To help build that connection I realize that I have to put more ME on the blog for YOU my clients.  Feel free to check out the “About” section of my blog for a quick speed date of getting to know me, but also know that I will be blogging more personal tidbits under the “Personal” section of my blog.

To kick things off here is my favorite picture from my honeymoon.  This was taken as we boarded the dinner cruise with warm seafood and cocktails so strong I was afraid to stand next to a fire for fear my breath would ignite into a ball of flame!  I still have that dress and I might just have to dig it out and wear it this summer!

While on maternity leave I purchased EXPOSED by Jasmine Star.  I’ve heard her say this before, but as I read this quote I realized it was time to act:

“I would rather see you fail at something you love then succeed at something you hate.”

I should note that I didn’t hate my job, but I also didn’t love it.  Quitting was complicated though.  My job paid well, had good benefits including 401k and paid time off and…and this was the big one.  I was a part owner in the company.  Quitting would mean that I would have to give all of this up.

I asked myself what was the worst case scenario if I quit my day job, pursued photography and failed.  What if I failed?  What if I never booked a single wedding or turned a single profit?  What did failing look like?  It turned out to be a surprisingly simple answer: I would return to engineering as an employee and not an owner…and I was perfectly okay with that.

Now that I knew what failure looked liked I was able to think about what success looked like.  Success would be spending more time with family (specifically my new son Andrew) and turning a passion into a successful business.  I realized how simple “success” would be.  Success didn’t have to be becoming the best wedding photographer ever and booking 100 weddings a year.  It would simply be spending more time with my family and getting paid to do what I love.

I’m tempted to say that the decision seemed suddenly simple.  Just like an actor that has been working in their craft for 20 years and suddenly becomes an overnight success.  My decision was years in the making, but when all of the pieces fell into the right place it was suddenly clear what I wanted to do.  I wanted to quit…and I did.

I am officially launching Suzanne Melissa Photography and my first employee is this little guy with the title of “Director of Cuteness”.

He was in the process of cutting his first tooth, so it was non-stop drooling.

So unprofessional to cry at work!

I hope you are doing what you LOVE!

We started the day at Katy’s parents house with the girls getting ready.

Katy was fake-eyelash expert working on all of her bridesmaids.

Next we headed over to the church for their ceremony.  The church was beautiful inside and out with lots of unique features.

We all shared a little laugh as Katy struggled to get the ring on Chris’s finger!

My favorite part of the day.  Bride and groom portraits!!

Katy, you are sooooooooooo gorgeous!!!

While I was shooting the portraits my trusty second shooter, Elizabeth, captured a few of the reception details.


The reception was a blast and ended with an awesome firework display!

Chris and Katy thank you so much for trusting me to shoot your wedding!!

Anywho-who, this year I decided it’s time to go big or go home with my New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m not just going on a diet I’m on a mission to lose 30 pounds, make a serious commitment to my family and to put all of my creative energy into my photography business.

I’ve read on-line that people who write down their goals make on average % more over their lifetime than those that don’t.  80% of Americans say they don’t write down their goals, but a study out of University of California showed that people who write down their goals, share them with friends and regularly update their friends on the progress are 33% more successful in accomplishing their goals.  Just WRITE THEM DOWN and you have already increased your odds of success without doing anything else!  (Maybe I should send Jannelle some pen and paper??).

So my friends, here are my goals for 2012.  I decided to split them between Business and Personal.  I wanted to have an even 20 for each, so I am leaving myself some room to add on later in the year.

