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Des Moines and Charlotte Wedding Photographer and Family Photographer

"My husband and I were so impressed by Haverlee! She went above and beyond to capture our little family in a natural, beautiful way. She was wonderful with our son and was patient when he needed a moment to calm down. She had wonderful suggestions for us that translated into stunning photos. Our family and friends were blown away by the photos and we will cherish them forever."

- Sarah K

I didn’t understand how wrong I was about the importance of wedding coordinators until these things happened…

Years ago, I would confirm couples’ decisions to skip the wedding coordinator to save money, particularly for small weddings. You can DIY it. Easy peasy. I was very wrong. 🫠

I’ve seen SO MANY brides sitting in the makeup chair being lobbed question after question, even though they were sure they’d delegated everything already. The stress and frustration is evident when they want to be relaxing and getting pampered.

There have been several weddings where the bridal parties asked my 2nd shooter when they were supposed to walk down the aisle. No one was there to cue them and they were clueless. Another wedding, the doors closed before the bride was going to enter. She was expecting a song change. She waited an awkwardly long time, while the groom and everyone else thought she’d gotten cold feet. Finally it became clear the music wasn’t changing and she needed to just go for it. It made a special moment feel uncomfortable and embarrassing.

At one small wedding, I was photographing details nearby when the groom started walking his mother down the aisle earlier than planned. No one made sure I knew the processional was starting. I barely made it to the front to snap the photo. Same thing happened at another wedding during the reception when the couple started cutting the cake and I wasn’t even in the room.

At another wedding, I spent twenty minutes trying to usher the hundreds of guests to line up for the church exit because no one knew where to go or what to do.

No matter the size of the wedding, coordinators are invaluable. There are hundreds of moments something needs to be set up, torn down, shuffled around, pinned on, cleaned up, checked on, and adjusted. Having someone there whose sole job is to manage all of the moving parts means your photographer can focus on the photos, and the bride (we all know the groom is chilling 😂) can stay in the moment, enjoying the party, rather than making sure everyone else is enjoying it.

Whether you want full service design and planning or simply a day-of coordinator, it’s worth it. I promise. 🤍

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Open post by haverleephotography with ID 18102498793997509
I didn’t understand how wrong I was about the importance of wedding coordinators until these things happened… Years ago, I would confirm couples’ decisions to skip the wedding coordinator to save money, particularly for small weddings. You can DIY it. Easy peasy. I was very wrong. 🫠 I’ve seen SO MANY brides sitting in the makeup chair being lobbed question after question, even though they were sure they’d delegated everything already. The stress and frustration is evident when they want to be relaxing and getting pampered. There have been several weddings where the bridal parties asked my 2nd shooter when they were supposed to walk down the aisle. No one was there to cue them and they were clueless. Another wedding, the doors closed before the bride was going to enter. She was expecting a song change. She waited an awkwardly long time, while the groom and everyone else thought she’d gotten cold feet. Finally it became clear the music wasn’t changing and she needed to just go for it. It made a special moment feel uncomfortable and embarrassing. At one small wedding, I was photographing details nearby when the groom started walking his mother down the aisle earlier than planned. No one made sure I knew the processional was starting. I barely made it to the front to snap the photo. Same thing happened at another wedding during the reception when the couple started cutting the cake and I wasn’t even in the room. At another wedding, I spent twenty minutes trying to usher the hundreds of guests to line up for the church exit because no one knew where to go or what to do. No matter the size of the wedding, coordinators are invaluable. There are hundreds of moments something needs to be set up, torn down, shuffled around, pinned on, cleaned up, checked on, and adjusted. Having someone there whose sole job is to manage all of the moving parts means your photographer can focus on the photos, and the bride (we all know the groom is chilling 😂) can stay in the moment, enjoying the party, rather than making sure everyone else is enjoying it. Whether you want full service design and planning or simply a day-of coordinator, it’s worth it. I promise. 🤍
Haverlee Photography, wedding, senior and family photographer in Des Moines Iowa

Photographing love and life in Des Moines, Iowa, Western North Carolina and beyond.