Milwaukee Wedding Photography :: Jenni & Chris

This past June, I had the pleasure of working with these two on their wedding day. Jenni was so detailed and prepared, putting in an incredible amount of effort to make sure her day was perfect.

I first met with Jenni a full year before her wedding, and she was excited about their venue at The Coast in Milwaukee since both she and Chris share a love of the city and definitely wanted photos that reflected that.  No better place than this!!

When I arrived on the big day, Jenni was working hard with her florist Sarah from The Flower Garden and family members setting up the centerpieces and table decorations.  A lot of which Jenni made herself.

 

 The cake, from Simma's Bakery was a perfect addition to the reception area, completing the look!

Jenni had a gorgeous dress and shoes (which she had her bridesmaids sign the bottom of!! Cute!!) and we had a little fun with the getting dressed shots...

After everyone was ready, we set out for the first look.  I loved Jenni's vision for this, and I think that it worked out perfectly.

We then moved on to some beautiful portraits of Chris & Jenni together...

Then brought in the wedding party for some more...

Once we got through the photos, they were all able to get back to refresh before the ceremony, which took place overlooking the beautiful Lake Michigan.  It was such a perfect day!

After the first dance - which they took dancing lessons for!! - we snuck out for a few sunset photos, which are among my favorite photos to do!

Hope you enjoy!

Wedding Photography!!

So here is the scoop!!!

I'm happy to provide complimentary wedding photography coverage for one couple in need who will be getting married in 2015 or 2016.  I just need to know why you (or the couple you nominate) deserves it!! Once all submissions are in, I - with the help of a friend - will go over them and decide who is the most deserving.  For example "I'm poor and photography is expensive" isn't really what I'm looking for. :)

I do have some requirements / parameters that the wedding must fall under. If you don't meet the criteria, or if your date is already booked, I apologize in advance. I gain nothing more than the joy of making someone's wedding a little more special (and affordable!) than what they may have had before.  If you already have a wedding photographer booked....please don't cancel with them; that isn't what this is about.  Instead consider nominating someone else!

Here is what it includes:
- retouched images on USB
- 6 hours of coverage (extra hours are available at an hourly rate)
- same quality of care and attention to detail that all SZP brides receive

Here are the stipulations:
- you don't already have your wedding booked with me. 
- wedding is on a date in 2015 or 2016 that I don't already have booked (you will need to sign a contract)
- during the submission timeline, I will continue to book weddings with other clients, even if it is on your date, making your submission invalid. It's a risk, but you have nothing to loose!
- you must tell me WHY the particular couple deserves this gift. Pull at my heart strings!!!
- you can nominate yourself but I will need a reference to verify your reasons as to why you deserve it
- submit your story to me via email at shannonzastoupil@hotmail.com and include a photo of the couple
- weddings outside 25 miles from Kenosha will be subject to travel fees ($.56/mile round trip)
-submit your story/nomination by December 15th 2014. Winner will be announced that week.

Thanks to all my clients, past, present and future! I'm so thankful to do what I love and be able to give back like this.

This is what the winner from last year, Jessica, had to say:

"In the midst of the the craziness after the wedding, I wanted to take a quick moment to do a review for Shannon Z photography. A year and a half ago my fiance proposed and we started looking for photographers for our wedding. We looked into several, Shannon being one of them. I "liked" her page on facebook and we decided to wait to decide on which photographer we would go with.

In the mean time, a chronic illness of mine, got worse and I was very ill, bed bound and home bound for many months. I had to stop working and our "dream" wedding seemed like an impossible dream both for the physical and financial aspects. You see, I know alot about weddings, vendors, pricing and the one thing I never really balk at is the price of photography because not only do I believe you pay for what you get, but after the day is over (and yes, it really does go fast) what is left is memories and photography.

On Shannon's facebook, I saw that she was graciously giving away a wedding photography package to a couple as a way to show her gratitude for her photography success. I wrote a letter explaining why I thought my fiance (husband) and I deserved a wedding. I'm not sure i've ever won anything before, but when she choose us, I was over the moon! We decided to move forward with a wedding, but because of medical bills and such, we were on a very limited budget, which wouldn't have allowed for us to have the kind of professional photography that she was offering us!

