I live in Virginia, but my family is in Louisiana, so I had something of a "destination wedding!" Photography was, hands down, the most important item for us as we were planning the wedding. Everything else lasts only for one day, but picture...s are forever! We went through many photographer websites and spoke to several people, and finally decided on Suzy. We were impressed by the photos in her online portfolio and we were pleased that her packages include a second shooter to make sure nothing is missed. Suzy was not the least expensive option available, but she was not the most expensive either and I firmly believe this is one area no bride should compromise for budget. I know more than one person who hired a family friend or hobbyist and ended up with either poor pictures or no pictures at all. None of the standard packages listed on her website really conformed to what we needed, since we were working long distance and wouldn't be able to do, for example, an engagement shoot or bridals before the wedding. Suzy worked with us to come up with a package that met our needs, and she was very good about answering all of our questions about the contract. I warned her ahead of time that we had a lot of photographers in the family and she said at once that that was absolutely fine (I did also warn the family to be mindful of the pro).
We enjoyed talking to Suzy on the phone and could tell she had passion and personality, but I was not expecting just how helpful Suzy would be to me on my wedding day. My wedding was in the afternoon and by the time Suzy arrived, we'd had several complications and issues and I had worked up a full load of stress and worry. From the moment she arrived, Suzy was joking with me, telling me all sorts of stories about her kids and other weddings she'd been too. When I would start to worry about something she would remind me to relax and get me laughing again. We had a cocktail hour after the wedding to entertain our guests while we did pictures prior to the reception, and because we had a second shooter, that photographer (Dee, who was also lovely) was able to cover the cocktail hour while we did portraits with Suzy.
Within a week or two of the wedding, Suzy posted some of our photos on her blog and my family and friends were all very impressed with the photos. She captured some really sweet moments, including one shot of my grandmother that made me catch my breath and say "Oh!" When I asked if I could have the photos that were ready so that I could show them at a local reception for friends who could not come to the wedding, she made it happen with no hesitation.
Needless to say, we were very happy that we chose Suzy to work with. I am one of the last of my friends to get married and I have seen wedding after wedding where the photographer was grumpy, stuffy, and brusque. Suzy is none of those. She is loud (but not too loud), happy, and a joy to be around. I think we made a great choice and I would recommend her to any of my friends.