One of the many unexpectedly wonderful things about the APW book tour (and there are so many) has been that I've gotten the chance to meet a tons of APW sponsors on the road that I never would have otherwise met. One of the ladies who made the biggest impression on me was Emilia Jane, of Emilia Jane Photography, who I met over a bottle of wine in my few hour train change in Chicago. As all of you know, there is nothing I love more than a person who can make me laugh (and I have high standards for hilarity). And it turns out that Emilia Jane is one of those people. She's warm and kind, but also in possession of a razor sharp wit, powered by a keen eye for observation. And, if you ask me, that's probably exactly what makes her an excellent photographer (who even takes photos with a sense of humor).

And what an excellent photographer she is. The theme for the month seems to be APW photographers who are on fire, and whose work has leapt to staggering heights in the last year while working with y'all. In that vein, I bring you Emilia Jane. Looking at Emilia Jane's portfolio is just plain exciting. Her work is personal and emotional, but she also mixes in fashion photography images, with quirky soul. It's the personality of an APW photographer, mixed with a Vogue-like flair. And who doesn't want that (particularly when it comes packaged with hilarity).

Plus, her wedding photography is staggeringly affordable, with wedding packages starting at just $2,000 and special rates for elopements (something she totally has a soft spot for). Plus! She gives a free engagement session (and the files!) to all her APW couples. Rad. Oh, and did I mention? Emilia Jane started out as a Team Practical bride, using APW to plan her wedding, and then joined us as a sponsor. Somehow, that's always the best kind of partnership. So today I'm super excited to just let Emilia chat a bit about what she's learned growing her business and why she loves you guys in particular. Trust me, it's really really good stuff:

When I first started my business I thought the pictures were the most important thing. Don't get me wrong, having amazing pictures is crucial. But it's just the first step. I want to work with people who not only love my pictures but also like me for me. So I had to figure out how to fix this problem of being a simple commodity, a wedding photographer. This year I have completely re-branded and poured my personality into my website and blog. I worked with great designers (from 315 and Super Runaway), and I am so happy with the final product. Both places feel so much more like ME! And they've enabled me to connect so much better with potential clients. Now I can ask real questions about their wedding on the contact page, not just name/date/info! The other most impactful change for me has been blogging Monday through Friday. I used to only blog when I had pretty new pictures from a session. Now I don't just blog about that, but I blog about real life! My latest obsessions, cocktail recipes, books I'm reading, goals, etc. (Editors note: this is seriously good stuff, whether you're looking for a photographer or not.) There are few things I love more than sitting down to a new client meet-up and having them say, I feel like I know you already because I read your blog, and I found you on APW.

I love the APW community because here I feel like I've finally found my people. A group of sane, smart alec-y (yep I may be making up words now) people who I instantly connect with. I've had so much fun connecting with so many new APW ladies through Twitter this year. Helping each other find dresses and venues, supporting each other through life struggles, bonding over Downton Abby. You knew it was going to go there! I love working with APW couples because when we sit down to meet for the first time I know we already have lots in common! Not only does this translate to a seamless wedding vendor relationship, but it means we can actually be friends too. I love that we can be talking about wedding details one minute and marriage and real relationship issues the next. I know that APW couples value the marriage beyond the wedding day, and what I am going to give them will help them remember the little moments throughout that celebration, for the rest of their lives!

As far as the pictures go, my goal is always to capture real emotion throughout the day. I am not about posing you for hours on end, or dragging you around to a million places. I want to be alongside you celebrating the formation of your new family. Can we talk about how huge that is for a second?! What an awesome responsibility. And it seriously brings me so much joy to do it! I feel so blessed to be included in such a huge occasion of life and to have found a profession that love so much!

So ladies of Chicago and the upper midwest... go have loads of fun with Emilia Jane. Crack jokes, share cocktail recipes, and make amazing photos together. It's going to be excellent, I can tell (send photos!).

Today, I'm super thrilled to write about Kara Shultz, Storyteller, serving the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Lake Geneva areas. First off, I have to say, Kara is just one of those no-nonsense, get-it-done people that you want to have as a friend... or, even better as your photographer/wedding day best friend. Kara had a baby on Christmas Eve, and she selected, and then re-sized images for this post within an hour of me asking for them. One handed. During a feeding. Which leads me back to the inevitable conclusion that new mothers are slightly magical, but I digress.

Kara Schultz describes her business in a way that always kind of profoundly delights me. Maybe because I'm also a super-doer, and I'm just thrilled with the idea of you having someone like this at your side on your wedding day. She says, "I am… a timeline goddess, a pro at zipping and lacing up dresses, expert at removing stains on different fabrics, never hesitant to sew your bustle back into place, always willing to fix your hair or put your veil back into place, not afraid to mix you a drink in the limo if I have to, willing to lay on the ground to get that shot, happy to sacrifice my clothes so you can sit on a bench or on the ground, an expert dress bustler and know all the types, speech writer extraordinaire, willing to talk you down when you're on the verge of a meltdown, the reassuring voice that everything is wonderful on your wedding day, there to help you in whatever way you need, your sounding board and confidante, the one who makes you dance with your wife/husband at the end of the night, a comedian to make you laugh. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure your day is yours." I LOVE THAT, you guys. I seriously love it.

