WEDDING GUIDE
~2024-2025~
WELCOME
CONGRATULATIONS
ON YOUR
ENGAGEMENT
AND UPCOMING
WEDDING!
This is such a special time in your life and we’re honored that you are considering having Gonzalez J. Wedding Photography join you on your wedding day!
We believe the best relationships and photographs have something in common – they see into our hearts and bring out moments of beauty. They bring a quiet comfort and peace to times of stillness and amplify everyday situations into something joyful and worthy of celebration. Such relationships should be treasured! Our goal is for you to have an image on your wall, or an album on your table, where every time you glimpse a moment from your wedding it is another chance to fall in love, saying “I do” once more.
Our style is Timeless, Romantic, and Fine Art – we’re all about telling the story of your love with beautiful and authentic images. During certain times of the day we hang back and capture all the tender, humorous, and joyful expressions and moments as they unfold. There will be other moments where, as part of our fine art approach we’ll take an active role and provide some direction to give you statement images that reflect the beauty of you, your beloved, and all that surrounds you. The wedding day can be a whirlwind and we think it’s so important to carve out some time for creative portraits of just the bride and groom, it gives you space to soak in everything that’s happening! After all is said and done, your pictures will always let you relive the emotions of your day.
We can’t wait to tell your love story!
WHO WE ARE
Jonathan & Ruth
We’re Jonathan and Ruth, the husband and wife team of Gonzalez J. Wedding Photography! We’re so excited that you found us and because we believe that getting to know our couples is the best way to ensure an awesome experience, and we’d love to tell you a little about us. Here are a few things you should know!
We met online January 20th, 2012, when Jonathan sent Ruth a “wink” Our first kiss was at the Lincoln Monument, quite romantic!
We got married twice, once in Milwaukee, WI, and again in Washington, D.C. because we didn’t have the proper paperwork the first time – whoops 😉
Jonathan is the artist and the photographer, the man with the creative vision for capturing your day!
Ruth loves connecting with couples, helping them develop their timeline, assisting Jonathan with his equipment, and making sure the wedding day stays on schedule!
To give our couples the attention they deserve we limit our bookings to 15 weddings a year.
We love, love, breakfast! Coffee from Peregrine, blueberry buckwheat pancakes and eggs benedict from Eastern Market are some of our favorites!
If we had an extra hour in the day, you’d find us sleeping in, snuggling under the covers, cuddling tight!
Now that you’ve gotten to know us a little bit, turn the page to read more about our Wedding Experience!!
THE BENEFITS OF AN
ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Your engagement is super exciting, but some couples wonder if they really need an Engagement Session. There are several reasons why we highly recommend them and why one is always included with our all inclusive packages!
Here are two of the main reasons Engagement Sessions are so important:
Get Comfortable & Get to Know Each Other
An Engagement Session helps break the ice and builds trust. It allows you to get comfortable around us while we learn more about the two of you, what makes you connect with each other, your style, and how you interact with one another. Once a couples see that we understand what works best for them and how to make them look fantastic, the more you will be able to relax and trust that we are creating gorgeous images on your wedding day!
Be Connected
An Engagement Session is the perfect time to pause and intentionally appreciate your finance. To know and be known is one of the deep longings of the heart. We want your engagement session to be an experience of connection, joy, and seeing your beloved as the miracle they really are. You will relish in the smell of your sweetheart, the softness of your lover’s lips and the laugh lines of the one who chose you!
“Thank you SO much for capturing such beautiful pictures and telling the story of our day! It was absolutely wonderful working with you. These pictures are gorgeous!!! Some amazing moments were captured and the memories made at our wedding are countless!”We now have high quality photos of our lasting and precious memories.”
~ Ashley & Terrell
“Jonathan provides excellent, customer-focused service. He’s was prompt at responding to emails and made an extra effort to understand our expectations. He make it just as we had hoped, while adding an artist’s touch that was beyond our expectations. We now have high quality photos of our lasting and precious memories.”
~ Marie & Mike
HOW MANY HOURS OF COVERAGE ARE REALLY NEEDED?
Wedding Timeline
Memorable weddings don’t just happen. They take quite a bit of organization, it’s not glamorous, but is oh so necessary. As you decide what photography package best meets your needs, it’s important to consider how long the aspects of your day you want captured will take. Here’s a break down of different parts of the day and an estimated range of time for each.
Getting Ready: The Bride & Groom – 1.5 to 3 hours
It’s best to budget for extra time for photos for the bridal party since hair and makeup almost always goes longer than expected. If you’re doing a First Look, give yourself an additional 40-50 minutes for the photos of the two of you before the ceremony.
