Meet Our Wedding Coordinator: Alex

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It’s #MangoMonday and this time I’d like you to meet Alex. If you have ever connected with Mango Studios in our Toronto office about wedding photography, chances are you’ve been greeted by Alex, our in-house wedding coordinator. There’s a lot of planning and organizing involved in planning your big day, and organizing your wedding photography and coming up with the best possible photography timeline is one of the most important things to tackle. That is why we have diligent in-house wedding coordinators, whose job is to make your wedding day a stress free success by coordinating your photography behind the scenes and doing everything in their power to produce impeccable wedding photos with the team. Alex is your first point of contact in the Studio and will be there every step of the way, helping you through your entire wedding photography planning process. Learn more about Alex and get to know her a little bit better below:

How did you start working as a wedding coordinator at Mango Studios?

Instagram of all things! I have a background in marketing and events and just always had an appreciation for weddings and photography. I thought the position sounded right up my alley and once I met the team, I knew I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work here! Now they can’t get rid of me 🙂

What is your favourite part of the job?

Meeting all of our amazing Mango couples. I love to start a consultation asking our couples about themselves and hearing their story. Every wedding and story is so unique and special.

Why is photography so important?

As cliche as it sounds, your photos are the memories you are left with after your big day is over and married life has settled in. You want to look at your photos and go back to that moment and remember exactly how you felt that day!

Photography doesn’t have to stop at your wedding day either! As reluctant and shy as my husband may claim to be in front of the camera, we will forever be doing anniversary shoots, family shoots and so on.

What is important to know when booking your wedding photographer?

The first things to know are your date and venue to ensure that your potential photographer is available! More importantly is to know the type of style of photography you are looking for, do you like documentary style, editorial, portrait, or a combination of various styles. These things are important to make sure you find a photographer that is the right fit for you. You want to look back at your photos and remember exactly how you genuinely felt

How do you pick a wedding photographer for your couples?

All of our photographers are meticulously trained and hand picked to have that Mango Touch! For me, I love getting to know our couples, their personalities and vision for their day. Once I know that, I will match them up with a photographer I think is a perfect fit for them. Otherwise, I am always happy to send over bio’s of photographers and let the couple pick who they think they would work best with.

How would you describe the Mango Style?

MAGIC! The Mango Style is all about elegant and creative storytelling. With an eye for design and creative attention to detail, Mango can really make a fairytale come true. I love that our photographers can flawlessly capture those in-between moments of our couples and the organic and genuine emotion everyone is feeling on that day.

What photos are you the most excited about post wedding day?

I love looking at the bride and groom throughout the day! Just the range of emotions from the chaos and nerves during prep, the build up to the first time they see each other, the emotion when they do see each other for the first time, then the happiness and excitement during the celebration.

Do you see any new trends emerging in the wedding industry presently?

Every year there is a big new trend emerging or big colour scheme taking over. What I love is lately couples are looking for something that isn’t just following a trend, they don’t want to blend in, they want to find something that showcases who they are as a couple whether that is through their details, colour schemes, traditions, etc.

Here at the Studio, you’re working with a lot of brides and grooms to make sure their wedding day runs smoothly. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned and would pass along to someone planning their wedding?

Oh, there are so many things I would say! First, breathe – a lot of couples come in and joke they didn’t realize how much there was to planning a wedding and it can be overwhelming. I always remind them that trends will come and go and as long as you have your date and venue, the rest is just to find vendors that are a perfect fit and to plan a day that is purely “them”. Don’t be afraid to be bold and inventive!

Whether you are a DIYer, have a knack for wedding planning, or just love creating the wedding of your dreams, my biggest advice, if you can, get a day-of-coordinator. Enjoy your day, take everything in, and let them worry about all the small mishaps that you don’t need to know ever happened!

First Look: To do or not to do?

Oh goodness, I love the first look! It is such a raw and intimate moment between a couple, where they can really just be themselves and all of the anxiety and nerves seize for just a moment and let their emotions take over. You can also be as creative as you want, I love brainstorming this with couples in our consultations if they are trying to decide how to put their personality into it! Plus, it is an amazing time saver. Couples are no longer stressed with crunching all of their photos in between the ceremony and reception if they have a tight timeline.

Many times I am asked by couples if it will take away from the traditional first look. In my opinion, absolutely not. They are two totally different experiences!

Name one thing you can’t live without:

My husband, Mike and our crazy adorable dog, Pumpkin they are my whole world! BUT, I’d be lying if I didn’t say my phone, I have some pretty epic friends and family all over the world and technology is a lifesaver for staying touch and not missing any special moments!

When was the last time you cried?

I cry all the time, at the tiniest things. This past weekend, La La Land had me in tears!

Any piece of advice for a bride-to-be?

Things are going to go wrong! In the midst of the chaos, take a moment to look around and take it all in. The day is going to fly by.

What about the groom?

Let your voice be heard, it’s your day too!

What do you love about being a part of the Mango Studios family?

I love working in a creative environment that challenges me to better my skills everyday and gives me the freedom to try new things. Plus working with people you genuinely enjoy being around and who are a great support system isn’t so bad either!

You chose Sirini and Nesakan’s wedding as one of your all time favourites. What is it about this wedding we shot you like the most?

Everything about this couple just screams them! They were so meticulous in their details that each piece had a reason or rhyme for being there and just the happiness that they exude from their photos is so incredibly genuine. When I heard from Liza, their wedding photographer that they met over ten years ago, and when he used to work at McDonalds, he would to leave her notes where they would check in and check out and so he wrote his vows on a McDonalds receipt! It doesn’t get much better than that! Plus her bouquet and their ceremony backdrop are one of a kind… so there’s that too.

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