Engagement, Bridal, Newly-Wed & Wedding Photography by Merrick Photography

Dear Bride To Be,

First of all, congratulations to you both on your engagement! I know how exciting and romantic a time this is for the two of you! Now, let's guarantee that you have a fantastic and romantic wedding day - full of love, emotion and beauty! (Believe it or not, that takes some planning!)

It isn't easy to find the best Memphis wedding photographer for your wedding from all the Memphis photographers available. If you're like most people, you probably get a bit overwhelmed as you search the web or go through the Yellow Pages and realize there are many photographers to choose from in the Memphis area.

How do you decide which wedding photographer is going to be the right one for you? Well, don't worry, this web site is going to tell you everything you need to know.

My goal is very simple: I want your wedding photographs to be perfect. Regardless of whether or not you choose me as your wedding photographer, there are some important things you need to know before making your decision.

While you're here, please feel free to check out the other areas of the web site — I have sections devoted to engagement portraits, bridal portraits, the wedding books, my wedding collections, a copy of my latest sample wedding book, the great wedding stories of some of my clients, testimonials, and a form you can fill out to check to see if your wedding date is still open.

Also, don't forget to take a look at my blog where I regularly post news and photographs from recent weddings, engagement portraits and bridal portraits.

"8 Ways To Have The Wedding Of Your Dreams"

If you're a bride who wants her wedding to be perfect, and the most romantic, beautiful and emotional day of your life; if you want to enjoy every minute of your day; if you want to be the most beautiful bride your friends and relatives have ever seen; if you want to spend wonderful, quality time with your guests; if you want to remember with happy tears in your eyes all the love, emotion and joy of the day...

Then you are going to be very excited about what you read here!

Maybe you've seen my photography in Dr. Goldstein's Dental Office, Artists on Central art gallery, The Painted Planet Artspace, Rivertown Gallery, the Germantown Performing Arts Center, Askew Ferguson & Nixon Architects, Memphis Woman Magazine or the many other locations in Memphis where I've been asked to display my work.

If you're still reading, it means you want to be the most beautiful bride anywhere...

You want your wedding to be an emotional and romantic day, and you want everything to go smoothly and perfectly...

You want to have a great time. You want to see all your guests, and for them to also have a fun time...

This web site is going to be very important in helping you select the right photographer for your wedding. These eight important tips are things you may not be aware of, and can make the difference between a perfect, romance-filled wedding or an average wedding that falls short of your expectations, leaving you feeling disappointed.

After all the careful planning and time you've invested in your wedding day, you deserve to have the very best photography possible, from a wedding photographer who understands the romance, emotions and excitement of your one special day…

When is your wedding? We'll let you know if your date is still open…
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Don't delay! If your wedding photography is important to you, and you like the photographs & what you've read here on this site, then I would love the opportunity to chat with you in more detail about your exciting wedding plans.

Because of my all-inclusive offerings and service, and because most of my clients book up to 18 months in advance, it's important to check that your date is still available as soon as possible. A friendly chat on the telephone is entirely risk-free and there's absolutely no charge or obligation.

Simply fill out the form on the left and I'll contact you soon for a friendly chat about your wedding.

#1: Meet Your Photographer - In Person

The photographer you select for your wedding can make or break your wedding day. Yes, that's right, your wedding day - not just your photographs! Why? Because he's THERE - with you and your family, in person - interacting with all your family and guests - and representing you every minute.

Now we're not just talking about photography here - we're talking about YOUR WEDDING - and HOW YOU FEEL on your wedding day, and how smoothly and romantically everything goes. Your photographer determines this by the way they help you plan your wedding, the way they treat you and your loved ones, and how they conduct themselves throughout the day.

So, make sure you meet the photographer - in person - before you hire anyone to photograph your wedding! You may not realize that many studios hire part time photographers - college kids, friends, relatives, etc. This means that you go to a studio, talk with a salesperson, look at their samples, and make a decision - without really knowing who will be photographing your wedding.