Business

1. New business cards
2. Update portfolio
3. CD cases
4. Welcome package for brides
5. Book 10 weddings for 2012
6. Book 15 portrait sessions
7. Book 5 newborn or maternity
8. Network w/venues, other photogs, and others
9. Develop wedding workflow
10. Better reception images
11. Be featured on a wedding blog
12. Have a wedding published
13. Attend two PUG meetings
14. 2^nd shoot for other photographers
15. Buy 100mm Macro Lens
16. Attend a workshop
17. Watch Photo DVDs
18. Photograph wedding at a venue I have never worked with
19. Make two new photography friends

Personal

1. Lose 30 lbs
2. Wear a bathing suit on my b-day
3. Add a new meal each month
4. Take swim lessons w/Andrew
5. Have date night with the following couples w/Trey and Kandy, Mom and Rick, Dad and Cindy
6. Hang pictures on the walls…anywhere!
7. Decorate Andrew’s room
8. Hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim
9. Take 6 month and 1 year pics of Andrew
10. Organize/decorate office
11. Go to lunch/coffee w/Bre
12. Take a vacation
13. Read 5 books
14. Tailbone to heal
15. Get pregnant
16. Complete Legacy File
17. Quit day job
18. Run a 5k

You’ll notice that number 2 on my personal list is to wear a bathing suit on my birthday (August 31…just in case you wanted to plan ahead!).  I’m pretty sure the picture below is the last time I was photographed in a bathing suit.

So go ahead, don’t be scared. Write down your goals, tell a friend and start earning 9% more!

I couldn’t get enough of Briana’s awesome shoes.  When I first met with Briana her hair was dyed pink.  When she showed up to the engagement session with brown hair I was a little relieved.  When I saw her brightly colored shoes I was even more relieved that she was still rocking things in her own style!

I don’t know why, but when I ask couples to kiss they always laugh…I think it’s a good sign!

I had Briana sit in this chair and I told Chris to s-l-o-w-l-y get up and kiss her and cuddle a little.  It’s kind of the same technique I talked about in this post for photographers.

More kissing and laughing.

When I asked Chris how excited he was when it came to wedding planning this was his reaction.  100% genuine excitement I’m sure!

I wanted to write this post so I can remember all of the events of this painful joyous day.  It’s limited TMI, but feel free to skip to the end and just check out our cute baby!!

9/10/11-due date.  No baby.

9/14/11-Ultra sound.  It’s a girl boy?!  Induction scheduled for 9/20/11

9/15/11-Last day at work.  No baby.

9/18/11-BFF’s birthday.  No baby.

Monday 9/19/11 9pm-Did I just pee my pants??

9:15pm-Did I just pee my pants…again?  No…my water just broke and my hair’s not done.  Damn!  Side note: my husband’s only request during my pregnancy was to not go into labor on a Monday.  Request denied.  Now we’re even for the Christmas ornaments

9:20pm-Shower and do my hair because who greets a new baby without your hair done.  Right?

10:15pm-Husband makes coffee and I tell him to take his time because I’M ONLY LEAKING FLUID HERE!

10:30pm-Check into the labor and delivery triage.  Nurse confirms, yep my water broke and those cramps that I have been having those are contractions.  Dilated to about 2.

1:30am-Get moved to a labor and delivery room, go to the bathroom and get moved back to triage.  They need the room for someone having a baby RIGHT NOW and apparently that’s not me.

2:30am-Get moved to a labor and delivery room again now to stay.  Pitocin drip stated.  Dilated to about 2.

2:35am-First contraction rips thru like a freight train.  Wow…that didn’t feel good.

2:40am-Second contraction even worse.

2:45am-Husband wonders if he left the coffee pot on and wants to go home to check it.  Third contraction hits and I wonder if I am going to die during child birth like in the movies. The headline will read, “Woman dies during childbirth while husband is turning coffee pot off”.

2:50am-Husband really wants to go home and check coffee pot.  I’m thinking it’s just a ploy to go get more coffee since the cafeteria is closed and really I could care less if the house burns down right now….I’m about to DIE in pain!  Oh, and another contraction.

2:55am-Contraction-unbelievable pain.  Nurse recommends I try and get some sleep.  Guess she’s not aware of the thriving pain I’m in.  How about I prove it by throwing up.  Done.

3:00am-Contraction-unbelievable pain.  Nurse asks if I want to try sitting on a “birthing ball” (which by the way is just an exercise ball…why do they have to call it a birthing ball.  I’m not going to birth anything while working on my core).  Pass on the birthing ball.

