Over the past decade I've worked with a ton of great photographers at weddings but here are a few that stood out to me. They do amazing work, each one with their own style and different offerings, some with videography, drone flyovers, or just some really awesome edits.

With romantic, light and airy photography, Maria captures your wedding day with heirloom quality photographs that are artistically stylized. Over 12 years in the business and having travelled to 14 different US states to photograph couples, she is well versed in capturing the perfect backdrop no matter the location. She is up for travelling. I have worked with her in countless weddings, always polite and knows what moment to capture, with Maria you are sure to have a wonderful experience and lasting images that will remain timeless.

A fellow Ball State grad, Britny Murray with Golden Cardinal Media, is bound to capture the perfect moment in a warm and moody way. With easy to book and straighforward pricing Britny does both video and photography coverage! With planning her own wedding, she really wished she could have a video to look back on to capture the moments and now offering it to clients as to not break the bank with her packages. 

Destiny has a moodier darker approach to wedding photography with her studio New & Bold Photography. Perfect for the engagement photo sesh, wedding, and especially in the future for those baby/toddler mini-sessions. If you browse through her facebook you will find out how adorable the baby sessions are (planning for the future of course). She captures timeless moments from the wedding and related still items such as the shoes and rings of course. Destiny has a love for capturing beautiful moments, the median for all the parts of arts that she loves!

Are you questioning whether or not do include any wedding traditions in your reception? First Dances, Grand Entrances, bouquet and garter toss, cake cutting, anniversary dance, shoe game, toasts and more? Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Am I outgoing or reserved?
2. Do I find them fun or overdone at weddings I attend?  
3. What vibe am I going for?

1. Am I outgoing or reserved? The first one is pretty easy, are you an outgoing person who likes attention and enjoy being in the spotlight. After all, the wedding day is all about you! These traditions shine the light on you and bring everyone's focus and attention toward the couple, the reason everyone is there in the first place. They can be a fun way to keep the night pacing and keep everyone at the wedding enjoying the different activities whether watching, listening, or participating in. If you are a reserved or shy person and don't like the attention however you may not want to do any and that's ok. Even for the reserved person there are some that are classics though and you may want to consider, first dances, cake and some toasts are pretty common, the others are usually a toss up on whether or not the couple does them or not, it's your day after all so it's up to you

2. Do I find them fun or overdone at weddings I attend?  If you've been involved or attended other weddings, did you find the traditions they did fun and kept the crowd engaged? You can use other weddings as a feeler for what you want at yours. There may be a tradition you thought was really cool and want to incorporate into your wedding - go for it and we can work out how to include it. There may be others that you thought were overdone and would rather pass on and that's fine too. Use your own feelings towards them as a guide to help pick and choose what you want to include in yours. There may be some you find on the internet as well that is a must have, let us know and can incorporate it into the night, In our opinion the couple always looks to be enjoying the traditions and having fun from experience.

3. What vibe am I going for? What kind of vibe are you going for, super traditional and upkeep the same traditions family, society, or what you think you want or have to do? Or do you want the most laid back hangout party feel with minimal formalities? We have done weddings on both extremes and the happy-medium in between. Many people are going towards a more laid back party rather than super-regimented formality-driven wedding, But usually there is a happy medium that we achieve. Sprinkling in a few formalities keeps the guests engaged and anticipating what is coming next. On the flip side if it's just a party and everyone is hanging out mingling the whole time with the married couple, occasionally dancing to some tunes, doing other activities outside or in, that can be super fun as well. 

In our expert opinion: We usually find the most engaging, fun, and successful weddings fall within the happy-medium amount of formalities and laid-back, it's completely the couples day and can be what they want it to be, doesn't have to follow any rules, and people enjoy just being there celebrating the day. It seems like in this day and age, some traditions are in-fact going to the wayside such as the bouquet & garter toss (if you aren't outgoing enough to be comfortable with taking the garter off in front of family this one might not be for you, and with the wrong couple/crowd mix can be one of the more awkward ones, but there are definitely couples that kill it and make it super fun and get into it with laughter all around.) Grand entrances are becoming less common, as many times the couple are already in the room mingling with everyone during cocktail, and a simple "alright lets give it up for the couple and get dinner started" will suffice. But they can be a lot of fun for the wedding party to make up a silly walk-in and the bride and groom get the attention they deserve! On the flipside, if there are less formalities I would say Games are becoming more common and couples like to sprinkle them throughout the rest of the night, the shoe game, anniversary dance, karaoke, dance tag, Do the Dance from the song that's playing, and even trivia! These are a fun way to sprinkle different activities to keep everyone having a good time or entertained. With the TikTok and instant gratification society we are living in today people's attention spans are dwindling, and these really help to refocus the group and get them interacting, smiling, and having a great party with the couple, the whole reason we celebrate and hold receptions to begin with, just to have a good time friends and family alike!