You’re Engaged! Now What? Wedding day scheduling traps you can avoid like potholes in the road. Part 16.
As experienced wedding photographers, we have learned that wedding day scheduling is critical to what we can deliver for you. On your wedding day, when things run late and time is pressing, the first thing to be cut will be photography—guaranteed. Here are some common wedding day time traps and what to do to avoid them.
Get your flowers delivered to where you are getting ready. If you do this, the formal photography of you and your bridesmaids can be done before your ceremony. Otherwise, that time has to be taken from the time in between the ceremony and reception. Simple thing—big impact on your schedule.
Find out when the next event is scheduled at your church. Make sure we have 30 minutes at the altar to do ALL your family and bridal party formal pictures. Putting these off until later is a bad plan because it will take longer to get everyone together later. Instead, grab them all before they leave and get your formal pictures done in that 30 minutes.
Make sure your limo is reserved long enough. So you’ve allocated two hours in between your ceremony and reception to go to the park and have some intimate fun with your paparazzi (us) in tow. Make sure the limo is reserved long enough to include all that time. If you allowed 4:30 to 6:30 for the fun, be certain that the limo isn’t going to turn into a pumpkin at 5:30.
These tips are taken from the Ovation Images Wedding Day Timing Guide that all of our clients receive. This Guide is just one of ten helpful Guides that are part of our total commitment to our clients.
Copyright 2012 OvationImages.com, may not be reproduced in any form. These articles condense and combine all that our brides have shared with us over the years. OvationImages.com is the choice of Pittsburgh brides for elite wedding photography: Pittsburgh Magazine Real Weddings Selection, 2012, 2012 Pick: The Knot Best of Weddings, 2012 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice, as featured in Whirl Wedding Guide, 2012.
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You’re Engaged! Now What? Wedding day scheduling: Your guests are waiting–in the dentist’s office! (Part 15)
Actually, no—they’re not. The time between your ceremony and reception is a great mingling time for your family and friends. They are enjoying each other amid a fine selection of drinks and hors d’oeuvres in a marvelous party atmosphere! And yet, while you are planning your day, someone will inevitably say “well, you don’t want to keep your guests waiting too long”—like they are waiting to have a tooth extracted!
Time is the enemy—never more so than on your wedding day. When you sit down to schedule your day, you may have to wrestle with the schedule to keep even a small part of the day for yourself! Among the most valuable blocks of precious time on your wedding day will be the time in between the ceremony and the reception. For most couples, that is the only actual personal time you will have during the day. You need that time to enjoy each other, enjoy your bridal party and to create the photographic memories of a lifetime!
So goal numero uno for your wedding day scheduling is to protect this time for yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you that your cocktail hour can’t be “too long” because “your guests are waiting.” They’re not waiting—they are mingling and having a good time! Why be in a rush to cut that short! Make your first scheduling priority to have that time for intimate fun and personal memories with your new spouse and your closest friends in between your ceremony and reception. Be assured that your guests are not standing around worried about whether or not they flossed enough!
Copyright 2012 OvationImages.com, may not be reproduced in any form. These articles condense and combine all that our brides have shared with us over the years. OvationImages.com is Pittsburgh’s source for elite wedding photography: Pittsburgh Magazine Real Weddings Selection, 2012, 2012 Pick: The Knot Best of Weddings, 2012 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice, as featured in Whirl Wedding Guide, 2012.
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You’re Engaged! Now What? Part 14 of 30: Last Thing On Your List? Your dress! Scandalous to think (and worse to say out loud!), your wedding dress probably should be last on your wedding shopping list.
You’re Engaged! Now What? Go dress shopping right? Or not. Even though we know that almost nobody will pay any attention to this suggestion (!), we recommend that you save your dress purchase for later. That doesn’t mean you can’t shop! Knock yourself out. Just don’t buy anything at the first place you look.
Why do it this way? Well, it’s probably a unique look for you, right? (!—again!) So it is better to see all the style options. Also, your wedding is probably about a year away. Styles will change—new choices you may like will be coming out very soon. Then there is the issue of the dress salon staff. Take the time to find out if you like working with them. Right or wrong, almost every bride we have worked with has told us that the quality of the salon’s staff had an impact on their wedding dress experience.
Best reason to wait: Save the best for last. Include your maid of honor and Mom and friends—you can make some awesome girls’ nights out while dress shopping!
Copyright 2012 OvationImages.com, may not be reproduced in any form. These articles condense and combine all that our brides have shared with us over the years. OvationImages.com is Pittsburgh’s source for elite wedding photography: Pittsburgh Magazine Real Weddings Selection, 2012, 2012 Pick: The Knot Best of Weddings, 2012 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice, as featured in Whirl Wedding Guide, 2012.
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You’re Engaged! Now What? Part 13 of 30: Know your men! Be sure you know the other guys in your wedding—not just your fiancé!
When you buy your wedding cake, you don’t need to spend some time in the kitchen to meet the baker (though that would be cool!). When you buy your flowers, there is no need to go to the greenhouse and see them growing—maybe do a little weeding while you are there. But for the people who will have their personality on display as well as their talents during your wedding—yes; You definitely do need to meet them and get to know them.
Crazy as it sounds, some people will sign up with a photographer, DJ or limo driver without ever meeting them. Not meeting these folks is super-risky. All your guests, your family and friends will be seeing A LOT of these people. These wedding specialists must be able to represent you well. They have to interact with your family like a long-lost uncle or aunt. You have to know you can trust them. So be sure to meet the actual folks who will show up at your door in these roles. Don’t just talk to the smiling sales girl—it’s her job to be nice. Insist on meeting and talking directly with the guys and gals who will be there helping you on your wedding day.
Copyright 2012 OvationImages.com, may not be reproduced in any form. These articles condense and combine all that our brides have shared with us over the years. OvationImages.com is Pittsburgh’s source for elite wedding photography: Pittsburgh Magazine Real Weddings Selection, 2012, 2012 Pick: The Knot Best of Weddings, 2012 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice, as featured in Whirl Wedding Guide, 2012.
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You’re Engaged! Now What? Part 12 of 30: The Bridal Show Cometh. Let’s talk about the right, wrong and upside-down of bridal show shopping.
Since a some of your friends are probably getting engaged too, you may have attended a bridal show even before you got engaged. If so, you know the deal: A bridal show is an overwhelming rush of everything you need and don’t need for your wedding. Many local vendors are gathered together for your convenience. A bridal show can be a good source of discounts and a great source of confusion!
Even a moderate-sized bridal show will present you with an amazing amount of information. The problem is that it quickly drives most people into overload—“they all seem the same”. To get the most out of a bridal show, you have to go with a specific goal and purpose “to find a caterer”, “to meet people from dress shops to see who I like”, “to see different kinds of photography so I know what I want” and so forth. Just walking in and trying to see it all is a trap. You may see it all. But it all comes in an avalanche and you will be quickly snowed under.
At your next bridal show, narrow your focus, go with a purpose in mind. Sure, look everything over. But stick to your goal. That approach will get you the most out of your bridal show experience.
Copyright 2012 OvationImages.com, may not be reproduced in any form. These articles condense and combine all that our brides have shared with us over the years. OvationImages.com is Pittsburgh’s source for elite wedding photography: Pittsburgh Magazine Real Weddings Selection, 2012, 2012 Pick: The Knot Best of Weddings, 2012 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice, as featured in Whirl Wedding Guide, 2012.
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