I was fortunate enough to have drinks last night with Missy of Missy Photography {who is beyond fabulous} and decided that this week's round up would consist of photography articles that give more insight into Wedding Photography, so read on to be educated!
I am a firm believer in the Engagement Shoot - it gives both the couple and the photographer the chance to warm up to each other and for the photographer to become attuned to how you are in front of the camera, so that they can prepare to take incredible images of you on your wedding day. Read this by Jason Aten for more insight!
A lot of my clients are always a bit surprised to find out pricing for photographers - they seem to think that photographers show up on the wedding day, take pictures, upload them to a CD and that's it. Their job is so much more than that, read this, from the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers to gain more perspective on the inner workings of a photographer and their business.
Lastly, check out this insightful article from Seattle Metropolitan - written by photographers about their craft.
Happy Weekend - Stay Warm!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned: Making Your Wedding Your Own
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned
I was lucky enough to work with a couple this year who was the epitome of a movie worthy love story - they had met years and year ago, only to go their separate ways to be reunited a few years later and realized that they were deeply in love. When they decided to get married, you could see on their wedding day that their love was very genuine. It wasn't until we were entrenched in the coordination process that I came to find out that this was the bride's second marriage. And, she was determined that the first marriage wasn't going to have anything to do with her "real marriage" {as she called it!}.
Besides the location and venue being vastly different, my bride made a point of being a bride on her wedding day. It didn't matter to her that this was the second gown she was going to wear, she was going to go big or go home. She didn't harp on "but I've already done a first dance, or I've already cut the cake" she wanted to do these traditional aspects with her new husband and there wasn't any reason not to. Too often I hear that second weddings really aim to be the antithesis of the first wedding, so much so that all the fun parts of the wedding are scrapped because 'been there, done that'. I don't see why things need to be that way. It's your wedding day - make it your own. Regardless of whether or not you've already done x,y, and z aspect of a wedding at the first, if you and the hubby want to partake in that aspect - do it. Its not the same as the first time around. It simply can't and won't be. The people are different {even if a few guests came to your previous wedding}, the atmosphere is different and above all: you are different. You've grown and gotten more enlightened, you've expanded your world and you've gained a wider perspective in life. There isn't a possibility that you're the same as you were, so there's no possibility that your second wedding will be the same.
Go ahead and own your wedding day, you deserve it!
I was lucky enough to work with a couple this year who was the epitome of a movie worthy love story - they had met years and year ago, only to go their separate ways to be reunited a few years later and realized that they were deeply in love. When they decided to get married, you could see on their wedding day that their love was very genuine. It wasn't until we were entrenched in the coordination process that I came to find out that this was the bride's second marriage. And, she was determined that the first marriage wasn't going to have anything to do with her "real marriage" {as she called it!}.
Besides the location and venue being vastly different, my bride made a point of being a bride on her wedding day. It didn't matter to her that this was the second gown she was going to wear, she was going to go big or go home. She didn't harp on "but I've already done a first dance, or I've already cut the cake" she wanted to do these traditional aspects with her new husband and there wasn't any reason not to. Too often I hear that second weddings really aim to be the antithesis of the first wedding, so much so that all the fun parts of the wedding are scrapped because 'been there, done that'. I don't see why things need to be that way. It's your wedding day - make it your own. Regardless of whether or not you've already done x,y, and z aspect of a wedding at the first, if you and the hubby want to partake in that aspect - do it. Its not the same as the first time around. It simply can't and won't be. The people are different {even if a few guests came to your previous wedding}, the atmosphere is different and above all: you are different. You've grown and gotten more enlightened, you've expanded your world and you've gained a wider perspective in life. There isn't a possibility that you're the same as you were, so there's no possibility that your second wedding will be the same.
