If you have a need for Los Angeles Wedding Photography, you should definitely contact me. But if you have a need for Vancouver Wedding Photography or I am for some reason unavailable, you should contact Jamie Delaine.

Yup. Katie and Joe booked their wedding photographer!

Don’t worry – Katie still loves me and supports my wedding photography [in fact, we're planning on doing an 'Extreme Bridal' session with her and Joe]. But she wants to make sure I enjoy her wedding day and don’t have to work.

So, as soon as she got engaged, I started looking at wedding photographers.

There are a lot of amazing wedding photographers in Southern California. A lot. Most out of Kaitlin and Joe’s budget. Not all.

But of course, as a wedding photographer myself, I know that it doesn’t matter how talented a photographer is, or how much I like him or her. What matters most is how much Kaitlin and Joe like their photographer.

Your photographer is potentially the only vendor who is with you for your entire wedding day, sometimes intimately. Your photographer is going to be directing you when (and how) to kiss your new spouse, as well as asking your mother (or mother in law!) to stand in a specific spot.

This coupled with the fact that your wedding album is the only thing left after the wedding day (besides your new wifey/hubby) makes it so important that you hire a photographer that you genuinely like (both personally and artistically). It is simply not worth saving a few hundred dollars to be annoyed with your photographer on what should be the happiest day of your life.

I’m gonna say that again:

It is not worth saving a few hundred dollars to be annoyed with your photographer on what should be the happiest day of your life.

That said – I started sending Kaitlin links to photographers whose blogs I follow.

One of the first girls I thought of was Jamie Delaine – who I found through a link on my wedding photographer’s blog.

Jamie has a style that I love – authentic and joyful without being over-processed.

But, again, it doesn’t really matter what I think.

I emailed Kaitlin a link to Jamie’s site and blog with hopes she would fall in love right away and my search would be over. Alas, no. Jamie and I emailed back and forth a couple of times so Katie could have an idea of price – but Kaitlin still hadn’t booked her wedding venue or set a date so choosing a wedding photographer was not #1 on her list.

What I think was the actual turning point, was when I sent Kaitlin the link to Jamie’s blog post about her attempt at Spanish. Too cute.

And completely reminded me of Katie.

Katie makes up Spanish words. Like, pronouncing ‘face’ as ‘fach-ay’ … or using the word “chilitos” to mean “chilly toes” or cold feet.

True story.

I really think that video from Jamie was the tipping point for Kaitlin feeling connected to and genuinely wanting Jamie to spend the wedding day with her friends and family.

And if Jamie is anything like me, that is exactly what we want in a client.

The good news is Jamie was available and will be coming down to California next August.

The better news is Kaitlin booked a wedding photographer she is super excited to hang out with.

The best news is Andrew and I will be getting a 5th anniversary photo shoot by Jamie when she is in town!

so excited!

want to read more?

• 5th anniversary portraits by Jamie Delaine