Why You Should Hire a Professional Photographer
It is a question that has been answered many times before, but it is a question ever asked; “Why should I hire a professional photographer?” I frequently hear it being bantered about and I’m often asked directly by potential clients as well – more and more frequently with the availability of entry grade DSLR cameras in the market. A fellow photographer friend always refers to ‘Uncle Tito’ as the photography alternative and I want to share with you three key reasons you should consider hiring a professional over Uncle Tito to capture your most important day – the beginning of your lives together.
Prepare for some humorous truth!
Education/Experience
Professional photographers are exactly that; professional. They have chosen to make photography their career and they invest time in education to stay current with the trends and stay knowledgeable in times of rapidly changing technology. They have come far from their starter camera, and are comfortable and skilled in the use of advanced equipment. Having past experience photographing weddings, they are aware of the busy structure of a wedding day, and they can help schedule their photography to best capture your special moments through each part of your day. They also know what to expect, are able to adapt to change and in the unfortunate circumstance something goes wrong, they carry the backup equipment to ensure that they don’t miss a single moment.
Now, let’s stop a second and consider Uncle Tito here. Sure, he may own a camera. It may even be a good one. In fact, you think he even took photography in high school – in the 70′s! He even photographed on film – he HAS to know what he’s doing! You’ve seen his photos from the family picnic, they look okay – seemingly he is able to operate his equipment and can capture a few moments here and there. But is ‘seemingly’ enough for you? Are you one hundred percent sure that you can count on his work? Does he understand how to flow and adjust to the changing lighting conditions (indoors, outdoors) in order to be able to capture properly exposed freeze-frames of your wedding day memories? What happens if all of a sudden, while you’re standing at the altar, he realizes that he doesn’t have the equipment necessary to photograph your ceremony in a church that doesn’t allow flash photography? It’s unacceptable to miss these special moments– they will never happen again. It’s a one-time deal, and you have to get it right. Sorry, Uncle Tito – we’re not sure we can count you, or your equipment.
Quality/Consistency
The simple truth is that wedding photography is an investment, and should be treated as such. The captured images of your wedding day should tell the story of the most special day in your lives – forever. Your images are the lasting reminder; after your vows are made, your rings are exchanged and your dress is cleaned and put away. You should be able to show them to your children, and your children’s children. We have all heard ‘you get what you pay for!’ and I can’t express how true this statement is. A professional photographers’ goal is to take each moment from your wedding day and turn it into art. Most professionals I know get excited over their creations, they are proud of their work – they want you to want to hang it on your walls. They take time to produce a professional final product that you want to share with family and friends, and want to leave on your coffee table.
Let’s visit Uncle Tito again for a moment. We already know that the photos from your family picnic are pretty good and that’s promising. He loves to share his photos, maybe on facebook or flickr – he may even use a program to adjust your photos (which he will most likely need to do, as we have already determined that he didn’t have a flash to photograph your ceremony so those images are pretty dark. ) Now, we are sure that Uncle Tito takes pride in his work. However, does Uncle Tito follow current photography trends? If you wanted editorial style photography, would he know how to create that for you? Are you one hundred percent sure that every moment of your story would be told? After all, it is an open bar wedding and Uncle Tito likes his red wine… what happens if the photos from the last half of your reception are crooked, blurry, underexposed or even missing? There go a few more moments you can’t ever get back – was it worth the savings?
Personal Touch
Each and every photographer has spent time developing their style. They have an eye for their images and you may enjoy them, or not. It is up to you to decide which photographer you feel will best be able to capture your day efficiently, effectively and in an artistic style that you appreciate and feel you could enjoy looking at for years to come. So many options exist that it can be overwhelming, and a professional photographer is often able to adjust their style to meet your requirements, be it formal, contemporary, photo journalistic or artistic. In addition to their personal style of photography, you should consider your photographer’s personality. I can’t express how important it is to like your photographer. They will be spending a lot of time with you, (potentially intimate time! i.e. Getting ready) and it is important that you feel comfortable and are able to mesh easily with their personality.
I don’t need to say much about Uncle Tito here – I’m sure he has a personal style unique to him. I have one question for you though; is it a style that you want to grace your coffee table for years to come? Will your wedding day images be the subject of conversation because of their stunning artistry?
There are a lot of things to consider in every decision you make related to your wedding day. The most important thing I can tell you is to take your time. Meet with photographers, view their work in person and online. If you need to ask for references, do it! This is a onetime deal, you can’t change your mind after the wedding starts, and you can’t do it again. Choose wisely, and you will have breathtaking results to cherish for the rest of your lives.
