Wedding Ideas

You have seen it on practically every wedding photographer's web page and in bridal magazines. It seems that everyone wants to give the bride and groom advice on how to choose a wedding photographer. Most of what I have read is sound and useful advice, but I thought it might be helpful to write an article that explores this in more detail. So lets look at the mistakes brides and grooms often make in choosing their photographer.

Over the past 25 years as a wedding photographer, I have had the opportunity to speak with well over a thousand engaged couples. I am always surprised by some of the criteria many of them use to choose their wedding photographer. Here are the top 7 mistakes I feel many brides and grooms make when selecting a photographer for their big day:

Have you ever wondered what EXACTLY is a Groom's Cake?

I've had alot of Brides ask me that very question, so I thought I'd briefly explain what it is and how it originated.

As with all things related to your wedding, it is better to be prepared before getting into something.

For the wedding ceremony, here are 5 things you and your fiance should discuss before meeting with your officiant.

Who else would like to know the difference between photojournalistic and traditional style wedding photography?

There is a much confusion surrounding the different styles of wedding photography that professionals are shooting today. Most couples want the style and glamour that they see in magazines. They often don’t know exactly what that style is called and how a skilled photographer can make them look as good as the bride and groom in the latest trend-setting celebrity wedding. Other couples are looking for a more traditional style of wedding photography.

You are a bride to be.  You are planning your special day.  You can now indulge your every whim, right?  Not so fast!!!  It is most definately your moment to reign supreme, but maintaining your perspective will make the entire planning process more fun and less mentally exhausting.

We suggest the following 10 simple rules to preserve your sanity -

Just when it seems that you've navigated hundreds of decisions, and had near-missed tizzies with just about everyone involved in your wedding - ANOTHER hard decision! What to give your best friends for helping you through this blessed event?! Here are some helping guidelines:

• A gift that will remind them of your wedding after it's over. Think durability.
• A gift that is conducive for all your bridesmaids irrespective of fit or size
• Think of something that they can wear or have with them on the day itself
• It would be ideal if your gift helps co-ordinate their look at the same time.

For all the reasons above jewelry makes an ideal gift. By buying affordable jewelry gifts for your bridesmaids you solve two problems at the same time: their jewelry will now co-ordinate with each other (while matching their dresses) AND you're giving them a wonderful gift that they will be able to appreciate long after your wedding.

Your ceremony is the heart and soul of your wedding and will likely be the most personal memory of this special day. So choosing an officiant is more critical than most people realize. Many couples, especially those who do not have a regular place of worship, plan in advance for everything but the wedding officiant! Personal referrals can give you a sense of security but make sure the officiant meets your individual needs and requirements. There are many things to consider:

The Officiant

After the last bridal show in Austin Tx, we got together with some friends for dinner and the conversation shifted to the cost of wedding photography and why it can be so expensive. When someone books a 5-6 hour wedding with us they may not be aware that our true time commitiment to our customer is about 30 hours.

We want our customers to understand that a professional photographer does more than “just shoot and burn a disk”. The wedding day is just the beginning. As professional photographers we always photograph in camera RAW format. This means that our workflow after the wedding is a day or so to process the 800-1500 images. Yes, we do check/adjust each image for color balance, exposure, composition etc as part of our processing. Then, we upload the entire wedding to the internet so family and friends can enjoy the photos. It takes quite a bit of time even with page templates and upload scripts to create/upload the 800-1500 thumbnail images, larger images and web proof pages.

If your hair is short your options are somewhat limited but the chances of a hair malfunction is decreased as well. The longer your hair is the more options you have. Up- do’s, partial-up do’s, braiding, curls, the list of possibilities is long.

What you decide should be what you prefer and what looks good with your dress but if you choose to have your hair up be prepared for a headache if you don’t plan ahead. I don’t mean to say that having your hair done will be a headache. I mean that an up-do can literally cause you to have a headache because of how tight your hair is pulled back. Prepare yourself for an up-do. For two to three weeks before your wedding put your hair in a pony tail, pig tails, braids or anything that can simulate the pulling back and pulling up of your hair to get used to the feel.

In a time when the environment is one of the most important topics on the minds of everyone, even brides are looking to "do their part."

Giving "green" favors to guests isn't a trend - it's a way for a couple to give back. Not just to guests, but to their children, and their childrens' children. To the world.