Kendra posed with her dad and his refurbished hotrod.  That was lots of fun.  The sawmill is a beautiful place to shoot with a wedding party.  Chain of Lakes Bible Church has amazing natural light.  Concorde Banquets’ facility has a wonderful property to shoot wedding photos complete with a large pond, gazebo and blooming trees and lush grass.  The food was excellent.  Memory Makers DJ Service was a pleasure to work with.  Kendra’s Satin A-Line Gown was purchased at  David’s Bridal, her shoes were also from David’s Bridal called Dyeable Peep Toe Heel.  See photos from Kendra and Eric’s wedding below.

Here are some of our favorite photos from the wedding.  To view the entire gallery follow this link: Hiram Butrick Sawmill wedding photos.

• You get to know your photographer better.
• By practicing some key poses you are better prepared for wedding day photography.
• This session will help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera.
• Of course, you will receive lots of fun photos to remember your courtship.
• Many people use the photos in their save the date cards or for additional printed material on wedding day.
• It is lots of fun.  Just look at some of the photos below.

With all these benefits in mind it makes sense to plan accordingly to get the most out of your engagement session.  Here are some points to ponder if you are planning your engagement session with Matt Mason Photography:

1. Take a look at our previous engagement sessions to familiarize yourself with our style and approach.  Here is a link to our portfolio engagement sessions.
2. Plan enough time to get to the session so that you are relaxed and can enjoy yourself.  My goal is that we get to know each other and have fun.
3. Think about props.  Do you have sports teams you are fond of and want to highlight?  Perhaps you have a hobby or have a cool sports car.  Bring something along to make the session special.
4. Some people have pets.  This can be a great addition but it can also be distracting.  If you have a very active puppy or dog you may consider bringing along a friend to watch them after we get a few key shots with them.
5. Hair and makeup.  Why not go the extra mile and pamper yourself with a hair and make up session.  Often this helps the ladies feel even more confident about having a photo session.  While on the topic of hair I suggest having a back up plan for a windy day.  Maybe a cute hat or a hair rubber band to pull your hair back etc.
6. Check-in the night before with a text or phone call to make sure our calendars read the same thing.  (262.745.4000)
7. Location: our sessions come with a session planned in the Lake Geneva area but you can upgrade to Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago or even further if you would like.  We can give you a custom quote.
8. If you have an extended time of 60-90 minutes you might consider having two outfits.  One may be more dressy and the other casual.  If you have a shorter timeframe wear comfortable but flattering clothing.
9. When shooting with Matt Mason Photography you should consider clothes that allow you to get down on the ground, jump in the air or give each other piggy back rides.  Matching clothes isn’t as much in these days but certainly coordinated colors help.  Stay away from pinstripes that can be distracting.  Make sure the clothes are comfortable and flattering to you.

At Matt Mason Photography we have several ways you can upgrade and take your session to the next level.

• We can make a fusion video of your session.  Here is a sample.  We combine the favorite photos with video clips and turn your engagement session into a music video of the experience.  Investment: $400
• Movie Poster.  We can design a 16 x 20 print with movie poster language to remember the session with.  This design can also be used as Save the Dates etc.  Here is a sample.  Investment: $200
• Travel fees: Chicago engagement session: $500, Milwaukee, Rockford, Madison, Baraboo: $250, Lake Geneva: free with your included session.  Have a special location in mind?  We can develop a custom quote based on the location.  Some people travel to overnight locations like Washington DC, New York City, Las Vegas etc.  We are happy to entertain your ideas and see what could work.

Below are some sample photos we have captured to get your creative juices flowing.  Of course if you want to spend an evening perusing all the engagement sessions that our company has captured in recent years there are over 100 to look at here.

