CLASSIC | CRISP | CANDID
Jaques & Richelle
Richelle is usually known as the outgoing tiny red head and Jaques is usually known as the quiet talented photographer. As a husband and wife team, they have completely different skills that help them work like perfect puzzle pieces. During the week, Jaques is taking care of editing photos and creating wedding albums. At the wedding, he is usually called the ninja photographer. Brides usually say he is so quiet, and they didn’t know he was there, but yet he caught every staple moment. During the week, Richelle manages all the emails, assists the couples in creating their timeline and shootlist, and does all the paper work Jaques hates to do, LOL. At the wedding, Richelle is the candid-shooter, the artistic director, and the one assuring that the couple’s photography list is all shot. She’s like the Monica Geller from friends, LOL.
As Seen In
Jaques Scheepers
Jaques comes from a cool background: Army, Scuba Diving Instructor, and Private Investigator. Jaques never knew that his lifelong love for photography would turn into a business until he met Richelle and they merged their 2 passions: Photography and Wedding Planning. Contrary to popular belief, Jaques doesn’t speak French, he speaks Afrikaans. He is from South Africa, and he doesn’t have an accent according to him, LOL. When Jaques isn’t shooting, you’ll find him with the family, watching army movies, or playing Airsoft. Just being a boy, basically. :)
Richelle Scheepers
Richelle took a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management and was trained by CP hotels, one of the highest standards in the hotel industry. Her love for service excellence drew her to wedding planning. She was a Wedding Planner for 5 years and planned over 100 weddings before meeting Jaques and merging their businesses together in 2012. She is from a super small town in Quebec where no one speaks English, so she is passionate about her kids knowing French like she does. She grew up on a farm with no neighbours, but has always loved the city. So as soon as she was of college age, she worked in large hotels in Denver, San Diego, and Toronto. She loves being around people and making them laugh! The thing she is most passionate about is family. When she is not shooting, you’ll find her hanging out with family, learning Spanish and Sign Language, working out or keeping up with the family tradition by knitting. What, knitting? Yes, knitting, LOL.
If we want to book with you, how does it work?
We book 18-24 months in advance and work on a first come, first serve business model. Therefore, we require a deposit and paperwork to be signed in order to save your date. Jaques & I never shoot seperate weddings; therefore, when you book with us, you automatically get both of us. Also, in order to give the very best customer care, we don’t split up on the day either, so that we can take pictures quickly and efficiently.
“How many hours of wedding day coverage do we need usually?”
Most of our clients book us for 11 or 12 hours. We usually work from 10am to 10pm on a wedding day. This gives us enough time to capture the getting ready photos and still have enough time for details, ceremony, family and wedding party photos, bride & groom session, and all the reception up to the dancing and party!
“Brides have said in so many reviews that you keep the day running smoothly, how do you do that?”
Everything with us is automated, and we have checklists and shootlists that we go over with the couple prior to the wedding. When we walk into a wedding, we know what is important/not important to our bride & groom, so that we can assure that we capture what they want. Every couple is different, and we want to assure that we are focussing on what is important to them. I (Richelle) was a wedding planner for 5 years before Jaques and I merged our businesses, and my background is in hotel management, so our brides can ask me almost anything wedding or hotel/food & beverage related during the planning process, and it becomes a huge asset on the wedding day.
“Can we hear what other couples are saying about their experience?”
We have a section on our site dedicated to testimonials. You can view written thank you’s and even video testimonials from our couples. We are all about service excellence and the EXPERIENCE that our couples have with us is what drives our entire company. See those HERE!
“We love your photos, do you photoshop them?”
Our main goal is to capture real and candid moments as much as possible; and therefore, we will make sure to capture moments from the wedding as they happen. We are not huge on photoshop. We like to get it right in camera and remove clutter if at all possible. That being said, we always advise to choose the right dress and hair/makeup artists that make you look and feel your best. We don’t shave weight off people’s bodies or decades off people’s faces. We strive to shoot in dreamy lighting and to use angles that make people look great. Make sure when you choose your dress, you like all angles of yourself and that it’s the dress that makes you feel like the gorgeous princess you are.
“How long do we need to wait for our images?”
Our contracts state 3 months, as we want to assure to under-promise and over-deliver and take into account any unforeseen emergencies. However, we strive to have them back to the couple as soon as possible.
