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Planning a wedding throughout this past year has been so difficult for many couples. With the future of the pandemic still unknown it’s likely that most couples are having to choose between having a smaller wedding, postponing, or cancelling their wedding all together. I’ll share with you my best tips on how to downsize your wedding and still have an amazing celebration.
As a wedding photographer in Kansas City I had many couples in 2020 struggle with decisions on what to do with their wedding in the middle of a pandemic. Brides would turn to me for advice and we would brainstorm together the best way for them to still have the wedding day they always dreamed of, but still keeping all of their loved ones safe.
My biggest tip for downsizing your wedding is to cut your guest list. I know it can be hard to try to narrow it down but once you start it only gets easier. The simplest way to do it is to choose a deciding point – for example only inviting family, or cut it even more by only inviting immediate family. It stinks having to not invite some friends or people from work but they will all understand. Set up a zoom or facebook live so they can all tune in from the safety of their own home. You can always host a giant party later and invite EVERYONE!
Once you have a smaller guest list you can switch to a smaller venue. You can even host your wedding at a park or somewhere outside. Another great option for downsized weddings is renting an air b&b. These venue options help you save all the money you’d spend on a big wedding venue.
Intimate weddings are always just as special as big weddings. Smaller, micro weddings, give you the chance to actually spend time with all of your guests. It’s a more relaxed day focused only on you and your partner. You’ll be surrounded by the most important people in your lives and there wont be a million moving parts to keep track of.
If you’re faced with the hard decision of needing to have a smaller wedding, postponing your wedding, or cancelling I hope you choose to move forward with your wedding but just make it a little more intimate.
I hope these tips helped you decide on how to downsize your wedding, for more information on having a simple wedding check out my blog posts “How to have a simple wedding in Kansas City”, “Kansas City Courthouse Weddings”, and find more gorgeous photos at Loren and Dimitri’s elopement in “How to elope in Kansas City”
This blog features Randi + Ryan’s intimate wedding with their families.
Venue: The Vintage House
Florist: Chris Miller : The Flower Lady
Dress: Savvy Bridal
Suit: The Black Tux
Catering: Q39
Cake: Morgana’s Gluten Free Bakery
How they felt on their wedding day:
“So many emotions! So excited and happy, but also relieved that the people that we love were able to safely make it to our wedding.”
Once you begin planning your dream wedding you’ll start reaching out to various vendors. The vendor most couples are looking forward to hiring the most is their photographer. You want to make sure your day is documented from start to finish and captured authentically. These images will be your looking glass back to your wedding day, photos you’ll share with generations (no pressure) but how do you know how to choose your wedding photographer?
Here are the top 3 things to look for when hiring your wedding photographer:
Style
Does their style of work align with what you’re looking for?
Look through their portfolio and take note of how they use light throughout different times of day and different types of weather. Light can not be fully controlled during an entire wedding day so it’s important your photographer knows how to get the best images possible with what they have to work with! Request to see full wedding galleries not just the favorite instagram worthy pics.
Do you like how they edit the images? I suggest imagine you’re looking back on your photos 20 years from now, will they still look amazing because they are natural and timeless? or will it be like when your mom shows you clothes from the 80’s – trendy then but outdated now.
Professionalism
I can not stress this enough- make sure you hire a professional photographer for your wedding. There are no re-dos for wedding day photos. I have heard so many horror stories of couples wanting to save money so they hire a cheap photographer or someone that’s never photographed a wedding before then sure enough the photos don’t turn out well or worse…. the photographer bails at the last minute with no solution or replacement.
I would hate for that to happen to anyone. Stay on the safe side and hire a professional. Someone that has a portfolio of work, experience with weddings, and knows how to run their business. A true professional will have a contract, back up gear, and will be prepared for any sort of situation that could happen on your day.
Personality
This may be the most important element when searching through photographers. Choose a photographer that you genuinely get along with. You will be spending so much time with them during the planning process and even more time with them on the day of. Depending on the schedule of your day you might even spend more time with your photographer than your partner! Pick someone that makes you feel comfortable, understand your vision, and has your back on your wedding day.
