I have to say that Fort Snelling in St. Paul is  up there with one of my new favorite spots to shoot! Bre and Jeff also selected this location for their Engagement Session. You can tell in their photos they were enjoying every minute of it! I am looking forward to photographing their Minnesota winter wedding in December! Enjoy…

As many of you already know we are very passionate about helping animals in need. We have decided to host a Wags & Tails Mini Shoot Extravaganza on Sunday October 17 to benefit Homeward Bound Dog Rescue of MN. Our hope is to raise money, collect items in need and also capture your four legged love on in a unique way. More details below. I hope to see a lot of you there!

Bring in your furry four-legged loved one on Oct. 17 for a mini photo session and we will donate 100% of the session proceeds and 10% of the print sales to Homeward Bound Dog Rescue of MN.

Mini Sessions are only $50! (cash or check only)

Call today to set up an appointment and help make a difference in a Rescue Animal’s life! 
651-815-7991 or kristi@imagesbykris.com
We will also be collecting items desperately needed by Homeward Bound including PetCo Giftcards. Click on the link below for a complete list of items needed:
http://www.homewardboundrescue.com/howhelp.html#wishlist

More details on our website: imagesbykris.com (under wags & tails)
We look forward to seeing you on October 17!

So here I am with a couple hours left in Las Vegas pondering all of the amazing information I have learned over the past 3 days. I am thinking about what really enlightened me, what I will take home with me, and how I can better assist my brides (and grooms) because of it, and then it came to me…

The most important thing I have learned from being here is I need to take a more important stand on educating not only my brides, but other professionals in the wonderful world of weddings too.

Of course YOU (brides) are overwhelmed with all of the options out there when planning your special day, and naturally you are going to have a million questions and concerns, and with all the information  thrown  at you, this process is nothing short of overwhelming, but that is where WE (the professionals) are here to help you along the way.

I know a lot of your will say, well how do I know what bridal shop to find the dress of my dreams at? What style cake is perfect for us?  What venue will awe our guests? What photographer can I trust to not only assist me throughout the entire process, but also offer ideas, be honest and truly have my best interests?

My answer to you is: that is an excellent question! No, really the best answer to that is choose QUALITY vendors and expect nothing less than exceptional services from us.  If you have found an amazing florist ask her who she loves to work with, if a friend had an amazing DJ at her wedding last year ask her. Referrals will help you more than you could ever imagine.

With that said, a quality product/ service will most likely not have the most availability, the lowest price tag, or a ridiculous incentive attached to it (remember too good to be true IS just that.)  A quality product/service will, however, be EXCEPTIONAL and will make your day amazing! I am not saying you need to spend an arm and a leg to fund your wedding (let’s face it times are tough for many people}, or you need to go out and find the most expensive venue, or go with the largest package. I am saying that in most cases you get what you pay for and when you select quality service you will have fewer regrets and you will be much happier.

To give you some insight on this from a photographer’s point of view, I receive many emails that will say: “well the other photographer is a little less than you, why is that?” The only answer for that is we provide exceptional service and we are NOT here to undercut our competitors. We care about YOUR wedding, we want YOUR day to be everything you could ever imagine, we want YOU to be so happy with not only the end result, but the entire journey we embark on together to be an amazing experience for YOU.  In the end, we want YOU to say  “we DID make the right decisions.”

There are many wonderful, professional vendors in the Minneapolis, St.Paul area and we are very lucky for that, but there are also some that just don’t cut it. You need to be aware of this, and if you are I believe you have the tools you need to make the best choices on what’s right for YOU.  I am not here to discredit any vendors, or talk others up, I simply want to help you make the best decisions possible. In fact that is part of my job and you can expect that from me.

I know this is a time where brides are thinking: is this vendor trying to take advantage of me? Can I get this cheaper elsewhere? Are they a good fit for my personality? Will they do a great job?

All of those questions are very valid and completely understandable, however if you can find vendors you trust, you will be amazed how quickly these questions fade. Don’t be afraid to ask a million questions, or come in to visit with us. Trust me when I say this, a good professional vendor is not here to pressure you into something that isn’t right for you. They will truly want what is best for you and quite frankly will be able to identify if you are a good fit for what they have to offer.

I think the reason many of you are afraid of this is there are some bad eggs out there that will offer you everything under the sun just to meet with you. When you take a step back and look at it, it really is quite absurd, and pretty obvious. I can’t stress enough to be extremely cautious of this type of vendor as they are most likely going to get you on price alone and that is a HUGE mistake. Horrible service has no value in my opinion, however good service does. You should go into these meetings because you want to meet this professional, you trust our advice and you want to see what we can offer YOU to complete your wedding, and of course receive a fair and competitive rate for the quality of product and services. A good professional will want to assist you with this process, they will ask you a lot of questions and follow up with you. We are here to first listen, offer ideas, give advice and help you through every step along the way.

I hope this will help many brides out there make these huge decisions! I wish you the best of luck with the planning of your big day, and remember we are here to help!

It’s official Images by Kris is on Twitter! Follow us at https://twitter.com/imagesbykris

See you there!

Know a bride to be interested in attending the most elegant bridal event of the season? Have them join us at the Bridal Party hosted by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine! We will be exhibited in booth #36.
You can win fabulous prizes given away on-site.  We look forward to meeting you!
For more information visit: http://www.mspmag.com/weddings

Fort Snelling is an awesome place for an Engagement Session near Minneapolis! We had a great time taking advantage of the gorgeous sunset during their Engagement Session and I have to say they are wonderful to work with and absolutely adorable. I can’t wait for their wedding this November!  Enjoy…

A sneak peek look at Ashley’s senior portrait session. We started her session at our Quincy St. Studios and then headed to Boom Island Park where we finished the session on an awesome old railroad bridge! Enjoy…

A sneak peek look at Cheryl’s Senior Portrait Session. We spent Thursday morning capturing her unique style and personality at our Quincy St.Studios in Minneapolis. Enjoy…

A’niyah and Jaden came in today to celebrate her birthday with a special birthday photo session. Her funky outfit looked awesome against the many backdrops around our studio and she really had a great time playing the part!  Happy Birthday A’niyah!