Within a week of getting engaged, I told my fiance that there was no way we were skimping on the photographer.  I made it clear that this was one of the top 3 priorities I had and would work night shifts as a waitress to make sure I got who I wanted.  I grew up with old photographs of my parents and grandparents in our home and know how pictures and the stories they tell transcend generations.

Early on I dove into the world of wedding photography blogs and quickly became obsessed.  Not only did I love looking at all the joy and happiness captured in the photos but I found that I got better ideas of where I wanted to my reception to be held by perusing local wedding photographer’s blogs who update their photos nearly every week.

Within weeks, I had several photographers who I LOVED, but who exceeded my budget 2, 3 even 4x.  All the other wedding costs we had just made (reception deposit, ceremony deposit, dj) began adding up and at that point I realized I might have to compromise a bit.  But that didn’t last long.

I entered a blog contest (one of MANY) at Classic Bride to win an engagement and wedding photo session from Missy Photography (based in NYC), and low and behold, we won!

I am absolutely in love with Missy’s photos and I still have to pinch myself to believe that this fantastic photographer will document our wedding day.

So ladies and gents, APPLY for the blog contests – they work.  If it could happen to me, it could certainly happen to you!

Here are some snapshots from Missy’s recent sessions.  Enjoy.