Snapshots

I have to laugh!  Even though February is “the Month of Love” with Valentine’s Day and all that, very few couples actually get married during this month.  Typically we have a couple of January weddings and then a gap until things pick up again in March.

So Paul & I typically plan all of our home or studio improvement projects around this time.  For those of you who haven’t been to our “compound” yet, we have a quaint Cape Cod on about 1 & 1/2 acres of land.  We’ve lived here for about 4 years now and have been renovating the house in ways to make it truly OURS.  In past years we’ve rearranged or just removed walls to give the house a more open feel, replaced some vital organs such as the furnace & water heater, and added a much needed air conditioning system.

Our progress is slow going since we do most of the work ourselves (yes, we are the people you see hanging out at Lowes every weekend).  We both enjoy fixing things up so we only use contractors on those jobs that are way beyond us, like the ever dreaded electrical wiring or rerouting natural gas pipes.  Since our springs, summers, and falls are tied up with weddings and family photos, we can only work on things during our slow months.  Like February!

This year’s projects revolved around installing bamboo flooring in the living room/dining room, adding bookcases to house our ever-growing collection of tomes, and finishing up our formal studio.

Our progress so far has been great! 

The living room/dining room floor is finished.  I taught Paul how to install tongue & groove flooring (a skill I picked up from installing Jatoba flooring in my last house).  The bamboo looks great and my son actually enjoys ‘ice skating’ back and forth on the floor.

One wall of the bookcases have been built and just need some trim work to give them that built-in feel.  The second wall will be built after another project is completed since I’m using that wall space for a cabinet that will eventually go away.

And most exciting, the studio is almost finished!  Paul is installing the floors (again with the bamboo!) today and is about 1/2 of the way complete.  It’s exciting to have that space available full time now for those studio shoots and meetings.  Just a little bit of trim work and hooking up some new lighting fixtures and the interior will be done just in time for our first edition of Wedding University (details coming soon!!!).

Whew, I’d better get to work.  Our ‘vacation’ ends in March and then it’s back to work photographing weddings until the first weekend in December.

Next year….Watch out kitchen.  Here I come!

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Whew, just finished updating the majority of our Paul Meyer Photography website.  Both Paul and I are thrilled with the snazzy new look and layout.  Now the last pieces are being finished.  I’m sure Michelle, Stephanie, and Julie were wondering if I’d ever get the new sample albums up…  Thanks for being patient, girls!

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Phase 1 has been completed and the PaulMeyer@PaulMeyerPhotography.com email is up and running again.  Now on to the release of the website….  I love technology!

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As part of our improvements during the slow season, our PMP site is being moved to a faster, more reliable hosting company.  For the next few days PaulMeyerPhotography.com and email sent to PaulMeyer@PaulMeyerPhotography.com will fail to work while the transfer is being completed.  Until everything is up and running, you can still email Paul at either PaulMeyerPhotography@zoominternet.net or at Paul.Meyer@BeautifulAlbums.com. 

Just an FYI, his direct phone number is 724-467-2391.

Sorry for any inconvenience!

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Check out JCrew’s online outlet for great prices on silk dresses!  I recently purchased a $325 full-length bridal gown for $50.  What a bargain.  And you don’t have just white silk as your options.  I saw dresses in brown (the new black for Bridesmaids), soft pink, blue and classic black. 

One tip for BM dress shopping.  If you’re buying a sales item, make sure you have a list of your girls’ sizes with you.  It’s better to buy a size up and pay for the tailoring than to buy too small and get a dress that you can’t return.  (Keep in mind that my favorite store, Talbot’s Outlet, will take returns on clearance items ANYTIME as long as you have the reciept.)

And speaking of tailoring, this can be a great area of savings if you get your tailoring done outside of the bridal salon.  I had my dress hemmed, extra beads sewn into the hem, and back in 1 week for $70.  Yep, much lower than the $300 that I was quoted from the salon in Atlanta where I purchased my dress.

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Unbelievable!  February has arrived and I don’t know where December or January went.  Paul and I have been hit with phenomenal good fortune lately.  First off, we found out that two of our October 2006 brides will be in the Fall/Winter issue of The Knot – Pennsylvania magazine due out in June.  Gwen & Jim are going to have a large feature and Kathy & Ryan will have a Just Married mention!  Congrats to both couples for pulling together beautiful weddings! 

Another Knot mention:  Paul and I were chosen to photograph The Knot’s vendor appreciation dinner this past January 30th at the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum.  What a fantastic place!  The space was interesting with art on the walls, a huge pendulum in the floor and these great big white Chinese lantern balls hanging from the ceiling.  It was an honor being chosen by the Knot and the greatest complement was when one of the Knot personnel told us that they were the best photos of a Knot event that she had ever seen!  Wow, talk about a complement!

Additionally, The Bloomery (florist up in Butler, see our vendor recommendations for more info) called us about a photo shoot.  The owners of The Bloomery are going to be featured on the cover of a national trade magazine for florists and asked if we would do their photography for the spread!  It’s always nice when a wedding vendor calls us up to handle their requests. 

In addition to all of that, Paul and I have also been updating our websites to reflect newer photos and jazzier feels.  Check out the finished product for White Ribbon Design’s artistic photography.  I’m excited about the new look!  Kudos to Kate for being our adventurous bride and taking a dip in Lake Erie.  For those of you interested, that shot was taken at Sunset Beach. 

Now I’m off to work on an album!

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