weddings crystal genes photography
2013
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE to planning the perfect photography experience
INCLUDING
wedding day timeline engagement session vendors & your album
Crystal Genes Photography
contents spring/summer 2012
in this issue 3
welcome
4
from our fans
6
the timeline
7
a letter from us
the process
17
how we do things
8
vendors we love
9
it’s all in the details
personalize your details
where to find us
flowers, cakes & things
11 your first heirloom the wedding album
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www.crystalgenes.net www.crystalgenesblog.net www.facebook.com/crystalgenesphotography
sabrina & wille
www.pinterest.com/crystalgenes/ www.twitter.com/crystalgenes 15
land of OZ
23 engagement session why you need one
25 our pricing
contact us today! www.crystalgenes.net crystal - info@crystalgenes.net ben - ben@crystalgenes.net 704.280.4242 wilmington, nc & portland, or (serving worldwide)
A bridal session provides a great opportunity to have a test-run with your hair and makeup stylists
welcome letter
Hello! Thank you so much for your interest in us and our work. We truly LOVE what we do and feel so lucky to be able to share our talent with so many wonderful brides and grooms the world over. It’s important that you find a photographer whom you love and trust to capture the story of your day. It’s important that you can see yourself in the work that your photographer shows in their portfolio. The story only happens once and it deserves the best coverage. We know that the planning process can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help! Please contact us if you have any questions at all. We hope that we get the opportunity to be the storytellers for your big day.
warmly, Crystal photo credit: tracy turpen photography
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Letters From
Our Couples
I just had to let you know how much We love the photos from the wedYou are such an artist! My parents are I love the pictures! They are absoding as well as the engagement. You lutely gorgeous!! I could look at them in awe of your work (as am I!) I am both have such a skill for capturing a for days and days! The best decision I amazed at how your photos transpose moment - we could not have found a have ever made (aside from marrying me right back to the sheer bliss that better pair of photographers! was Oct. 9th! my best friend) was choosing you as my photographer! Alyssa & Kyle xoxo - Laura & Chris Christina & Braxton
See more reviews on
Some places you may have seen our work :
Ben and I have won WeddingWire.com Bride’s Choice award for the past 3 years in a row and couldn’t be more thrilled! To see more reviews from our couples visit the link below or scan the QR Code for direct access. www.weddingwire.com/crystalgenesphotography
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The Knot NC Southern Weddings Blog Carolina Bride Blog Ruffled White Thread Bubbly Bride The Funfetti Where Charlotte
Make a fashionable entrance by keeping your timeline in check 5
Getting Your Ducks in a Row how to make the most of your wedding day timeline
Wedding party portraits outside Poplar Grove Plantation, Wilmington, North Carolina
1 Hour Before Ceremony Your guests will start to arrive up to 1 hour before the ceremony, so unless we can be well hidden, or you don’t care if they see you, we often finish portraits by this time. Groomsmen are often needed for seating guests and the bride will like to have a bit of time to relax and breathe! This is often a great time for us to scout the ceremony site and/or take photos of your reception space completely decorated.
Just After Ceremony
A Note About Planning If photography is one of the most important aspects of your wedding day (which we hope it is) then you’ll want to make sure you schedule plenty of time into your day to ensure we can capture your full vision. While we do work in a very unobtrusive style and tend to let the story unfold before us as we capture it, some scheduled time is needed to capture some aspects that simply can’t be covered in a photojournalistic style. And, even more important is to consider what time of the day you are scheduling portraits to be made. Light to a good photographer is EVERYTHING. How we, specifically, work with light is essential to our style. If you are having an outdoor ceremony, planning it to occur as close to sunset as possible is key. Here is an ideal timeline for a full day’s worth of coverage.
3 Hours Before Ceremony Generally you should be just finishing up with your hair and makeup when we arrive. We’ll get a few shots of your finishing touches and then we’ll be ready to photograph you getting into your dress! One of us will often be with the guys getting ready at the same time.
