Ok, so maybe we’re a little bit biased because we’re constantly viewing the world through a viewfinder, but this tip is more about comfort and safety than photos.
Definitely let your bridal party sit down during the ceremony. They will love you for it. I’m always surprised by those couples who want their complete bridal party to stand during the full mass, especially during the summer months when the interior church temperatures get hot and the weather is muggy.
During the recent heat wave of a few weeks ago, we photographed a wedding in a church with no air conditioning. It was brutal. All of the windows had been painted shut and there was a lone door at the back of the pews which the church ladies kept closed for some unknown reason. Not a breeze in the whole place. It was sad to see both the bridesmaids and groomsmen struggling to keep from passing out.
Keep in mind that the guys are usually decked out in wool tuxes and are sporting several layers with a coat, vest, shirt and undershirt. While this is great for winter, it’s like torture in summer. We’ve seen many girls and guys take a tumble simply because they get overheated. And it has nothing to do with locking your knees. Unfortunately church floors are not nice and cushy. They are usually carpet over cement or tile. And once a forehead hits a hard surface such as the edge of a pew, there’s a nasty bump in photos and loads of embarassment for the one doing the header.
From the photo perspective (yeah, you knew I’d work that in as well), standing people are not as transparent as we need them to be. Those bridal party participants often end up blocking vital pieces of the ceremony, such as those people you pick as readers, the candle lighting, and even the vow exchange. Not all of our photos come from the center aisle and Paul can’t get those great side shots if he has to shoot through a forest of standing groomsmen.
Lastly, I can’t tell you how many brides end up kicking their shoes off as soon as the ceremony is over. I hear the phrase “These shoes are killing me” so often and I can now tell when a bride is in distress. She starts to do that little shift, foot lift, shift shift to find a comfortable stance that doesn’t put more pressure on her aches.
So be kind to yourself, your feet, and your party and take a seat during the ceremony. You’ll have more stamina for dancing later!
Share on Facebook
Paul is certainly dedicated to his work. I hear that from lots of people. Even at this last weekend’s wedding a bridesmaid mentioned to me that, “you can tell he really loves what he does.” But have you ever wondered what it’s like to be married to someone with that much of a passion for photography?
Now you have a chance to step into my world by visiting PhotoWidow.com, a new tongue in cheek blog I’ve created to detail what it’s like to live with what I affectionately call “a photo freak”.
Share on Facebook
It’s hard to believe that I’ve already got Christmas on the brain, but it is definitely the time of year to think of albums (especially if you were planning to give them as holiday gifts to your parents).
The album manufacturers normally have the submission deadline set at a date in mid-October. That means the design needs to be finished and transmitted to them by that time. The normal design window takes about 4-6 weeks to complete, including all drafts and reveiws. Add to that the fact that I’ll be working on several albums at once and you can see why July makes a perfect start time!
So what is the latest in album trends? Covers! Take a look at this acrylic cover option for the Oregon line of albums. This baby is brand new and I’ve only had it for about 2 weeks. The cover actually looks like rain on a window with the first page of the album showing through. I find it an interesting effect, especially if your wedding day was blessed with a good luck rain shower. It’s a way to add an environmental element into the album itself.
A second trend — mini albums as gifts to the bridal party. Our Italian manufacturer offers these adorable little replica albums that are an exact copy of the larger bridal album. Some of our couples have presented them as gifts to those in the bridal party, special aunts & uncles, god parents, etc. Priced at $175 for a set of 15 or $300 for a set of 30, they are a very affordable way to thank those special people who went above and beyond for you on your wedding day.
A third trend is the modern matted album. It’s not your parents’ album, that’s for sure! The mats are coordinated to match your wedding day colors. In this example, the brown mat color reflected the bridesmaids’ chocolate dress color. Everything from classic black to hot pink!
Lastly, duo albums, which are a mix between the matted album and the flush mount page album. (Flush mount pages are those that have the photo covering the entire page from edge to edge.) Our New Zealand manufacturer is the only company that we work with who offers this option.