Go ahead and own your wedding day, you deserve it!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Getting to Know This Wedding Planner
I was fortunate enough to attend an advance screening of the new Clint Eastwood movie, Invictus, last night and it prompted me to write a more personal post about my heritage, since it is so important to me and because not many of you within the wedding world know all about me! {Side note, go see the movie, its fabulous and very poignant to the history of South Africa}
I was born in Durban, South Africa into a family whose history is very ingrained in Durban {ps: Durban is the largest port city in Africa, but if you're not from there, don't waste your time visiting!}. Both sides of my family had settled in South Africa long before 1900 from Scotland, England, Wales and Germany. While I don't know exactly why each of my ancestors wound up there, my family has a strong foothold in the local community and would never consider themselves anything but purely South African. I come from an extremely small family given the fact that my father's older brother married my mother's older sister and well that tends to keep things really small. After my parents got married in their early 20's, they had the opportunity to travel the world for a few months before settling down in London in 1969. After a year in London, they moved to New York City (86th and 3rd to be exact) and a year later they wound up in Montreal. They finally moved back to South Africa for 6 years, which during that time, I arrived. Quite a few years before, my families' company had been sold to a US conglomerate {now known as Unilever} and apart of the deal was that my dad got a job in the US. So when I was small, we moved over to NYC for my dad to work.
Despite growing up in America, I've never actually felt that American. Yes, I had my South African accent practically beaten out of me in grade school {but, its still around - especially after a fun night out or when we go back to the home country}, but my core values are very much influenced by my family and my SA heritage. I've been extremely fortunate to be able to return home yearly {and did 9th grade there} to see my family and friends and am really lucky to be married to a Michigander who loves the entire country. By going back yearly means that I have lived through Apartheid {it means apartness in Afrikaans} - and have first hand experience with how the country has transitioned since Mandela's election in 1994. Even if you aren't schooled in South African history, its hard not to be aware of the difficulties that the country has faced for over 60 years {Apartheid was from 1948 to 1994} - the high levels of crime, the political and economic problems - but - to me, its still home. Its the place where I can have a meal comparable to Per Se but at Chipotle prices, the place where I can drink the most amazing wine of all time {personal rec: try anything by Mulderbosch}, the place where I can go on Safari and spend time in the bush, and most meaningful of all the place where I feel the most comfortable in the entire world. I am proud to be South African.
So, go and see the movie. Its a feel good film with three very important messages for not only South Africa, but for life in general: Truth, Reconciliation and Hope. How one man {Mandela} can inspire 43 million people to be better human beings is one gigantic lesson that we can all learn from.
If you are thinking about visiting the country, let me know! I'd love to give you the 'insiders' travel information!
I was born in Durban, South Africa into a family whose history is very ingrained in Durban {ps: Durban is the largest port city in Africa, but if you're not from there, don't waste your time visiting!}. Both sides of my family had settled in South Africa long before 1900 from Scotland, England, Wales and Germany. While I don't know exactly why each of my ancestors wound up there, my family has a strong foothold in the local community and would never consider themselves anything but purely South African. I come from an extremely small family given the fact that my father's older brother married my mother's older sister and well that tends to keep things really small. After my parents got married in their early 20's, they had the opportunity to travel the world for a few months before settling down in London in 1969. After a year in London, they moved to New York City (86th and 3rd to be exact) and a year later they wound up in Montreal. They finally moved back to South Africa for 6 years, which during that time, I arrived. Quite a few years before, my families' company had been sold to a US conglomerate {now known as Unilever} and apart of the deal was that my dad got a job in the US. So when I was small, we moved over to NYC for my dad to work.
