Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles!
This week, we highlight the incomparable Sarah Maren Whitehead from Sarah Maren Photography. We’ve been fortunate to work with this amazingly talented woman and her team on several occasions, and she always makes it seem more like a day of fun, than a day of work and that, in and of itself, is a gift!
And, congrats to Sarah and her wonderful husband Dustin on the arrival of their newest little one, Ben. He joins big sister Lauren in the Whitehead household! The little guy arrived just last week! We cannot wait to see photos of little baby Ben!
Want to know more about Lauren and Ben’s mommy? Read on…
Sarah Maren Photography
Specialty: Weddings and Portraits with style
When did you establish your business? Shot my first wedding at 18 in 1997, went full time in 2005.
What sets you apart from your competition? I have REALLY cute hair… really… it’s taken almost 30 years to find the right hairstyle… and now I have! It makes me a better photographer!
Where do you find inspiration? Everywhere! I actually find more inspiration from art forms other than photography. Having a degree in Art History, I’ve had to look at A LOT of art over the years and I find so much energy and inspiration from the art that is out there. I’m also deeply inspired by my couples and their own personal love stories. I’ve never had two that were exactly the same, which is why we’ve never photographed one couple like another. It’s different and beautiful in a new way every time.
When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers? To be there as a witness. That to me is the most important part of my job, to witness something so profound as two people merging their lives in front of their family and friends. The images we create with our clients become their memories, and that has always had a very profound effect on the way I photograph a wedding.
Do you have any hidden talents? I LOVE to cook! My family are often guinea pigs, but hearing my three year old say, “Mama! You make the best dinners ever!” makes me feel like a good mom. 🙂
What color(s) gives you the most joy? Pinks and purples are the colors I tend to personally gravitate toward… they just speak to me.
What song is the soundtrack to your business day (or at least to how you feel right now)? “Don’t Stop Thinkin’ About Tomorrow” by Fleetwood Mac. Seriously, sometimes it is REALLY easy to get caught up on everything that is happening AT THIS SECOND, but tomorrow is another day and you have to keep focused on the good stuff, not the rubbish.
Cake, Cupcakes or Cookies? Cupcakes for sure! I mean, I have a TATTOO of a cupcake on my foot for the love!
Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn or Twitter? Facebook and Twitter. I have accounts for Myspace and Linkedin, I just never use them. I prefer the ease of FB and Twitter. 🙂
What is your favorite flower? I love dahlias and gladiolas.
Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site? My website (sarahmaren.com) IS a blog! To me it makes more sense as a photographer to show my clients what we JUST shot instead of something we shot months or years ago. My photography evolves all the time, and I love having my clients participate in that evolution as it’s happening.
Where is your favorite place to travel? My sister and I went to NYC for the first time last year for a shoot and I LOVED IT! I honestly miss a city I spent 3 nights in. But there is just something so magic about New York. I can’t wait to get back.
What’s your favorite local restaurant? We adore Crush 29 in Roseville. Their mushroom risotto is something I have dreams about!
What’s your favorite local charity? We are big supporters of the arts programs in our local schools. We do everything we can to support an ongoing art education for children. I mean, where would I be if I hadn’t had access to a camera and teachers who were excited about my drive to create images?
If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing? I would probably be a fine art photographer or teacher of some kind. When I was in college the whole goal I had for myself was to teach Intro to Art classes at Jr. College. I think it’s something I still might end up doing someday.
What three things are you most grateful for in life? My wonderful, amazing and so handsome husband Dustin, our wonderful little family we have made, and the ability to do what I love EVERY SINGLE DAY!
If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what element would be most important to you? Obviously, it would be the photography. We didn’t have the best experience with our wedding photographer and it totally changed the way I work a wedding, the product I deliver to my client and the experience I want them to have. I want our clients to feel like their friends Sarah and Dustin are coming to their wedding, not their photographers who don’t care about them.
What is the best advice you can give to brides and grooms getting married today? Spend your money where it MATTERS! No one will have that favor you put on their plates in 10 years, but they will have that picture of you on your wedding day.
Anything else you’d like to share with Real Weddings Magazine’s brides? Remember to HAVE FUN on your wedding day! Surround yourself with vendors you love, and really take your wedding in. I remember standing in the middle of our wedding and thinking WOW! We did this! This is our wedding. Make sure you have a moment where you can just take it all in!
Find out more about Sarah for yourself. Call her at 916-335-4358 or visit her Web site at sarahmaren.com. Also, check out her profile on Real Weddings Magazine!
And, be sure to check out her featured real weddings on our web site and in the most recent issue of Real Weddings Magazine!
