Southern Weddings

Hiya! Welcome back to my wedding planning posts :) Today, I would LOVE to introduce you to our photographer — can you tell I’m excited??

Let me begin by saying that I know everyone has different priorities when it comes to planning a wedding, and I know that photography is not at the top of everyone’s list — but it definitely was for us. There are a few reasons for this — most importantly, that the photos are what we will cherish long after almost everything else has been eaten, sold, thrown out, packed up, or forgotten (kind of sad, but true). But the photos? The really good ones? Those will bring us back to that day years and years in the future.

Oh yes, and wedding photography is also my job. I stare at it all day long. Unsurprisingly, I have both strong opinions about it and high standards for it.

With that being said, there were a few things we were looking for in our photographer. They were, in no particular order:

1. Someone who shoots film.
2. Someone who has a great personality.
3. Someone who effortlessly directs their subjects and has a knack for natural posing.

I love SO many photographers, and there wasn’t just one that I HAD to have (there are certainly many who fit the above criteria). I would have been ecstatic to work with a number of photographers, and before I introduce you to our final pick, I wanted to spend a minute on these others, in the hopes that one of them might be right for one of you.

I adore Joey + Jessica. I really, really do. Having worked with them through Southern Weddings, I know that they are so fun and easy going. Plus, I love the ease with which they direct their subjects (probably from all of their commercial experience).

I haven’t met Jonathan Canlas in person, but I would really like to — he seems like such a fun person to be around, and I know his enthusiasm would be infectious on a wedding day. Plus, he turns out some of the most amazing family and large-group portraits I’ve ever seen.

I adore Lisa Lefkowitz’s work. I think her color images have the most beautiful quality to them, and everything she produces reflects such a high level of taste and a classic aesthetic. She also seems like she would be a warm, calming process on the day of a wedding.

Believe me, I could go on, and on, and on, but I think I’ll leave it at that for today!

Now, John and I actually made our choice a few weeks ago, and a few days after that, I asked y’all to guess on Twitter who we chose. The only hint I gave was that our photographer was a female. I had the best time looking through all of your guesses! In no particular order, you guessed: Jasmine Star, Kate Headley, Rae Leytham, Jen Huang, Nancy Ray, Elizabeth Messina, Meredith Perdue, Melissa Schollaert, Jenna Cole, Amy Rae, Katie Stoops, Meg Perotti, Kellie Kano, and Millie Holloman. What a WONDERFUL group of ladies and photographers!

In the end, though, no one guessed our choice. I am so pleased and excited to say that none other than Tanja Lippert will be photographing our wedding!! I have loved Tanja’s work for a loooooong time — ever since I saw this wedding in 2008, in fact. From what I’ve seen, she does an amazing job effortlessly posing single subjects and large groups. She also seems like she’ll be a blast to be around on our wedding day — just check out this video for evidence :) She has a strong commercial background, which gives her a matchless editorial eye. She has a huge heart, which is evident in how much love and emotion comes through in her images. And, of course, she shoots film, which gives her work the most beautiful color and quality.

But enough words from me! I’ll let Tanja’s images do the talking:

Elegant, fun, emotional, light-hearted, editorial, candid, classic, joyful — her photographs really run the gamut, don’t they?

Seeing all of those images together makes me even more excited, but you know what the best part about hiring Tanja has been? She is SO EXCITED about shooting our wedding. And while I know she just loves her job in general, and gets excited about every wedding she shoots, I think it also helps that she knows that I am SO EXCITED she’ll be shooting our wedding. It’s been my experience that vendors can tell when you love what they do and are thrilled to get to work with them — and those seem to be the conditions under which they produce their finest work. Something to keep in mind when interacting with the people who will be a part of your big day!

So tell me: What do you think? Do you love Tanja as much as I do? :) Who will be photographing your wedding?

P.S. In case you missed a post:
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
Something for the bride to wear

Written with love by Emily