Despite growing up in America, I've never actually felt that American. Yes, I had my South African accent practically beaten out of me in grade school {but, its still around - especially after a fun night out or when we go back to the home country}, but my core values are very much influenced by my family and my SA heritage. I've been extremely fortunate to be able to return home yearly {and did 9th grade there} to see my family and friends and am really lucky to be married to a Michigander who loves the entire country. By going back yearly means that I have lived through Apartheid {it means apartness in Afrikaans} - and have first hand experience with how the country has transitioned since Mandela's election in 1994. Even if you aren't schooled in South African history, its hard not to be aware of the difficulties that the country has faced for over 60 years {Apartheid was from 1948 to 1994} - the high levels of crime, the political and economic problems - but - to me, its still home. Its the place where I can have a meal comparable to Per Se but at Chipotle prices, the place where I can drink the most amazing wine of all time {personal rec: try anything by Mulderbosch}, the place where I can go on Safari and spend time in the bush, and most meaningful of all the place where I feel the most comfortable in the entire world. I am proud to be South African.
So, go and see the movie. Its a feel good film with three very important messages for not only South Africa, but for life in general: Truth, Reconciliation and Hope. How one man {Mandela} can inspire 43 million people to be better human beings is one gigantic lesson that we can all learn from.
If you are thinking about visiting the country, let me know! I'd love to give you the 'insiders' travel information!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Weekly Round Up: Wedding Goodness
Happy Friday y'all! I hope that everyone has a fabulous December weekend!
Through my internet travels this week, here are some awesome things that I have found and rounded up for you:
The fabulous Laura Hooper of LHCalligraphy, has created several wedding related stamps that are sure to spice up your invitations, I wish these had been around when I got married!
Julianne Smith aka GarterGirl has a fantastic discount going on for the newly engaged. Comment on her blog {in 3 words!} to earn a discounted one of a kind garter!
Found these articles some time ago, but wanted to share them with you!
Take this quiz to find out if you need a wedding coordinator!
Here's a fabulous article on the value of hiring a wedding coordinator - really gets to the heart of it!
Enjoy!
Through my internet travels this week, here are some awesome things that I have found and rounded up for you:
The fabulous Laura Hooper of LHCalligraphy, has created several wedding related stamps that are sure to spice up your invitations, I wish these had been around when I got married!
Julianne Smith aka GarterGirl has a fantastic discount going on for the newly engaged. Comment on her blog {in 3 words!} to earn a discounted one of a kind garter!
Found these articles some time ago, but wanted to share them with you!
Take this quiz to find out if you need a wedding coordinator!
Here's a fabulous article on the value of hiring a wedding coordinator - really gets to the heart of it!
Enjoy!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned: Dealing with Debbie Downer
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned
As a wedding planner, one of my roles is to act as a neutral party on the wedding day - particularly between parents and the couple getting married. Most of the time, everyone is just so happy and full of love that there isn't any issues, sometimes however, this isn't the case and emotions get overwhelming and get the best of people. I know, as a bride, that its very difficult to shut out the negativity that you may receive from a family member, but honestly, you have to. You have to make a concerted effort to shut out words and thoughts that will upset you. Its your wedding day! Be happy and strong! Remember that who ever is lashing out is doing so because their emotions and thoughts are unstable - it almost never actually has anything to do with YOU. Its hard to do, but blocking out the negative will ensure that your day isn't a gloomy one.
I witnessed this at a wedding this year and it simply broke my heart. The mother of the bride was insistent that her daughter had planned the worst wedding ever {trust me, it was quite the opposite}. She stated this over and over to the point that her daughter became inconsolable and miserable. Her newly minted husband tried his hardest to bring her back up to enjoy the beautiful day, but he couldn't. I was devastated at everyones behavior and repeatedly tried to get everyone into neutral corners and to just let it all go. In the end, all the bride is going to remember is how her mother ruined her fabulous day. Please - don't let this happen to you. If you think or know that someone will try and be a downer on your day, tell your wedding planner so they know in advance to keep everyone apart. We can intervene and will intervene, but sometimes the damage is already done.
Seek out positivity on your day, and don't let any negativity bring you down - you're getting married!
