Thursday, August 21, 2008

New, New, New

I'm very excited to let everyone know about the recent additions I've made to my portrait & wedding packages....might I say these new products are absolutely amazing!!! I've been searching & searching and I have finally found the hottest & most gorgeous way for my clients to display their portraits.

For starters, my 2009 wedding packages will now come with a beautiful & totally unique preview box. In the past, clients received their 4x5 or 4x6 proof prints in a decorative envelope; nice but no where near the wow factor as these new boxes. Each preview box is handmade and wrapped in a custom-designed cover. I'm so excited about these...they are perfect for displaying in your home & will def grab your guests' attention.




So, what is this new package & what other products are new??? Well, (drum roll please) here it is!
My 2009 Wedding Package includes everything you need to tie the knot in style!

First of all, it now includes an engagement session - 1 to 2 hours of photojournalistic portraits of you & your finance doing what you do best --- having fun & loving every minute of it! The couple receives access to a personal online proof gallery featuring their retouched (yes, retouched -- no blemishes ladies) photos...great for showing friends & family the portraits with just a click of the mouse...esp. great for those relatives/friends who live out of town. And, reprint orders can be easily made here too. Oh & did I mention, you can link your facebook or myspace page to the gallery!The couple also receives a complimentary 5x7 session album with 30 of their favorite portraits -- did I mention these albums have over 50 cover fabrics to choose from.

Secondly, the package also includes a bridal session - Just like the engagements, these are 1-2 hours at the location of your choice... I always love doing shoots at ordinary places that make extraordinary pics like the farm, an open field, downtown, etc. This session comes with access to the personal gallery for proofing as well as the 5x7 session album. A 16x20 masonite bridal portrait is also included which can be framed & displayed at the reception for everyone to admire.

In addition, 100 wallets of the couple's favorite engagement photo & 100 wallets of the bride's favorite bridal portrait are provided as special gifts for your wedding guests...just a little piece of your special day for them to keep!

As far as coverage on the wedding day, I arrive as the bride & groom are getting ready (if the couple chooses), capturing shots of the little details building up to the big day...the bride & groom spending time with their bridesmaids & groomsmen before the ceremony. All group portraits with the exception of those including both the bride & groom together will be taken before the ceremony...I always ask my brides to get me a list of all of these photos before the wedding to be sure no one is left out. The ceremony, in all its grand & glory, is photographed followed by group portraits with the bride & groom. Coverage ends with all the many details & happenings of the reception being captured...for me, this is usually the most fun part of the entire wedding! Like always, each couple can customize their coverage to fit their individual needs!

With this package, the couple receives access to an online gallery for viewing & ordering, and 4x5/4x6 retouched prints of the wedding day in a designer preview box featuring a photo from the newly weds' big day as well as their names and wedding date.


Now, for the kicker!!!! The designer wedding album! I am very proud to be offering the highest & I mean highest quality in portrait albums to my wedding clients with this package.



These designer albums are the hottest I've seen...Flush mount albums with attitude. Exquisite quality combined with fabulous leathers and design options & you get to pick every aspect of it. Move away from the ordinary towards the extraordinary. Imagine an album with leathers that range from quality basics to the most sophistocated looks around. Imagine numerous cover design options including single & double tones, accent leathers & fabrics, & even satin and classic canvas. And did I mention the cutouts that allow your favorite portrait(s) to peek through the beautiful cover. Amazing doesn't even describe these...they are the ultimate in albums!!!! Each of these albums feature 40 custom layout pages, designed by me personally to fit you & your wedding style.
Just look at some of the available cover leathers/fabrics. Yes, I did say some...there are more!

As you can see, the quality pages of this album are very sturdy & open flat!



And each album is delivered in a black case with beautiful packaging!

What more could you want in an album!!!

Album Option 2:
Want a traditional matted album...no problem. For those brides who are looking for a more traditional wedding album, I am now offering a matted album. This leather-bound album is both elegant and timeless. Special care is given to the entire album; each individual photograph is lacquered and hand-mounted into a matted frame. The pages have gilded edges and rounded corners which are a hallmark of handmade quality. Each album is delivered in a soft cloth cover with a black presentation box to protect precious memories and makes for an elegant display.


Leather choices for the matted albums ---





**And Don't Worry -- If you're a bride that I've already quoted a package to for 2009, no worries, you can either keep your current package or upgrade to this one!

Another new product: As a new add-on to any of my portrait sessions or wedding packages, I am now offering a 10x10 designer mat box! Personalized with my client’s name and favorite image, the designer mat box is beautifully printed on a choice of canvas or silk and is treated with a protective coating to ensure that it lasts forever. And tucked away inside this box is a selection of 10-15 perfectly matted prints for the portrait session. This product will quite a delight for setting on a coffee table, bookcase, office, & anywhere else in the home to display select wedding, family, or children's portraits! And how cute would it be to make the "spine" of the box look like a book to put on a book shelf -- esp. for children's portraits -- a "chapter" for each stage of childhood. They even have a ribbon that looks like a bookmark! You could also set one of matted portraits on an easel to display in your home, rotating the photos out as often as you'd like!




And what a great idea for my brides, mother of the brides, wedding planners, or anyone else trying to come up with a stylish idea for a reception !!! Place one matted print from the couple's engagement session on each table during the reception (they look great on a small easel) & let guests write a message on the mat around the portrait. Then at the end of the night, collect the mats & put them in the designer box as a keepsake. This is so much more elegant than the traditional guestbook...I mean I've been married over 2 years now & haven't even opened my guestbook. Too bad I didn't know about this...I def would have loved to have one of these!

Well, I can't wait to hear some feedback about these awesome new offerings! I know you all will love them just as much as I do!!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Bryan & Megan...love you guys!

Two of mine & Marty(my husband)'s best friends Bryan and Megan were married on June 14, 2008 & I had the opportunity to cover their wedding (well, I covered part of the wedding... another one of Megan's friends - Elizabeth- took a big chunk of the pics since Marty was actually a groomsman & I wanted to enjoy the evening with him too). What can I say...It was soooo beautiful! Megan in her fitted gown & flowing hair, Bryan in his handsome tux & bridesmaids in navy; a song written for the special couple that would bring tears to any eye (I held the tears back as they crept up...watery eyes make for blurry portraits); and an amazing reception! Although the rain kept us from doing many portraits outside, everything turned out perfectly! I loved all the small details of this wedding; the navy accents everywhere were a great touch. Megan & Bryan -- we love you!

Megan & Bryan's first dance fit them so well with it starting out slow & switching to an upbeat tune.
Their cake matched their contemporary style perfectly...The swirls & ribbons are great together in the blue & green!

Yeahhh! The rain held off long enough for Bryan & Megan to be showered with bubbles!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Artie & Melissa



Two weeks ago I had the great pleasure of spending an hour or so with Artie & Melissa who are getting married in early October. You could just tell that this couple is a perfect match. The portraits in this session came so naturally with the playful pair joking with each other, laughing, & having lots of fun! Making this session even more fun was getting to involve Artie's dog who was a great sport! More photos of Artie & Melissa will be uploaded to my website the middle of this week!


PS - I told Artie I'd tell all of his friends that we (his future bride and I) forced him to take this corn field photo.

Hooray... Blog!

My very first blog...how exciting! So I've had my new website (www.sraechellephotography.com) now for seven months & finally I have ventured into blogging. I'm so excited to be able to post details of my recent shoots...letting everyone not only hear tales about working as a photographer but about the wonderful people that I get to meet on an ongoing basis.