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I’ve heard it many times. Horror stories from my clients, and from event planners, talking about another vendor that spent a good portion of the evening at the bar, drinking, ending up making a complete fool of themselves, and in some way, ruining the evening.
I personally have never been able to understand the thinking process behind this. As a vendor, I am hired to come out to your event, act in a professional, engaging manner, do my best to keep things on track, communicate with other vendors, and above all else, keep you, my client, happy.
I believe part of the issue is vendors who believe they are guests at your reception. The behavior is not limited to the bar. I’ve often seen a fellow vendor “snacking” on the antipasto bar before guests have even been allowed into the room, or be first to the late night buffet line. Right down to grabbing one of the bonbonnieres on their way into the room.
In many ways, I treat DJing a function the same way I would any other professional job. I make sure I’m on time (generally actually ready to go at least a half hour early). I answer every question I can, rather than deflecting to somebody else. I dress neatly, and appropriate to the event (more on this below), and for heaven’s sake, I don’t go on a Jägermeister shot run while I’m on the job! I actually do not drink at all while working, with exception of a glass of wine to toast the Bride & Groom at a wedding.
A conflict can sometimes arise when people hire their friends or family to act as a vendor. In fact, they may not even be hired, but helping out as a favour, or as their gift to a couple. What is their role? Are they a guest, a vendor, both, neither….personally, my thought is if they are extending their services to the couple, then above all else, they are a professional vendor, and should act accordingly.
I mentioned dressing neatly above – can we PLEASE get away from photographers and videographers thinking that black jeans and a black t-shirt is acceptable attire? You are not a professional road crew working on a big concert. You are generally working at an event with formal attire. If you can’t manage a suit, wear slacks, a black dress shirt, and a light sport jacket. If you’re outside in the sun and it gets hot, take the jacket off. But despite the fact that you are not planning to be in any of the pictures, every single person at the event is going to see you, wouldn’t it be nice if you took a moment to clean yourself up?
Dan Jacobs
Double DJ Services
www.doubledj.com
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Happy Valentine's Day... (Photo credit: Јerry)
If you are just joining the blog or you have been following along you are all in for a real treat! You have just found a new place to find the Signature Drink for your special day!!! We will have a new list every Monday!!! If you have certain requests you can email them to info@mysweetwedding.com and I will try very hard to fit all requests into the schedule!! Perhaps you don’t really have a certain idea in mind? Check back every Monday as there will be new ideas posted then!! 
If you would like any of the recipes for these awesome cocktails just click on the names.
As the season of love and romance is upon us let’s continue our signature drink series with this awesome line-up!
Today I have 11 Valentine signature drink ideas courtesy of associatedcontent.com in the spirit of it being Valentine’s Day tomorrow! I hope you all have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Enjoy!
1. LOVER’S MOON This drink is especially appropriate for Valentine’s!!! Ingredients include lemon lime soda, Grenadine, lemon juice and rye/whiskey.
2. LOVE POTION #9 Perhaps your guests could capture that wonderful feeling your love has brought to you drinking your signature “love potion” Ingredients include strawberry,vanilla or clear vodka, white creme de cacao, fresh or frozen strawberries, and vanilla ice cream.
3. PASSIONPOLITAN This sounds like it would be a fantastic signature drink! Ingredients include Passion Fruit Rum, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice and a lime wedge for garnish.
4. STRAWBERRY KISS What better way to symbolize romance than with strawberries and chocolate?! Ingredients include Strawberry tequila, light rum, chocolate liqueur and half and half.
5. THE SWEETEST THING This cocktail would definitely speak volumes to your guests! Your love is the sweetest thing indeed! Ingredients include Bourbon, creme de framboise, champagne and raspberries for garnish.
6. APHRODITE’S LOVE POTION Aphrodite Goddess of love couldn’t have mixed this one better if she tried! Ingredients include Brandy, pineapple juice, maraschino cherry and an orange slice for garnish.
7. CHOCOLATE VALENTINE What more can I say? Ingredients include club soda, cream, brown creme de cacao, vanilla vodka and cherry juice.
8. FLIRTINI Maybe this is how you landed your partner? Being flirty! How appropriate then for your signature drink! Ingredients include Cointreau, vodka, fresh pineapple, pineapple juice, champagne and a maraschino cherry for garnish.
9. KISSABLE Perhaps you want your drink to reflect the two of you! Ingredients include orange vodka, white creme de cacao, and milk.
10. LOVE BIRDS This would go with an entire scheme of Love bird products we carry here at My Sweet Wedding Co.! Ingredients include Grenadine, dark rum, sweet and sour mix, and vodka.
