Meredith Baldwin took the beautiful pictures posted above in Oahu Hawaii.
Me and the Hula girls in Maui Hawaii. What a cool jacket huh?
My sister and I in 1992 in Maui Hawaii
Destination Weddings are becoming more and more popular. “The biggest trend to hit weddings in the past decade is the destination wedding. Whether on a Caribbean beach or in the Italian countryside, more and more couples throw their weddings far from home. The idea is an exciting one, but planning long distance can be difficult.” The Knot guide to destination weddings By: Carley Roney with Joann Gregoli. This book is great. It tells you how many months away from your wedding to start planning things. It helps you decide whether or not to have a big wedding or a small wedding, tips on decorating, setting a budget, the etiquette of destination weddings, countless ways to make your wedding unique and plenty more are listed in this book. If you are planning a destination wedding, I would highly recommend getting this book or one similar to it.
From a photographers stand point, destination weddings offer for so many unique and amazing pictures of you and your future husband and family members. If you are doing a reception in your hometown after your destination wedding, choose At Studio 206 to photograph your pictures and capture those special memories for you.
This is a picture of Meredith and Josh on their wedding day. This was taken right after they were pronounced husband and wife. Priceless.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I know I did! I went to Books & Company a while back and found The Bride’s Year Ahead The Ultimate Month-by-Month Wedding Planner By: Marguerite Smolen. This planner is great for many reasons. First off, I think every bride should have a wedding planner. Many couples after just getting engaged they are so excited to start their planning, but get overwhelmed with not knowing where to start. Wedding planers really guide you step by step on where to begin your awesome journey of planning your wedding. The planner stated above is great because of it’s size. I Like that it’s big enough that you can still read all the text and see the pictures and still put notes and papers inside, but small enough that you can take with you to your meetings with different vendors. It also has very lovely pictures inside.
In the back of the book are little cards that you can hand out to your maid of honor or best man ect. That give them suggestions on what they can do to help on the wedding day. I also like this planner because it helps you plan a year away from your wedding. A good chapter that I like is Chapter 2- Eleven Months Ahead. This Month’s To-Do List
Announce your engagement, choose the wedding party, Book a photographer and a videographer, hire a musician. It also states “The best photographers and musicians get booked almost as early as the reception halls. Now is the time to line up the photo professional who will create an album as beautiful as your memories of this event and a band or Dj that will make the perfect soundtrack to your nuptials.”
Everyone is different, so with that said this planner that I talked about may not be for you, but there are plenty of wedding planners to choose from that best fits you and your wedding plans. Check out your local book store.
If you are into reading and want to get some great tips check out Country Living Weddings Ideas & Inspirations for celebrating in Style By: Marie Proelle Hueston. I read throught parts of it and it looks like a very up to date wedding guide with a lot of great ideas. If you flip to page 98 there are tips on setting a budget. That should be one of the first things you do before meeting with vendors. That way if you decide you want to spend a little more in one area you can possibly cut back on something else in order to have more money for the things you really want. The other great thing about this book is in almost every section it also gives you a Green Tip. For exaple:The green tip under ther "Setting a Budget" is " Not only is candlelight ramantic, it's energy efficient, too. Look for soy candles-they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and they're eco-friendly because they're made from a renewable resource."
On page 117 talks about finding a photographer. One of the tips that really caught my eye in this section and I think a lot of couples could relate to is: " A sweet way to acknowledge guests who cannot be with you on your special day owing to travel restrictions or illness is to take a photograph that includes a message." They also posted a picture of a couple kissing with a sign that says "Hello Grandma!" Similar idea to the picture posted at the top of this blog page.
This book covers everything, wedding location tips, flower tips, cake tips, a time-line for your wedding planning. And it has a lot of fun pictures to look at while you are reading. Enjoy!
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What You Need
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When You Need It
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Why It's Proper
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Engagement Announcements
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Because of school, military service or other plans, your wedding date may be far in the future. If you want people to know you are engaged, plan an Announcement using the Wedding Invitation format.
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Either formal or informal copy is proper to let people know your exciting news.
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Save the Date Cards
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Mail them three to four months in advance of the wedding.
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It is a good idea to give family and friends as much notice as possible of the coming event. This is especially true if you have many out of town guests.
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Wedding Invitations with Envelopes
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Used for anyone you want to attend the ceremony (even if they are ill or too far away to actually come.) Always lists who is getting married, on what day, of what year (spelled out in full), at what time, and the location.
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An occasion this important rates more than a casual invitation. Elegance is enhanced by coordinating with lined inner envelopes.
