What is it like to have Grace Trexel Photo as your wedding photographer?
So you are getting ready to pick a photographer for the happiest day of your life. It’s a huge decision with lots to consider. There are so many options, and how can you really know what it is like to work with someone until you do?
Well, I am going to help you out a bit!
Here is what it is like to have Grace Trexel as your wedding photographer from engagement to honeymoon!
You Inquire with Nebraska Wedding Photographer, Grace Trexel
Let’s start from the beginning!
You inquire. YAY. I send you an experience guide telling you the ins and outs of the packages and add-ons I offer. And you’ll see everything else you get while working with me. We jump on a Zoom meeting and I hear more about your story and your dreams for your wedding day. You decide that I am your gal. YAY! You both sign a contract, pay the deposit, and you book Grace Trexel as your wedding photographer! Now, the real fun begins.
First and foremost, I want to know what YOU want out of your day. What is the vibe you are going for? Is it small and intimate, or a big party? What are your wedding colors and is it formal, or more casual? Do you have a huge family and want all the portraits, or would you rather focus on candid moments all day long? What do you want to remember from your wedding day in 30 years? How do you want to spend your time on your wedding day? These are all questions you can start asking your fiancé now.
Does all that seem really overwhelming? Don’t worry, I get that.
Weddings (especially the planning) can get overwhelming real quickly. That’s why I created a Wedding Day Guide to help you through every portion of your day. Once you book, I send it your way ASAP. It will walk you through everything from choosing your getting-ready space to navigating family photos to helpful lighting tips for the perfect party shots at the reception.
The Wedding Guide
I won’t just send you this guide and go silent until the big day. I am always available for my clients via email or text to answer all wedding-related questions. About four months before your wedding we will have a meeting about the wedding day timeline! This is where we sit down, and chat about all the logistics. We talk through when I will arrive, how important those getting-ready photos are, how you want to do the first look, where we will take bridal party portraits, and so on. We will iron out all the logistical details together to make sure we have a plan in place! I also want to make sure that I understand what moments are most important to you and your fiancé about your wedding day and how you both want to spend your time together.
Of course, I will be sending you some goodies too! My clients are my people and boy do they get spoiled. You can expect to receive a few little mementos throughout the process. My very favorite are the Polaroids that I take at your engagement session! You will end up with the sweetest little moments caught on film.
Speaking of engagement sessions… we will do that, too!!
Early on in the engagement season, we plan a date-night-themed engagement session. We get together for a fun and easygoing session inspired by your favorite things! I’ve got a guide for this too! We will plan the perfect session that will make you and your fiancé feel comfortable the whole time.
Planning Your Engagement Session
Imagine you and your fiancé get to create a date night, go on said date, and get an entire gallery full of photographs to keep forever that documented your love… so how do you want this date to look? Let’s get to planning!
Typically, couples bring 2 or 3 outfits and we run around a couple of locations! The number one rule is to be comfortable. I can offer wardrobe and color scheme advice and we can even create a Pinterest board together for the vibes you’re going for!
I don’t want your engagement photos to look like everyone else’s! We can go to your favorite restaurant, grab ice cream downtown, or take your dog to the dog park. I’ll be by your side giving little prompts and suggestions but letting you and your person lead the way.
Ultimately, you’ll leave the session with a full heart and new memories as you wait for your wedding day to arrive.
Your Special Wedding Day
Then comes the long-awaited WEDDING DAY!!
We will have had all the meetings and talked through the timeline details. I’ll know exactly what you want out of your day. I will have reviewed all my notes, set the timeline as my screensaver, organized the family shot list, and gone over and over the details.
I arrive early, scout out the venue, and set up for detail shots. Then IT’S GO TIME! I become your professional third wheel, a fly on the wall, and hype girl all in one for the whole wedding day.
During first looks, I take a step back. This is your moment to be fully present! I won’t try to pose you or interrupt your intimate moment to get a different angle. I take a step back and let you and your spouse-to-be have a few minutes together before you say “I do”.
Then, when it’s time for bridal party portraits, I am back in the driver’s seat to get everyone hyped up and ready to celebrate you! We will do portraits, candids, and have a lot of fun.
Family Portraits and Ceremony Photos
When it’s time for family portraits, take a deep breath before we dive in. While it can be a stressful time of the day, I assure you, I am as chill as they come. If I have a second shooter, they will help me organize all of your crazy aunts and uncles, or I will ask you to assign another family member/close friend to the task. We’ll work through our shot list and go with the flow if we are missing people or need to adjust the order. No need to stress!
And then, of course, the reason we are all there— it’s ceremony time! The bride walking down the aisle, the groom at the alter, the first kiss! All so precious, important, and genuine. I am there to capture every small and big moment as it unfolds.
Reception Photos
And finally, we party! Some of my favorite wedding day images come from the reception. The nerves are over and you’re officially married. You are chatting with your family and dancing with all of your friends. The drinks are getting refilled and it’s a good time.
The whole day is focused on you two! I do my best work when the bride and groom barely know that I am there. We will mostly follow the timeline and I will make sure you get all the shots that are most important to you. I also watch from afar, notice little moments, and capture all the emotions felt throughout the day.
At the end of the night, you will have Polaroids in your hands to reminisce about the best day ever!
What Couples Receive After Their Wedding Day
You’re married!! Now what?
Those polaroids, although very cute and fun, won’t be enough to tide you over forever! About 72 hours after your wedding day you will receive your fulllll sneak peek gallery, between 50-200 images from various scenes of your wedding day! It comes with a slideshow so you can sit down with all your people and relive your day.
Then, 6-8 weeks after that you’ll get access to the full gallery!! This includes your full gallery in color as well as a smaller black-and-white gallery of your day. These are often my client’s favorite images. It is so special to view the day in black and white. You will be able to download and share all of these with your friends and family so they can see their favorite photos too.
Your images should not live forever on a screen. Get them printed, display them, and share them with the people you love! Artifact Uprising, MPix, SmallWoods, and PicTime are some of my favorite print shops. PicTime it is the platform I use to share galleries with you so you can count on receiving a discount code!
Now that your wedding is over *tears* but let’s work together again! Reach out when you need a photographer again. I love doing family portraits, maternity shoots, and anniversary sessions for my past clients!
“I seriously cannot express how amazing Grace and her read did to help capture our day so perfectly!! I’m a wedding photographer myself so this decision was the hardest! She blew my expectations out of the park and captured every little detail perfectly. I take every chance to show people my wedding photos because I am that obsessed with them. They are elegant, timeless, emotional, and tell the story of our wedding day all in one.”
–Molly (Bride)
