A Wedding Photographer's Perspective: Mi Belle Wedding Photography

It's funny how small the world is sometimes. 6 years ago I when I was the office manager of a small boutique lawfirm in Brentwood I became very vocal to my then 50 something year old bachelor boss about how much I loooved his (at the time, casual) girlfriend Cindy. Being the opinionated person that I am and armed with my belief that she was "the one" for him, I aligned myself with her and started badgering him daily about how much he needed to get serious with her. I also might have fed her a bit of top secret information. They got married not too long after I had moved on to another career (the legal world never did it for me) and on their wedding day, Cindy asked me to come to her bridal suite for some photos before the wedding because she said that I had been an important part of their courtship. Their wedding photos were AWESOME but at the time I didn't really pay attention to who the photographer was as I wasn't in the wedding world yet.

Fast forward to May of this year to when I met the photographers on Jessie and Zack's wedding day at The London hotel in West Hollywood. Immediately after we shook hands, husband and wife team Josh and Michelle started asking me how they knew me? I had no idea, but when they asked me if I had been a guest at Neville and Cindy's wedding it all clicked. They were the same photographers! Jessie & Zack's wedding was flawless and we had a blast working together. Not only are they incredible photographers, they are true team players and have zero attitude. In a wedding world full of diva vendors, it's a wonderful thing!

Josh and Michelle of Mi Belle Wedding Photography answered each of my questions individually and I love hearing both perspectives. Enjoy!

MICHELLE

Who are you and what makes you fabulous?

Mi Belle is fab because of the relationships we make with our brides and grooms! It's our/ my favorite part!

What is it like working a wedding without a wedding coordinator?
Working without a coordinator is not an option. Period. Without one all of the other vendors become mini coordinators, which means if we are coordinating we are not shooting, which is why we were hired in the first place!

What makes a coordinator good?

A good coordinator works with all vendors as a team. In order for the couples wedding to be a complete success we all have to do our part. Ego should not be welcome. Coordinators that respect all vendors needs usually have a very happy couple.

Do you have any funny wedding stories?

Funny... not off the top of my head but the last wedding we photographed the bride gave the groom a motorcycle for his present and that was pretty cool

JOSH

Who are you and what makes you fabulous?

we are fabulous because we love what we do and actually care about our clients!

(editor's note: and because you don't have attitudes the size of California!)

What is it like working a wedding without a wedding coordinator?

oh man, without a coordinator things are beyond confusing, crazy, hectic, etc. plus the bride does not get to enjoy her day as much because often times she is worried about everything and trying to run things instead of just being a bride. many times it make us, the photographers, end up running things, people asking us questions about what should be taking place, where things are, etc, and that is not what we are there for. all that does is distract us from doing our job, which is to take amazing photos. we actually just did a wedding that had an "in house" coordinator. they decided to start the ceremony without telling us. that was interesting, and a first for me.

What makes a coordinator good?

a good coordinator will run the event smoothly but not be overbearing and micromanaging. most vendors know what they are supposed to do and don't need a "boss for the day". some coordinators like to be in charge of everything and everyone. all that does is alienate the other vendors. it's a team effort and everybody needs to be on the same page. in addition to that, a good coordinator will be in communication with other vendors before the day of the wedding to make sure everybody knows the master plan. what we do at mi belle photo is build our own photo timeline into the coordinators timeline. this helps us keep our photos on time which makes the whole day run smoothly. throughout the event, a good coordinator will keep us informed as to what is going on and when. they will also make sure we get food. there is nothing worse than not eating after working 7 hours straight. feed your vendors!

Do you have any funny wedding stories?

funny wedding stories? i love best man speeches that turn into roasts of the groom. maybe because i'm a guy i can relate to it, but those always make me laugh