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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.
No Regrets: Finding The Perfect Wedding Dress
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.
The above article is from www.mrsparty.com
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
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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….
I am pretty sure that the coming months will be filled with thoughts and memories of looking back over the year and all the weddings I shot.
And I just came across an article which made me really look back and think about all the cool escort cards that were at each wedding. For the most part, all different than any other wedding. The escort card is such a great way to take your motif and spread it even further. Maybe even giving the guests a look at what’s to come. Below is a bunch of photos from the article which was written on the knot. Not much of an article than it was a bunch of great wedding photography shots of said cards.
So with out a doubt, being a Ct. wedding photographer and destination wedding photographer is a great thing. What other professions do you get to be thrown into a new enviroment with new details, new faces and new smiles each and every day? That’s surely part of my life as a wedding photographer in Ct.
It’s been a fun season of wedding photography and recently I’ve been hearing a ton of great feedback. But not only that, in the past two weeks I’ve heard my business spoken of on a much larger scale. From Wedding photographer in Florida. to Boston Wedding Photographer to Destination wedding photographer. Now some of you may ask why that’s such a great thing??? Quite simply because I’m based out of Ct. and began on a much smaller scale as a Ct. wedding photographer in Central Ct. but have had things just blossom into pure greatness!!!
Now the other thing that I have come across with the past 3 weddings I have shot is more important to you. From wedding dresses to wedding cakes to wedding hair styles. There are many things to consider and make out the way you want them. And HAIR seems to have been a big one in the last 3. Not because they were super picky, but because they didn’t like their hairstyle on their wedding day. So I have a couple quick and simple tips…
Don’t get your hair cut right before your wedding. Weeks before, yes if you much. But not with in a week. Or even two. ( I had a bride with new bangs and she hated them on her wedding day. They wouldn’t do what they wanted because they were used to being pulled back as longer hair. She didn’t know how to style them and they frustrated her beyond belief for her day)
Do a test run on your hair. Make sure you like the style, make sure you like the stylist and make sure it is how you want to look in your wedding photography for years to come. You don’t want to be looking back at your wedding pictures with this “uggg… is that me” thought… Most recently I had a bride who had her hair all styled and when the sylist left the room she started to take it all apart to make it look the way she wanted. When in reality, he should have done that in first place.
And last but not least, don’t colour your hair the day before your wedding. Give it some time to tone down and work for you. A bride coloured her hair for her wedding day, only to then have redish orange hair with darker eyebrows that she used a redish orange makeup pencil to colour in her eyebrows to look a bit more like her hair… Just didn’t make for a good combination….
So while yes, I’m just a New England wedding photographer in Southern New England. I also run into these situations more often than I would like. I guess it’s just a good thing that I keep the bobby pins, hairspray, stain stick and more in my camera bag huh…
So you’re ready. You’ve enjoyed the first couple weeks of your newly engaged status and you’re ready to tackle your dream day. Just remember through all of this that it’s your dream day and you shouldn’t let anyone or anything take that away from you. Take on what you can when you can and know that it will all fall into place as it should…
However, in order for everything to fall in place, you need to know what that everything is. And you can’t really determine that everything before setting up a budget. Believe me, as one of many wedding photographers across the US, we hear of budgets and try to work with budgets the best we can.
First things first, is the word around the country. And that word is about the average wedding. Maybe you’ll want to sit down for this, but the average wedding at this time is around $29,000.00. Typing that tells me why the budget is the most stressful part of the entire set, so hopefully I can share some words of advice with you to help assist your day.
First things first is setting the budget and to do so you need to sit down with everyone involved. It’s the oldschool way to say that one certain family covers the cost for everything. With the cost of weddings rising, the amount of people helping on the financial side has also gone up… (thankfully)…
Now that you have come up with a realistic budget that works for everyone involved, it’s time to determine where that money is going and to allocate it to the correct pieces and parts of your day. Sit down and come up with a list of items and details that you will need for your day and how much, roughly, you’ll have to allocate to each one. (I have a great spreadsheet that I share with my brides that I would be more than happy to e-mail you. Just shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get it out your way) From there, really look at your list with your fiance and determine what the most important parts of your day would be. Much like I do as a wedding photographer with all of my brides. I don’t believe in packages A, B, or C because I don’t believe each individual couple has the same thoughts and or needs for their wedding photography.
From there, you’ll need to set up a reliable way to to account for each and every part of your wedding day and the budget. There is software out there to help with that or just a simple spreadsheet will do. But something that will keep it all under control is a must!!!
If the money is something that is already there, put it in the bank! And not in one of your pre-existing accounts but an account for your big day. That’s the only reason that account will exist. Don’t use money out of it for gas, food, or anything else. Let it accrue intrest and stay safe.
If you’re starting with nothing and need to work it up, plan on putting a piece of every paycheck into the account. And think about paying for as much as possible with a credit card that will supply frequent flier miles, cash back or another useful bonus. But what ever you do… TRACK IT ALL!!!!
