Megan from Megan Dey Photography gives brides some great advice on taking formals on the big day!  Check out her work below or visit her website: Megan Dey Photography

It is most relaxing for the couple to take the photos without being rushed. Sometimes there’s room between the ceremony and reception and sometimes there’s not. I know guests complain about a big break between the two but if it it makes you THE BRIDE (and groom of course) happier then do it your way it YOUR DAY not theirs. Before the ceremony is the best as make up and hair are fresh, you can still get that “first look” moment it just won’t be the traditional way of doing it.

Just because its traditional doesn’t mean you need to do it. Look for an album that will tell a story, how many photos of each person do you really need? Do you need every bridesmaid walking down the aisle? It gets a little repetitive and they’re going to be in the fun formals anyway.

Try not to do formal photos in the sanctuary, or should I say at the alter. You’re whole ceremony took place by the alter switch it up a bit. Then you also don’t have to worry about the cross appearing the in the photo like its coming out of someone’s head.

To keep formals short only worry about key players like immediate family and wedding party. Extended family photos are best saved for a lull in the reception, or the end of cocktails as everyone moves to their seats. Some families who are camera junkies will eventually line themselves up and then you just need to pop in the B&G.

It’s much easier to take formals without a big group around. You have no idea how hard it is to get a group of people to all look at you when your taking a photo, adding people behind the photographer just makes the photos take longer. As they distract and interact with the people in the photo.

The longest part about taking a photo is the gathering of the people, if you have a good group who listens to the photographer or better yet a photographer can take command you’re set. A big group of rowdy (sometimes drunk) people is no fun and gets frustrating for the B&G as they try to get their photos taken.

I often get asked many questions from my couples on their wedding day, my answer is ALWAYS what do YOU want to do, don’t worry about anyone else but you. I’m there to make sure you get great photos and have a great day!

It’s always refreshing to chat with someone who works in event planning because there are always new tips to share and fun stories to be told. And it’s always a pleasure chatting with Kate Martin from Beautiful Days, not only for her experience and passion for planning weddings, but she also has a great sense of humor! Check out what we have to chat about!

Kate Martin

Some examples of her work:

image by Geneve Hoffman Photography

image by Geneve Hoffman Photography

image by Geneve Hoffman Photography

image by Geneve Hoffman Photography

image by Emilie Inc.

image by Emilie Inc.

Q: What is your favorite part of the wedding process?

A: Creating the look and feel of the celebration. I love it when a beautiful plan is put together that reflects my clients personality and the vibe they want for the day whether it’s rustic-chic, modern-cool, or a midsummer’s night dream.

Q: What do you love most about your job in the wedding industry?

A: When all the planning and design work comes together, the setting is created for a gorgeous celebration and the bride exclaims, “I love it! This is the day I imagined!” And I will admit, I do get teary every time one of my brides walks down the aisle!

Q: What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

A: That a planner is an indulgence. One of the best things a couple can do is to have a planner be part of their team to ensure their wedding day and the events around it are executed without a hitch – especially for the couples who are planning destination weddings. Having someone be their advocate, eyes, ears, confidant, and advisor is a worthy investment.

Q: How did you get into the wedding industry?

A: The jobs and experiences I have been passionate about in my life all add up to the perfect background for my work in weddings and celebrations; interior design in San Francisco, high-end restaurant work and garden design on Nantucket, photography on the hills of Telluride, CO and in my travels, my love of fun music and gathering friends and family around the table for good cheer. There was a string of family and friend weddings that I became involved in whether it was helping to select vendors, doing the flowers, helping with event design…Finally after a few parties, it clicked that wedding planning and event and floral design was exactly what I should be doing.

Q: Tell me one wedding vendor other than in your industry you highly recommend? Why?

A: Wow a tough one to answer! There are so many talented musicians, caterers, photographers, florists, and bakers it’s impossible to pick just one let alone a few. I love working with Susan and Gretta of Cacao Chocolates in Kittery – they are true chocolate artisans and the first people I call when we’re looking for special sweets….Swan’s Way Catering of Camden is fantastic -Stacey Glassman and her crew are creative, fun, totally professional, and her food is fantastic….Sperry Tents are so special and make a party glow and Banks and his crew always go above and beyond the call of duty…and Geneve Hoffman is a true professional – wonderful to work with and captures beautiful moments with her photography….and of course any live band that can keep a party swinging all night long!

Q: Tell me one wedding vendor in your industry you highly recommend? Why?