2 Hours Before Ceremony This is when you should plan for your first look, if you’re having one. After the first look we will also photograph the whole wedding party. If you’d like, it’s also a great time to do as many family portraits as well. Otherwise, we’ll start with the bride and her bridesmaids and finish with the groom and his groomsmen.
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If you aren’t having a first look, we’ll need to start portraits immediately after the ceremony, which means a receiving line is often not ideal. It can take up to one full hour for these formal and fun portraits, so be sure everyone you’d like to be there knows that they are needed. Set up a secret location for everyone to meet right after so that you don’t get caught in the crowd. Since outdoor ceremonies should be scheduled as closely as possible to sunset, this is often the best time for portraits of the bride and groom alone. Amazing light.
It’s All Cake From Here Generally, after the formal photos are finished, it’s time to party and enjoy your day! Another reason we recommend a first look and getting portraits done before the ceremony.
What to Expect
from before the big day to after your honeymoon
3-4 weeks before the wedding
We’ll get together a few weeks before the big day to discuss your final timeline, talk about the important aspects of the day, and select your album options.
2 weeks before the wedding
Final balance on your wedding photography collection is due 2 weeks before the weeding. We’ll send an email to touch base about any changes to the timeline and make sure everything is set to go!
1
week
after
the
wedding
Be on the lookout on our blog and Facebook for a sneak of our wedding favorites. We try to get the sneak peek up as soon as possible to hold you over until the album design is released!
3-4 weeks after the wedding We’ll get together a few weeks after your wedding to reveal, review, and finalize your album design.
4-8 weeks after the wedding
The previews are posted, the album has been designed and ordered, next we focus on editing the rest of the images that made up your day and host them all on an online proofing and ordering gallery for everyone to see!
5-8 weeks after the wedding
Once your album has been ordered and your images edited for the online gallery, we’ll be preparing your digital files on disc and getting those shipped out to you.
10 weeks after the wedding
You should receive all products ordered by this time.
1
year
after
the
wedding
You’re celebrating your first anniversary! We guarantee storage of your images for one year. Make sure you have backed up your digital files for safe keeping.
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Hire The Best of the Best
t h g i l t o p S r Vendo
Cakes & Sweets
WHITE ROSE BAKERY Portland, OR www.whiterosebakery.com (503) 432-6607 BLISS CUPCAKE SHOP Portland, OR www.blisscupcakeshop.com (503) 645-6000 SUGAR SHAPES Portland, OR Find them on Facebook!
Make-Up
POWDER INC. Portland, OR www.powderincbeauty.com
Flowers
BLOOMSBERRY FLORAL Portland, OR www.bloomsberryfloral.com 877-883-4677 CREATIONS BY LY Portland, OR www.creationsbyly.com (503) 860-2195
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Event Design/Coordinator
BASH! WEDDINGS & EVENTS NW Portland, OR www.basheventsnw.com (503) 593-9990
Videography
BLACK LABEL STUDIOS www.blacklabeleventfilms.com (503) 799-2944
Catering
CRAVE CATERING www.cravepdx.com (503) 224-0370
Will your bouquet be vibrant or soft? Perhaps you’ll consider handmade invites? How tall will your cake be? Why not have a signature cocktail or two?
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...it’s all in the details!