The Wedding Ceremony – 15 minutes to 1.5 hours
The length of your ceremony may vary widely. Afterward, if you plan to have a receiving line allow a minimum of 15 minutes, more depending on your number of guests
Formal Group & Family Portraits – 20 minutes to 1 hour
Just as it is important to tell the story of the day, photograph the small details of the décor, or capture jaw-dropping portraits, it is also important to document the family. The rule of thumb is 2 minutes for each family grouping. Calculate the time you need depending on the number of different arrangements you want.
Wedding Party & Newlyweds – 45 minutes to 2 hours
Timing can vary depending on the venue, size of the bridal party and variety of poses or locations. Something to keep in mind is that “More Time Allocated = More Unique / Beautiful Images”.
The Reception – 2 to 6 hours
Meaningful toasts, your first dance, cutting the cake, dancing guests, friends and family sharing your joy. We’re happy to stay until the end!
SHOULD YOU HAVE A “FIRST LOOK”
It’s no longer considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. What’s more, there are actually some pretty big advantages to a first look session!
Scheduling a first look is an ADDED moment to the most important day of your life, it certainly doesn’t retract from the meaning of walking down the aisle! These private moments, before you start taking more creative portraits, are often the most special for the bride and groom. You are able to say a prayer together, or exchange meaningful gifts, relax and think about the moments to come.
If you do decide to go with a pre-ceremony creative portrait approach, be sure to set aside at least 30 minutes of private time for just the two of you. After your creative session the whole bridal party can join you for group pictures prior to the wedding. Not only are the bride, groom, and bridal party, in top form, the bride and bridesmaids’ hair and makeup are fresh, and the groom and groomsmen are still OK with being in their tuxes.
Adding an extra moment of significance brings the added bonus of freeing up the rest of your time after the ceremony to spend with your guests!
YOUR INVESTMENT
Wedding Coverage
Wedding Coverage |$5,500 + tax
8 hours of coverage by lead photographer
2nd Photographer – 5 hrs
1 hr Engagement Session ( Complimentary )
Dedicated Planner for Your Wedding Day Photo Timeline
High Resolution Digital Negatives (800+ edited photos)
Personal online gallery for viewing, sharing, and downloading images
$250 Album Credit
À La Carte Items
Additional Sessions
2 hour Engagement Session | $850
( 2 locations and an outfit change! )
1 hour Anniversary Session | $465
Albums
Linen Series 10 x 10 20page Album | $999
Leather Series 10 x 10 20page Album | $1599
Tuscan Series 12 x 12 20page Album | $2199
Additional pages can be added, 2 for | $40
Other
Additional hour Primary Coverage | $475
Additional hour Second Photographer | $125
1hr Bridal Session | $475
Guest Book 10 x 8 | $499
Day of Event Slideshow | $799
DVD Slideshow | $350
THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH US
Here is what you need to know about how everything works, from preparing for your engagement session, what to expect on your wedding day, and the anticipation of your Image Reveal!
BOOKING
To reserve your wedding date on our calendar we require a signed contract with a non-refundable retainer for 50% of the amount. The remaining balance can be paid in installments, or all at once, with the full balance due 30 days prior to your wedding. Some dates are very popular – most brides book as far out as 9 – 14 months. Once we have you on our calendar we’ll begin planning your big day!
ENGAGEMENT SESSION & TIMELINE PLANNING
We’ll schedule your engagement session 6-8 months before your wedding, talk through location options and wardrobe ideas. Then you’ll also receive more guidance on how to think through your wedding day timeline and styling tips to consider for a Fine Art Wedding look. Finally, the questionnaire we send will guide our planning conversations. Once you reach the one month mark (!!!) we’ll meet to talk about your wedding day and hear what, to you, will be the most important moments of your big day.
WEDDING DAY
On your wedding day we are all about telling the story of your love with beautiful and authentic images! The day can be a whirlwind and we think it’s so important to carve out time for creative portraits of just the bride and groom. It gives you space to soak in everything that’s happening and us time to create amazing statement images.
IMAGE REVEAL
Before your honeymoon is over we’ll be contacting you to schedule your Reveal Session and send you a few questions for your blog post! We love hearing a sentence or two of what their most memorable moments of the day were from both the bride & groom’s point of view. An 8-hour wedding typically results in 800-900 culled and edited images. You can expect your images to be ready within 4 weeks of your wedding date.
Thank You
I’m so glad you reached out! Enjoy this season of engagement and get excited about your big day because it ’s going to be fabulous! Plan and prepare but always remember that at the end of the day, you’re marrying the love of your life and that ’s all that really matters.
Congratulations on your engagement and look forward to hearing from you. Be sure to visit the blog to view our most recent weddings!
WEB: www.gonzalezj.com | EMAIL: info@gonzalezj.com |
TEL: 240.461.4603