Contraction-unbelievable pain.  This little scene plays out every five minutes from 2:35am to 6am.

6:00am-My doctor stops by and tells me I’m dilated to 2.  A 2???  WTF!!!  I’m convinced this is the baby that will never come out.  I’m 10 days overdue, 8 hours past my water breaking and 3.5 hours into the pinball of pain from pitocin and I’m dilated to a 2????  Did this baby not get the memo to GET OUT!

I think for fear of his life the doctor agrees that when the nurse checks me at 8am if I’m at a 3 I can get the epidural.

8:00am-Nurse comes into the room and declares I’m at a 3.  wink. wink. and orders the epidural I’m certain as a show of mercy.

8:15am-My favorite person in all of the world and new BFF shows up…the anesthesiologist.  Oh wonderful person wielding large needle of joy where have you been the last 41 weeks.

I had watched an episode of Baby Story where the epidural only took on one side of a patient.  I recounted this story to my husband and mom and laughed about how awful that would be.  Karma was apparently in the neighborhood and paid me a visit.  The epidural began to wear off quickly on my left side leaving me with intense back pain.  My new BFF was able to adjust the epidural a little, but I still had a lot of feeling on the left side and zero feeling of the right side.

Fast forward to 4:45pm (we all know how babies are born) our baby is born and I hear the doctor say, “It’s a boy?!”.  Yep, our little girl was indeed a boy.  The cutest boy you have ever seen!

The pictures below were taken by a photographer that I have idolized for years and I am thankful to know her now as a friend, Kimberly Jarmen.  Meet our little surprise Andrew Patrick.

Oh I could just squeeze and kiss this little face all day!

It’s hard work being such a cute baby model!  He looks a little cross eyed in this, but I promise he’s not!

{Ceremony-I do!!}

Most venues have a separate fee for the ceremony site.  Often times they have multiple ceremony sites and may charge different rates for different sites.  If there are multiple ceremony sites there is a good chance that there could be more than one wedding going on in the same day.  Venues will do their best to keep wedding parties separate by placing signage around the venue to direct your guests to the right location, but there is a good chance that your guests will see more than one bride on your wedding day.  If this bothers you, you might want to look for a location with only one wedding per day.

You will also want to check and see what their policy is on the decor of the ceremony site.  When will the site be available for you/family/vendors to come and set-up.  I have seen so many times that the florist or family member shows up three hours before the wedding to decorate and the venue is not ready.  If the florist has another wedding that day they are usually on a tight timeline and need to set-up and move on to their next event.  This ultimately causes unnecessary stress and frustration.  Be sure to consult with your venue coordinator to put together a timeline that works for everyone.

{Reception-Let the party begin}

The reception is a huge part of your wedding day.  This is where you will dance your first dance as a married couple and where you will have a chance to mingle with your guests.  This is also where you will spend a HUGE part of your wedding budget.

You will start to hear phrases like food and beverage (F&B) minimum and room fee.  Some venues charge a room fee on-top of any food and beverage costs.  Next, there will most likely be a food and beverage minimum.  Meaning, you have to spend this minimum amount of money to book the room.  This ensures that the venue makes enough money on the event to make it worth having the staff, lights, air conditioning/heating etc going.  Your food and beverage cost will be calculated based on the food and beverage selections you make.  Usually the cost is presented as the cost per guest.  Kids and vendors count too!  Side note-please feed your vendors:)

If you plan on having a small wedding (say 50-80 guests) it might be difficult to reach the F&B minimum.  You can look at options of adding an open bar, additional Hors d’oeuvres or more expensive choices for your main course.

This brings you to the menu cost/options.  The venue should be able to provide a summary of all of their menu items from Hors d’oeuvres, salads, main courses and desserts (if they are providing the cake).  A bar menu/cost should also be provided.  This is usually presented as a cost per hour per person.  Check to see what drinks are  included (e.g. house beer and wine or mixed drinks as well).