A: For flowers, Flora Fauna – I love her creativity, playfulness and chic style and for planning & design Kate Parker Weddings for their energy and commitment to excellence.

Q: Favorite wedding story- funny or serious.

A: There have been a few- enough that I think I should start a book. Hmm…there was the night of the broken down trolleys that stranded about 100 guests including the bride and groom for almost an hour…the last minute switch of a party of 225 from a tent to a reception hall due to a fast approaching hurricane (better safe than sorry!)…I think the most touching story was when a father of the bride called me a few nights before the wedding to go over his toast with me. He was so emotional and wanted to make sure he created the perfect tribute to his only daughter who he absolutely adored! It was flawless and there was not a dry eye in the tent.

Q: What other part of the industry would you not want to work in? Why?

A: Transportation; trying to move 200 guests at once is a big pain in the butt!

Q: What differentiates you from the rest of your industry peers?

A: I think my background in interior and garden design is a real asset. My space planning skills, eye for color, project management, planting of unique flowers in the spring for use in floral creations in the summer and fall and my search for inspiration beyond typical wedding formulas all aid in creating celebrations that keep guests smiling all night long.

Jennifer from Jennifer Stone Photography shares some helpful insight on wedding day formals. Check out some of her work below or visit her website: Jennifer Stone Photography

While most people do not really like doing the wedding day group pictures and formals they are an important part of the wedding day; I mean how often does everyone get all dressed up and are all together in one place…

Wedding day formals are typically photographed during the cocktail hour immediately after the ceremony which is just enough time to get the standard immediate family groups, wedding party groups and a few portraits of the bride and groom. Since time is so limited, it is difficult to get those additional group shots, such as college or high school friends, so I recommend doing those sometime during the reception. A popular picture request is a huge group picture of everyone attending the wedding and the best time to do this is immediately after the ceremony. It is the perfect time to have everyone gather around the bride and groom and document everyone that is there.

Because time is so limited and it’s important to get all the groups, I try to make the process quick, easy, and fun so I like to call my formals “relaxed” portraits; I’m really not into stiff formal poses. There is a certain flow to organizing the group pictures and I always go over the list with the bride and groom several weeks before the wedding day to make sure I get all the groups the couples want. I typically start with the grandparents, then immediate family members and then move on to the wedding party groups ending with the bride and groom. Sometimes I will start with the bride and groom if they decide to sneak off right after the ceremony for a few minutes of alone time to enjoy the moment. This is one of my favorite moments to document, standing unobtrusively in the background catching those first moments as husband and wife.

There are lots of variations to scheduling the group portraits and some couples who feel that photography is really important to them and want more time to do these pictures and be able to go to several locations will either schedule a longer cocktail hour, will do some of the groups before the ceremony or will opt to see each other before the ceremony allowing a lot of time to do all the groups as well as fun portraits of the bride and groom. By far the bride and groom seeing each other before the ceremony is the most flexible and enjoyable for everyone. It allows me to get much more creative wedding party and couple portraits without disrupting the flow of the wedding day and allows everyone including the bride and groom to enjoy more time with their guests.

above image by Matthew Lomanno Photography

There is a standard language that vendors in the wedding and special event industry use when discussing table layouts and ordering specialty linens for those tables.  I thought it would be a good idea to share some insider secrets so you can understand what you need to order, how many people you should place at each table, which size tables fit how many guests, etc etc.

Let’s start with dining tables.  MOST venues will have 60″ round tables in-house for your use.  Some will also have 72″ rounds, but 60″ is definitely the standard, at least on the East Coast…..  Here is a list of the round table sizes you might need to use/rent for your wedding:

All of these tables are the standard 30″ height:

72″ round
60″ round
48″ round
36″ round
30″ round
24″ round

Some tables also come in a higher, 42″ height and are perfect for your cocktail hour:

36″ round
30″ round
24″ round

Each table size has a linen that will fit perfectly to the ground.  The math is pretty easy to figure out, here’s how it works:

Take the diameter of your table and add the height of the table twice to the diameter.  For example:
For a 60″ round table of standard height 30″, you would take 60 and add to it 2x the standard height of 30″ so 60.  60+60 = 120 so a 60″ round table needs a 120″ round linen to go all the way to the ground.  Here’s the list of the rest of the table linens needed for your round tables:

above image by Melissa Koren Photography

Standard height tables:

72″ round table = 132″ round linen
60″ round table = 120″ round linen
48″ round table = 108″ round linen
36″ round table = 96″ round linen
30″ round table = 90″ round linen
24″ round table = 84″ round linen

