The main photographers were already booked, so we got Bren Weller and an assistant. The books looked great, and the photos seemed creative and in our taste for the photo journalism style.
Our engagement photos were a complete disappointment and we didn't buy any of them, however they were shot while it was drizzling, which could've been fun. Bren was a sport since we'd come in to town that weekend from NYC just to have them done. She wasn't very creative with them or the locations for them under the circumstances though and ultimately they were awkward looking.
Our wedding situation was not much better, as just prior to the wedding we found out Bren was on her way out and this was one of her last weddings with them. There were some very beautiful pre-wedding shots in the park and at the overlook of our bridal party. I wouldn't say she was creative with them, and she had a bad eye for placing the group shots. In addition, she took several shots with tree branches running through people's heads and just didn't seem to have a very good spacial reasoning in that sense.
The ceremony itself was shot HORRIBLY, not one of my BEAUTIFUL bridesmaids had a good aisle shot, my aisle shots were very weak, most of the ceremony was shot too far away or badly by the assistant, who was overly relied on for someone who was reasonably green. Red eye was rampant in my proofs and a lot of off guard shots. It was a shame that in such a beautiful old church, with such interesting architecture and ornament, that the photos turned out very BLAH and well poorly exposed for the lighting.
Following the ceremony there were some excellent shots of my husband and I in the church, but as soon as we reached the reception Bren began rushing me. She kept telling me she only had a short while left and asked when certain elements were going to take place. Turns out she forgot the number of hours we had her and was trying to duck out an hour and a half early thinking we had the lesser package. This really made it difficult to just enjoy everything.
Also she missed some of the best moments, took almost no pictures of my parents or the featured tables we'd asked her to focus on. The first dance was TERRIBLY shot from far away, none of the angles or pictures were any better than things my friends and family had shot. I was left feeling that I could've had a better album piecing together other people's photos because they were much more creative and unique.
On the note of photos, it took more than double the promised amount of time to get my proofs because of Bren's leaving and computer issues. It was difficult to reach them and they were very unresponsive following receipt of my payment. In addition, Bren used me as a positive reference on her website by quoting an email where I wrote her saying the photos were beautiful along with a list of complaints. She excerpted the good sentence amid complaints and never asked my permission to do so.
All in all, I'd say every friend I have had better photos of their wedding, especially their ceremonies, and I would strongly recommend selecting someone else. I've got a handful of beautiful selects and a wonderful set of memories from our day, but a lot was missed and misrepresented. You can't do it again so go for someone you know will do it right.