Because we weren't paying for her services, one would have thought and I wouldn't have expected her to treat us as a "regular" paying customer. But let me tell you, she did, and she was so gracious about it! We received several sweet notes from her leading up to the day of the wedding. She also met with us ahead of time so we could discuss pictures etc.

One of the things that Shannon did for us ahead of time that was VERY helpful was give us a timeline of the day regarding pictures. I was able to add to it and base my entire timeline of my day around it. It really helped to make sure everyone was where they were suppose to be and ready when she needed to take specific pictures of each of us.

The day of the wedding, she was laid back, easy to be around and that really helped us relax. She was also open to going where ever we wanted to get pictures and she utilized our ceremony venue for some great shots. Within days she got us some sneak peaks and within 2 weeks we had our pictures back! Everyone comments on how great the pictures are, how she used lighting and her artistry to get some really beautiful and timeless shots.

I'm forever grateful for her generosity, we honestly would not have been able to have a wedding or her caliber of photography had we not received this awesome gift! I recommend Shannon to anyone for any occasion! In the meantime, my health has improved some and i'm just so blessed that I got to have a day to remember and that I'll have her photos to look on for years to come!"

Giving Back

So last year, I wanted to show my gratitude for the success I feel as a business owner by providing complimentary wedding photography coverage to someone deserving.   I posted on my facebook page what I was looking for and received a few submissions.

One in particular stuck out for me, and ended up being the one chosen.

Without going too deep into the back story of it all, Jessica has been through some pretty intense health issues as well as emotional ups and downs before finally finding someone who loves her wholly and completely.  Jess & Gene are so deserving of each other and I was honored to have been able to capture the love they shared this past week-end.  The emotion on their faces before and during the ceremony says it all. Pure. Love.

We started the day off at Moda Bella salon in Kenosha, where she and the girls had their hair and make-up done by the fabulous staff there. 

Jessica had been planning her wedding for quite some time, and one of her dreams was to get married at the Coast Guard station here in Kenosha, however with the forecast promising an 80% chance of rain, it was moved into the historical Women's Club of Kenosha.

Following the ceremony - SUN BLAZING - we went down to the beautiful lakefront to capture some photos by the beach before making a pit stop at Petrifying Springs park and then to our final destination, Fountain Hall in Racine. 

The adorable cake was provided by sSmarty Cakes , DJ services by Source 1 DJ and flowers by Strobbes Flower Cart in Kenosha.

These two are so easy to be around. They're simply happy, sweet & kind people and I'm truly blessed to have met them and been a part of their day. I'm looking forward to see what the future has in store for them.

So the big announcement that I had alluded to earlier this week is that I will be doing another complimentary wedding next year to one deserving couple.  The details will follow in another blog post, but for now....enjoy the beauty of Jess & Gene's day....

Magic in the Woods :: Milwaukee Wedding Photographer

Last month I was introduced to the beauty that is the Schlitz Nature Audubon Center in Milwaukee when I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph Rachel & Nick's wedding.

The Arizona couple planned their wedding from a distance with help from family in Wisconsin, and  the incredibly talented wedding planner Amanda from Evenement, and the result was amazing!  From the bridesmaid dresses all the way to the band. 

While rain was in the forecast, and it even sprinkled for a second, we managed to avoid getting wet, and still had a beautiful outdoor ceremony with photos to follow. However, first, we had to climb a gazillion stairs to the top of an outlook so that the happy couple could sign their Katuba with their parents and closest friends.  The scene was breathtaking and it really was a special moment for them.

Saz's Catering provided a delicious  meal which was served up on wooden plates accompanied by wooden utensils to go with the nature theme.

The couple brought a friend of theirs from Arizona to provide the live music. During dinner I learned that the accompanying drummer and keyboard/bass player (yes he played both at the same time) were not a part of the band. They actually all got together the night before for the first time, then managed to play a flawless set of great music all night long.
If that wasn't impressive enough, during the Horah (where the couple are raised into the dance floor on chairs) a folk song was played through an iPod, but when the dance kept going on and on, the band eventually took over completely, playing the song live. Just like that! It was great, and everyone was having an amazing time!

I'm looking forward to shooting another wedding like this! The traditions involved were so fun!