Weddings and Engagements
The Michael Gowin Wedding Experience
It's your big day, the day you've been dreaming of since you were a little girl. Now your wedding day is really here and you want it to shine like you’ve always imagined. Where do you begin the journey of preparation? Typically, with your photographer. Your relationship with your wedding photographer is one of the most important when designing your wedding. He is planning with you months before your ceremony, capturing and creating special moments during your wedding day, and working to produce those once-in-a-lifetime images for your prints and album after the event. Your photographer becomes like family as he highlights every aspect of your day from getting ready to turning out the lights at the reception hall. You want to invest that time with someone who is interested in your dream and has the vision and talent to achieve it, someone you can trust.
What makes Michael Gowin unique when there are dozens of photographers available? Simply stated, his vision for imaging, fast turnaround time, and the relationships he builds with his clients. Michael has spent years refining natural and off-camera lighting techniques that reveal the beauty of his clients and the details they have poured their time into. He has also teamed up with professionals in the industry that make it possible for you to enjoy your images and have your cherished wedding book prepared in weeks rather than months.
Michael has a gift for capturing journalistic and naturally posed images that you will love and the heart to make every moment spent together enjoyable and memorable. Choose to spend one of the most important days of your life--the beginning of your marriage--with someone who will inspire your confidence and create dynamic photographs that you will treasure.
Testimonials
I have always loved photography, whether I was capturing it or being captured by it. Good photography has a way of captivating the viewer and tells the story and emotion behind the photo. So when my husband proposed, I knew who I wanted to be capturing the story behind our wedding day. Michael’s photographs are absolutely stunning. He has such talent, and with his lighting techniques, he is able to capture the most dramatic, emotion filled photos. Besides his great talent in capturing photographs, he is very personable and easy to work with. He goes above and beyond the expected and does what is necessary for the clients to have the photographs and memories that will be shared for a lifetime. Thank-you Michael for all your work. The pictures are far beyond beautiful. -- Jessica and Kyle, married June 2011
We loved having Michael as our photographer for both our engagement and wedding! He is very personable, making a potentially uncomfortable process both fun and enjoyable. He got to know us and made beautiful photographs that fit our personalities. We've had our pictures for months and are still receiving compliments. Michael did an amazing job, going above and beyond our expections. We would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding photographer! -- Ethan and Nicole, married August 2010
When Brad and I got engaged, we immediately knew who we wanted to capture the event. Michael had just begun wedding photography and yet we had complete confidence in his vision and talent. We were thrilled with the outcome. To reduce my stress the day of the wedding, Michael offered to meet us two days before the wedding for a formal shoot and also spent an amazing amount of time capturing every little detail of the wedding décor, guests, ceremony and reception. The result tells a beautiful pictorial story of the beginning of our marriage. I now have the opportunity to work alongside Michael and can say that he is professional, amiable, personable and a wonderful teacher. He approaches his business and relationships with excellence. -- Lindy, married August 2007
My husband and I were looking for something a bit more than the traditional wedding photographer; we found that (and more!) in Michael Gowin. Not only did we find an excellent value in his style of photography, but every occasion we worked with Michael (and his lovely wife Suzanne!) we found him to be very professional, patient, and focused on us and what we wanted. During the ceremony, we hardly noticed he was there! Our pictures turned out great and the album is beautiful. Thanks Michael! -- Lindsay, married May 2009
While planning for our 2009 wedding, we knew that one of the most important aspects of the day, for us, was capturing the event in its entirety in photographs. We wanted more than snapshots; we wanted images that would evoke memories of the day for decades to come. Living in St. Louis, we had our choice of literally hundreds of wedding photographers, but my sister recommended Michael Gowin. As soon as we saw Michael's work, we knew he was the photographer for us. Prior to our wedding, we did an engagement session and a family portrait session, and each was wonderful. Michael was always extremely professional and fun to work with. We especially loved how much time he spent during our wedding day, capturing all the little moments leading up to the big event, and the celebration that followed. After the wedding, our guests all commented on how well Michael captured all the most important shots of the day, and yet he was nearly invisible as he worked. We loved our shots so much, that it was hard for us to choose the ones to put in our album. Michael offered to take care of that for us as well, and the finished composition was more than we could have even imagined. Since the wedding, Michael has also captured the first professional images of our new baby daughter, and we are proud to say he is our family photographer for as long as he will have us! -- Robin, married June 2009
I really enjoyed working with Michael. He went out of his way to accomodate our schedules when discussing times for our engagement session, meetings, etc. When we got the photos back from him, we had an amazing selection from which we could choose our favorites to include in our engagement album as well as our wedding album. The photos themelves were excellent, especially the candid photos he took prior to the wedding, during the ceremony, and at the reception. He was careful to note the specific photos that we wanted, such as a picture of my mom helping with my veil, my dad hugging me before walking me down the aisle, and my husband with his grandparents. We could not have been happier with the quality of the products as well. My family also appreciated having the opportunity to license the digital images from Michael so that they could show off the selection and easily print small copies for friends and extended family members from the comfort of their home. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience with Michael Gowin Photography! -- Caroline, married June 2009
Michael’s enthusiasm for his work making pictures was of great comfort to us when choosing a wedding photographer. We were instantly at ease and knew we could be ourselves around him. Our whole experience was a pleasure, from the engagement pictures to the wedding day and even our session after the honeymoon. We couldn’t be happier and will definitely use Michael again! -- Eric and Sarah, married July 2009
When my husband and I were looking for a photographer for our engagement and wedding photos, I knew I wanted Michael for the job! I had heard countless comments about how amazing his photographs were and how wonderful he was to work with! I found these things to be true! He was always prompt, thorough, and very professional and I was very appreciative of that! Needless to say, our photos turned out beautifully! One thing that is different about Michael is that his photos are very candid and natural. He also stayed to almost the very end of the reception to make sure he captured every single moment! I highly recommend Michael, not just for the beautiful photographs, but for the experience! -- Geoff and Jetty, married August 2009
When we saw the quality of pictures Michael provided for other couples, my wife and I knew before we were even engaged that we wanted Michael to photograph our wedding! He's very easy to work with and makes the day about you. We were allowed to be creative and he had helpful ideas. It was a great experience and we're so thankful we chose him as our engagement and wedding photographer. -- Kyle and Bethany, married September 2009
More testimonials are on the way...
Here are some articles I've written that may help you in your photographer selection:
PPA: Top Ten Things You Need to Know to Ensure Wedding Photo Bliss
Bride's Guide to Great Wedding Photography - Part 1 (How to Hire a Wedding Photographer)
Bride's Guide to Great Wedding Photography - Part 2 (Why You Need an Engagement Session)
Bride's Guide to Great Wedding Photography - Part 3 (Wedding Day Flow)
Bride's Guide to Great Wedding Photography - Part 4 (Lighting for Engagement and Wedding Images)
The investment for 2011 ceremonies begins at $2,800. Commission Michael Gowin to photograph your wedding dream day and your story could appear here, too.