At Stephanie & Christi Photography, we believe your experience matters just as much as the photos, if not MORE! The truth is, there are literally hundreds of photographers that you could pick for your wedding in Greenville. If you’ve made a post on Facebook & gotten 150 comments, you know this is true! Choosing a photographer is OVERWHELMING because it seems like anyone can take good photos.

So how do you know which photographer is right for you? Let me (Christi) paint you two different pictures, and you tell me which one you like best.

Wedding Experience 1

First, let’s say you find a photographer online. Their photos look good and the price is right, so you book with them! Yay! However, as your wedding gets closer you realize you don’t know much about what to expect from the photographer. They haven’t communicated with you a lot. Maybe 2 weeks before the wedding they reach out and ask about a timeline. Your planner already has this figured out! So you send it over and them BAM your photographer is like “this isn’t going to work. I need more time for photos.” You wish you would have known that earlier, right? Well, what’s done is done. You work with your planner to switch the timeline TWO WEEKS before the wedding.

The wedding arrives and your photographer takes beautiful images, but you didn’t feel like they were directing shots very well. And maybe you feel a little awkward in front of the camera because of it. You decide “It’s okay. The photos are going to be beautiful!” After the wedding is over, you have to wait months to get photos back. You think it’s going to be worth the wait. Then FINALLY you get your images and they’re fine. Yes, they captured the day well. But did you really feel like you had a good time with them?

Wedding Experience 2

Now, let me paint you a second picture! You find a photographer online, you connect with them, and when they respond they are EXCITED to work with you. They let you know they’re available to answer questions and they take time answering all of your questions. This photographer is a little bit more expensive than other photographers you’ve found, but something about them draws you to them. They tell you that photography is just as much about the experience as it is the photos and that they will help you have the BEST photography experience possible. Even though it’s a little more expensive, you decide to take the plunge and book the photographer.

There’s gifts involved? Oh yes!

A couple of weeks later, you receive something in the mail! It’s a 90-page planning magazine and a gift from your photographer! WHAT?! You’re so excited! The magazine tells you EVERYTHING about what it’s like to work with this photographer. They offer you outfit tips for your engagement session, timeline tips for your wedding day, and even talk about how to set up your day and what lighting conditions are best to get those swoon-worthy glowy images you’ve seen on Pinterest!

You were thinking of having a 2pm ceremony, but the photographer says that the best time for portraits is at 5pm. The photographer shows you images from 3pm vs 5pm and you can see the difference. So you decide have your ceremony to 4pm. They also told you tips about making your getting ready photos look AMAZING! So you make sure to set up your day with a window in your getting ready room.

The Engagement Session

This photographer offers complimentary engagement sessions to all their couples. You aren’t sure where to have your photos taken, but guess what?! Your photographer sends you an Ultimate Upstate SC Locations Guide! You find a place that speaks to you & choose it. They also send you an email about outfit tips & how to plan for your e session. You don’t have to worry about anything!

You arrive for your session a little nervous. Plus, you aren’t sure if you’ll look good in your photos. Maybe you even feel a little awkward. But as soon as your photographers arrive, they tell you all about posing & how they will take care of everything! You have your session together and it’s so MUCH FUN!!! You didn’t know having your photos taken could be fun!! They even spent some time chatting with you the whole time & it was a blast. The 1.5 hours FLY BY and you’re so excited.

Later that night, you get a text from the photographers. It’s a sneak peek!!! Already?! And you LOVE THEM! You can’t believe how amazing you look in the photos! One more week later & guess what? The full gallery arrives in your inbox. You love reliving the special day with your fiancé!

The Timeline & Fmaily Photos List

A couple weeks later, your photographer sends you a questionnaire that asks about what you want your day to be like, asks names of your family members, and asks all the details about where you will be getting ready. 3 months before the wedding, you’re sent a timeline and a complete family photos list! You can relax knowing that they have everything covered! One month before your wedding, you get something else in the mail. It’s a gift for you and your fiance!! You seriously feel soooo amazing.

The wedding is in two weeks & there’s so much still to do. Your photographer sends you an email & checks in with you with some important reminders. They remind you to have everything ready for your detail shots but also to relax and enjoy the day. You know that with everything on your to do list, the one thing you don’t have to worry about is following up with you’re photographer! They’re already ready! You breathe a sigh of relief.

The Wedding Day!

Next, it’s your wedding day! It’s finally here! You are SO EXCITED to see your photographer because you feel like you’re best friends already since you’ve been talking so much! When your photos are being taken, you feel AMAZING! Your photographer is taking control when things need to be dialed in, and they’re giving you space when you want to be lovey with your future spouse.

After the family formals, your family keeps commenting on how amazing the photographers were & how they’re so excited to see the photos. They already know the photos are going to be amazing before they’ve seen a single image!!!

After the Wedding

The wedding is over and you’re driving to your honeymoon with your new SPOUSE and wait – you get a text from the photographer. It’s a sneak peek of 10 images ALREADY! The same night!!! And they’re just as amazing as you had hoped. You’re SO glad you listened to them & trusted them, and you remember how HAPPY you felt when having your photos taken. You enjoy your honeymoon with your spouse for one week and when you get back… what’s this… more photos already?? Yep, your photographer has already written a complete blog post and shared over 200 images with you! And you love them!! You start planning your album together so you can cherish the memories forever

Which wedding experience would you prefer?

I think the answer is obvious. You would MUCH rather have the second photographer than the first one, right?! Well guess what (and you knew this was coming, right?) I just described the EXACT experience you can have with Stephanie & Christi Photography. We believe that having a relationship with your photographer is KEY to trusting them and FEELING AMAZING when you’re having your photos taken.

Every couple gets a complimentary engagement sessions because we believe it matters. It’s our chance to get to know you & teach you posing basics so you’re pros on your wedding day. You won’t feel nervous because you’ll already have practiced at your e session! We believe in it so much.

We learned our wedding experience from the best of the best, Virginia Wedding Photographer, Katelyn James. If you’ve talked to other photographers & they have a wedding guide like ours, it’s because the education Katelyn teaches is amazing and far reaching!! We’re so glad to have learned from such an amazing person and photographer!

If you want in on the SCP Wedding Experience, Contact Us today about your wedding! We can’t wait to work with you!!!!