I'm the only photographer at my studio and I will be photographing your wedding personally. I will dress professionally without taking anything away from your groom and groomsmen and the fathers.

#2: Make Sure Everything Is Guaranteed

Here's a really big tip that very few brides think about when interviewing a photographer: What's their guarantee? What happens if you aren't happy with the photography, or the way you and your friends were treated, or if the photographer left your wedding before he was supposed to, etc.

This is of the utmost importance! The guarantee (make sure it's in writing!) tells you just how committed they are going to be in taking good care of you, and doing a great job.

Just so you know, this is my 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE:

I absolutely guarantee that you will be thrilled with your photographs. If, for any reason, you are not thrilled I will do whatever it takes to ensure that you are thrilled, or will refund your money in full - no hassles and no hard feelings. I want my clients to be absolutely thrilled and will spare no expense or effort in achieving that for you.

My assistants and I understand very clearly that we can't do this over again. This is a one-time event, and everything MUST be perfect! You have my written guarantee that I will take really good care of you and ensure that we create some beautiful photographs of you and your families on your wedding day!

#3: Client Testimonials

This one seems so obvious, yet brides miss it all the time and can end up paying a big price for it after their wedding! Be sure the photographer has testimonials from happy brides and grooms, who have written about how happy they were with the photographer and their work!

Testimonials are extremely important - from real people, with their full names, and their city and state, so you can call them if you want to check them out and make sure that they really said what the photographer says they said.

You will notice that there is a whole page on this web site with photographs and testimonials from some of the brides and grooms whom I've been honored to work with on their weddings. Their full names, city and state are listed, so if you really wanted to, you could look them up in the phone book, and call them. You can go to the page directly here.

#4: A Magic Way To Have A Great Wedding

One of the things to really look for in your photographer, is someone who is an EMOTIONAL STORY TELLER - an artistic photographer whose images combine to tell the EMOTIONAL STORY of your family, your friends, and your wedding day. This is really important if you're looking for photographs that will be PRICELESS to you for years and years to come!

An artist who is an emotional story teller will cherish and celebrate the romance, beauty and emotions of your wedding day. Only a true romantic can understand how important this day is to you, and how perfect you want it to be, and will be careful to NOT INTERFERE WITH THE EMOTIONAL ROMANTIC FLOW OF YOUR DAY!

Here's a true example to illustrate how important this is:

I recently heard of a wedding photographer who hid behind some flowers at the altar, and he dropped a lens on the marble floor with a huge crash, and then swore out so loud that everyone heard it! (He obviously wasn't a romantic emotional story teller, or he wouldn't have ruined the religious significance of the ceremony by hiding behind the altar - and, of course, there is NO excuse for profanity!)

So, looking for a romantic emotional story teller, who will beautifully tell the story of your love for each other, and for your family and friends, will also result in someone who will respect you and your wishes, and conduct themselves in only the most professional and friendly way, because they understand in the most intimate way, the importance of the "Story of Your Wedding Day."

#5: This is YOUR Wedding DAY

Unfortunately, and this is especially true in the current economic climate, many wedding photographers will attempt to cram as many weddings into a day as possible. They often rush from your wedding to get to another, and then rush from that one, to get to another. This is why some wedding photographers offer wedding photography by the hour.

But realistically, this kind of photographer is not going to capture the RELATIONSHIPS, EMOTIONS, ROMANCE and LOVE between you and your fiancé and between you and your family and friends. They won't have the time or energy to capture those feelings, and the stress of photographing so many weddings in a day detracts from their sensitivity and enthusiasm.

For example, a photographer friend of mine once photographed as many as five weddings in one day! The only way to remember the names of the bride and groom at each wedding was to write their names on masking tape, and stick it to the back of his camera! He would simply stack layers of masking tape in order and, as he left one wedding for the next, he would just rip off that layer! He is a good photographer, but was always complaining about how stressful the job was and how he was always so tired during the last couple of weddings of the day.

