My fiancé and I were engaged for a little over a year. That gave me plenty of time to talk to lots of different people about what they wish they’d done/done differently. Not kidding, EVERYONE I asked told me they wished they had either sought out a better photographer or budgeted more money for photography. That made sense to me because, and I know this sounds cheesy, the event only lasts one day but I’ll have the pictures forever.

So… I started looking at brochures I’d gotten at various wedding fairs, looking at websites online, etc, etc, etc. and came up with a list of photographers I was interested in. Anxious to get the ball rolling, I set up an appointment with a woman from a nationwide wedding photography company. My mom and I met with her on a Saturday morning at a local coffee shop and were BLOWN away. She showed us fairytale images, luxurious coffee table albums and a variety of photography packages to choose from. This company was unique in that they have an inventory of photographers and assigns a couple about 100 days before the event based on how they respond to a series of 100 or so different images. We were sold. We checked photography off the To-Do list and moved onto other big decisions. But, when the 100 day countdown came around and we were assigned, Nick and I panicked. Our photographer’s portfolio was far less enticing than the beautiful pictures we saw in the model albums. Sure, we’d have a gorgeous coffee table album, the image rights and more… but the pictures themselves wouldn’t be anything special. We immediately asked for a reassignment and were met with resistance, more quizzes, etc. So I said, nope, forget it and requested a refund. I’d been told by too many people that I should NOT “settle” on just any photographer…

SO… the search began, again. I searched site after site. And with only three months until a June wedding, I was quite discouraged. I can’t remember where I found Preston except that it was on a website that simply listed a TON of wedding photographers in the area and I started from the top. Yep, I went through them all. If the listing had a link to a website, I checked it out. Of the inquires I sent, I’d liked Brovado’s the most. So imagine my excitement when one of the two was from Preston, just an hour later! Brovado’s website felt so unique and not your average “(first-name last-name) Photography”. The website had a modern feel with TONS of stunning pictures. And they were all so unique! It was clear that this guy was in the right job.

Preston sent me some information, explained that he was in Hawaii and asked if we’d like to set up an interview via phone. Within the next day or so, he called and spoke with Nick, myself and my mom. We made the decision while still on the phone with him and sent in our deposit!

We didn’t actually meet him until the engagement session. I remember thinking how GREAT it was that he requires his clients to do one so that he gets to know them and what they want. It made the wedding day much less stressful knowing that we’d already worked with him and that we were going to love our photos!

I am SO glad we didn’t settle. The nationwide consultant did a great job on selling us on the amenities, but the image quality just wasn’t anywhere close to what we’d wanted. And now, that the Big Day is over, we are SO glad we went with Preston. The day was a BLAST and we’ll get to remember it forever with these wonderful photos. The biggest problem we ran into with Preston was choosing our favorites… There are SO many! We’ve literally got over 300 saved in our favorites folder and have no idea how we’re going to narrow it down when it’s time to print! …A great problem to have! Preston was so easy to work with and was so enthusiastic about getting THE shot. He even climbed part of a water tower… and when that didn’t get him high enough, he started climbing the outside of the cage! Psh, not to mention he came to the rehearsal dinner! I’m sure anyone else would be hard-pressed to find someone who does that!

I took the advice everyone gave me really seriously. I remember it being such a shock to me that everyone regretted the same thing!