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The Storybook of Your Day Your First Family Heirloom
The wedding album is the culmination of months of hard work, planning, excitement, and love. It’s the one tangible piece of the wedding day that you can continue to enjoy for years after the wedding is over. In the blink of an eye the months of preparation and anticipation come together perfectly for one day made up of several hours and all the people you love and then just as quickly it passes and becomes a memory. Hold on to those memories better with a custom created storybook that you can cherish and pass down to your children and grandchildren as a token of your time, style, and love. Digital images and consumer grade diy photo books are a novelty. Digital files might sound nice to have but they are not practical in the way of your investment. We hear time after time from past brides that they received their digital files, stored them away in a drawer to get around to later, and still haven’t found the time to revisit the images. Years later they still don’t have actual images from their special day. Life gets in the way and before you know it, your disc becomes corrupted or technology has moved on. Diy photo books are printed with low quality inks that fade and smear over time. Pages are thin and can bend and rip. They quickly find a hiding place on the bookshelf because the value is lacking. We feel it’s our duty and obligation, as the storytellers of your day, to make sure your images get the attention they deserve. Before life moves on and the next thing you know you’re investing in childrens portraits and can’t even remember where your wedding disc is, do yourself a favor and preserve the story of your love now. You won’t regret it. We promise.
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Be sure to use several images from your wedding day as wall art for your home
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Sabrina & Wille Puerto Rico * April 21 at Hacienda Siesta Alegre
the bridal bouquet The bridal bouquet was made of purple orchids, white hydrangea, and purple roses.
the location The bride always envisioned a wedding in a magical far away place and since they both have family on island, it was a no brainer.
the inspiration The hacienda, located in the rainforest in Rio Grande provided fairytale inspiration without being too princess like.
The Bride Sabrina Goins, 24, a grant writer in Charlotte, NC
The Groom Wille Colon, 25, writer How They Met They were high school sweethearts, split for a while, then reunited
How Long Engaged 14 months Their Wedding Style Clean and romantic, “Something Like a Fairytale� 13
The Programs They’ve been told their love story reads like a novel, so since they are both writers they played on their theme by writing a fairytale of their love for their programs.
The Bridesmaids The bridesmaids wore Dessy twist wrap dresses, each wrapped differently.
The Day After The couple were married in the rainforest, but loved the colors and mood of Old San Juan, so they woke really early the day after their wedding for a Day-After sunrise session around the old town, getting gorgeous images.
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Quirky Twist
Finding inspiration from unique locations can be all part of the fun in making the day uniquely you! * Land of Oz, Beech Mountain, NC Gil & Heather Gatch
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4
3
A TABLE FOR TWO Flowers by Bless Your Heart Blooms, Blowing Rock, NC. Table numbers by One of a Kind Design by Megan Brusca, Worldwide.
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SWEET AND SAUCY Menu and paper products by One of a Kind Design by Megan Brusca, Worldwide. Cake by The Looking Glass Bakery, Charlotte, NC.
TALE OF TWO BOUQUETS Flowers by Bless Your Heart Blooms, Blowing Rock , NC. Dress from Angolique Bridal, Mooresville, NC. Shoes, vintage.
Rules of Engagement
your engagement session... The engagement session is a great opportunity for us to get to know the two of you and your relationship better. We can see how you interact most comfortably with each other as well as how you best respond to our directions. We can play around with angles to find your best poses, and just generally get comfortable working together. You’ll also get used to our shooting style and know what to expect from us.
If either of you are a little camera shy, or don’t like a lot of attention, you may be considering skipping out on an engagement session. We often hear, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to talk my future husband into it, he doesn’t like having his picture taken.” But that’s just another reason why an engagement session is almost a necessity to the wedding experience. Even if you don’t see yourself doing much with the images from an engagement session, we highly recommend that you take advantage of the complimentary session that comes with every wedding booked with us. And if you are planning from afar, we often schedule the session for the day before the wedding so you don’t miss out.
Even if your future hubby has a hard time loosening up for the engagement session, it’ll make loosening up for the wedding a breeze! We try to make it a fun adventure without a lot of pressure, so just relax and enjoy getting snuggly with your other half! We’ll do the magic. 23
Great ideas for a fun engagement session... The place he proposed
Support your sports team
Bring along your pets
Your favorite restaurant We
What’s more special than revisiting the place that started you on this journey? Why not bring along the four legged members of your family? Besides, they always ease the nerves!