Similar blog posts:

• Developing your wedding day timeline
• 7 ways to get the most out of your wedding photographer
• The First Look, consider the benefits of seeing each other before the wedding

Denene and Roy had a first look around noon and we jumped right into the photography to get the meat and potatoes photography captured before the ceremony.  We started by getting getting photos of the dress and shoes and rings set up around the Baker House.  The bridal suite we used to shoot the dress in was stunning.  After Denene finished putting on her beautiful dress we went across the street to shoot on the piers and around The Riviera.  The ceremony was very fast and we completed the family photos and a few more romantic session photos before arriving at the reception.  Below are some of the photos from their big day.  

Lilypots Flowers & Gifts, a Lake Geneva Florist, created the beautiful floral arrangements.  Denene’s dress was from David’s Bridal and her shoes were from Coach.

Photographers on hand were Matt Mason, Kerry Trampe and Josiah Thorngate.  Cameras used included Canon 5D MIII,  Canon 5D MII, Canon 7D.  Matt Mason and his team of photographers are Lake Geneva wedding photographers serving the Geneva Lake region including Walworth County, Milwaukee, Chicagoland and beyond.  Use the Contact page to get in touch for your photography project.

Here are some issues to think about when developing your timeline:

• First Look
• Greeting Guests
• Distance between ceremony and reception locations
• Family Photo Session
• Cocktail Hour
• Garter and Bouquet toss

First Look
One of the more stressful parts of the happy couple’s day centers around not seeing each other before the ceremony. Traditionally, the groom waits to see his bride until the moment when the beautiful bride walks down the aisle in all her glory. This is a splendid moment full of emotion. However, this traditional approach can really compress the time available for some of the most important photos of the day. Consider all that needs to be accomplished after the couple says I do: greet guests, family photos, wedding party photos, romantic photos, detail shots of the reception, etc.

So what is a first look? This is a special moment when the groom is able to see his bride for the first time before the ceremony. Often these are among my favorite photos of the entire day. I usually like to position the groom looking away out over a field, or at the end of pier, or even by a beautiful old oak tree. Here are a few examples of the first look. Photos capture a special story as the bride approaches the groom. It is a wonderful, romantic and precious to see their expressions as they see each other for the first time simultaneously.

As I describe this special event to brides and grooms this isn’t a replacement to the walking down the aisle photo but actually in addition to that moment. So in essence you are adding to the day by getting a second special look instead of replacing it.
But don’t take my word for it. Watch this video of a couple who were initially against the idea and now are strong proponents of the First Look.

BOTTOM LINE: If you do the first look this will generally bring the following benefits:
• More photos
• Less time pressure
• More time together on your big day
• Less stress
• Get to the party sooner

Greeting Guests
In my experience a receiving line is one of the least efficient way to greet guests. This can take more than an hour. However, sometimes you have very little choice in the matter. A common way to resolve the desire to greet your guests is to dismiss the rows. I find that this usually cuts about 50% off the time of a traditional line. Another great way to maximize your timeline is to greet guests at your reception after you have finished your meal but your guests are still seated. If you do the third option you need to hide away after you walk down the aisle so you don’t accidently end up doing an impromptu receiving line because you get mobbed. Another idea is to do a “soft entrance” and greet people informally at the cocktail hour.

Family Photo Session
When planning out your timeline I suggest thinking about how many family photos you will want from your wedding photography package.

• Do you have a large family or a small family?
• Will you want to focus on immediate family or will you want to have many extended family portraits?
• Are there many shots that will require children under the age of five?

I have had family photo shoots that are done in 15 minutes and some that go well over an hour. My biggest suggestion here is that you choose first the list that is important to you as a couple. Then share this list with each of your mothers and see if you are missing anything major. Don’t delegate the list writing to someone else or they might copy and paste a huge list from the internet of groupings you don’t really care about. Have this list in mind when we go over your day. Ideally you will email this list one month before your ceremony.

