Many of you know me as a Ct. wedding photographer, one of many Wedding Photographes in Ct. and New England. BUT, I also shoot around the country. Really, I’ll shoot your wedding where ever the beautiful day will be held.
At the same time, maybe I’m not the 100% spot on perfect guy to shoot your day. And that’s fine, if the team at TAB Photographic don’t work, well, we may cry a little but we’ll get over it.
Quite seriously, some of the best wedding photographers around. And while some may attempt to break the bank, some are also priced in the lower spectrum of your Wedding budget.
Being a wedding photographer, destination weddings are just one of the perks. Much like enjoying the wonderful energy of each wedding, shooting a destination wdding is no different. There’s just more of an adventure there. Just as the couple has the adventure of going somewhere fresh and exciting for their day and they get to turn it into a fun filled time of travels. Being a destination wedding photographer means the same for me. And just because there’s expenses involved for me to get there my stay and more. Don’t think that destination wedding photographers are going to put that all on you. I know that for me, it’s more about the adventure than the price. I generally don’t charge over what I would charge for a normal wedding. Instead, I take it as a fun excursion with a beautiful day placed in the middle. Your day.
Some couples look at destination weddings and think, “no, we couldn’t afford that”… That’s surely where the thoughts need to stop. With the average wedding in a local spot costing $24,000-$28,000.00, a destination wedding doesn’t have to break that mold. As a matter of fact, you can generally pull it off for less. One main reason, less attending. Only those that truly love you will travel for you, meaning the co-workers, clients and more won’t step up. So instead of having 200 guests at $75.00 per person, try 80… Sounds better right. Not to mention being able to offer a bit more and enjoy the company longer and hey, everyone gets a mini vacation….
First off, if you’re bringing 80 guests to a beautiful location, work with the hotel or inn. They want all the business you can bring them and you shouldn’t be paying full price for any of the rooms. Be sure to bring this up with the hotel so that guests can get that discount!!!
Same goes with the flights. Don’t book weekends that are going to cost your guests thousands. Be kind and mention the discounted rates to them. Even for airfare, American Airlines offers discounts for 10 or more of 10% off the published rates! That can save hundreds when combined together.
FAIR WARNING IS CRUCIAL! Those save the date cards, get them out ASAP! Guests will need the time to plan and save. It will be an unexpected vacation but one they will surely enjoy and you will enjoy having them be a part of your day.
Beware of the legal parts of being married in other countries. Some need blood tests or X-rays, some have extra fees, some require permits and more. Don’t let a snag happen upon arrival. PLAN PLAN PLAN…. One of the best ways around that is to hire a professional event planner to be sure all holes are filled before you take off.
Don’t stress… When planning a destination wedding, many of the little things you would deal with in a hometown wedding are out of your control. Even some of the big things. Try to let it go.
And set your watch to island time and your mind to island mentallity. The locals are going to move a little slower, get back to you on their time and in general, are going to be quite a bit more relaxed than the mainlanders would be. It’s just part of how it goes. Don’t stress if something is running late. It’s island life…
And for the big things, bring your own. From music to photography. Some of the resorts will work all that in. But those are two of the most important parts of your day. Especially the photography. It’s one of the few things that you will have after your day. Photographers will still work wit your budget and you’ll find many bands will do the same. It’s part of the adventure for everyone. THink about what’s important to your day and plan accordingly.
Most of all. VISIT… Before your day, take a little trip to your location of choice and dig around. Find the places you really like. Meet anyone that will be an integral part of your day. Most of all, just take it in and make sure this is the place for you….
Again, being a photographer is a great thing. Being a wedding photographer is even better. And being a wedding photographer that shoots destination weddings as well! Yea, that just rocks!!!
As a wedding photographer in new England that shoots around the country I often get many questions about other parts of the wedding day and needs. I refer to many great sites for answers if I don’t know them and below you’ll find one. So from a wedding photographer in Ct. you get some wedding gown tips…
PERFECT WEDDING DRESSES
Choosing wedding dresses is one of life’s most pleasurable dilemmas. Getting it right, however, takes some planning – and a little expert advice. Here’s a crash course in bridal wear.
Your wedding dresses provides a chance to dress completely different than you do on any other day in your life, so feel free to pursue your bridal fantasies when you start shopping. Experiment with different styles to see what suits your figure, and don’t rule anything out based on how it looks on a hanger — many wedding dresses look odd without a figure filling them out.
How formal is your wedding? Generally, the more formal the wedding, the more formal the bride’s wedding dresses. Also, keep the season of your wedding in mind, since some wedding dress fabrics might be too heavy or light for certain times of the year.
