Preparing for your session

What to Wear

It is important that you pre-plan for your child's portrait session with Santa. Choosing the appropriate attire will assure that your images have a timeless feel to them. Rich reds and greens are gorgeous on our sets and pajama's are our preferred choice. Clothing with busy patterns, characters or text are discouraged. My favorite colors are the red and green plaids, solid green, green and white plaids and red and black buffalo plaid. I am also very fond of the white or cream night gowns for the little girls. Solid red pj's are ok but I do feel they blend in too much with Santa's suit and our red couch. I much prefer solid greens or plaids over solid reds.

We also have a large selection of pjs available in many sizes. If you would like to view what pjs and sizes we have on hand, they are all under the pj dropdown menu under details.

The day of your appointment

It is extremely important to arrive on time. If you are late we may not be able to get you in.

We also ask that you exit the shooting area as soon as your session is complete so we can get ready for the next session. You are free to enjoy some snacks in our lobby before you leave or grab a coffee and cookie while we are photographing your children.

It is best to plan on arriving 5-10 minutes early. Our Little Elves should be there to greet you. If not, just come in. We will have Christmas movies playing for the children and coloring books to keep them busy until Santa calls them in for their session.
There are occasions when you may have to wait a little longer if we get backed up. Please be assured we will not shorten your session. We do have some openings worked in just in case we get backed up.

This typically happens when we have young children that take a while to warm up to Santa. We do try our best to stay on time but we also want to make sure each and every client walks away with beautifully photographed Santa portraits.

If you are borrowing our pjs or other outfits, please let the elves know. We have a changing room with all the pjs displayed. You can choose your child's size and get them dressed before their session.

Ways to personalize your session ~ you are welcome to bring along a special toy, photo or memento to have in the background. If you choose, you may also bring along a small gift to have Santa pull out of his sack for your child. Please let the studio know ahead of time so we can add it to Santa's sack before the session starts. I ask that you stay off to the side and as quiet as possible during your session so we can capture true interaction with Santa. If your child is fearful of Santa we may have to break this rule.

There are NO CAMERAS of any kind, including cell phones, allowed in the studio. Please respect this policy.

What to do if your child is sick

If your child or family members show any symptoms such as cold, flu or fever we ask that you reschedule your appointment. We will be opening up dates later for makeup sessions.
If you or anyone in your household test positive for Covid we ask that you cancel your appointment.
We can discuss if we should make it up at a later time or offer a refund.
If you are a no show for your appointment and fail to reschedule at least 2 hours before your session you will be charged $99.

What is next after your session

Sessions will be ready to view online 4 weeks after your session date. My goal is to try to have them done sooner but with the huge turnout we have year after year, I can not guarantee it. Editing is done in the order of session dates and times. If you book early you will get your session edited earlier. Keep this in mind if you want to have cards or gifts ordered for Christmas. I will be sending out emails when your session is online. As hard as it is to wait I do ask for your patience. When I get pulled away from my computer with emails, calls and special requests it does delay the editing process.

Once you get the email you will go to www.cherishedmomentsbydeb.com and then select the client gallery. Your images will be online and available for purchase for one week. If you order within that week you will receive a 5% discount. If your gallery needs to be re-uploaded to the website after it expires there will be a $20 charge.

Orders must be received by December 5th to arrive before Christmas. Album designs may not be available until after the holidays. (Please contact the studio if you are needing them sooner.)

Studio Address

9726 Fertile Avenue Lonsdale

Our studio is located off of a dead end gravel road. If you would like to avoid as much gravel as possible like me, then I suggest you come from county road one (also known as Millersburg Blvd) vs. Hwy 19. You will also avoid all the crazy hills.
The studio is located on the left in a cream and burgundy building.

If you need to contact the studio our phone number is 612-756-4685.
There may not be anyone available to answer calls if we are in the middle of a session.
Please leave a message.
I will try to check messages during our breaks.