Bring out your favorite sports jerseys or memorabilia or let’s head to the stadium! can grab a few shots with your favorite desert.
Your favorite coffee shop
Plan a picnic It’s hard to get
more romantic than a private picnic in a scenic location with a bottle of wine and flowers.
Do a theme and dress up
Love the 20s? 50s? Go vintage or go glam.
one has one. What’s yours?
Coffee lovers? Spend your Get comfy in your home weekends reading in their com- Are you most comfortable in fy couches? You get the idea. your own space? Perfect.
Incorporate your hobbies
Your favorite view Have a
Show off fun talents Every-
Love to tandem bike? Love to cook together? Let’s figure out a way to show it!
Revisit your first date Let’s take it back to the start.
favorite view of your city? Let’s show it off!
Take a hike Are you out-
doorsy and active? Where’s your favorite trail?
Theme of your wedding
Incorporate images that go with the theme of your wedding to display on the big day.
Amusement parks What’s more fun than the teacups?!
The Wedding Collections a quick pricing overview... The Destination
10 Hours Wedding Day Coverage 2 Photographers Online Proofing Gallery Full Disc of Images with Printing Rights $200 Print Credit $1000 Album Credit 4 4x4 Pocket Albums Best-Of 4x6 Proof Prints in Box Online Best-Of Slideshow 150 Event Cards 20x30 Gallery Wrap Wall Canvas Rehearsal Dinner Coverage Engagement Session* 11x14 Wall Print Enlargement from E-Sesh Day After or Boudoir Session* All Wedding Day Travel Included $10,000
The Kitchen Sink
9 Hours Wedding Day Coverage 2 Photographers Online Proofing Gallery Full Disc of Images with Printing Rights $200 Print Credit $1000 Album Credit 4 4x4 Pocket Albums Best-Of 4x6 Proof Prints in Box Online Best-Of Slideshow 150 Event Cards 16x24 Gallery Wrap Wall Canvas Rehearsal Dinner Coverage Engagement Session* 11x14 Wall Print Enlargement from E-Sesh Bridal Session* $6,895
Little Bit of Everything
7 Hours Wedding Day Coverage Online Proofing Gallery Best-Of Wedding Images with Printing Rights $100 Print Credit $500 Album Credit 1.5 Hour Engagement Session* $3,395
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Little Bit More
8 Hours Wedding Day Coverage 2 Photographers Online Proofing Gallery Full Disc of Images with Printing Rights $150 Print Credit $800 Album Credit Online Best-Of Slideshow 50 Event Cards 2 Hour Engagement Session* $4,395
With Bells & Whistles
9 Hours Wedding Day Coverage 2 Photographers Online Proofing Gallery Full Disc of Images with Printing Rights $200 Print Credit $800 Album Credit 2 4x4 Pocket Albums Online Best-Of Slideshow 100 Event Cards Rehearsal Dinner Coverage 2 Hour Engagement Session* 11x14 Wall Print Enlargement from E-Sesh $5,395
Our Most Popular Collection!
Keep it Simple
5 Hours Wedding Day Coverage Online Proofing Gallery Best-Of Wedding Images with Printing Rights Half-Hour Engagement Session* $1,995
Just Enough
6 Hours Wedding Day Coverage Online Proofing Gallery Best-Of Wedding Images with Printing Rights 11x14 Wall Print Enlargement 1 Hour Engagement Session* $2,495
Choose from one of seven pre designed collections and keep it as it is, or add on to it! If you’re excited about having us as your wedding photographers and one of these collections looks like what you’re looking for, let us know! We also have numerous a-la-carte options available if you need additional hours or extra products. Just ask. Love our style but don’t see what you’re looking for here? Let us know and we can create a custom collection for you based on your needs and your budget! 26
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever. . . it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything” - Aaron Sussman
AVAILABLE FOR TRAVEL WORLDWIDE info@crystalgenes.net | www.crystalgenes.net