Consider your comfort, both physical and emotional. All eyes will be on you throughout your big day, so this might not be the best occasion to wear your first strapless wedding dresses. And a body-skimming sheath won’t let you kick up your heels on the dance floor as freely as you might like. In each wedding dress you try on (and later at the actual fittings), try sitting, dancing, and hugging. Wave your arms around to make sure the shoulders and sleeves aren’t binding. Pay attention to weight — will wearing pounds of beading leave you exhausted? Will a full skirt present a tripping hazard? Does the wedding dresses shape cry out for a higher heel than you care to wear? In general, try to visualize yourself wearing the wedding dress throughout your ceremony and reception. When the picture is right, you’ll know it.
Have the Wedding Dress Flatter Your Figure
Wearing the right cut for your body type can highlight your best features and downplay those you’re concerned about.
The Triangle (small on top, heavier on the bottom)
The key here is to have the wedding dresses balance your proportions. Broaden and emphasize your top half with full sleeve treatments, padded shoulders, or pouf sleeves that extend your shoulder line, and a textured bodice accented with lace overlays, appliqués, and beadwork. Elongated bodices and skirts with controlled fullness will emphasize your waist and de-emphasize your hip area. Avoid set-in sleeves and narrow shoulders, skirts with side panels or excess fullness, and body-hugging sheaths — they’ll make you look disproportioned.
The Inverted Triangle (fuller on top, narrow hips)
In order to de-emphasize your shoulder area and give more width to your lower body, look for wedding gown with minimal shoulder details, simple sleeves, moderate padding, and natural shoulder lines. Simple bodices, with accents kept to a minimum, will draw less attention to your top. For better overall proportion, wear a full skirt or a style with skirt details such as peplums, bustles, sashes, and bows. Avoid wedding dresses with full sleeves, slim, straight skirts, empire waistlines, and plunging necklines.
The Rectangle (nearly equal bust and hips, minimal waist definition)
To create the illusion of curves, look for full, voluminous skirts with jewel or bateau necklines. Horizontal detailing will draw the eye across the body and combat vertical body lines, and oversized shoulders and sleeves will add width to your top and shape to your overall appearance. Avoid slim silhouettes or wedding dresses in soft, clingy fabrics that will only make you appear too thin and narrow.
The Hourglass (small waist, full hips and bust)
To maximize your curves and maintain balance, look for wedding dresses with simple, classic lines like sheaths and mermaid styles — too much detailing can make you look heavier than you really are. Show off your shoulders with off-the-shoulder sleeves, v-necklines, and strapless wedding dresses. Avoid wedding dresses with very full or ruffled skirts, pouf sleeves, highly detailed bodices, and high necklines that cover the shoulder area and minimize the bust.
Camouflaging Concerns
Petite figures are lengthened in controlled-but-full skirts with minimal details. Basque waistlines, simple sleeves, modestly detailed shoulders, vertical pleating, and a-line or princess silhouettes elongate the torso and add height. For slim petites, the sheath or mermaid style is ideal.
Full figures look best in fitted v-neck bodices and dropped v-waistlines. Full skirts camouflage hips and thighs and shoulder pads make waists look smaller. Styling details around the neckline draw the eye up. Long sleeves tapering toward the wrist slenderize arms; avoid strapless or sleeveless wedding dresses which only emphasize fullness. Opt for wedding dresses where the fabric drapes gracefully to the floor instead of ones that are form-fitting, body-hugging.
Minimize a thick waist with an empire waistline. Princess-style wedding dresses elongate a short waist and lengthen the torso. Long waists look shorter when the waistline is cut above the torso, as in a basque-waist wedding gown. To slim heavy hips, try a full-but-controlled skirt without bows, flounces, or ruffles.
A full bust is flattered in an off-the-shoulder portrait or v-neckline with minimal detailing. Small busts look larger when accentuated with intricate details and on-the-shoulder necklines.
Finishing Touches
Once you’ve chosen a wedding gown, the salon will order it and then custom-fit it to your body once it arrives. Typically, you’ll require three fittings before your wedding gown is ready. It’s best to bring the lingerie and shoes you’ll wear with your wedding dress to your fittings so that you can see how the entire ensemble looks together. (If you’re not sure what kind of undergarments your wedding dress requires, ask your fitter for advice.) It’s also a good idea to bring your mother or maid of honor to your second or final dress fitting so she can learn how to help you get into your wedding gown and how to bustle your train, if necessary.
Even if your wedding dress is ready well in advance, resist the urge to pick it up until the week of your wedding. Your bridal salon is better equipped to store your wedding dress properly than you are, and you wouldn’t want it to get wrinkled or crushed in your closet.