As a wedding planner, one of my roles is to act as a neutral party on the wedding day - particularly between parents and the couple getting married. Most of the time, everyone is just so happy and full of love that there isn't any issues, sometimes however, this isn't the case and emotions get overwhelming and get the best of people. I know, as a bride, that its very difficult to shut out the negativity that you may receive from a family member, but honestly, you have to. You have to make a concerted effort to shut out words and thoughts that will upset you. Its your wedding day! Be happy and strong! Remember that who ever is lashing out is doing so because their emotions and thoughts are unstable - it almost never actually has anything to do with YOU. Its hard to do, but blocking out the negative will ensure that your day isn't a gloomy one.
I witnessed this at a wedding this year and it simply broke my heart. The mother of the bride was insistent that her daughter had planned the worst wedding ever {trust me, it was quite the opposite}. She stated this over and over to the point that her daughter became inconsolable and miserable. Her newly minted husband tried his hardest to bring her back up to enjoy the beautiful day, but he couldn't. I was devastated at everyones behavior and repeatedly tried to get everyone into neutral corners and to just let it all go. In the end, all the bride is going to remember is how her mother ruined her fabulous day. Please - don't let this happen to you. If you think or know that someone will try and be a downer on your day, tell your wedding planner so they know in advance to keep everyone apart. We can intervene and will intervene, but sometimes the damage is already done.
Seek out positivity on your day, and don't let any negativity bring you down - you're getting married!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned: Mr.and Mrs. United Front - Resisting the Naysayers
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned
One would hope that a couple's wedding day is a very true reflection of them as a couple, and not a day influenced by anyone else. It's sad to say, but that's not always the case and I wish it were. Fortunately, I had the opportunity and honor to help plan and coordinate a wedding this year that was 100% couple only. Firstly, they did a two day affair - small intimate ceremony in their backyard followed by a fabulous soiree the next night for their closest 100. For them, this was exactly how they wanted their wedding and no matter how 'untraditional' the whole affair seemed to everyone else, they didn't care. And believe me, they received a lot of flack for the whole experience. The parents didn't get it, there were friends and family that were upset about who got invited to the ceremony and who didn't ... the list of gripes goes on and on. But, the couple stood firm in what they wanted and they didn't listen to the naysayers. It was their wedding and they could and would do what they wanted with it. And you know what, it was an amazing weekend that every guest loved.
So, how hard or easy is it to close off all the white noise that you'll inevitably get regarding your wedding planning? Firstly, be a united front. You're a mini family, the two of you, stay that way. This is probably the first of many battles that you'll face together once you're officially Mr. and Mrs. - this is the perfect time to start working together and be a unit. This may be difficult, but if you trust and support each other, and above all, believe in each other, it will be much easier to stand your ground. No one wants to be bullied into something anyways, right? Secondly, its your wedding. Do what you want. There really isn't any notion of 'traditions' these days as everyone wants their wedding to not be typical and the same. The new tradition is creating your own traditions. Picking and choosing what represents you as a couple, not doing something because someone says you have to. If you find an idea, great! Make it your own. Believe in it. Trust me, any resistance you may get before the big day will be gone when everyone sees how truly fabulous your wedding day is.
How will you be representing yourself as a couple on your wedding day? How have you handled any push back you've receiving during your wedding planning process?
One would hope that a couple's wedding day is a very true reflection of them as a couple, and not a day influenced by anyone else. It's sad to say, but that's not always the case and I wish it were. Fortunately, I had the opportunity and honor to help plan and coordinate a wedding this year that was 100% couple only. Firstly, they did a two day affair - small intimate ceremony in their backyard followed by a fabulous soiree the next night for their closest 100. For them, this was exactly how they wanted their wedding and no matter how 'untraditional' the whole affair seemed to everyone else, they didn't care. And believe me, they received a lot of flack for the whole experience. The parents didn't get it, there were friends and family that were upset about who got invited to the ceremony and who didn't ... the list of gripes goes on and on. But, the couple stood firm in what they wanted and they didn't listen to the naysayers. It was their wedding and they could and would do what they wanted with it. And you know what, it was an amazing weekend that every guest loved.
