (this was a tough decision), and she wasn’t very happy about her work as we were, so it was back to more research.

It was at that point when I decided to meet with two of them.  I had heard fantastic things about both of them from people we know first-hand, and I (we) really loved their work. The FI was not as concerned about how well we clicked with them as I was, so I went alone to both meetings.  They each showed me some albums and photos, shared with me their backgrounds and pricing and we chatted over just about everything.  It really was like sitting at a coffee shop with an old friend just catching up.  That was uber important to me.  I wanted to make sure I clicked with our photographer.  After all, she was going to spending one of the most important days of my life with me and documenting it.

Once I met with both of them, the FI and I spend a few weeks talking about what we liked about each.  We had some criteria for our photographer, regardless:

1.  We wanted a second shooter.  I know some photographers tell you that you do not need want, but we WANTED one.
2.  To have some sort of album or product credit with their packages.
3.  That the engagement session was included with the package.

Each of the photographers offered all of the above.  So it was a matter of who we liked better (boy this was tough).  In the end, we chose Lisa Hessel.  We loved her work, mom loved her work, all of her packages included the above AND they all included unlimited time.  As an aspiring photographer myself, I think with weddings, you cannot put a time limit on photography.  We loved that her and her second shooter would be able to be with us all day, capturing the happy and loving moments, the laughter and the emotion.

We have yet to have our engagement pictures done yet, which we are doing this Fall.  BUT I love her work.  I love when she updates her blog because it is as if I fall in love with her work all over again. Plus, I love that she uses Finao albums (this probably means nothing to most of you).  These are some of my favorite professional albums and I love the variety you can get with these.  So, lets just say I am beyond excited about my wedding album.

This is one of my favorite images by her:

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I know it isn’t a super exciting image, but I have had my eye on that photo since day one of stumbling upon her work.  It just captures the emotion so well.

I also love that she loves sunflare.  Take note:

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And, I also love that she loves urban photos, especially in her favorite alley:

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And, one more. Promise (at least for now). I love this alley/backstreet/urban shot:

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What are your requirements for your photographer? Any specific qualities or options you’re looking for?

Yes, I know, I have been the super slacker, non-existant bride-to-be.

The past few weeks have been filled with the ups and downs of life (mostly work), and yet again, I have not had much time to think.

I spent this last weekend at a friend’s bridal shower. It was a nice affair on a Summer St. Louis day (in other words, it was pretty warm). Thankfully the sun was out, seeing as how lately it has stormed its butt off almost every day. I got some great shots of her opening gifts, which I might share later (pending her approval, of course).

Since we’re on the topic of photographers, the FI and I FINALLY booked our photographer. The contract and check have not yet been mailed (they will on Monday), so I am hesitant to share my giddiness for who we chose. We are both really happy with our choice and will be sure to dish once the photog receives our signed contract!

This weekend I am off to TCB (Town and Country Bridal) to show a good friend my dress. Two of my friends have already seen me in the dress, but I promised K that we would take a gander this weekend so she could see the awesomeness that I have yet to purchase. It will also give me another chance to peak at the BM dresses they have in their showroom. I’m having a hard time choosing something. Another side note: Don’t expect any pictures of the actual “dress.” That will remain a secret until the wedding, but I will gladly share images of my not chosen gowns.

Another side note, these past two weeks have really opened my eyes to some great ideas I have for the wedding. One – I am booking a Day of Wedding Coordinator. I have already picked her out and met with her, now it is a matter of signing a contracting and mailing the deposit. More on that in another post. Two – We are going to try and incorporate some eco-friendly/green ideas into the wedding in some ways. We have yet to figure out how, but have a few ideas up our sleeves. Three – We are taking a more modern approach to the look and feel of our wedding. There are some non-traditions and modern/contemporary/simplistic ideas that we will be incorporating. After all, this wedding is supposed to be a reflection of our relationship, not “old world tradition” (not that I am dissing it, because it can be beautiful, but it is just not for us). Four – I would LOVE to have my aunt officiate our wedding ceremony, if she is willing to become ordained (not that would be an issue, because I already am….don’t ask, unless you really want to know). We would just much rather have someone close to us officiate the marriage than have a stranger do it. It would mean so much more. Five – Color. That’s all I got. We want to add punches of color wherever possible.

Sorry for the hodge podge of a post. I’m sure many of you out there in wedding planning land have had many of these moments.