Don’t make up your mind for or against any wedding dress without trying it on. Hangers just don’t do justice to some wedding dresses, and others may not flatter your figure as you’d hoped.
It’s nice to bring your mother or maid of honor along for a second opinion (and some major bonding) while wedding gown shopping, but make sure you stay true to your own style and aren’t swayed by their comments, or by those of the salespeople. Do not allow yourself to be talked into anything — if you’re not positive about a wedding dress, keep looking.
Don’t worry if you feel a touch of buyer’s remorse after you choose your wedding dress — it’s a big commitment and it’s natural to wonder if you made the right choice. Focus on how you felt when the wedding dress was on and you realized it was the one, and the doubts will fade away.
Top trends:
- Bare arms. The look of the moment is sleeveless, with a tank bodice or narrow straps, regardless of the season. Strapless wedding dresses are also popular, often paired with a wrap made of a length of sheer fabric.
- A-line, sheath and bias-cut shapes. Cinderella is dead, done in by simpler, sleeker columns and more natural silhouettes.
- High-quality fabrics. Simpler styles demand finer fabrics. High-quality silk satins, peau de soie and crepe have the necessary substance to fall gracefully.
Sweeping veils, headpieces. A long trail of tulle makes the ideal counterpoint to today’s smoother wedding dresses. The same goes for headpieces, now available in an array of lustrous, contemporary designs.
Wise brides have budgets
Often brides end up spending more for their wedding dress than they intended. The industry is geared to make it happen. In a shop filled with wedding dresses between $800 and $5,000, a $2,000 price tag can look like a bargain. Determine your budget before you set foot in a bridal shop and stick to it. What to expect in your range:
$500 and under. Brides with small budgets have more options than you might imagine. Outlets and discount houses are obvious sources of low-budget bridal wear. Brides low on funds but high on ingenuity troll vintage shops and online mail-order sources for bridal bargains. And non-traditionalists often find that a few hundred dollars buys a knockout evening gown that’s better made than bridal wear at twice the price (see Anything goes).
$500 to $1,500. The zone where what you get for your dollar varies most, depending on where you buy. At mainstream retail shops, brides will find many designer labels for under $800, usually in good-quality synthetics. Above that threshold, most wedding dresses are made of silk. Popular heavy silk satins commonly command $1,000. Discount outlets and mail-order houses frequently sell the same styles for 20 to 30 percent less. Another excellent option: custom-made bridal wear. Most brides don’t realize that independent couturiers can design a one-of-a-kind, made-to-measure wedding dress for less than designer gowns of similar or inferior fabrics and quality. Why? No advertising, no middleman.
$1,500 and up. Wedding dresses this costly should be made of excellent fabrics, drape beautifully and exhibit carefully finished seams and handwork. Retail shops offer countless designer gowns in this range, but unless you crave labels, it makes more sense to have a dress custom made for you. You’ll get more for your money. Full service bridal shops usually offer custom gown design. Independent couturiers – often artists of supreme skill – are an even better bet.
Three low-budget tips:
1. Embellish an off-the-rack dress. Hire a seamstress to add trimmings, or do it yourself.
2. Wear something borrowed. Have your mother’s, grandma’s, sister’s or aunt’s dress fitted to you.
3. Order a designer bridesmaid gown in ivory or white.
There’s just something about shooting people (plus I get to say I shoot people) that strikes my fancy. When someone calls me to take portraits of their child they say “we heard you were the portait photographer in Ct. to call”… Do you know how great that makes me feel! Or when a dog shows up at the studio, all bouncing around… Taking pet portraits is also a great thing! Each and every soul has an energy that makes them unique. And that’s what so much of it is about. Not stealing the soul, but freezing it for a split second and holding that part for ever.
Some may wonder, you’re wedding photographer in Ct. or a destination wedding photographer. What do you know about having, of all things, a bachelorette party. Well ya see, as a wedding photographer I do a ton of research non-stop about weddings, tips for weddings, ideas for weddings, wedding themes and more. See, being a wedding photographer doesn’t mean my job stops there because I believe in helping across the board. And recently, one of my brides, who I must say just got a stunning wedding dress from J. Crew, asking me about her bachelorette party. At first I wasn’t sure what to think, then it hit me… Tell her what you know and what you don’t, go find the answers.