So, how hard or easy is it to close off all the white noise that you'll inevitably get regarding your wedding planning? Firstly, be a united front. You're a mini family, the two of you, stay that way. This is probably the first of many battles that you'll face together once you're officially Mr. and Mrs. - this is the perfect time to start working together and be a unit. This may be difficult, but if you trust and support each other, and above all, believe in each other, it will be much easier to stand your ground. No one wants to be bullied into something anyways, right? Secondly, its your wedding. Do what you want. There really isn't any notion of 'traditions' these days as everyone wants their wedding to not be typical and the same. The new tradition is creating your own traditions. Picking and choosing what represents you as a couple, not doing something because someone says you have to. If you find an idea, great! Make it your own. Believe in it. Trust me, any resistance you may get before the big day will be gone when everyone sees how truly fabulous your wedding day is.
How will you be representing yourself as a couple on your wedding day? How have you handled any push back you've receiving during your wedding planning process?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned: The Valueless Meaning of the Unlimited Wedding Budget
2009 Wedding Lessons Learned
I know that talking about money is like talking about a dirty little secret. No one feels comfortable doing it, BUT, when it comes to planning your wedding, its a conversation that absolutely MUST HAPPEN! Whenever I have a consultation, its one of the first questions I ask, simply because as a wedding planner, knowing what your threshold is, makes me do my job better. I will recommend vendors that are appropriate to your budget, so no one's time gets wasted. So, please don't think I am being nosy, I am just trying to do my job!
When you sit down to discuss your budget - please be reasonable. There is no need to have a wedding that will start your marriage off in debt. Remember that a wedding lasts for one day, a marriage lasts forever. On the flipside - if you have unlimited funds for the wedding day - set a limit. Its actually not helpful to any of your vendors if you say the budget is unlimited. Unlimited and Wedding mean very different things to each person. Unlimited could mean $50,000 to one vendor, or it could mean $1,000,000 to another vendor. I know those are two extremes, but they get my point across, unlimited does not hold the same value for every person. Set a limit.
I ran into this budgetary conundrum with one of my couple's this year. They were adamant that unlimited meant unlimited, no expense spared. When we started getting quotes from vendors for every aspect of the day, unlimited came to have a very defined number that was near where close to Unlimited. They had quickly realized that if you say "unlimited" to your vendors, they will create very pricey proposals. We had to scale back every vendor to fit into their definition of unlimited - something that could have been avoided if a budget had been pre-determined.
For more budget information, please read this post!
I know that talking about money is like talking about a dirty little secret. No one feels comfortable doing it, BUT, when it comes to planning your wedding, its a conversation that absolutely MUST HAPPEN! Whenever I have a consultation, its one of the first questions I ask, simply because as a wedding planner, knowing what your threshold is, makes me do my job better. I will recommend vendors that are appropriate to your budget, so no one's time gets wasted. So, please don't think I am being nosy, I am just trying to do my job!
When you sit down to discuss your budget - please be reasonable. There is no need to have a wedding that will start your marriage off in debt. Remember that a wedding lasts for one day, a marriage lasts forever. On the flipside - if you have unlimited funds for the wedding day - set a limit. Its actually not helpful to any of your vendors if you say the budget is unlimited. Unlimited and Wedding mean very different things to each person. Unlimited could mean $50,000 to one vendor, or it could mean $1,000,000 to another vendor. I know those are two extremes, but they get my point across, unlimited does not hold the same value for every person. Set a limit.
I ran into this budgetary conundrum with one of my couple's this year. They were adamant that unlimited meant unlimited, no expense spared. When we started getting quotes from vendors for every aspect of the day, unlimited came to have a very defined number that was near where close to Unlimited. They had quickly realized that if you say "unlimited" to your vendors, they will create very pricey proposals. We had to scale back every vendor to fit into their definition of unlimited - something that could have been avoided if a budget had been pre-determined.
For more budget information, please read this post!
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