Once you’ve read these tips on how to choose your wedding photographer check out what questions to ask your wedding photographer.
This year I asked my past brides to share their advice for future brides. All of the lovely ladies planning their weddings can take tips from brides that recently planned their own weddings. They all learned what is most important when it comes to wedding planning and making sure you enjoy your day of. Whether you’re planning a big wedding or an elopement these words of wisdom will be useful for you.
Advice from Hannah
“I think my day went so perfectly because I didn’t freak out about small things. I didn’t even freak out about big things. I kept thinking, at the end of the day I will be married to my best friend, and whatever happens today is what was meant to be! I think having an easy going attitude during the whole thing helped a lot.”
Loren’s advice on eloping
“Do what you want and do not plan too much! You should have a simple idea and schedule of the day, but planning it to the T takes away the fun of it! What worked for us was the simplicity of it all. We stayed at our hotel to prepare, the hotel was extremely close to the elopement location, we allowed the scenery and skyline to be our decorations, trusted in our pastor for the vows and ceremony, and focused on us. This was a decision that we would absolutely choose again and would recommend others to do as well!”
McKenna’s Suggestion
“It [the wedding day] really does go by so quickly and it’s over and done before you know it. Hire a day-of coordinator so you can leave all the details and worries to them and really soak in every moment of the day!”
Ann Marie’s tip
“There are so many things to figure out, but if you can find the right vendors, who you feel you work well with and whose vision meshes with yours, it is a game changer. Don’t be afraid to ask vendors for advice on other aspects of your big day. Keep in mind they have typically done this many times and have likely seen things go right or not so right. A little professional advice never hurts.”
Destiney’s Adivce
“Don’t stress it will all work out in the end. Just go with the flow and expect little bumps in the road.”
Amanda’s tips if you have to change your wedding plans
“If anything, wedding planning during a pandemic taught me to be much more go with the flow and embrace everything with a sense of humor. It allowed me to just say “whatever happens, happens.” I know it sounds cliche but what they say is true. Once you are up there with the love of your life, nothing else matters. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and just lean on each other, your families, and if you luck out like us, your amazing vendors. Take in every single moment standing up there. This is it, it’s here, you made it.”
These brides wanted to share their advice to soon-to-be brides to inspire them and give them the opportunity to learn from their experiences. Overall they all express the importance of not stressing over things you can’t control. Let whatever happens, happen. Just focus on enjoying your day to the fullest.
For more wedding inspo check out other wedding day blog posts.
We all know the importance of continuing to “date” your partner, no matter how long you’ve been together. It helps keep the spark alive and strengthen your bond as a couple. 2020 has been one hell of a year and the need for connection is even greater now. Now that it is getting colder outside it’s becoming more difficult to find safe and socially distanced activities so here are 7 Winter date ideas for you to try out over these next few months.
1. Movie Marathon
You can NEVER go wrong with a movie marathon. Grab some blankets, put on your slippers, cuddle up, and relax.
2. Build Ginger Bread Houses
I hadn’t built a ginger bread house in YEARS, but this year we got a kit from target and worked together to build it. It ended up falling apart at the end but we had a blast putting it together and the candy was pretty tasty too. Next year we’ll have a little more of a plan. (The key is once you put together the foundation let it fully dry before putting on the roof)
3. Hot Chocolate Bar
Have a cozy night in but sweeten it up a little. Put together a build-your-own hot chocolate bar. Marshmallows, Candy Canes, Caramel, you name it! If you want to step it up a notch you could even make some hot chocolate bombs that are trending on tiktok.
4. Beer (or wine) Tasting at Home
Head out to your favorite liquor store or grocery store (don’t forget to wear your mask) and both of you pick out a few new drinks you’ve never had before. Return home, pour yourself each a little tasting and compare. You may even find a new favorite drink.
5. Home Cooked Dinner
Find a new recipe and start cooking. Trey and I love to cook together, it’s so fun putting in a little work and then sitting down to enjoy our meal together.
