Choosing is Hard

Guys, large purchases are scary.  Scott and I are in the process of choosing a new home.  We can’t decide if we want to build or just buy something.  We can’t decide that if we buy something whether or not we want minimal work or a total gut.  I love the idea of a big old farmhouse remodel.  Sorta.  It kind of scares me though.  What if we find a bunch of expensive problems behind the walls?  It really scares Scott.  He would much rather build from the ground up.  There’s a lot of appeal in that for me as well.  We could have everything exactly the way we want it.  So, what’s the holdup?

Do you have any idea how many options there are for builder’s out there?  What if we don’t pick the perfect builder for us?  What if we get nickeled and dimed for every little thing?  What if we start with a budget, and as we build it, massively have to increase that budget for unexpected reasons?  There are so many what ifs.

Interestingly, the process of deciding what to do has made me think a lot about how this applies to my own business.  Let’s face it.  Wedding photography is a luxury.  I actually read a wonderful article recently about this fact.  You can find it here.  Wedding photography is a big purchase for a wedding, and one that people don’t want to make the wrong choice about.  What if you book a photographer and their communication is less than stellar, leaving you to wonder how in the world they’re going to perform on your wedding day?  What if, come your wedding day, your photographer is a nightmare?  There are so many horror stories out there about photographers.  What if you get the photos back and they are not at all what you expected for what you paid the photographer?  What if you never get your photos?  I get it.  I get the fear.  I get not how scary it is to know if you’ve made the right decision.  We’re living it in another way right now.

What I’m learning through our house decision process though is that I need to ask lots of questions.  I also know that we need to make a decision, and we need to make it soon.  I’m narrowing it down though.  I know I want a really open plan with a huge kitchen island because we love to entertain.  I know I don’t want a cookie cutter house if we build.  I know that we’ll need to work with an architect to draw up plans because I already have a good idea of the layout I want, but can’t find ready made plans.  Which means that we’ll more than likely be going with a custom builder.  Unless of course we find a plan with a builder that works in neighborhoods that we like.  If we do decide to build, we’ll also to buy land that’s not in a neighborhood, since we’d be going with a custom builder.  While that helps to narrow down our options, there are still so many builders to choose from.  That’s partly why I just want to buy a house.  Then, I won’t have to choose a builder!

Just a random photo of a flower in my kitchen, because what’s a photographer’s blog without a photo?

There is no ulterior motive in this post.  I’m not going to sit here and sing my praises and end by saying you should book me as your photographer.  That’s just not my style.  Because truly, maybe I’m not the photographer for you.  Maybe you’ve seen my website and aren’t feeling the photos.  Maybe the fact that I love The Walking Dead and New Girl hits a nerve with you because you hate them.  Who knows.  Maybe you do set up a meeting with me and decide my personality gets on your nerves.  It’s cool.  Maybe I’m really far outside of your budget and there’s just no way you can justify it.  Because truly, is getting into debt while planning the beginning of your marriage the smartest option?  The important thing is that that’s one less photographer on the list of possibilities that you have to decide to choose.  On the other hand, maybe there’s just something about me that sticks with you.  I’ve had that experience with a builder.  I felt comfortable and that they would have my back.  I can’t say that about other builders that I’ve met with.  So, I have a good feeling that if we choose the custom build route, I know who I’m going to use.  He’s not the cheapest option, but I feel like he’s honest and that is important to me.  We might not get every single item on our wish list with our budget, but we’ll get a quality build.

Good luck to all of you in any large decision you have to make in your life right now, and make the one that feels the most right.

Blessings,