{Aesthetics-Oh so pretty!}

This is so important, but so easy to overlook.  You take a site tour of the venue, love the lush plant life, the green grass and the beautiful lobby of the venue.  Everything about it is perfect and you book it!  8 months later your wedding day arrives and the plant life died in the summer heat, the grass is dead because they are getting ready to over-seed, the entrance is going thru a major remodel and the parking lot is a dirt mess.  This is not the venue you booked!!

Look closely at the landscape in general.  Is there a rose garden that you just love?  Will it be in bloom on your wedding date or will they have all died from the summer heat?  Ask for pictures of previous weddings scheduled in the same month as your wedding.  Be specific though.  If you wedding date is early October pictures from a wedding in late October may not be accurate.

Lots of golf courses provide a great location and backdrop for weddings.  The golf course staff and the wedding staff are not always on the same page unfortunately.  The golf staff is primarily concerned about their golf revenue and this means over-seeding the grass in early to mid October.  The grass is a brown ugly color until the new winter grass comes in.  When it does, usually mid to late October, the golf staff does not want any foot traffic on their grass.  This can limit the options for photographs, ceremony sites etc.  It is extremely important to know what the over-seeding schedule is when booking at a golf course (or any place with lots of grass).

Periodically, venues will go thru renovations.  This could be anything from replacing carpet, re-doing pools, updating the entire lobby, etc.  Be sure to ask if anything is planned and what the status would be on the date of your wedding.

{Dates/Discounts/Payments-Let’s talk money honey!}

Don’t be afraid to ask!

Is your date available?

Are there any discounts for different times of the year or days of the week?  In Arizona most venues will provide some kind of discount between June and August.  Friday and Sunday weddings are becoming more and more popular, so discounts for weekend days are more rare, but discounts for weekdays are still available.  You will want to consider your guests though.  If you choose a weekday wedding or a Sunday wedding most guests will be coming from work and have to go to work the next day.  This might damper their desire to stay late and party the night away.

Just like any other wedding vendor an initial payment will be required to secure your date.  This may be a flat fee or a percentage of your total estimated cost.  It’s important to know what the payment schedule is and the cancellation/refund policy.  Very few sites (if any) will refund any of your down payment.  If you cancel within 30 days of your event you may contractually be obligated to still pay for the entire event.  READ the fine print of your contract!!!

{What have we learned?}

Ceremony

• How much does the venue charge for the ceremony site?
• Are there more than one ceremony sites?  If so, what is the cost of each? Does this mean there could be more than one wedding at the venue on my wedding day?

Reception

• Is there a room fee?
• What is the food and beverage minimum?
• What are the menu costs/options?
• What are the bar costs/options?

Aesthetics

• Landscape-what will the landscape look like on the date of your wedding?  Are there any pictures available?
• What is the over-seeding schedule?  Will there be any restrictions on the grass on your wedding date?
• Is there any planned construction or renovations for the venue?  If so, what will the status be on your wedding date?

Dates/Discounts/Payments

• Is  your date available?
• Are there any discounts available for different times of the year or days of the week?
• What is the payment plan/policy?
• What is the refund/cancellation policy?

You can click here download a PDF here of all of these important questions to ask!

Happy bookingJ

Kate and Sean were married on a sunny March afternoon.  Kate is a school teacher and Sean works at a bank.  Together they are the perfect match of fun, joy, love and laughs.  Before the wedding they were both calm and relaxed.  Enjoying the time with their bridal party and soaking in the last few moments before the walk down the aisle.

I am honored that I was able to document their day thru pictures.  We started with some of the beautiful bridal details.

Thanks to my second shooter Elizabeth for this shot of Kate’s shoes.

Petal Pushers did an amazing job with the flowers as always!

A final adjustment before the first look.

Kate and Sean chose to see each other before the ceremony.  This allowed us plenty of time to capture the emotion and excitement of seeing each for the first time on their wedding day.

Sean is such a crack-up that I think these two pictures perfectly sum up his personality!