Personally, I believe this is YOUR wedding DAY, meaning that you're hiring me for the whole day, not just for several hours. I also believe that to do it any other way is somewhat unprofessional, and truly a disservice to my clients. I understand how important this day is to you, and I am there for you!

Photographing one wedding a day means that I'm rested and energetic, and that I'm enthusiastic about what I will be doing for you. I photograph weddings because I LOVE them, not because I have to do them. And since I only photograph one wedding a day, I'm not tired or burned out on your important day.

#6: How To Truly Enjoy Your Wedding Day

Creating an amazing romantic & emotional story of your wedding day requires a huge amount of planning, care, and effort - more effort than just one person can do. So, be sure the photographer you hire uses a "team" approach to taking good care of you.

This means that they won't try to work alone to photograph your important day.

Let me explain... I will arrive at your wedding with my assistants, who each have a HUGE responsibility during the day.

In a real sense they are the true secret to our success in wedding photography.

They make certain that you look fantastic, every minute of the day! They are not going to be taking photographs, but helping to make sure the lighting is just right, that your dress and flowers look perfect, fixing your veil before a photograph so it looks PERFECT, fixing your train etc.

They find your best friend from college if you ask for her. They help you in any way they can to ensure you have a wonderful day, as well as wonderful photographs.

In short, we are a TEAM - a team that together, guarantees you not only have a great time on your wedding day, but also assures you of having PERFECTLY EMOTIONAL photographs!

#7: "Emotional Family Photography" vs "Wedding Photography"

I treat the job of photographing a wedding as "Emotional Family Photography" created on your wedding day. Instead of adopting a detached documentary approach to your wedding, I believe it's more about the emotions, relationships and personalities of your family, friends and relatives - captured in beautiful images for you and your family to cherish for the rest of your lives. After all, isn't that what we really want from our wedding photographer?

Emotional family photography is one of the major things that separates me from the other wedding photographers in the area. I want to capture the love, relationships, personalities, and emotions of your family and friends for you to enjoy with happy tears in your eyes for years to come!

When it all boils down, it's the PEOPLE and the EMOTIONS of our lives that are so valuable to each and every one of us. Yes, you'll also see the beautiful dresses and the flowers. Yes, you'll see the preparations and the ceremony. But, much more than that, you'll feel the emotions that you and your fiancé feel toward each other and toward your best friends and family members on your wedding day. Yes, FEEL them each time you view your photographs. That's what I'm driven to do for you!

I know you want photography that "speaks" to you with love, emotion, respect, and the glorious feelings you will be feeling on your wedding day. You want your wedding photography to "tell the story" of your wedding day and the story of your families and friends. This is why I am not the kind of wedding photographer that just wants to "record the event" with the detachment of a reporter.

I want you to cry tears of happiness when you see your photographs, because in those photographs are all the people you and your husband love and care about - showing their real personalities and emotions like you never dreamed they would! Your day will be filled with beautiful "Emotional Moments" that you will never experience again in your life. Most photographers just want to get home before midnight, or hurry to the next wedding they are photographing. Don't miss the "Emotional Moments" of your day because your photographer lacked the vision to capture them in a sensitive, romantic way!

An Amazing Emotional Way To Express Your Love On Your Wedding Day!

No matter who gives you away on your wedding day, it's an incredibly emotional moment for them when they "give their little girl away" at the beginning of your ceremony. Whether it's your dad, step-dad, brother, grandfather or uncle, they will never forget it. It's a very powerful moment, full of emotional magic!

At that incredible time in his and your life, you hand him a surprise "Father's Pride" that he carries with him back to the pew. As he reads your personal message to him, and looks at the emotional photograph of you in your wedding gown, he begins to cry with tears of joy and love! He will be so moved and touched! You and he will never forget it!