Shine on,
~Tim
NEXT Wedding tip coming up – Saving $$$ tips
As many of you know from reading these posts I’m a New England and Ct. wedding photographer that enjoys shooting weddings across the country. And since this all began I’ve come to realize that each and every couple feels something different about their day. From the joy to the stress, each wedding and engagement is different. The last post was about the fresh engagement, this post will be about what you should do next. What are the first steps to planning for your big day?
Well, before you even start planning you should enjoy these few weeks of the new “status”… Enjoy that he just “popped the question” and be ready for a heavy dosing of questions. From dates to colour schemes and more. And while the questions will roll in, don’t hesitate to tell those with wonders that you are just taking a few weeks to enjoy the engagement. If parents haven’t met now is surely the time. Get the families together. But most of all, enjoy these few weeks before really running full steam with the planning…
So now what. What are the key steps to planning for your big wedding day???
Before anything else, Plan your budget! Every single piece of your day needs to revolve around this budget so things not only get kept in certain ranges, but also making sure there is a piece of the pie put aside for each and every part of the day. Bring anyone involved in the budget together. It’s no longer up to just the brides side of the family to pay for the day. And weddings are becoming more costly so take the time to sit down and really plan this one out. The budget will really tell you what kind of day you can have. From the amount of guests to venues. This is surely the main key.
The guest list. There are many places to find tips for your wedding day, some of those places will tell you different things about the 2nd step. But think about this, the guest list truly tells you the size of your day. You can’t cram 250 people into a venue that only holds 100, you can’t invite 300 people when your budget on meals will only feed 200… So you need to get this list worked out. It can change a little but before you can make any other contracts work you need to know how many people will be showing.
Next is your wedding venue! Where will your wedding be held. From the ceremony to reception. Now that you have your budget set out, and your guest list, you can decide what locations will fit your needs. From size to pricing, to location. This is key because many venues book out a year in advance. So you really can’t decide on a wedding date until you book your wedding venue, and you also can’t take on any other contracts for the wedding photographer, cake designer and more until the date is set. So VENUE VENUE VENUE….
Once you have these steps in place everything else will start to just flow right along…
Shine on,
~Tim
I may be known as a remarkable wedding photographer from New England but I’m also a wedding photographer that has been and still is married. I was recently chatting with my wife about this and that and a talk came up on planning in general. How tips are great, news is great but where should a newly engaged couple start. It dawned on me that, OMG! I’m writing tips that truly may not matter if you’re too stressed out to deal with them by the time you get to that point… Sooooooooooo, let’s slow down. Lets start basic and work our way up… What do you say?
Let us start together with one of the most emotional struggles women may face. Engagements. One of the most psychological transitions in our lives. With this new engagement may come fear, sadness, anxiety and loss. All feelings that all seem to get overlooked by so many. People would rather ask, when’s the big day, what’s the ring look like, where did it happen! When in reality, it’s those other feelings that need to be overcome if one ever plans to arrive at the alter happy and ready for a life long and love filled marriage.
Feeling a bit lost? Understandable. As women, you are giving up the soul identity you have come to create. With your friends, on your own. You are no longer going to be a single women. You are going to not only give up that single status, A feeling that you may believe is your only relation with your single girlfriends, but you are giving up part of your identity. You will have a new last name (if you choose to take it) and more. All a stage in your life, possibly the only stage you have ever created is going to now be a closed chapter… The loss is understandable but the future is going to be gold!!!
What if you look at that gold and know that as one chapter closes a new one begins. A chapter of love, togetherness and fun! It’s quite possible for a bit of fear to show itself here as you are entering this new chapter which will rely heavily on another individuals commitment as well. Putting your futures happiness onto this other individual partnered with yourself. What if the marriage doesn’t last, what if he cheats on me, what if I cheat on him, what if something happens to me or him, what if the love fades away. These are all thoughts and fears that can come at a bride who even on the outside may seem joyous.
As I mentioned above, as a future bride you’re bombarded with congrats, and what will your dress look like, what will the wedding day be… And more… While deep inside you may be wondering if you’re making the right choice. Is this the right partner for my life? Is this what I truly want? These feelings are normal and you’re better off to find a friend, relative or if need be a DR. to listen to you. Truly listen and help. The other alternative which many people opt for is to take all the planning and let it comsume you as a whole. Not giving those other feelings a chance to come out. The right thing to do?????
All of these thoughts are normal. Don’t worry. Don’t run… They ARE NORMAL! Instead, look back. Look at the years you have already lived and the transitions you have not only made it through but more than likely prospered with. Graduating from highschool and college. Moving out of your hometown. Leaving one secure job for a new endeavor. All of your co-workers, friends and family understood and sympathized with your feelings. BUT… Did you let those feelings drag you down or did you rally your troops, took the steps to the future and raised the flags with full colour?? Did you not take the steps and made them glow? Did you not enjoy what the future held? Did you not just say “DAMN! I made the right choice on that one!!!”…. Because that’s what this is about. Rally the troops, raise the flags and know that yes, you’re making the right choice. Just don’t let it all be pushed deep inside. Let the feelings glow and them put them out because the love and happiness in the future will over power all!!!!