The ceremony details were gorgeous and we could not have asked for a more beautiful blue sky!

More great shots by Elizabeth.

My unofficial second shooter!

We had time for a few more pictures before the reception!

The Wigwam Resort was recently remodeled and the grounds were just beautiful!

The reception details were a mix of purples, greens, turquoise and Peacock feathers.

There were a few technical difficulties with the music for their first dance, but that didn’t phase Kate and Sean one bit.  They laughed and loved all the way thru it!

One last favorite at the end of the night!

Kate and Sean thank you so much for including me in your special day!

The vendors that made this fabulous wedding possible!

Venue: Wigwam Resort, Glendale Arizona

Band/MC: The Walkens

Flowers: Petal Pushers

Photographer: Suzanne Melissa Photography

It seems as though friends and family got pregnant just by standing next to each other.  Several of my brides got pregnant on their honeymoon and couples at church seem to be multiplying like rabbits.  For us it took a little bit longer.  My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for about 8 months.  I should have a master’s degree for peeing on a stick…I’m quite skilled.

Finally, two pink lines appeared in the results window.  We shared the good news with family on New Year’s Eve and recently found out that the ladies will continue to out number the males in our house with the addition of a little girl (we have two female dogs and one male dog-so power to ladies!).

I’ve started to put together an inspiration board for the nursery.  This is something I would highly recommend to anyone decorating a room or planning a wedding.  It is so instrumental in helping you narrow down the exact style that you are trying to achieve (it also makes the endless hours of web-surfing seem more productive!)

A couple of things that I have been able to confirm thru my inspiration board:

1. I really like white furniture and I’m currently leaning towards the “mod” type cribs (see picture right below the word Furniture)
2. Pink will be a key color in the room, but I want a more modern feel than a frilly, girly, 10 shades of pink coming out of my ears look.
3. Blue or Green will also be a key accent color.  I want something that feels fresh and lively.
4. Lots of DIY details-I plan on making the crib sheets and most of the decor myself (key word-I plan…we’ll see how that goes)
5. I want to mix modern with vintage/re-purposed pieces.  I have tons of frames and random odds and ends in a closet.  I really want to challenge myself to re-purpose some pieces to work in the nursery.
6. Function, function, function.  Tom (my husband) is VERY big on purpose and function in room decor.  He has not concept of “just for looks”.  So, everything must serve a function to avoid getting tossed out by the hubby.

Here is my original inspiration board before we knew if we were having a boy or girl.

I started by looking on-line at all things baby.  Anything that caught my eye I saved to a folder and later placed it on the board.  This is a great way to get all ideas down on paper.  From here I was able to narrow it down and refine my choices.  Again-this would also work GREAT for planning the details/colors of a wedding.  I really wish I had done this for my wedding.

I will be posting updates on the nursery progress as we go!

PS-Just in case you are wondering…I’m due 9/10/11.  What a cool b-day that would be!

The message read something like this, “Suzanne, this is Kim.  My second shooter might be sick can you shoot tomorrow?”.

My reaction was this: OMG, OMG, O-M-G.  Where’s my camera? Where are my battery charges?  Have all my cards been downloaded?  What clean clothes do I have to wear?  I better text her back….I hope it’s not too late!

As most photographers know, finding a second shooting gig sometimes feels impossible.  Shooting for an amazing photographer and getting the opportunity to work with their team, at high end venues and with the best of the best wedding coordinators is a very rare opportunity.  An opportunity that came my way via a text message at 8:23pm on a Friday.

I third shot a wedding for Kimberly Jarman who is one of the top wedding and portrait photographers in Arizona.  You can see her blog post here and here of the amazing wedding.

I love shooting weddings and I love being the lead photographer, but assisting brings it’s own unique gratification.  There’s a lot less pressure, you have more time to be creative, and I love being the steady-calming force for the lead photographer.

I highly recommend to other photographers to take time to second shoot even when you feel you might have moved beyond a second shooter role.  It will help you build new relationships within the community and make your own photography even stronger.