Juliette will be marrying Matt on 9th November 2019 at Ashford Estate in Allentown, New Jersey, USA. Click here to read all Juliette’s planning posts to date.
THREE FACTS: (1) Juliette and Matt met in Hebrew school when they were 16 – aww! (2) Juliette and Matt are both Jewish, but they are having a Jew-ish wedding – Juliette’s dad’s side of the family is Catholic, and they want to make sure everyone feels included on the day. (3) Juliette is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club – and she calls STG her “secret weapon” in wedding planning!
The importance of the photos
I am an ultra-decisive person. I always know what I am going to eat before the waiter arrives, I pick my outfits out in under 3 minutes each morning, and I never hesitate to tell you I don’t like what you tried on (ask any of my 9 bridesmaids). However, with all the major decisions that wedding planning naturally creates, I find myself hesitating, second guessing, and obsessing. One of my main obsessions took form in the shape of wedding photos.
Every Pinterest page wants to remind you that finding your soulmate is the hardest part of the whole wedding process and you have already done that! These people are obviously not trying to impress and please 250 people whose opinions they trust. I promise I will live in the moment of that day.
However that is not going to stop me from freaking out about the photos. The photos are a huge deal because after it is all over and done and the glitter clears and you can finally eat that chocolate cake your mother told you is off limits (I wish I could tell you I’m kidding) the pictures are the last artefact of the most special day of your life.
All the images of this post are shot by Fred Marcus Studio {offers a free engagement shoot to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Looking for recommendations
So I am sure you can imagine that I became a total psychopath about finding the right photographer. The first thing I did was stalk Instagram and ask everyone for recommendations. I was talking to strangers in nail salons to find the perfect person to capture the day. As the referrals came in, I immediately became a photo critic with all the qualifications of a blurry photo taking tourist.
I eliminated any “cutesy” posed photographers. If your feed is all airbrushed with whites and pinks I was out. Not the vision. Then I came across some more photojournalistic styles (see heavy editing) and I was obsessed. My hair dresser suggested hers and it was the first one I had a formal meeting with.
Photographers are a wealth of knowledge, this studio provided an hour by hour break down of the day and a lot of creative ideas. The photos in the price range I was looking in were really special. They captured moments, not just forced posed smiles and I was really into it. Checking for “moment capturing” became one of the 2-part method I used to decide on photographers.
The other method was based on how they photographed plus size brides. The truth of the matter is my angles are very different than a size 2 and I do not want to be counting chins in 20 years when I page through my album. So, after a lovely budget conversation where there was some number rearranging I was able to look for a higher end photographer. (Note: by this time the first photographer I had mentioned shot a plus size bride and I realized I was going to want something a bit more edited).
Finding the right photographer
Insert me freaking out as to who was going to take these pictures. During this time I was going to Bachelor Mondays at my Judaism Guru’s home; aka my best friend Lauren who is going to be my witness for my ketubah signing. I was complaining to her and her mother as we sat in her gorgeous apartment when they both turned to me and said “Why are you even looking, just use Fred Marcus”. She pulled up their Instagram page and immediately my entire wedding vision changed.
Flash forward to seeing Lauren’s bat mitzvah photos where everyone looks like a supermodel, and her mom’s amazing wedding album. Photos from 25 years ago still looked pristine and special. I later learned not only did Fred Marcus Studios take the photos but when the catering fell through they were the ones to use their network and organize a backup to save the day.
A lot of their photos online made me cry they were heartfelt and captured the essence of these bride’s day. Poor Matt watched me obsessively look through their albums. I immediately made an appointment with Peggy as well as some other photographers in NYC because I promised I wouldn’t make a decision hastily.
However, nothing could compare. There was history and a sense of family when I met with Felix at Fred Marcus. He showed me all different books and brides and special once in a lifetime moments. The quality of the photographs were out of this world. We booked them soon after our meeting and I began to plan for our engagement shoot.
Our Engagement Shoot
When it finally approached I was nervous. Taking Instagram pictures where you direct your friends is very different than a trained professional pointing a very big very dark camera at you. I had made all these plans to lose weight before the shoot. Of course, that obviously didn’t happen with holidays and New Year’s and stress eating.
I had a makeup artist who cancelled and sent me a fabulous replacement (S/O to Gaby), I went to a hair stylist I had never tried (because I guess nerves make me adventurous), and wore an outfit I literally decided on morning of because I was too anxious to choose. I had a minor flip out in the cab ride over and Matt just laughed at me and reminded me we only need one good one for a save the date and that’s all that matters.
I shouldn’t have worried because Felix is phenomenal. He directed us and had Matt and me laughing and having fun the whole time. I walked all around the West Village in the cold, smiling and posing. I knew I could trust these photos and it wasn’t one of those awful situations where you take like 700 pictures and all people get are one or two blurry ones of you.
We got the pictures back the next afternoon and they were double chin free (thank God). We looked so happy and they were honestly more than I ever could have asked for. My maid of honor loved them and sent me her favorites which according to her captured “Juliette and Matt faces”.
There were so many good ones that I ended up picking a save the date with multiple photos. I am so grateful to Lauren for suggesting Fred Marcus to me. The engagement photos helped push a lot of my worries aside, Felix has a way to him that puts everyone at ease. My wedding is going to be filled with those small meaningful moments, and I trust Felix to capture them and edit away all the double chins.
Click here to read all Juliette’s planning posts to date.
Juliette & Matt’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Venue – Ashford Estate
Photographer – Fred Marcus Studio {offers a free engagement shoot to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Bride’s dress – Kleinfeld
DJ – LJDJs