Don't Miss Those Magic Moments...

...the Magic Moment when your fiancé first sees you in your wedding gown - perfect in every way - with your lovely flowers, the beautiful veil and headpiece - everything you selected specially for him - as the tears swell up in his eyes, and he tells you how very much he loves and adores you... Don't miss that moment!

...or, if you're lucky enough to still have a living grandmother, the lovely moment when she reaches up and puts her arms around you, and with tears in her eyes, tells you how beautiful you look and how much she loves you, and how proud she is of you... Don't miss that moment!

I could go on and on. Your entire day will be made up of brief, priceless moments like these that will never come again. Let's make sure first of all that your day is so beautifully organized and planned that these moments truly can happen, and then let's help you to be so stress-free and excited, that you can enjoy and remember these wonderful, magical moments for the rest of your life.

How do we do all this?

The way I help these moments happen, and help you to remember them is by helping you to have a wonderful, romantic and emotional day! A day where everything goes perfectly. As long as we do that, the rest will take care of itself! That's what we will do for you.

I have heard a lot of brides say this next statement, but if you talk with a photographer who says it to you, run away as fast as you can:

If they say, "Your photographs are all you will have after the wedding is over. Your flowers will be dead, your cake will be eaten, etc. - but you'll have your photographs! They are the most important thing about your wedding!" - then they're NOT going to be the photographer for you!

Why not? Because if they say that, they have a completely false impression of their importance, and will try to run your day and take charge! Don't let that happen! The romance, emotions and relationships are more important than anything else - and these are what you want to be reflected in your photographs!

#8: How To Be The Most Beautiful Bride Your Friends Or Relatives Have Ever Seen

You deserve to have a wedding day where you are the most beautiful bride any of your friends or relatives have ever seen. That's the dream of every girl when she visualizes her wedding day. And you deserve to have that! Let's see to it that is exactly what happens! How? Simple. Yes, you will select the perfect dress, headpiece, veil, flowers, shoes, etc. Yes, you will have your hair and make up done. But it goes much deeper than that...

Beauty is also in the way you FEEL on your wedding day. The way your emotions show on your face, and the way you glow when you walk down the aisle and look into the eyes of the love of your life.

Many of my brides will understand this when I say it: When you hire us to photograph your wedding, you're also paying for us to be there, to take all the pressures and tensions out of the day. You know we're there, and we truly care about you, and will help you with EVERYTHING so the day goes perfectly.

If you, your fiancé, your family and guests are all having a wonderful time, you will be more beautiful than you ever dreamed you would be, because there will be no tension. Your photographs will be WONDERFUL too, because you looked so wonderful and were having such a great time.

"Emotional Family Photography" can make your wedding volumes absolutely PRICELESS

See how it all "fits" together to result in a wonderful day, and wonderful photographs? You really can't separate them!

In my opinion, the tender fabric of our lives is sewn together by beautiful, emotional moments between you and your loved ones, and I want to capture and express all those wonderful moments for you in your wedding volumes - and accomplish this without interfering with the emotions and romance of your wedding day

Here's What To Do Right Now

Here's what I strongly recommend you do IMMEDIATELY! Pick up the phone and call right now or CLICK HERE. Ask if I still have your wedding date available.

Because of the response I get from the bridal shows I attend each year, and because I ONLY photograph one wedding a day and strictly limit my wedding bookings, it is very possible that I will already be booked for your day.

DO NOT WAIT EVEN ONE DAY ON THIS! If you agreed with and liked anything on this web site, call NOW. There is NO CHARGE AND NO OBLIGATION for this call! Let's just chat a bit, see if your date is still available, and then, if you would like to, we can set up a time to get together in person and chat about your wedding in more detail. There is no charge or obligation for this, either.

Do not wait to act on this. A fantastic, happy, and stress-free wedding is just around the corner, and I'm ready to help you achieve it, as well as capture it forever!