If you would like more information, please check our offical album site at www.BeautifulAlbums.com or call Cyndy at 724-467-2392. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Share on Facebook
Many times we’re asked to help with things that the normal person doesn’t do on a daily basis but that we see quite regularly. One of those things is pinning on a boutonniere, especially one that seems to have a mind of its own. I always laugh and say that we charge Hazard Pay for those perilous duties! (I really try not to bleed directly on the groom after stabbing myself in the thumb with those amazingly sharp floral pins…)
Our friends Kathy and Rich at The Bloomery have come to my rescue with a great set of instructions for pinning on those amazing little floral arrangements. Check out the instructions listed on their blog.
No wonder we love them!
Share on Facebook
A lot of brides underestimate the size of and the difficulty of getting into their wedding dress. So many just default to get ready in their bedrooms. For comfort and ease, this is not the best place to prepare.
First off, most bedrooms are relatively small in size once the room is filled with multiple people (after all, your girls are helping you to get into that dress). Throw into the mix a queen- or king-sized bed eating up a lot of floor space and a train from the dress itself. Usually these two items will effectively block up any room used to maneuver and the likelihood of having the dress stepped on rises significantly. Oh yeah, and where’s a poor photographer to stand to capture those “getting ready” photos? Normally perched on top of the bed where swirling ceiling fans pose a serious risk.
Another limitation with using the bedroom is the lack of window light. Unless you have recently built your home, the typical bedrooms for Pittsburgh houses have about 1 or 2 small windows which do not allow much light in once the eave of the roof extends out of the exterior. Since photography is the language of light, you can see where this would be a concern.
True story: I recently photographed a bride getting ready in a 10×14 room with her and NINE other people inside! That made 11 of us jockying for position between the dresser and the end of the bed. It was also extremely hot in the room and the bride’s makeup started to run onto her dress from the heat and perspiration.
My advice is to use the biggest room of the house for getting dressed. Normally this is the living room and it is also the room that will have the most space in the center of the floorplan. It will give you some additional space for having the girls lift the dress as you get into it and enable me to rotate around the activity to get those interesting shots.
Lastly, there may be some concern about the living room windows. Since most brides are getting ready while the sun is high in the sky, the ability of the outside world to peep in is practically non-existent. If there is still a worry, then I suggest sheer curtain panels for the window. They will still let in light while blocking the view. And a great inexpensive source for sheer panels is IKEA. A 2 pack runs about $5.
Share on Facebook
In the old days, the level of involvement for the groom boiled down to picking the best man and showing up in a tux on the day of the wedding. Thankfully that trend has ended and today’s man is more involved than ever!
We’re seeing more grooms-to-be at the bridal shows, wedding consultations, and even initiating the first contact call with us. And the great thing is, the level of participation doesn’t end there. I recently read that 60% of all grooms are now handling the honeymoon planning themselves. Sharing responsibilities is a great way to start married life together.
Recently I had a past groom contact me and handle the wedding album selection and design approval completely on his own so that he could surprize his lovely bride of 1 year with a great anniversary present. What a great Paper Anniversary gift!
So kudos to the guys for getting enthused about the wedding planning process! We love you for it!
Share on Facebook
Ok, this post isn’t going to be wedding related at all. But I had to share some bizarre things that I witnessed over the last few days…
I went to Melissa’s bachelorette party on Thursday night (loads of fun, by the way!). On the way back I saw a cop car with flashing lights pulled over on the side of I-279 North. As I got closer, there was a weird glow just beyond the cop car. Getting even closer, I could see that just in front of the cop car there was another car fully engulfed in flames. Not something you see everyday!
Then on Friday, after shooting a wedding in the South Hills, I’m driving back just as a blazing sunset is lighting the hills along side of I-79 North. Up on one of the grassy hills I see a mother deer with her little spotted fawn. She’s playing with him, completely oblivious to the rushing traffic below…
After finishing up today’s photography gig, while driving on the same stretch of I-79, I was passed by 4 cop cars with flashing lights. All were in different areas, all were going to different locations (based on the way they were pointing)…
Let’s just say that I fully expect to see a tiny car loaded with clowns tomorrow…
Share on Facebook
