If you are the type who doesn't like to read long reviews and wished people would just get to the…read morepoint already...well, here's the point. Jacki V is the best photogra...pher you can get, period. If you are planning a wedding, meet with her and get her booked now so you don't kick yourself after you miss your opportunity. For those who want details, feel free to read on below.
We had met with one other couple before Jacki and they were very nice but we left without a connection. After 10 minutes of talking to Jacki we knew we were going to go with her. Our 60 minute session turned into almost two hours because we got carried away talking about engagement photo ideas! Once she got to know us a little she knew that the usual walk down the stone arch bridge wasn't really our style. She had picked up on the fact that we both loved the state fair so she suggested we have our engagement session there, to which we quickly agreed.
We parked our cars and it began to downpour on us, monsoon-esque rain, but Jacki didn't care. She marched on, risking the safety of her camera with a price tag that might rival that of decent used car. The rain finally stopped and the sun came out and it turned into an incredible day. Jacki found shots that we, as two self-proclaimed creative minds, never would have thought of. She kept us on our toes and always had ideas so we weren't just standing there looking for a shot. Some things worked, some things didn't (mostly the things we suggested). By the end of the day we knew we had some incredible shots. Within days she had every picture up on the website and we began to select the ones we wanted for our engagement book (which turned out amazing!).
On to the wedding. Jacki showed up early and started taking pictures of the girls (and guys) getting ready. She and her assistant Laura always managed to get the right angles and the perfect shots of every "key" event (e.g. first look at the dress, putting on the shoes, guys taking shots in the back room...shhhhhh!) We spent the next hour or so taking bridal party shots in downtown Stillwater, with Jacki directing the show but still allowing for our creative input. Jacki kicked it into gear when the family photos began. She had her work cut out for her with cousins, uncles, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and grandmothers running all over the place, but it was clear in the end that she somehow managed to get a photo of everyone wearing a "real" smile.
Once the ceremony started, Jacki was always in motion, looking for the classic shots and getting "candids" of almost every guest. At one point, the electricity went out, the music stopped and the guests began to gasp. Looking back at the video of the wedding, all we could see was Jacki sprinting past the other vendors, who had no idea what was going on, to notify the lodge of the electrical issue, one minute later the power was back on and Jacki was snapping photos again!
The reception was incredible, she got the real spirit of the dance-floor and we decided that we were having too much fun so we asked her to stay for two more hours. We considered ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to work with Jacki. I think it's important to remember that when it's all said and done, the dress gets stuffed away in a closet, the tux gets returned, the food and cake gets eaten and the presents get returned or thrown in a cabinet somewhere but the pictures will be around forever.
I couldn't have written a review of Jacki without also mentioning her incredible husband Pastor Vince Vaughan. What an incredible guy, we were having scheduling problems with our original pastor and Vince made himself available and ended up providing very meaningful advice and direction that we honestly didn't expect to get out of a pre marital counseling session. Get Jacki, and if you can, upgrade to the dynamic duo and grab Vince as well, you won't regret it!