6. Christmas Light Tour
Get some hot chocolate to-go, crank up the Christmas tunes, and head out on a tour of the best Christmas lights in town. Drive through your neighborhood or a decorated park.
If you’re local to Kansas City check out
Powell Gardens Festival of Lights
Sar Ko Par Trails Park- Sar Ko Aglow
KC Wine Co’s Rockin Winter Wonderland
7. Ice Skating
If you really need to get out of your house for some fresh air, bundle up and hit the rink. You won’t even mind wearing a mask when you’re skating because it’ll help keep your nose warm.
Even though it’s colder and darker outside you can still find ways to have fun with your significant over even during a pandemic. I hope these Winter date ideas help inspire you to get creative and bring in a little winter cheer.
If winter and the weight of the pandemic is getting you down here are some self care ideas while you’re quarantining Self Care During Self Quarantine.
or Shows To Watch While You’re Stuck At Home.
Scheduling an engagement session is one of the best ways to personally get to know your wedding photographer before your big day. Many of my wedding packages include a complimentary engagement session simple to give us a chance to meet, get you both comfortable in front of the camera, and of course give you guys some cute photos that are a little more laid back. Sofi and Robert chose Shawnee Mission Park for their fall engagement photos. The trees and bright warm colors gave us a ton to work with and really made their session POP!
I photograph at Shawnee Mission Park a lot so each time I try to make my couples session as unique as I possibly can. Luckily the park is so big we never run out of great photo worthy locations.
I was incredibly excited to meet Sofi and Robert for the first time in person. I had been talking with Sofi through instagram for almost a year (!!) She originally reached out when she was living in Colorado and her and Robert weren’t officially engaged yet, but she knew it was coming soon. We instantly clicked and when the time finally came for Robert to propose it truly felt like one of my best friends was getting engaged.
When you first meet Robert and Sofi you can tell right off the bat how in love they are. They are constantly having a blast and making jokes together. I swear we laughed throughout their entire session. By the time I got back in my car I felt like I had been working out my core from laughing so hard for an hour.
I always like to hear my couples tell their love story, I asked Sofi how they met and they met online while they were living in Colorado, but the crazy part is there hometowns (St. Louis and Chicago Area) are only 300 miles a part, so they had to move about 1800 miles away to end up in the same city and meet each other – talk about a coincidence.
I love to know how my couples met but my absolute favorite question to ask is “How/When did they know their partner was THE ONE?” This question always gives a little peek into each of their hearts. Usually their answers are different. Sometimes it’s something simple, or funny, and other times it is a big monumental moment. I asked Sofi and Robert and they both knew the same night. It was the night they met. They drove around in a blizzard to get ice cream and then stayed up talking till 5 in the morning. During those hours of conversations were a million little moments that Sofi was falling in love. Robert was so sure Sofi was the one he even called his mom the next day and told her all about it.
Hearing these love stories is why I love my job SO MUCH. Photography has always been my passion, but making these connections with people and listening to their stories makes it all the more meaningful.
Shawnee Mission Park is perfect for fall engagement photos, it’s really a great option for anytime of year. Check out Jordyn and Austin’s summer couples session.
If you’re getting married look no further for the dream team- for photography fill out my contact form here and for wedding planning and coordinating check out Sofi with Philosofi Celebrations
Choosing to elope instead of having a big wedding is completely a personal preference. Once you and your partner have decided an elopement is the perfect fit for your relationship, how do you even go about planning one? In this post I’m going to share advice from one of my real couples, Loren and Dimitri, on how to elope in Kansas City.
Loren and Dimitri originally started to plan a traditional wedding, but COVID made them change plans. During the pandemic Loren and Dimitri realized what was truly most important to them; spending their lives together, even when the world gets crazy. They didn’t want to wait until the pandemic was over because there really didn’t seem to be an end in sight. They also didn’t want to put any of their family or friends at risk of getting sick. After consideration they realized an elopement was the perfect fit for them, their relationship, and their future together.
Planning an elopement gave them the opportunity to truly focus on themselves and their union instead of being distracted by the other stressors that come along with planning a large traditional wedding.
