…or, let me tell you about how one of the hardest vendor decisions was made super easy for me before I was even engaged.

Last summer I spent 4 months working in Ann Arbor, MI.  The town was lovely, the job was breezy, and the people I worked with were great.  But I hadn’t seen Ritchie or my snuggly basset hound, Brando, for 2 months come July 4th weekend and I was losing my mind.  Into my life came a girl named Shannon who had been nothing more than a coworker’s voice over the phone before she asked me what I was doing that weekend.  We were all stuck in town together, she figured, so we may as well make the most of it.  We became fast friends.  If you’re anything like me, good friends are hard to come by and good girlfriends are even harder to find, and while most of mine are on the east coast, I was thrilled to have met an awesome LA peep, even if I did have to come to Michigan to find her.

While Shannon was working on the same project as I was in Ann Arbor, outside of work she was a professional photographer, and was really starting to rise up in the wedding business.  It soon became clear just how cool it was to have a professional photographer hanging out with you while you did all sorts of summer activities.

So of course the moment I got engaged, I immediately thought of Shannon for my photography.  When we got home from the cruise, I went to her web site and had Ritchie browse her photos, and I realized a very wonderful thing.  Shannon had been an excellent photographer when I met her last summer, but she was only getting better.  Her style was more refined in every photo and Ritchie immediately loved her stuff.  I texted her to let her know that not only were we engaged, but hey, you’re photographing our wedding and that’s final.  It was the first, and easiest, wedding decision we made.

It ended up being the best decision we’ve made so far.

I’ve read countless articles and blogs about how important it is to have a good relationship with your photographer and I couldn’t have a better one- she’s one of my best friends.  Plus, soon after Ritchie and I got engaged, Shannon was featured as one of The Knot’s Best of 2010.

In fact, you can find her in tons of wedding blogs and sites because she’s constantly being featured.  And it turned out to be a really good thing that I met her when I did because soon after coming home from Michigan, she started getting so popular that she now photographs full time.  Which, in LA, is a giant feat for which I envy her.

She’s been a complete godsend throughout what little wedding planning we’ve done so far- she spends countless happy hours listening to me bitch about guest lists, sends me tons of web sites for inspiration, and photographs every dress I try on.  Every time I think about how bridesmaid-like she’s been to me, then lament that she won’t be one, I remind myself that she’s my photographer which is just as special a role in the wedding.  She gets to be involved in every intimate moment and document my life for the day.  And honestly?  Even if I had tens of thousands of dollars in the budget to spend on a photographer, I’d still choose Shannon.

She captures these moments that I just love.

I can only hope that we can pull her away for even just a second so I can have just one memory of her in front of the camera on my wedding day.

All photos via Shannon Lee Images.