SO… A Bachelorette Party, I mean come on, you’re probably going to hear about things that happened at the bachelor party so why not have your own. And I’m not talking about a diamond crusted Tiara with an oiled up stripper… (unless that’s what you want)… I’m talking some other great options. So here we go. From your wedding photographer to you…
First off, when does it take place. Really anytime through your engagement. But you should be sure to keep it clear from the last week of hectic planning. So it just comes down to when all the girls can get together. Which may not be easy with bridesmaides generally spread across the country. And with them, one has to wonder who’s in charge. Really anyone that wants to grab the reins can go for it! And anyone who wants to help can jump right in…
Who comes, anyone you’re close to. They don’t have to be on the wedding list but should be close pals and no more than about 20. And that may even be over kill…
It seems like they don’t really stand still. The bachelorette party seems to always be on the move. From bars to clubs to movies and more. But don’t forget about other ways of celebrating that may be just as much and at times more fun!!!
Kayaking trip, resorts, spas, beaches!!! All make for great times!
Some ideas and trends:
OK – so you’re not the table dancing, inflatable phallus type of bachelorette. Relax – there are plenty of other ways to celebrate your final send-off. Here are some g-rated bachelorette party alternatives:
Adventure Bachelorette – go hiking, rafting, horseback riding, or camping.
Spa Party – gather the girls for some serious pampering
Fondue Party – or any other style of intimate dinner party (fondue just seems to make things more fun!)
Beach Weekend – enjoy some sun, sand – plenty of tropical beverages.
Casino Night – all bets are on! Set up game tables, break out the decks, and test your luck with a roll of the dice.
Wine Tasting – hit up Napa Valley (or the nearest winery) for a day – or weekend – filled with good wine, good conversation, and good friends
There are so many situations in life where you tip, where you don’t tip, how much to tip, can you tip… tip tip tip….
As a wedding photographer in Hartford, Ct. I’m not a tipping expert. Thought I will say that when it comes to dining out I’ve been told I can sometimes over tip… Not the point here. Your wedding. Do you tip your wedding vendors? The answer, quite simply is… Some yes some no. HAH! That wasn’t an easy answer was it. LOL.
Okay, let’s break your wedding vendors down. The do nots. There are wedding vendors where you just don’t have to tip unless you really feel they went above and beyond or you just feel like it’s something that would make you and them feel great. Those vendors – party rental company, they don’t need a penny more, the salon itself – nope, cake baker or stationary company. Nope, don’t need to tip there either. Again, unless you feel it’s something that is well worth it.
The ones that are sometimes expecting tips – your makeup artist, depending on who they are working with on the day, some bridesmaides pay and tip for themselves others don’t. For the MUA you should plan on an average of 15-20% just like you would on a normal salon day trip…. parking, coat check, rest room attendants and the likes, the average seems to be about $1.00 per car / guest. Wait staff seems to be an average of $20.00 per server. HOWEVER, look over the contract and determine if your reception site already has a tip worked into the package. Same goes for your livery service, some limo companies have the tip automatically worked in. Not to say you can’t go above and beyond but look that over so you’re not giving someone $100.00 when they’ve already received $90.00…
How about the wedding florist, wedding photographer, and more. Those are a totally different playing field. As a destination wedding photographer myself. There are times when I’ve received a $500.00 tip, and times when I’ve received a hug and a thank you. I never expect one over the other and am fine with either. And I know many florists that feel the same way. I think it just comes down to what your budget can swing. Just be fair, honest with yourself and if you like the outcome or the energy that was provided with the work, I would say again, go for the 20%… But that’s just my two cents from the ct. wedding photographer….
Surely one of the best wedding videos ever put together. I don’t know, maybe being a wedding photographer in Ct. doesn’t compare to the UK… Maybe when I say destination wedding photographer I need to make the UK one of those destinations!!! Check it!
This is not just going to be about wedding tips or just about being a wedding photographer. But it’s going to be more of a rant I guess. So if you want to read on read on. If you don’t, ditch it. I understand.
And the first thought I need to get out here is a quick one about my style. And styles in general. As a Ct. wedding photographer heck, even a destination wedding photographer one of the questions I hear so often is what’s your style. And the question I have to everyone out there is why do we have to classify our work as any style. As a wedding photographer - portrait photographer - pet portrait photographer, I have to wonder why we can’t just let our work speak for itself??? Why do we have to be known as a photojournalistic photographer, a glamour photographer, a blah blah blah photographer. Why can’t we just share our work and let the calls be made from there??? I’m a wedding photogrpaher in Ct. I shoot RI weddings, NH weddings, weddings across the country and I don’t believe it’s because of “my style”… So when you’re looking for your wedding photographer, don’t worry about what they’re called or what styles they follow. Look at their work and make sure it’s something you like. Because in the end, that’s ALL THAT WILL MATTER…
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