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Reception Cards
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Traditionally a Reception Card is only used when a select number of the guests invited to the ceremony are invited to the reception. Nowadays, a Reception Card is included with the invitation, even when everyone invited to the ceremony is invited to the reception.
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This invitation says, "You are special." Mailed along with the invitation, this card announces the time and location of reception.
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Response Cards with Printed Return Envelopes
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A must in today's busy times, or you simply won't know who is planning on attending. Plus, you will end up chasing down guests who do not send a handwritten reply.
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The Response Card has become an accepted part of wedding etiquette. Including one with invitation is a thoughtful way to ease the guest's responsibility to reply to formal invitations. As a courtesy to guests, enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope with Response Card.
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Wedding Announcements
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If your circle of friends and relatives is larger than the list you intend to invite to the ceremony, or if you have a private wedding, you will want to send an announcement of your wedding.
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Wedding Announcements include the wedding date, but never the time or location of ceremony. Mail the day of the wedding.
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Thank-You Notes
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A perfectly proper time-saver for those very busy days leading up to the wedding and immediately following the wedding.
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It's a thoughtful way to let gift givers know their gift was received. Always write a personal thank-you note later. Send within two months of wedding.
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Place Cards and Table Cards
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Makes sit-down meals less chaotic if people have assigned seats, or at least assigned tables.
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Place Cards list the guest's name and table and are often displayed in envelopes on a table outside the tent or reception room. Table Cards list a table number inside the folder and the guest's name appears on the outside of the folder.
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Black and White Photography
What's Old is New Again
All photography started out as black and white and as technology came about it gradually was fazed out in favor of color. However, there is a strong resurgence in the art of the Black and White image.
Black and white photography tends to add mood to a photo and by removing all traces of color, the onlooker's eye is more attracted to the subject. Removing the color may reveal details that would otherwise go unnoticed. Color may obscure the texture, while black and white emphasizes structure and composition.
Black and white can add character and feeling by exposing shadows and emphasizing contrast. There is an emphasis on the emotions displayed in a black and white photograph and because the color has been removed it creates a bit of an unknown mystery.
Black and white can be combined with a spot of color or a faint hint of color to draw your eye to a specific spot on the photograph or to add visual interest.
So consider requesting a few black and whites in your wedding package remembering that some images are improved by taking out the color and some look better in full color.
Tips on Choosing a Wedding Photographer
Among the saddest complaints Better Business Bureaus receive concern wedding photographers who do not deliver what was promised. The vast majority of professional photographers will indeed provide unforgettable images of your special day. But you need to do some research beforehand.
The BBB offers the following suggestions to prospective brides and grooms:
- Ask for photographer recommendations from family, friends and co-workers.
- Check with the BBB for reports on the photographers you are considering.
- Schedule interviews with two or three to get a feel for the types of services they offer, the quality of their work and related fees.
- Ask the photographer if he/she is the one who will be photographing your wedding. If so, that should be stated in the contract. If not, request to meet personally with the photographer who will be shooting your wedding and review photos from several events before making a decision.
- The price should not be the only determining factor, but you should know what fees you will be charged for what services.
- Does the photographer work with an assistant? If so, is that included in the fee?
- Ask for references and talk to previous clients. A photographer who is reluctant to provide references is of questionable quality.
- Is the photo package fixed or customized? How many photos are included and what about reprints, enlargements and albums?
- What is the time frame for delivery of proofs and other products? Is there a Web site to view your images? Can you keep the proofs or negatives?
- What type and how many cameras will be used? Is color and black-white photography included?
- What is the payment schedule? Is a deposit required; if so, how much and by when?
- What types of photographs can you expect – formal, informal or spur-of-the-moment?
- Does the photographer know the policy of your church, synagogue or other institution; some have very specific rules regarding photography.
- Obtain a written contract that details every service to be provided and the name of the photographer who will shoot your event; the location, date and time length of all events; the type of package; a list of guaranteed prices for enlargements and any additional charges, like taxes or travel fees. The contract should also specify what happens if your photographer doesn’t show up, as well as the cancellation/refund policy.
Greetings to all of our bride and grooms following our blog.
If you haven't already, now is the time to consider an engagement photo session.
In addition to having great photographs to put in your wallet or purse, you will have flattering pictures to share with friends and family and to add to a save the date card. Many brides and grooms have their engagement pictures put in a wedding guest book to be signed on their wedding day by friends and family.
When you meet with us we will be happy to explain our engagement package and show you sample books.
Check back tomorrow for the Better Business Bureaus list of questions to ask potential photographers.
Thanks for visiting our Blog.
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