Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2025 | 11
PHOTO BY JESSICA MIKOLOYCK ©
PHOTO BY KIRI WOODS ©
PHOTO BY JESSICA MIKOLOYCK ©
it’s OK to sit down and have conversations first before signing contracts or paying deposits and making sure that you know all of the things check each other’s boxes.” Another trend popping up is the turn away from traditional weddings, meaning outside of a church. “I think (these) are really fun,” Woods said. “So whether it’s out by a river in your family’s field or at a local park or doing an elopement up in the mountains,” nontraditional weddings aren’t out of the norm. Woods has a wedding scheduled this year that will be taking place in a vintage, old movie theater.“How cool is that?” she said. “(The couple) is going to be on stage and their guests will be in the theater seating.” When it comes down to the big day, these three experienced photographers have some key advice.
“Make sure they are experienced because a wedding day is a lot,” Wieseler said. “Especially in western Nebraska, they’re almost like a personal attendant, because wedding planners aren’t as prevalent out this way.” “You have to have good communication,” Woods said. “If you do not have a photographer that you feel is communicating with you enough, that could be a red flag.” “I would really like to think that hiring a wedding photographer is like finding the right dentist,” Mikoloyck said. “You know, dentists can feel scary. Doctors can feel scary, lawyers can feel scary, but you’re entrusting this one day to them. I really think the most important thing that a wedding couple needs to make sure is that they ask their photographer what their backup process is.”
the day doesn’t work, there’s no sense in going forward. “I really want (the wedding day) to go the way they want it to go,” Wieseler said. “You know, it’s really about managing expectations. Those expectations are important, especially when a bride has a whole list of inspirational photos she wants done. Before the days of TikTok and your friends’ Facebook walls, “if we wanted inspiration, we had to Google it,” Mikoloyck said. “And then Pinterest came, and we all loved it until we hated it.” Mikoloyck explains that brides “see the magic, and that’s what they want.” “It’s really awesome, but we have access as artists… coming at us from like, all sides all the time,” she added. “So managing that is a very unique experience because you have a wedding couple with certain expectations. “It’s been an interesting journey, as the trends have changed over the years.” It’s not just the items that have changed, like styles of dresses, but how these artists go about photographing them. “One of the trends that I do see, that I hope never goes away,” Woods said, “because it really lends to a more stress- free wedding, are the first look photos.” One trick Mikoloyck has learned over the years is to stick to a timeline. “I know that I can walk away from that day, ensuring that I got all of the photos that we had planned and that we had talked about,” she said. “I do think that there’s some wedding couples who prefer a ‘YOLO’ approach to their day and don’t necessarily want to be stuck to a timeline. But I think without getting feelings hurt,
PHOTO BY KIRI WOODS ©
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