Dualing Photographers

I think I have our photographer choices down to two: The Von Ins and Julie Harris.

The Von Ins
Mr. Sunflower and I met with Shawn and Julie this weekend. The four of us sat in a Starbucks for over an hour, looking through albums and chatting about our engagement. Their photos are not edgy or artsy; they are classic. I like the warmth of their work as much as I like the flexibility of their practice. They are local and reasonably priced for our budget with packaged ranging from 2,000 to 4,500 dollars.


















Julie Harris
I have yet to contact Julie Harris. Her photographs are stunning and capture moments in ways that I have not yet seen in a photographer. She's located in Colorado, so in addition to her commission fee, there will most likely be a travel fee. With packages starting at 4250, she has become my new ultimate wedding photographer.

Miss Pixel has convinced me that my Ultimate Wedding Photographer is not worth the money. I'm beginning to agree. But, that's why she's listed under the "Ultimate" umbrella. Continuing on my quest for a photographer, I came across the Von Ins. Though still on the higher end if prices, I think their rates are extremely reasonable given their work. I'm hoping that Mr. Sunflower and I can meet with them this weekend when we're back home for our engagement brunch. I'm also hoping to look at two (or three) venues while we're there. I'll post the details if they work out.

Ultimate Wedding: Venue

If I had the Ultimate wedding, I would have one of three venues (an east side for Mr. Sunflower, a west side for me, or a northern for a beautiful neutral territory. Each could all hold our growing guest list, but in doing so they come with quite a price tag.


East Side: Oakland University
























West Side: Fredrick Meijer Gardens












Up North: Treetops Resorts

















Oakland is by far my favorite.

Ultimate Wedding: Photographer

If I could have the Ultimate wedding, Katie Moos would be my photographer. Although for some people, a wedding photographer is just another decision that needs to be made, for me it is the beginning of a relationship. Coming from a family of artists, the ability to capture moments is not a passing hobby but a passion. It is an art and it should be celebrated. So, though the guest list (which is continuously and exponentially growing) has yet to be complete, the date has yet to be decided, and the venue has yet to be scouted, I am already months into researching our wedding photographer.

Big or Small? An Update

Mr. Sunflower called today. My future MIL would like to add 80 couples (160 people) to our preliminary guest list of 250. Now, between puffs of hyperventilation, Mr. Sunflower reminded me that we wanted to make an end-all-be-all guest list, maxed out, and subtract from there. I'm not so sure that was a good decision, but regardless, it was made and it can no longer be unmade. So, set before us is the single task of whittling our guest list down to something house-able, feed-able, manageable.

Save the Date

For years, wedding planning has served as a fruitful form of procrastination for me. Nothing has changed. Though we don't yet have a guest list, venue, or even an actual date, I have been playing with ideas. The following save the date (or STDs as I see them called in the wedding blog world, something I'll never get used to) was designed because I have a critical book review due tomorrow. Regardless, I like it. The back shows that my sister, we'll call her Miss Pixel, is responsible for the photography.

I like the front quite a bit. There are two things I'm unsure about: 1) Whether the date should read out as it does or read in a more modern way [10.01.10]. 2) Whether the photo in the bottom right is the best choice. I like the meters; they are from my city. I'm not sure if the "time limit" on them is cute or weird. Out of the photos I had at the time, taken by Miss Pixel, it was the one I liked the most.

Big or Small?

I want a small wedding. It could be because I'm a little socially awkward. It could be because I'm frugal. When I think of my wedding, I think of my close friends and family surrounding an intimate and quiet ceremony. I imagine a kind of garden reception with white lights and fireflies.

Mr. Sunflower, on the other hand, wants a big wedding. He has a very large Indian family where cousins are considered siblings and parents' friends are all aunts and uncles. Not to mention he went to a private school and has had the same fairly close-knit group of friends since he was six.

So, now that we're engaged our first decision is our guest list. Big or small. There are pros and cons for both. We're compromising for medium and hoping that our parents don't push us into unmanageable. Here's hoping for 250.