Wedding Planning Blog by I Do! Wedding Favors

Many couples put hiring a photographer at the bottom of their list, and whatever money they have left after buying the last of the unique wedding favors, that’s how they decide which one to choose. What amazes me about this kind of thinking is that your photographer is truly the only one who provides a product that will last you a lifetime. Flowers die, your gown is worn once, the food is eaten, the unique wedding favors are gone and on and on and on. Photos of your special day will be with you for many years to come. So why do so many couples give this part of their wedding so little thought? Honestly, I don’t have a clue, but I’m hoping this article changes that.

A professional photographer is one of the most important people on your wedding day. It is up to them to catch memories; to make this day one that will be forever memorialized. There are many different types of wedding photographers. And please hire a wedding photographer, not a photographer that will shoot anything. Hiring someone that specializes in weddings will make a huge difference in the quality of the photos.

Getting references from friends and relatives is one of the best places to begin looking for this special person. Also, spend some time visiting with photographers and looking at their portfolios. You will know immediately if they are the right one for you or not.

Many wedding photographers specialize in different looks. Some are more traditional and will have mapped out your entire day covering the highlights and setting up shots at the beginning of the reception. Others will be more contemporary, specializing in candid and unique setup shots. Some will fall in the middle. Only you will know which you prefer, making sure that whomever you choose, they are the best at what they do for the best price.

After you make your decision and hire a photographer, you need to arrange a pre-wedding meeting so that you can review what you expect him to capture during your day. Also, this meeting allows you to get to know each other better and become better acquainted with what is expected of each other.
If the photographer has been in the business for awhile, they will be very familiar with the local venues and know exactly where the best shots are to be taken. Also, they probably know the Officiate and what is expected of them during what parts of the ceremony. If they don’t know each other, it would be a good idea to speak to each of them to better understand what is acceptable during this part of your day.

Don’t forget to specify how long you expect the photographer to be in attendance during the day, the number of pictures to be taken (only applies to film, not digital) and what kind of album you want. Hint: if you pass on the album for yourself and your families, you can save a ton of money.
Again, of all the costs involved in a wedding, especially those unique wedding favors, photography should be put near the top of your list. Fight the impulse to go the less expensive route. Years from now, you’ll thank me for it!

After being involved with wedding vendors and consulting and purchasing unique wedding favors for more future brides and grooms than I even care to count, I inevitably get asked the same question again and again; how can I make my wedding different and special?
One quick answer is to make be who you are; personalize it to reflect the bride and groom and who everyone there knows them to be. But how do you do that? Read on.

There are so many aspects to every wedding that to cover personalizing all of them would take tons of pages, so I will discuss them one by one. This first part will cover the area that is so precious to the bride – her wedding gown.

Tradition says that for the first time bride, she can and should wear white. And if fate has it that you get married more than once, don’t you dare wear white. You are then degraded to a faded shade of pale. But do we really have to abide by archaic rules? Not on your life! It’s your party and you don’t have to cry because your favorite color is pink and you’re stuck wearing white!

Today, you will notice in Bridal Shops and Boutiques that there are so many gowns with different colors splashed throughout the dress. And many gowns are even in different colors. You can actually have some gowns made in any color you wish. But if you really like the more traditional, white gown, there are arrays of ideas which will allow you to personalize it and make it your own.

One wedding that I consulted on brought the bridal gown to a whole new level. The bride chose a gown that had rose-like pink and lavender flowers going down the train of the gown as well as a few at her waist in the front. And she had it match her unique wedding favors. She requested I come with her to see the gown to help her personalize the bridal party and the entire wedding. The gown was breathtaking, and it didn’t put a dent in her budget. Immediately I knew what had to be done. I spoke to the bridal boutique owner and seamstress. We then presented the bride with my ideas.

What I knew about a wedding, I told the bride; that it has to look like one theme throughout the day and in that, there is great elegance and individual personality. Even if you are having an October wedding, you can match your unique wedding favors to the accents on your dress. I then showed the bride a very simple lavender bridesmaid’s gown, the same style and cut as her own. What I knew would be very beautiful, is if the bridal shop ordered extra pink and lavender flowers (the same as on the bride’s gown) and the seamstress sewed them running down the back train and on the waist, matching the bride. Also, the flower girl would be wearing an identical dress as the bride (a good seamstress can do this for nearly the same money as a normal flower girl dress), with the same flowers again.

The bride was ecstatic and she had a very unique and personalized bridal party. We also continued the theme throughout the wedding; same flowers, same colors, even to the point of putting some on each dinner plate to accent the food. The wedding was a huge success; people talked about it for weeks afterward. And more than that, the bride was thrilled and felt like the wedding truly was a part of her.