Loren and Dimitri wanted to keep their elopement as simple as possible. The chose a naturally beautiful location The National WWI museum and Liberty Memorial it was the perfect spot for them because they wanted a clear view of the Kansas City skyline. Once they chose their elopement location the booked two separate rooms at the Weston Hotel, right across the street from the memorial, to get ready in. The only outside help they needed was a professional makeup artist to pamper Loren the day of, their officiant (Loren’s pastor growing up), Me as their photographer (first witness), and a second witness (Their officiant’s wife).
It was simply beautiful. The day of the sun was shinning just before it started to set. Lorena and Dimitri got ready and didn’t see each other until the ceremony began at the base of Liberty Memorial. Their ceremony was heartfelt and personal, as they exchanged rings you could feel the love between them.
After their ceremony we took photos around the memorial to take in the amazing view and document their special day. Just before the sun fully set they called their family and friends to announce their new marriage, (they had kept their elopement a total secret).
Photographing elopements is always such an honor to me, to be able to be there for you on such a special day even when your family isn’t there to witness it. I am so thankful I am able to document these ceremonies, these unions, and be there for my couples as a witness to their marriage.
How to Elope in Kansas City- Advice from the Bride
Do what you want and do not plan too much! You should have a simple idea and schedule of the day, but planning it to the T takes away the fun of it! What worked for us was the simplicity of it all. We stayed at our hotel to prepare, the hotel was extremely close to the Liberty Memorial, we allowed the scenery and skyline to be our decorations, trusted in our pastor for the vows and ceremony, and focused on us. This was a decision that we would absolutely choose again and would recommend others to do as well!
For more elopement and micro wedding inspiration check out Amanda and Joe’s wedding. For more pics including the Kansas City Skyline look through Dakota and Jake’s engagement session.
For all my newly engaged love birds out there I have some helpful advice on ways to ease your way into planning without having to stress…. yet. First things first ask all your guests to please save the date by sending them personalized cards in the mail!
Basic Invite offers over 900 different wedding invitation sets which means that not matter what your wedding style is, they’ll have an invitation that fits your vision. All the wedding stationary you need can be found on one website (hello stress-free!!). They have save the dates, wedding invitations, menus, programs, and even matching thank you cards!
My favorite thing about using Basic Invite is all the ways you can customize your wedding stationary to truly reflect you and your spouses style. They offer almost unlimited color options. So many other websites only give you a few color choices but Basic Invite has over 180 different hues. All of the elements colors are customizable, even down to the last detail.
But the personalization doesn’t stop there; Basic Invite offers over 40 different colors for envelopes! When you ask your guests to please save the date you won’t want any of their envelopes to get lost among their junk mail. Best part? Their envelopes are peel and seal, makes the entire process quick and easy! Plus, no paper cuts on your tongue!
Make your wedding stationary a statement! Standout with a unique envelope and an even more unique card that you helped design yourself.
For all my couples that have already been planning, if your wedding has been affected by COVID-19, have no fear because Basic Invite has tons of adorable change dates to send out. Instead of having to double check that all your guests have seen your facebook post, just pick out a cute card on Basic Invite and send it straight to them. It’s simple and fun! Also your guests get a little bit of mail, and everyone love surprises in the mail!
Whether you’re sending out save the dates, change dates, or full wedding invitations Basic Invite has tons of features that are hard to find on other sites. For instance they offer custom samples which lets you see a printed sample of your invitation and actually get to hold it in your hand before finalizing the design and sending it out to your guests. They also offer free address collection, all you have to do is share a link to your social media or email it out to all your guests, they enter their info and Basic Invite collects their info and will print on the envelopes for free. Super simple and will save you tons of time while wedding planning.
Basic Invite includes so many ways to make sure your wedding stationary matches your theme. They offer customization and personalization to ensure your wedding stationary stands out from the crowd. Check them out on their social media accounts for inspiration and get designing!
Check out more wedding planning tips in my blog
*this post is sponsored by Basic Invite
Cooper and Kala met at veterinary school after a few years of dating they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Cooper wanted to surprise Kala with a special wedding proposal at Peculiar Winery. With a lot of planning he was able to ask Kala to marry him without her suspecting a thing!
