This time of year is one of my favorite times to photograph a wedding. All the flowers are blooming and it is simply beautiful. When it comes to flowers everyone has their favorites, Calla Lillis, Roses, Carnations the list goes on and on. Flowers are the one thing that can make the reception hall really POP. They can turn a drab hall into something really spectacular. But in our current economics I see a lot of brides cutting back on the flowers. This is one of those things that can be cut without totally ruining your wedding day or memories, but don’t go it alone. You still should hire a professional florist to work their magic for you. A lot of brides and mothers of brides are very crafty and I know you can probably make a center piece that looks spectacular. But, do you want to do them, the night before your big wedding, for 12 to 20 tables, set them up, risk the flowers dying etc, etc. When you trust a florist you have their many years of experience, you have their wholesalers who can guarantee your flowers will be fresh and better yet stay fresh thought your day. There is nothing worse than a groom with a wilted boutonnière. A good florist will understand your vision and budget and work within those means, saving you so much unneeded aggravation and stress.
As with any wedding vendor, make sure you are dealing with a professional. Not someone working out of the basement of their home. A professional will have guarantees, and back ups if the flowers have issues. You can’t say that of someone who doesn’t have a real wholesaler behind them. And NO Cosco is not a flower wholesaler.
I have had the pleasure of working with some wonderful florists, one of which is Perkasie Florist. You’ll work directly with the owner, Cathy. She understands how tough the financial aspect of a wedding can be and she’ll do her best to make your wedding reception your perfect dream, within your budget.
Planning the perfect wedding is a lot like juggling. The more dramatic a juggler is the more balls are in the air at the same time.
Your planning your wedding, you picked the date and confirmed it with the church, but now you have the reception site, the caterer, the photographer, videographer, invitations, florist, gowns, dresses, tuxedos, limousines … lions and tigers and bears OH MY! All this and you still have your personal life and families to deal with. When you want the perfect wedding and really don’t have the time to juggle, it might be time to call in a professional. An event planner. I know the first thing you are thinking is, I can’t afford that. Actually you can. Most event planners have different plans that they can customize to your needs. They can do as much or as little as you want, say do all the phone calls and get you a few florists to check out so you don’t spend hours on the phone narrowing down your search to those you can afford.
A wedding planners job is to help you realize your dream wedding and to help cut down on stress. Now isn’t that something we all can use. As a photographer, I love working with a wedding planner because nothing is left to chance. Everything is timed out and you are certain that your wedding day will run smoothly and stress free. Well as stress free as a wedding can be!
In my continuing series of preferred vendors I’d like to talk about another way you can really customize your wedding. Hiring a calligrapher to hand write out your wedding invitation envelopes, invitation, or pages in your wedding book, is a wonderful way to really make this your own. Now I am not talking computerized fonts that anyone can get, I am talking an actual artist in calligraphy and design. Therese Swift-Hahn from “Bella Scrittura” is such an artist. Her calligraphy is by far the best I have seen. She takes the time and effort to make sure each and every stroke of her pen is beautiful and exactly what is needed to enhance your wedding. We are in the planning stages right now of designing a wedding book with some calligraphic pages along with photographs so that you will have a one of a kind heirloom wedding book unlike any other wedding book you have ever seem. More on that to come. Therese is based in Mount Laurel, NJ and be contacted via email at Bella Scrittura Calligraphy and Design (bellascrittura@verizon.net)
So we talked about the brides gown and fit, but what about the guys? Yes, for the most part a wedding is the bride’s day but don’t forget the other half of the couple. A groom’s tuxedo should reflect his personality and style so that when photographed it is not just a shot of him in a rented suit. Look at how the coat fits, or the style. Is it a day wedding, night, formal or casual? Does his tux fit with the theme? Is he wearing rented shoes that he wouldn’t be caught dead in normally? All these things help to make the grooms look his own and it definitely will show in the photographs. The groom will be more relaxed comfortable and more importantly, himself. Not all tuxedo rental establishments are created equal find one that will listen to you and get what you are trying to achieve. One of my favorite is Fischer’s Tuxedo in Quakertown, PA www.fischerstuxedo.com
Hi all, I want to start keeping up this blog and hopefully help out with your choices for your weddings. being in the bridal industry for almost 25 years I have met some wonderful vendors who really care about making your wedding special. Today I’d like to talk about that all important wedding dress. One thing I really find interesting is the number of wedding dresses that really do not fit properly. A lot of brides love the strapless look but while I am shooting the reception I see so many brides pulling up on their dress to keep it up. If your gown is tailored properly it will stay up and look beautiful the entire night. Every single photograph of you in that dress will look gorgeous. My suggestion? For about the same price as one of those store bought dresses, you can actually have one custom made. Please check out Nilah and company. She is a dress maker and tailor who creates beautiful gowns that fit, well like they were made for you! Her website is www.nilah.com you won’t be sorry!
It was my pleasure and honor to be chosen by Claire and Barry to photograph their summer wedding at the Lake House Inn. What a wonderful event with breathtaking views and a gorgeous sunset.
This is just a small sample of the photographs taken that day. Lake House Inn’s Website
This time of year is one of my favorite times to photograph a wedding. All the flowers are blooming and it is simply beautiful. When it comes to flowers everyone has their favorites, Calla Lillis, Roses, Carnations the list goes on and on. Flowers are the one thing that can make the reception hall really POP. They can turn a drab hall into something really spectacular. But in our current economics I see a lot of brides cutting back on the flowers. This is one of those things that can be cut without totally ruining your wedding day or memories, but don’t go it alone. You still should hire a professional florist to work their magic for you. A lot of brides and mothers of brides are very crafty and I know you can probably make a center piece that looks spectacular. But, do you want to do them, the night before your big wedding, for 12 to 20 tables, set them up, risk the flowers dying etc, etc. When you trust a florist you have their many years of experience, you have their wholesalers who can guarantee your flowers will be fresh and better yet stay fresh thought your day. There is nothing worse than a groom with a wilted boutonnière. A good florist will understand your vision and budget and work within those means, saving you so much unneeded aggravation and stress.
