11.21.2011

Contest Winner

First of all, I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart wish to thank all the contestants and all of their family and friends for putting in so much effort.  I also wish to thank Carlotta Piastrelli from Piastrelli Photography for graciously offering to be my partner shooter for this wonderful event.  Carlotta gains even less from this giveaway than I do, and she did it with an open heart and open mind and will be bringing tons of life and creativity to the special Wedding Day.

Please understand that it was extremely complicated for Carlotta and I to choose a winner.  We choose a winner that was the best match for us. 

How did we choose this winner?  We based it on the feedback, the stories, their personalities, and their amazing and admirable faith. 

Without further ado... We choose Carrie & TJ as the best match for the wedding giveaway. 
Congratulations Carrie and TJ.  Carlotta and I are thrilled to work with you in the coming months as you prepare for your big day!


Everybody take a moment to congratulate them and wish them well in their journey!
Also, be sure to hop on over to Carlotta Piastrelli's Photography Page and take a moment to thank her for being such a huge help in the contest and on the wedding day!

10.19.2011

Wedding Giveaway

Okay, so this is big!  Melanie Reller Photography is giving away a wedding.

There's a lot of information here so please take the time to throughly read and understand all of the small print.  If you have any questions please ask.  I'm reachable via messaging on my  personal Facebook, my professional Facebook (use the "contact me" tab,) at my business email: info (at) melanierellerphoto.com or always at my personal email: ammyzan (at) gmail.com.  With all these ways to reach me if I don't hear from you and you enter into the contest I will conclude that you have read and understand and agree to the terms listed below.

How To Enter & How To Win:
Email me (at either of the emails above) one non professional picture of you and your hubby-to-be and tell me (in 500 words or less) how you met, how he proposed, a little about your wedding and why you feel you deserve to win.  I will collect these enteries until November 1st.  On November 2nd the images will go live on Facebook and the voting will begin.  I will post your picture and your story and the more "likes" and "comments" your picture receieves the greater your chance of winning.  Ultimate decision will be at Melanie Reller and Carlotta Piastrelli's discretion.  (Please see "the facebook nitty gritty" below for more details on the ultimate decision making clause.)  Voting will conclude on November 8th at 11:59pm and a winner will be announced on or before Friday November 11th.

*Also, let this stand as a warning: I will be monitoring the "likes" a picture receives to the best of my ability.  Fake facebook accounts or fraud or manipulation of any kind will result in immediate disqualification.  Let's all play fair, okay?

The fine print!!!  Here are the if's, and's, butt's, and FAQs for this:

What exactly Do You Win?
Up to 8 hours of personalized coverage by 2 photographers on your wedding day.
A high resolution disk with edited images from your session.  You may print these wherever you'd like.  You can expect to receive between 40-50 images per hour.

Wedding Dates:
In order to be elligible to apply your wedding must fall in 2012 but not on any of these already booked  dates:
February 18 2012
February 25 2012
April 14 2012
May 26 2012
June 23 2012
September 8 2012
September 29 2012
(If your wedding falls on these dates, I apologize, but you may not enter as I will not be able to shoot your wedding.)

What is Required of You:
In order to enter you must be willing to book an engagement session at full price ($175) if you win.  If you do not win you do NOT need to book an engagement session.
Why?  There is nothing more helpful to me than shooting with a couple before their big day!  This allows me to see how you and your fiance` are in front of the camera and figure out the best poses and plan of attack for your very important, irreplaceable wedding images. Since I'm giving away a wedding (valued at more than $1400!) a $175 investment isn't a lot to ask.  Do not enter if you do not intend to get an engagement session should you win.

What Happens If I've Already Had an Engagement Session with Melanie Reller or Carlotta Piastrelli?
Enter right away!  Nothing further would be required of you!

Where Can Your Wedding Take Place? 
I will travel as far north as the top of the 275 loop, as far east as Eastgate, as far south as Elk Creek Vineyard Winery, and as far west as Fairfield.  I will be happy to travel outside of that area should you win, but an honest, small travel fee would apply.  If you are uncertain of whether your wedding location would be elligible to be travel-fee free please email me and ask!

What Happens if You Don't Win?
All applicants have nothing to loose by applying.  Even the non-winners will get a discount on the wedding package of their choice or an engagement session should they choose to book.

The Facebook Nitty Gritty:
Facebook has many rules and regulations in order to host contests with facebook as the central Point of Contact.

First, by entering into this contest you acknowledge:
1. That there is a complete release of Facebook. 
2. That the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
3. That you (the participant) are providing information to Melanie Reller of Melanie Reller Photography and not to Facebook.

Second, Facebook restricts the use of "liking" or "commenting" as a voting mechanism.  (Facebook words it directly as: "You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion.")  Therefore, gathering "likes" and "comments" for your photo will help sway Carlotta Piastrelli & Melanie Reller in showing who has put the most effort in to win the Free Wedding Coverage, but it can not be the ONLY factor in choosing a winner.  A well writen application and a good picture reflective of you and your fiance` will make the final call.

I will notify the winners via email.  I am unable to notify winners via facebook or facebook messaging.  So make sure to enter from an email address that you check often.  And feel free to add the two email address above to your contact list to avoid spam issues.  The winner will have 48 hours to collect their prize and confirm their intentions of scheduling their wedding and engagement session or another winner will be choosen.

7.18.2011

Referral Program



Referral Program
  
Word of mouth referrals are not only the biggest flattery I can receive but they also allow me to save money on advertising; which keeps my prices lower for you!

When you refer someone I want to show you how much I appreciate it.  Starting July 2011 I will start offering past clients, current clients, and even just current fans, a print or session fee credit for 10% of the total print order received by the person they referred.  Need an example?

Tracy Jones refers Sally Smith to me.  Sally has a session and places a print order for $200.  Tracy Jones earns $20!  That $20 can be used to discount her next session fee or it can be used for the purchase of prints and products!  It can also be used to purchase more prints from a past session with the understanding that a $50 minimum order is required.  There is no maximum cap on the amount of referrals you can send.  Which means you could earn up to your entire session fee and print order for free!  Referrals do expire one year from the referee’s session date, so please keep that in mind.

I will ask all current and future clients how they found out about me and if they mention your name I’ll drop you an email or Facebook message letting you know that your friend/family member has scheduled a session with me and then I’ll send you another quick email after their purchase letting you know how much you earned.  If you and I have never had email communication and you don’t have a Facebook page you may want to let the person that you’re sending to me know your email address so that they can pass it along.  I will not be making phone call communications with this program so please make sure I have an electronic way to get in touch with you.

Questions?  Drop me a line at: info@melanierellerphoto.com