Next blog…. Now what…
I can’t say as it’s an easy thing, choosing a wedding florist and all… Let’s face it though, you want flowers, you almost need flowers. So what do you do? Where do you start? What kind of flowers, what florist??? First things first, you obviously have a theme you want to go with. Colours you want to use and an over all appearance that you’re trying to make work. So go with it. But if you really want to make your day something else, ask florists about flowers you may not see every day or at every wedding. Sure, late summer into early fall you have sunflowers that are beautiful. But the rest of the year, put the work into their hands. Have things ordered. But do so in time that the flowers will actually be there. But the other key, is the florist themselves. Look at many, DO NOT CHOOSE the first one. You may see the flowers and they may look beautiful, but STOP, you’ll think that about all florists. Look at the bouquets they’ve created in the past. Look at the details of how they wrapped the stems. That’s one thing I’ve seen as a wedding photographer is the bouquets not really holding together through the night. Where at other weddings they’re as this as a brick! Ask them how long they will have the flowers before your wedding. That last thing you want is flowers that are already wilted. Ask them how they will transport them. Many florists just lay the flowers in boxes and drop them off. The flowers sit for a few hours in these dry boxes and start to wilt right then and there. My mother has done flowers for many weddings. It’s not her career, she does it out of her garage but you know what, never is a flower delivered that isn’t in water. From the bouquets to the center pieces. They’re in water until the last minute. PERIOD! I can’t say as if this was the most informative, but the point I’m trying to get across is simple. ASK QUESTIONS. A flower is not a flower is a flower… Ask where the flowers come from, how long they’ll have them pre-wedding, how they will be transported, what kind of fillers are going to be used, what is a back up plan if special order flowers don’t come through??? ASK ASK ASK…
Excerpt
As a wedding photographer I see all toooooo often photography being put on the back burner while the wedding dress, the cake, the reception venue and more take center stage. I don’t say this because I’m a wedding photographer, I say this as an individual that wants you to have the best memories captured! PUT THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY on the top of your list. There are many reasons for this, some of which are outline below, but before we go any further I want you to just think about it from one direction…
3-7-15 years from now, the day will be way in the past… Now stop, what will you have to remember YOUR day, possibly the day you dreamed of your entire life??? You’ll most likely have the dress, heck, you may even still have the top of the cake in the freezer…. What you won’t have are all the small details, you won’t have the DJ, you won’t have the food, you didn’t purchase the venue where the reception was held, nor the Limo, the church and more. But what you will have are the photos. You’ll have the wedding photos which you will have hopefully looked through since your day. So now the question is, do you want photos that are just that, photos, or do you want so many of the moments, the laughs, the smiles and the details in beautiful pieces of work? The photography truly is one of the few things you’ll still have years down the road. And below are a few tips to help you find the right photographer… Before those are 3 simple guide lines that I like to pass along…
- LIKE THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WORK!
- LIKE THE PHOTOGRAPHER SO THAT EVERYONE GETS ALONE
- And last but not least, MAKE SURE IT WORKS FOR YOUR BUDGET
- In my eyes it’s advisable that you begin looking for a wedding photographer the second you get engaged. Why? Quite simple, first off, the more you get done and the sooner it happens, the less stress you have in the future. Secondly, wedding photographers book up fast, at least the great wedding photographers. We’re not even done with 2008 yet and I personally have weddings booked into 2010! The photographer you find should provoke a reaction with in you, and not a bad one.
- Find out how much experience the photographer has, not saying that in-experienced photographers don’t know what they’re doing. I mean heck, we all needed to start some where. But what I can say on a personal level from as a wedding photographer is that experience means we know where to be and when to be there. We can generally be ready for shots before you even know what’s about to happen. Let alone knowing how to work with other vendors on your day, the schedule, not being in anyones way and more.
- Studios which employ more than one photographer can be a bit shady. Why? Because at times you never really know who’s going to show up to shoot your day. They can promise one person and have another show up and more. How would you feel with a stranger walking into your day??? Let alone following you around for the entire day. God forbid you not get along with said photographer.
- Make sure you know what you’re getting. Now adays with digital, most photographers include all images on CD, just make sure you also share the rights so that you can print images if you so feel the need. Get everything in writing, no verbal promises at all!
- Get a contract and book with a deposit. Wedding photographers truly do book their days fast and you don’t want to spend all this time finding the right photographer only to lose them to another wedding because you didn’t leave a deposit and get a contract.
- Make sure to schedule all the time you want. From before the ceremony through the reception. I personally don’t believe in setting strict time limits, but you will find some photographers that put 6-8-10 hours time limits with no wavering. 6 hours hits and they’re gone!
Honestly, I could go on, but that’s a good place to start… Just find someone that you like, has great work and fits with your budget and style!!!
Shine on,
~Tim
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