My Style
I am a journalistic photographer at heart! What does that mean, you ask? I LOVE capturing the special moments in your life that naturally happen. I’m not all about forced poses and studio setup. Just let me follow you around for a time and I will be sure to freeze in time all the warm smiles, hearty laughs, emotional tears, and comfy hugs! I love to work with natural light and do lots of fun shoots outside.
But what if I am into posing, you ask? Not a problem! Let me know any shots that you just gotta have, and we’ll make them happen. After all, these photos are all about you and for YOU! My goal is for the photos to become timeless pieces you’ll treasure for years to come.
What all does each wedding collection include?
Our wedding collections start at $1300, and each includes a pre-wedding consultation, at least 6 hours of coverage on your wedding day, and two photographers. This is especially great for behind the scenes photos of both the bride and groom while they are getting ready and photos from multiple points of view during the wedding and reception.
Add-ons are also available for any package and include the following: any additional FOCUS session (engagement, bridal portraits, after-wed, or trash the dress), a photo guest book, flush mount wedding albums, parent albums, a signature mat with frame for guests to sign at the reception, mounted or canvas prints from any FOCUS session to have for reception, canvas gallery wraps, mini-albums for the bridal party, additional wedding day coverage, high-resolution images on a DVD, and more.
Do I travel outside of the Memphis and surrounding areas?
I love destination weddings, whether that destination is in my home state of Mississippi or my mom’s birthplace in Germany! Travel fees are assessed on an individual basis, depending on location/mileage and whether or not air travel or an overnight stay is needed. Just give us a buzz at susan@designsbyprater.com and we’ll work out a travel package especially for your wedding.
(NOTE: The destination wedding fee MAY be waived for weddings in certain locations where I have family, such as Jackson, MS; Cleveland, MS; Starkville, MS; or Columbus, MS)
What is my referral policy?
Send another wedding our way, and you get a free 11x14 canvas gallery wrap!
Booking and Payment Information
You’ll want to book your wedding at least 6 months out to make sure I have your date open in my calendar. I only book one wedding a weekend so that I can give your special day the attention it deserves!
A non-refundable deposit of $500 and a signed contract is due at the time of booking to officially reserve your wedding date on my calendar. (If you are having a destination wedding, the destination fee will also be due at the time of booking.) The remainder of your wedding collection will be due 30 days before your wedding. You can complete this payment in as many installments as you need as long as it is complete 30 days out.
For payments, we accept cash, personal checks, and credit cards via Paypal. If paying by check, your wedding date will be officially reserved on my calendar when payment clears. Our online proofing and ordering site also allows for you to pay by credit/debit card.
What is the pre‐wedding consultation all about?
This is where we learn all about your dream wedding and plan on how we’ll make it happen! This is a time for you and me to get to know each other and can come in the form of a face-to-face meeting or conversations via phone or email. I will send you a wedding worksheet along with your contract to fill out and send back shortly after we book your date. This is where you will tell me all about your personality, how you fell in love with your fiancé, the style of coverage you desire, and much more. This will also be the appropriate time to give me your “list” of any required photos. While photojournalistic coverage is my specialty, I passionately desire for you to fall in love with your wedding photos. So, we will make sure to grab all the photos you want, given the appropriate time.
When will the bride and groom see each other for the first time on the big day?
Well, this is totally up to you! I will be honest though and let you know that I am a huge fan of taking all the photos before the ceremony. This is how I did it, and it made the rest of my day so much more relaxing. We made sure to start the photos in plenty of time so that once the wedding bells chimed, all I had to do was walk down the aisle to my groom! We had already grabbed all the photos I wanted before the ceremony, and I didn’t have to worry about my guests waiting a long time for us at the reception. But like I said…on your big day, it’s totally up to you! Just wanted to throw in my two cents...so, thanks for entertaining me! :)
Have something not covered here? Ask away and I will add your Q and my A to the list!