Kala thought they were just having a casual summer afternoon with her family. They had stopped at the winery for happy hour before heading to Kansas City Plaza for dinner. Little did she know there was much more planned for the evening.
When they first arrived at the winery they headed out to the patio to enjoy the summer weather. Their families went inside to order drinks. While Cooper and Kala were alone at the table the hostess brought out a bottle of wine. Hiding in the bottom of Kala’s glass was the question of a lifetime and a beautiful ring to match!
Cooper got down on his knee and asked Kala to marry him. She was completely surprised. Tears filled her eyes as she said “Yes!’ and then immediately jumped up and hugged Cooper in excitement. Cooper made sure to hire me to photograph the entire thing, that way Kala will be able to relieve this magical moment over and over again through pictures.
The surprise didn’t end there; all of their family and friends poured out of the winery doors to celebrate with them. The winery’s patio was full of love and happy tears, all for Kala and Cooper.
Planning a surprise wedding proposal at Peculiar Winery is a breeze, the staff is extremely accommodating. They will help make sure your proposal goes off with out a hitch. The winery also has plenty of room for family and friends to join in as well. Not to mention the have the best drinks! They even make the most delicious wine slushies, perfect for a hot summer night.
For more tips on how to plan the perfect wedding proposal click here.
For some people, taking photos at 7am seems crazy. But if you’re willing to get up a little bit earlier, the sun will give you the most amazing light in return. Allison and Todd didn’t have any problem getting up for their maternity session at Shawnee Mission Park. They’re both teachers so they’re used to being up and at em’ before the sun.
The sun was extremely nice to us that Friday morning, we had the most gorgeous golden hour and we were all wrapped up before the summer heat really set in for the day.
Allison and Todd wanted to use the photos from their maternity session at Shawnee Mission Park for their baby announcement. They had been holding onto this secret for a while, once they found out they were having a baby girl they were ready to tell all their friends and family.
We started our session out at the dock, letting the light reflect off the still morning lake. Todd held Allison close and the sun’s warm rays lit up their faces. It truly took “maternity glow” and kicked it up a notch.
After the dock we headed to a big open filled spotted with adorable yellow wildflowers. Allison and Todd brought along their baby girls sonogram and the cutest “baby girl” balloon letters. We took pictures with both and then brought the focus back to just Allison, Todd, and their baby girl.
Maternity sessions are a great way to celebrate a growing family. It’s such an exciting time that should be documented. Photographing the major milestones in peoples lives is what makes my job as a photographer so rewarding. Sharing in these special moments and seeing all joy it brings.
Shawnee Mission Park is such an awesome location for all types of sessions, check out Shawnee Mission Park Couples Photos for other great spots still located in the park.
As the sun was setting over the lake and just starting to hide behind the trees Christina and Nick held each others hands and looked into each others eyes for their sunset couples session at Blue Springs Lake.
This was the second time I’ve gotten the chance to photograph Christina and Nick. Every time I work with them we always have so much fun. They bring ideas to their session and are always down to try new poses.
We keep their sessions full of movement and really focus on their relationship together. I want their photos to always represent them and their love.
For this session they decided to have their photos taken at a lcoation that holds a special place in their heart; Blue Springs Lake. It’s where they had their first date and many many dates after that.
Once Christina and Nick realized how much they love and care for each other they placed a love lock on a stop sign. The sign is on the road right next to the lake, over looking the water. The love lock symbolizes the strength of their love.
Their lock is custom made and engraved with their initials. Every time they go to Blue Springs Lake they are able to visit their lock and reminisce on all of their past amazing dates. They can look back on where their relationship started, how far they’ve come, and plan their future together.
I love when couples choose locations that are sentimental for them and their love story. So many couples don’t have photos of themselves together in places that helped shaped their relationship. The places where couples fell deeply in love with each other.
Christina and Nick will be able to look back at their sunset couples session at Blue Springs Lake for years to come and always remember where their relationship started.
Check out Christina and Nick’s winter session here.