“Do you have professional equipment and insurance?”
Yes. We have professional quality lenses, lights and camera bodies, and back ups for emergencies. Your images are very important to us, and we do not take that lightly. We have the proper gear for all lighting situations, liability and equipment insurance; and we take every measure to backup images and store offsite copies as well.
“How do we print the images?”
We highly recommend that you go through us to print your images. You have invested in great quality photography, and photos always look best when printed through a professional print shop. If you prefer to do it on your own, ask us for our recommendation, as there are certain shops that won’t give you a product that keeps the colors and cropping intact. That being said, please only use the images we give you on your USB or from the online gallery we provide to you. Facebook or Instagram photos are not the high resolution quality, and therefore can not be printed. The quality will be pixelated and grainy.
“Weddings can be so stressful, why did you chose wedding photography?”
We actually love weddings! There is just something about the emotions that surround weddings: the grandmother watching her grandchild get married, the grampa breaking it down with the great grandkids on the dance floor, the father daughter dance, the wedding party being a part of their best friend’s day, and the couple having the happiest day of their lives. Plus, she got to marry her prince charming...what’s not to love? Jaques will often catch me (Richelle) in the office, when I'm choosing the images for the gallery, just staring at my screen smiling. Lol.
“When do we get our album?”
We always let our couple select the images for their album. That being said, as soon as the couple gives us the images, we can start creating their custom hand-made album from Italy! Every time we receive an album order from a couple, we put you in queue and let you know once we start working on your album. To be fair to our brides waiting on their engagement and wedding images in the summer/fall, we typically design albums January to April. Any albums are on a first come, first serve basis. We keep you updated on the progress and when your layout is ready for viewing.
We will go back and forth with you via email. Once the layout is approved by you, we then send you a confirmation to sign before we send off to press (Italy!!). It typically ships to our door within 6 weeks.
“What if you get sick and can’t shoot my wedding?”
We actually get this question a lot. Your wedding is extremely important to us, and something we do not take lightly. We have actually gone to weddings sick, in pain or not feeling well. We suck it up, take medication and act like all is well. We owe it to our couples to give our best no matter what. That being said, if something major happened, we have amazing relationships with so many photographers in the city, and we turn to one another in times of crisis. We have helped other photographers that share our same philosophy and we know they would do the same for us.
“I’m getting married in Mexico, will you shoot our wedding?”
Yes, we have done this before. We have special Destination Weddings Collections. Transportation and accommodations costs are extra, but our couple gets a few different perks with destination weddings. We typically fly out to the location on the Saturday, scope the land on the Sunday and attend the wedding planning meeting on the Monday. Then, rehearsal usually happens on the Tuesday, we shoot the wedding on the Wednesday, and photograph a Post-wedding session on the Thursday. We take a day to recuperate and pack on the Friday, and leave on the Saturday to fly home. If you are considering a destination wedding, make sure to ask us for our Destination Collections.
“The Collection price is a little more than our original budget, can I pay in payments?”
Yes, payment plans are available. Being that I (Richelle) was a Wedding Planner before, I know that most couples don’t usually realize the costs involved with weddings. We understand that going over budget can be stressful, but for weddings, you only get one shot! Photography is so important, and investing into quality photography will ensure that you can relive these moments forever.
“Do you photograph maternity, family or baby sessions?”
No. We specialize in engagements, weddings, boudoir sessions, and headshots. For more information on our Headshots division for actors & business people, visit our site at: www.theheadshotcompany.ca . For information on our Boudoir division and studio in Emeryville, Ontario, browse our site at: www.theboudoirstudio.ca
“What are your Office Hours?”
We run on a very different schedule than a typical storefront business. We understand that some couples work in the day or evening, and we want to work with your schedule. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just work on Saturdays, LOL. We actually work full time in the week and also have an assistant to assure that we can keep up with great customer care. We are able to accommodate your requests and book meetings during these times:
Monday to Friday 10 am to 3pm
Evenings are Monday to Thursday 7 to 9pm
Saturdays by appointment in the day only
During these hours, your pictures are being edited, your albums are being made, your email requests are being answered, and all of our meetings happen during these times. Outside of this schedule, we get to spend time with our own family. If you leave a voicemail or an email, we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
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