But more than all that, I want to talk about how Kara's work has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year (but her pricing totally hasn't, so you should snap up this deal now). I mean, girlfriend is on FIRE. Her portfolio is full of super clear, emotional, and compelling shots. And all of it is sort of, cough, no bullsh*t. Kara doesn't go in for trends or frills. She just delivers rock solid photographs that tell a clear emotional story in one frame, over and over again.

And let's talk about her excellent pricing. First, she offers a special no frills APW package for $2,300. And, she's also offering y'all a free 16X20 canvas gallery wraps, because she thinks everyone deserves wall art. Most of all, you. You can see more about her pricing here, but seriously, snap this up Chicago and Milwaukee, because these rates are too good to last.

But beyond all that, Kara just loves you guys. She says, "I love working with APW people because we get each other. It's an easy relationship to have and they're realistic. They understand that, at the end of the day, the wedding isn't about the stuff at the wedding. It's more about the people. That's how I photograph primarily. I love photographing people, not things; I'm a people photographer, I love the interaction between them. My goal is to show who the couple is, and it's what I love to do. Whether they're silly or romantic or anything in between, that's what I like to do. I love to capture their love in the moment and their friends and family that surround them. My primary focus is to give the couple that lovely piece of wall art that they can cherish for years to come, and to give them art that they can use to tell the story of their love on the wedding day. In the end, it's the couple that's most important to me." Which, I mean, right?

And when I asked her about her artistic philosophy, well, I'm just going to give you her verbatim answer, because it's hilarious, "Be yourself. Have fun. Wang Chung tonight. (wee what sleep deprivation does to a person???) Ok seriously though, my philosophy is to focus on the couple and give them amazing images, so they can blow them up and display them on their walls. I'm also everything for them on their wedding day from counselor to best friend to emergency florist to DOC to medic. I try and do it all!"

I mean, basically? I think Kara Schultz is who you want to have on your team. I mean, when was the last time you read a sponsored post where the photographer offered to be your medic, if things suddenly went awry? That is good people right there, and that's not even talking about the photos. (Oh, the photos.) So go! Play! And, well, obviously you're going to have fun, so you really should send me pictures, just to be fair....

Sometimes, I think that the UK has the most phenomenal luck when it comes to wedding photographers. And that never seems to be more the case than when I think about Lauren McGlynn Photography in Scotland. The full story about Lauren is that she's an American who moved from Austin, TX to Aberdeen, Scotland just over a year ago. The sort of miraculous thing is that it was you guys, Team Practical, that helped allow her to pick up stakes and move her business whole sale to another country. You trusted her artistry, you invited her to share your weddings, you invited her to your weddings and your book clubs and your lives, and she repaid you a thousand times over with gorgeous, quirky, and emotive pictures of your weddings.

And the best thing about Lauren is how much all of you just like her. I routinely get dispatches from Scotland about what good people she is and how fun she is to have a drink with. I mention this, by the way, because I think it's extremely important to want to get a beer with your wedding photographer. Under no circumstances should you hire someone to follow you around on one of the more momentous days of your life that you wouldn't voluntarily spend a night at the pub with.

And what magic she's done with your weddings. This year alone we've featured her APW-er collaborations with Eva & Tyson's crazy Austin dance party wedding, Sarah & Steven's Edinburgh wedding during a riot (I met Sarah at the NYC book tour party, and she is rad. Hi Sarah!), Anne & Alex's simple and stunning church wedding, Nora & Luis's Welsh foodie wedding, and the wedding where Lauren first discovered APW, Devereaux & Justin's kick ass wedding. So to say that Lauren loves and understands you is really an understatement. She actually adores you.

Lauren told me, "Me and APW couples are like peas and carrots, or neeps and tatties if you will. We always genuinely really like each other, which helps me to take extra special wonderful pictures. I think that I became a better photographer in 2011 (Editors note: She totally did. So 2012 couples watch out!), and that is thanks in great part to the magic that happens at APW weddings, but it's also because APW couples trust me enough to give me the freedom to be creative. Most of the weddings that I have booked so far for 2012 are APW weddings and I couldn't be more excited because I'm feeling really inspired. I did a round up post of my personal work in 2011 too, and in it I said that 'My aim for 2012 is to create images that are beautiful and interesting and honest. I want to continue to evolve as a photographer, and yet hold fast to my authenticity.' I'm really sincere about that, and excited about it too. I think that APW weddings are perfect for making that happen because they posses all of the qualities that I'm after: beauty, honesty, and authenticity." Which basically means, I can't wait to see what you guys create together.

And. Lauren McGlynn Photography is so thrilled to work with you (as ever) that she's offering a special offer if you book with her soon. She says, "To celebrate my wonderful first year in the UK, I would like to offer a 20% discount to APW couples who book me within the the next six weeks for weddings in 2012. That means that they can get a full day's coverage, with a disk of all of their retouched high-resolution files, starting at just £960, and I don't charge travel fees for the UK. BAM." And that, my friends, is an amazing deal. One you should be jumping on right this second.

And that's not even mentioning all the other things Lauren is up to. She does a phenomenal photobooth (with a long time APW reader). She's been shooting an amazing portrait series, including this really lovely one of a couple who's been married more than sixty years. And her round up from 2011 weddings, and portfolio, will make you feel totally magically in love with her work. And that's not even mentioning her excellent prices. So go have fun together. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings....