A cautionary tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how this photographer can help!)

Guest post by Angela Gaul, Milestone Images
This business paid a fee to be listed on Offbeat Wed because they feel their products and services are a great fit with offbeat philosophies… and we agree. Learn more about our ads.
A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)
Photos by Milestone Images

“Is it really so hard to get everything you want?” she asked.

My heart sank. A Facebook friend had gotten in touch because she needed help. Her wedding photographer had, in her words, “dropped the ball.”

She had finally gotten her wedding photos back after months and months of waiting, and… let’s put it this way, she wasn’t crying tears of joy. Important shots were missing. The lake that was what first made her and her then-fiance fall in love with (and ultimately book) their venue was not in any of her photos.

She went on. “He didn’t take half of the photos I asked for and then got mad at me and told me they couldn’t do anymore right now because cocktail hour was half over… I literally just wanted the whole family together. I got told that asking for pics of everyone at their tables was extra, but that was never presented to me at our numerous meetings.”

You know what? NO. It shouldn’t be so hard.

If you are an engaged couple dreaming about your wedding photography, CAN you really get everything you want — from photos of your whole family together (yes) to candids of all the key moments (yes) PLUS awesome things happening with your guests that you didn’t even see on the big day (yes) PLUS some cute ideas you saw on Pinterest (yes) AND really creative, artistic shots that are uniquely you and your sweetie (yes) AND group shots with your guests (yes) AND lots of detail shots of the special, personal DIY touches (yes) AND could it not cost an arm and a leg? (especially with the discount below? it won't) AND does it really taken six months to get all the photos delivered? (NO)

After ten years of features on Offbeat Bride, we say this with confidence. You can get it all when you work with Angie from Milestone Images.

Let’s take a look at my first wedding of the 2019 busy season. It’s Pride month, I wanna show off this lovely couple!

One of the things that Diane and Karen liked about their venue was this dramatic couch. It caught their eye on their tour. They really wanted romantic pictures on the couch taken before the ceremony. When things started to run behind schedule, I knew I could catch us up, but I also knew we had to get the romantic photos they’d wanted, too.

I set a timer on my phone and busted out their formal poses efficiently. The second the alarm sounded, we took one final shot and then retreated to the getting ready suite to that pink couch you see at the top of the post. Diane, one of the brides, said:

“Angie was on time and ready to go, didn't freak out when my bridesmaids and I were 30 minutes late, and was able to capture the photos we had requested. She kept track of time, but didn't make us feel rushed.”

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

“I am not someone who enjoys having my photos taken and I don't like staged photos much – I was smiling the whole time working with Angie and have been so excited looking at our photos!”

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

“Angie took so many candids that we didn't even know were happening, and caught many little moments including me dancing with certain family members, us hugging guests hello and goodbye, and little cousins dancing!”

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

“Even my cousin who was breakdancing has an amazing photo of him. We've been to weddings where the photographers have told guests, ‘do that again so I can take a picture' and this did not happen with Angie.”

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

“She made us smile, was able to group over 100 guests for a photo of everyone as we requested, and had our guests smiling throughout the day.”

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

Informal pictures with your guests as you visit tables don't have to be forced and awkward.

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

Karen has two great loves of her life, Diane and her Harley Davidson. We ended the wedding day with photos of the newlyweds on Karen's bike, which involved some complicated logistics like a Harley Davidson employee bringing it to the venue. I knew this shot was important to Karen, and so it had to happen, because I'm committed to making sure you really can get everything you want — every little detail.

A tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how to avoid it yourself!)

Best of all, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg OR take forever to get the full set of photos. This couple received their full set of more than 1,000 photos in just over three weeks!

Milestone Images' prices are extremely competitive in the New York City and Tri-State area market where the average cost of a wedding can top $50,000. Every package includes the rights to print and share all of the edited, color-corrected and retouched Best Selections as high-resolution, watermark-free jpgs, so you can do whatever you want.

There's a reader discount!

Offbeat Bride reader special:

Offbeat Bride readers save 10% no matter what, but you can save 20% when you book with a contract and deposit by July 15, 2019. But wait! There's more….

What if you are getting married in the next four months and didn't think professional photography was in your budget? If you resigned yourself to collecting everyone's smartphone photos or hoping a friend from college would bring his camera, you really can get everything you want, at an amazing 25% off if you are getting married SOON, as in before October 31, 2019.

With 5-out-of-5-star reviews everywhere you look, a decade of experience with offbeat couples, thorough coverage, quick turnaround times, and shared copyright of all the digital images, this is a deal you shouldn't miss. Reach out and say hello!

Angie has been a trusted Offbeat Bride partner for over a decade and we can't recommend her more. Definitely hit her up to guarantee an amazing experience and make sure you don't have any regrets.

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Comments on A cautionary tale of wedding photography disappointment (and how this photographer can help!)

  1. I’m pretty disappointed by this article–from the title, I expected general advice on how to ensure you’re happy with your wedding photos, and instead the only advice I got was “book this photographer who lives on a different continent from you!”. I’ve understand that native advertising is important to Offbeat Bride & that plenty of readers who do live in the US will find this helpful, but please could article titles make it clearer when an article is promoting a specific business rather than giving universal advice?

  2. So, um, hi! This is about me. I didn’t write the headline, but I’m super sorry you’re disappointed. I’m happy to give some concrete advice in the comments if you like. I kind of love talking about weddings and geeking out about all things wedding photography.

    When I meet with people who are considering working with me, I have a very thorough schpiel that covers All The Things, and honestly, that communication and collaboration is how I get my finger on the pulse of what will make my clients happiest when they get their wedding photos. I have lots of opinions, anecdotes and advice that I’m happy to share. I’ll warn you, though, I’ve got lots to say. 🙂

    Before I dive in all “RELEASE THE WORD KRAKEN!!!”- are you interested in advice on how to avoid wedding photo-related disappointment from me? What stage of wedding planning are you in? Do you have any specific questions? What are you most worried about when it comes to fearing disappointment with your pictures?

    Bring it on. I’m happy to help.

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