Meet Your Wedding Dream Team: Matthew + Kristine
By Marissa McCormick
“We’re the young and fun team!” Matthew Davey with Bow Tied Weddings and Kristine Pringle with Kristine Pringle Photographers sit on the couch at the Richmond Weddings™ office. They just got back from shooting their joint photos, and the excitement in their eyes is visible. Matthew and Kristine have made a name for themselves in the RVA wedding scene, and they have decided to team up.
Planning a wedding usually follows this rough timeline: pick a date, pick a venue, buy a dress, then pick your photographer, and then your wedding DJ. Why not take away some of the planning stress and find both your photographer and DJ in one convenient place?
Kristine originally didn’t think she’d become a photographer. In the early 2000s, she had earned her Ph.D. in Health Policy, spent a few years in the corporate hustle, then after a friend asked her to photograph her wedding, her life changed. Ten years and hundreds of weddings later, Kristine Pringle Photographers is thriving. In 2017 alone, Kristine and her team of associate photographers have shot over 40 weddings! And it’s the attention to detail that makes her photos so beautiful. Kristine, who’s wonderfully shy and thinks out her words purposely explains, “I always have a second shooter and I’m always there a minimum of eight hours.” Some photographers don’t see the need for staying this long, leaving after the cake is cut. But Kristine explains if you leave then, “You miss all of the personalities coming out!”
The man bringing out the personalities? Matthew Davey. Unlike Kristine, it seems being a DJ was the only career Matthew ever pictured himself in. And with his natural charisma and entertaining enthusiasm, it’s easy to see why. Matthew finds that perfect balance of feeding off the couple’s and guests’ energy, bringing the life to the party. Bow Tied Weddings was started in 2014, and Matthew, who was working alone at the time, had about 13 weddings. In 2017, however, Matthew and the rest of his team of DJs had a whopping 97 weddings!
Teamwork truly makes the dream work to Matthew and Kristine and that’s what started their friendship, eventually leading to their partnership. The two initially met at a Richmond Weddings™ networking event. After the mixer, they kept running into each other at weddings. Matthew realized, “A lot of our weddings we had together were just really fun couples.” Kristine adds, “They were kind of our ideal client.” Matthew’s team could put on the party and Kristine’s team could capture it. Kristine gushes, “I knew when Matthew or one of his DJ’s was at a wedding, I was going to have great reception photos. The dance floor was always PACKED.” With both having entrepreneurial mindsets, the two saw an opportunity and took it. From there the partnership was born.
Matthew and Kristine unknowingly finish each other’s sentences and are truly on the same page when it comes to weddings. Kristine starts, “Because he has a team and I have a team, we can cover a TON of weddings together. We work well together, we have similar goals.” Matthew finishes, “We just know each other’s quirks.” But it’s the relationship with their couples that is at the core of their similarities. With each and every couple they aim to create a friendship. Kristine explains, “Photography and DJ services are very personal.” The two meet with every couple, before even talking about budget, whether it’s in person or over video chat. Matthew builds off Kristine’s comment, “When you meet them you really get to see what they’re like, their different styles, their individual personalities, and eventually what they want from their wedding.” These two want couples to book them because they want Bow Tied Weddings and Kristine Pringle Photographers, not because of what their budget is. Matthew adds, “If you hit it off, a lot of times the budget doesn’t matter.”
Matthew and Kristine’s partnership isn’t exclusive. Matthew has other preferred photographers and the same goes for Kristine. But they want couples to recognize the importance of your wedding vendors getting along. Kristine elaborates, “When I show up to a wedding and see a familiar vendor face, I just get so excited! I know my pictures are going to turn out great and I’m completely comfortable.” The two are offering a discount to couples that book both of them for their special day. But be sure to start booking early, 12-18 months is ideal.
Sitting with Matthew and Kristine, they are the perfect compliments of each other. Kristine, with her quiet artistically driven mind, and Matthew with his larger-than-life personality have a common denominator: a true passion for weddings. Matthew explains, “This is a family orientated, emotionally driven business that starts ultimately with a friendship.”
[Published in Richmond Weddings™ Issue 56, Issue 57]