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vendor reviews: london ontario wedding photographers
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Westcoast stands out with pre-wedding rehearsal shoots and 'wish lists' for brides Reviewing Lynne & Keith Moreland, Owners, Westcoast Photography
To help brides and grooms focus on and enjoy their wedding day, Lynne Moreland makes sure that she knows beforehand what the couple wants for their wedding photos. Lynne, Owner and Photographer at Westcoast Photography in Goderich, along with her husband, Keith, help couples navigate their wedding day to make sure it runs smoothly. They also offer a pre-wedding rehearsal shoot so brides can get a peek of what they will look like in their dress and how their entire look translates in the photos. This helps them know before the big day exactly what they're looking for in their wedding photos when the proofs come back. Staff at The Ring sat down with Lynn and Keith in their third year in business to find out what they had in store for Goderich and area brides. Here's what we found...
Personally speaking... Westcoast Photography has been in business since February 2006, but Lynne has been photographing since she was fifteen years old. She has offered her expertise in Scotland (where she was born), in Canada (where she immigrated to, and where she calls home), and
in the U.S. (where she lived from 1990 to 2000), and also donates her time to photograph various community events such as the Huron Counties Habitat for Humanity and the Goderich Heritage Committee.
Some of her experience comes from other experts in the field while working as an apprentice after high school, but mainly she says she has taught herself and and although wedding photography is her passion, she enjoys all areas of photography from portraits to landscapes. After so many weddings, Lynne says that "the looks on brides' faces and the love of photography and doing new things" are what keep her inspired and passionate about what she does. She adds that she also loves working with people.
Lynne is the photographer of the business and is with brides and grooms for pre-wedding meetings, engagement shoots and wedding day photography. Lynne also helps couples schedule their wedding day so that it runs smoothly and eases some stress from the bride and groom. Lynne feels that it is important for couples to know exactly who will be photographing their wedding, and so when you book with Westcoast, you are booking Lynne as your photographer, and not someone that you may have never met. Her husband and business partner, Keith, is the mastermind behind the computer, the photofinishing and compiling photo books and CDs for clients.
Making your 'wish list' come true Lynne knows it's her job to make sure couples get what they want. She says that's why she does a lot of listening in the months leading up to the wedding. "I want brides to tell me what is - and who is - important to the bride so she is not worrying about the pictures but can focus on just enjoying her day," says Lynne. "It's always about the bride and groom and what they want."
Cheryl Hopkins told The Ring that "From the moment we walked into Westcoast Photography, we knew we had found the right people to capture our special day. Keith and Lynne were personable and worked with us to accommodate both our needs... and wants!"
They've got style... Since Lynne knows there are so many different types of couples, from those who are quiet and prefer traditional photos to those who aren't camera shy and love public displays of affection, she tries to cover all styles of photographs to suit each couple's personalities.
Lynne and her husband also have flexible personalities and love trying new things with each couple. They offer a variety of photographs and styles and they say there is nothing they won't do. Lynne's styles range from traditional to informal and trendsetting to spontaneous so each moment can be captured. "More people want us to capture the moments when they happen, with less posing" says Lynne of trends in the photography industry.
Yan and Erinn Mulhern-Gilbert found Lynne and Keith to be fun to work with. They liked their unique and creative photography ideas. "My husband and I felt that Lynne and Keith Moreland went out of their way when doing the photography for our wedding," says Erinn. "We did our wedding planning remotely as we live in Montreal and the wedding was to take place in Goderich, Ontario. This required some additional time and patience on their part in terms of setting up times and venues. On the day of our wedding, we unexpectedly had rain. Although many lovely photos were taken in and just outside of the church, Lynne had already planned for an outdoor venue that would allow for some lush, early-September shots. You cannot even tell that it is raining in these photos!"
Packages&Prices On top of scheduling your wedding day and offering expertise to ensure you get what you want from your photographs; Westcoast also has several different packages to suit a range of budgets.
One unique service Westcoast offers brides in all of their packages is a BONUS Wedding Rehearsal Studio Shoot, where brides can have photos taken in the comfort of their large studio so that they know they will be satisfied with the photography before the wedding day.
"The brides love to come and get dressed up in the studio with their hair and make-up done," says Lynne of the bonus shoot. "They can bring whoever and just have a free trial of shots before the wedding day to make sure they are happy. Sometimes it turns into quite a party."
The Ruby Package is $1055 and includes five hours of photography on your special day, as well as an engagement photo shoot from which you get a large print that is framed and matted so you can have the guests sign it on your wedding day, plus a BONUS wedding rehearsal studio shoot, online album, proof album and a CD with high resolution images of all your photographs.
The Sapphire Package includes everything that the Ruby Package offers, but with eight hours of coverage and costs $1560.
Westcoast can also professionally print and frame photos of your choice. The deposit to book Lynne and Keith is usually one third of what the package cost is, and they recommend booking about a year in advance, but they are also willing to accommodate last minute bookings.
Although Westcoast is located in Goderich, Lynne is willing to travel to your wedding, in fact, she recently photographed a destination wedding in Jamaica.
Walking you through it... Lynne says that contacting her by any means – email, phone or dropping in the studio – is perfectly fine. Once you've browsed the many samples Westcoast offers and decided on them for your wedding photographer, Lynne meets with you as much as possible before the special day. "I love to make couples feel as comfortable as possible, that is why I like to meet them beforehand," says Lynne.
Couples receive a detailed 'wish list' that has all of the information on making sure they get the pictures they really want so Lynne doesn't miss anything. She also goes through samples, but encourages brides and grooms to highlight what photos are important to them.
On the big day, typically, Lynne meets the bride wherever she is getting ready for some candid shots. Then thirty minutes before the ceremony, groomsmen photos are taken at the ceremony site. Moments are captured as the bride arrives to the ceremony and during the ceremony. Immediate family, wedding party and bride and groom photos are taken following the ceremony at a previously selected location.
Lynne advises brides to check with their minister for church weddings to make sure that flash photography is permitted.
All the while, Lynne navigates the wedding party throughout the day to make sure they stay on schedule, and make it a priority to get the wedding party to the reception on time.
What to expect After the wedding, Lynne and Keith try to get online albums to couples as soon as possible so they and their friends and family can view their photographs.
"The completion of our package was quick and stunning to all of our family, friends and us," says Cheryl. "We know that as the years pass by, we will forever have the memory of our day captured through their picture perfect lens."
Yan and Erinn agree that their wedding photos were delivered speedily and that the overall experience working with Lynne and Keith was excellent: "After the wedding, they promptly gave us a series of URLs so we could view our photos right away. This was very exciting for both us and for our family and friends to see. When it came to choosing the photos and completing our package, they have worked with us very consistently and in a timely manner in getting back to us with calls and emails. A great husband and wife team, they were truly kind people who are wonderful to work with. We were so happy to have chosen them for our special day!"
Inotherwords... "Lynne did a commendable job, working between our different schedules. We had many compliments on all our photos taken, Lynne made me feel very comfortable during the photo shoots, we even laughed quite a bit together. I would definitely recommend Westcoast Photography to anyone looking for great pictures and friendly service." - Chris & Shawna Baxter
Call Lynne and Keith Moreland of Westcoast Photography at 519-524-7532, or email them at lmoreland@westcoastphotography.ca. You can also drop by their studio at 36 West Street in Goderich or browse their gallery online at www.westcoastphotography.ca.
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Westcoast Photography. |
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