Distance between ceremony and reception locations
Weddings in the Lake Geneva area often tend to have ceremony and reception locations relatively close. In fact, more than half are at the same location in my experience at one of our beautiful resorts like Grand Geneva, The Abbey, Geneva National, Lake Lawn Resort, and Hawk’s View Golf Club. This is very convenient for your guests but it also tends to compress your timeline from the ceremony to cocktail hour because people need something to do before the reception. We have to be very efficient with the use of photography time.

On the other hand when there is a distance to travel between the ceremony and reception this can also take up precious photo time. Remember that wedding parties move very slowly for some reason. In either case we need to carefully consider the time and distance between ceremony and reception.

Cocktail Hour
If you don’t do a first look, have a large family for family photos or have a lot of distance between the ceremony and reception you will probably need to use some of the cocktail hour to get key photos captured.

Garter and Bouquet toss
As we consider how to use the hours that come with your photography package we inevitably need to know if you are planning to do a garter and/or bouquet toss. If you have a lot of young single friends it is a very fun and often humorous part of the evening. On the other hand, if you only have a handful of single friends many tend to forgo the tradition. If you do one usually we schedule this near the end of your evening just before we plan to go, between 9:00 to 9:30.

As part of your wedding package with Matt Mason Photography we will go over these issues and see how they relate your big day.  Thinking about this before our meeting will help to streamline our phone meeting.   Click this link: Timeline Samples.  This link is a PDF file with two different timeline samples.  The first is a nine hour day, with one location, first look, and outdoor ceremony.  The second is an eleven hour day, with multiple locations, no first look, church ceremony.

To view the entire gallery of images from this shoot follow this link.

You can see my test shots in much greater detail by visting my SmugMug site.  Here is the link, 5D MII comparison photos to 5D MIII.  I have included some low res versions below.  Here is are my initial thoughts after having used the 5D MIII all afternoon:

• I like the solid feel and build of the newer model.
• Canon did a good job of staying true to the 5D series.  I had no trouble adjusting to the new camera.
• That said, there are so many great new features I can’t wait to explore more.  For example: New in-camera HDR, Dual Slots for Compact Flash and SD memory cards, extremely vibrant screen, improved menu features, a new rating system so I can pick out my favorite wedding photos as I shoot, the 61-point AF system, and a new audio out for listening to video as it is being recorded.  The most astounding feature is the increased ISO capability.
• It was very thoughtful of Canon to use the same battery sustem and to continue the ability to use Compact Flash when I have invested in these needed tools.
• Regarding ISO I felt like the 6400 of the MII was very close to the 25600 of the MIII in terms of sharpness and color saturation.  Look at the last photo in this series.

Below is a Video we created to celebrate all the fun we have at this show each year.  Take a look I think you will agree it was a great time.

**Matt Mason and his associates are Lake Geneva Wedding Photographers.  They specialize in telling your story through extraordinary imagery and fusion film.  Fusion brings the best of photography and film making into a “rockstar music video” of your day.  If you want to know more about Matt Mason Photography please click on the Contact tab and reach out today.

1. Be sure to do an engagement session before the wedding.  This allows you and the photographer to better get to know each other.   You also figure out what works and what doesn’t work so that you are not “practicing” on wedding day.
2. Be on time.  While this may seem obvious being late can cost you dozens if not hundreds of precious photos to remember your day.  I’d suggest you make your time line conservative.  Have a serious talk with people who are “time challenged” so they don’t make you late.
   
3. Go through your timeline with your photographer in detail and ask him/her their thoughts on how realistic the timeline is.
4. Give your photographer a detailed family photo checklist.  This checklist will make help speed things up and ensure that you get these important photos from your day.
5. Share this list with both of your parents and make sure they are happy and that you have negotiated with them for important portraits.
6. Enlist an assistant to the photographer who knows most of the family to run the checklist.  This person can get the next group on deck ready while the photographer shoots the current group.  Things move fast and efficiently this way and the experience feels much less chaotic.
7. Go through the photographer’s portfolio and point out images that you are really drawn to.  This will help them get a mental picture of your style and inform their approach to the day.

Here is the link to my favorite Shoe shots.