*BONUS DRINK!*
VALENTINE’S DAY RUM CREAM Ingredients include rum, sweetened condensed milk, an egg and vanilla.
If anyone has any other red drink ideas! please feel free to join our Facebook group and post your ideas there!
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As a cake designer, the question I get asked most is “how much for a cake for my wedding?” Unfortunately, that question can not be answered simply. There are so many factors that go into providing a quote for a custom wedding cake that I would like to share with you what information is valuable to provide an accurate quote.
Your wedding cake, much like your wedding gown, is unique to you, therefore as much information that can be provided the better. When contacting a cake designer here are some points to include in your initial contact.
1. Date, location and guest count of your special day. – this is important as most cake designers will only take a limited number of orders for wedding cakes. And location because it will be a factor for delivey purposes and charges. Guest count is important so we know how large of a cake we need to make.
2. Is the cake dessert? – Will you be serving your wedding cake as the actual dessert after the meal or will it be served late night as part of a sweet table? This is important because as the actual dessert there will need to be a piece of cake for each guest, if the cake is being served late night then a cake to serve about 60% of the guest count will be ample.
3. Budget for your cake. –it helps to know what your budget is because as designers, we want to work with your budget and give you a beautiful yet affordale cake for your special day. We don’t want to design a cake thats so elaborate and is totally out of your budget.
These 3 points are a great start when contacting designers about your custom cake. With this information the cake designer can then tell you if he or she is available for your date and whether they can provide you with a cake that meets your budget.
If all goes well then the next step would be to schedule a consultation and tasting with a few designers to see how you fit with them. You want to make sure that you get along well with your designer. Each designer has a certain personality that comes through in their cakes and you want to make sure you click with your chosen designer.
At your consultation you will want to bring your designer anything and everything to do with your wedding. Colour swatches, flower choices, cakes you have seen that you like and dislike, ribbon colours, dress details and anything else you have collected in your wedding planner. All this helps us design a cake that is unique to you.
At your consultation you will get to enjoy a few different flavours of cake and your designer will make a cake sketch or two for you to view incorporating what you most like to see in your cake and what will fit within your budget. Remember that the final price of your cake will be determined by the final design that you and your designer agree upon, as well as the flavours chosen. Once you have decided on a cake designer that you are happy with, a deposit will be required to secure your date. The amount of deposit will vary by designer so make sure you ask what their policy is. Balances are usually due 2 week prior to the wedding date.
So as you can see there are so many factors that detemine the final price of a wedding cake that its hard to quote accurately in the first intial contact.
Now, enjoy that cake and celebrate! You just got married and its your day !!!!!!
……til we cake again!!!
Karey, Kake Kreations
Don’t forget to go visit Karey Kake Kreations Cafe at 103 Mary Street West Whitby
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Image by razzumitos via Flickr
Welcome back to Mixology Mondays giving you winter signature cocktail ideas for you whimsical winter wedding!
Just in case you didn’t get to read last Mondays post every Monday you will get 5 new winter drink recipes. Although there will be a few special articles along the way to keep in the spirit of certain holidays! So here is another list of 5 cocktail recipes to continue our winter series!
1. IRISH WINTER – Courtesy of cocktails.about.com
This is a fancy coffee beverage! It is a subtle twist to the classic irish coffee.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- Combine ingredients in a mug or irish coffee glass
- Stir to combine
- Top with whipped cream
2. MIDNIGHT SNOWSTORM – Courtesy of cocktails.about.com
This drink has a very smooth minty, chocolate flavour.
Ingredients:
- 2oz white creme de menthe
- hot chocolate
- 1/2oz green creme de menthe
- whipped cream
Preparation:
- Pour white creme de menthe and hot chocolate into an irish coffee glass
- Top with whipped cream
- Drizzle the green creme de menthe on top
3. MILK AND HONEY – Courtesy of cocktails.about.com
Can be served hot or cold depending on your mood!
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Cold:
- Pour Benedictine into a mug, add ice, and top up with cold milk.
- Garnish with a slice of orange and cinnamon
Hot:
- Top Benedictine off with hot milk in a mug
4. NORTHERN LIGHTS – Courtesy of cocktails.about.com
This delightful drink has a warming sensation which is perfect for the Winter season!
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- Pour the Yukon Jack and peach schanpps into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice
- Fill with equal parts orange juice and cranberry juice
- Stir
5. PAMA PINE -Courtesy of cocktails.about.com
Be able to imagine laying on the beach on a chilly day.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice
- Shake well
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Hope these cocktails keep you going until next Monday 
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