Cocktail height tables (42″ high):

36″ round table = 120″ round linen
30″ round table = 114″ round linen
24″ round table = 108″ round linen

Now, most venues do NOT have all of these sizes and some rental companies don’t offer every individual size needed for these tables.  If you’re working with custom linens, you name the size and they’ll cut the fabric according.  The two most uncommon sizes in the above list are the 114″ round and the 84″ round.  Most venues and rental companies will suggest a 120″ round linen to replace the 114″ and you can tie a ribbon around the linen to shorten it a bit off the ground.  Use a 90″ round instead of an 84″ round and let the fabric puddle around the bottom or tie it up as well.

Some venues don’t offer floor length round linens at all.  Instead they will place to square linens, usually 84″ square to cover the top of your tables and then to have the points of the squares almost touch the floor.  If you don’t mind seeing the underneath of your tables- including their metal legs, then you won’t mind this option.  There is actually a very practical reason why many venues do not offer floor length round linens.  It is very difficult to wash, iron, and store round linens and most venues work with a general linen company who deals with venues, hospitals restaurants etc.  They don’t have the space or capabilities for specialty sizes and shapes.  Most rental companies have their own in-house laundering system which is why they can offer so many different styles, sizes, and shapes.  Just a little extra information for you

Now, there are also some rectangular and square shaped tables that you might want to use for your wedding and here are the most standard sizes:

All of these tables are the standard 30″ height:

above image by Melissa Koren Photography

8′ banquet- 30″ wide and 96″ long table
6′ banquet- 30″ wide and 72″ long table
4′ banquet- 30″ wide and 48″ long table
60″ square
36″ square

Two of these tables can sometimes come in the cocktail height of 42″ and are great for bars:

8′ banquet
6′ banquet

For floor length linens, the math is the same process but you have to think of both the length and width of the table:

Take the length of your table top and add the height twice.  That’s one of your measurements… take the width and add the height twice.  An 8′ banquet is 96″ long, so take 96 and add the standard 30″ height twice, 96+30+30=156″.  The width of an 8′ banquet is 30″, so take 30 and add the standard 30″ height twice, 30+30+30=90″.  A floor length linen for an 8′ banquet is 90″ x 156″.  Here are the rest of your linen sizes:

Standard height tables:

8′ banquet = 90″ x 156″
6′ banquet = 90″ x 132″
4′ banquet = 90″ x 108″
60″ square = 120″ square*** make sure you ask for a square linen, not a round.. it won’t fit to the floor at the four corners of the table if you ask for a 120″ round linen for this table size and shape
36″ square = 96″ square** same applies as the above comment.

above image by Matthew Lomanno Photography

Now that you know what size linens fit each table to the ground, let’s discuss how many guests should be seated at each table.  Everyone has a differing opinion on this subject, sometimes due to the size of your venue’s space.  They will put more people at a table to fit more guests into the space.  The type of chair you have will also affect how many people can sit comfortably at each table.  Let’s start with the round tables since they’re the most popular:

72″ round tables: 10 guests sit very comfortably at this table.  9 would also work and 11 would also work and no one would be too tightly packed…. people do seat 12 guests at a 72″ round and although it’s possible when using a chivari chair, it is VERY tight and cramped.  A standard cloth banquet chair is even wider then a chivari chair so it would be even tighter with 12 people sitting on those types of chairs.

60″ round tables: 8 guests is great, 7 is great, 9 is great…. 10, same story as above….

above image by Melissa Koren Photography

48″ round tables: 5-7 guests- great for cocktail hour

36″ round tables: 3-5 guests- great for cocktail hour

30″ round tables- 2-4 guests- great for cocktail hour

The 42″ high tables are really used for bars so guests wouldn’t be seated at those two sized tables… FYI.

And for the rectangular and square tables:

8′ banquets: 8 guests, 4 on each side**

6′ banquets: 6 guests, 3 on each side**

4′ banquets: 4 guests, 2 on each side**

**A 30″ wide table will only allow for seating on each side with very little, if any, room for flower arrangements.  This standard width is great for a casual rehearsal dinner or wedding where flowers aren’t really the focal point of your reception tables.
If you want to seat your guests at rectangular tables and you want to have large flower arrangements I would suggest using the standard 30″ wide table and adding an 18″ wide table of the same length to create a 48″ wide table.  This will allow for plenty of space for your flowers and your guests seating.  The issue that comes up is your linen rentals.  You can get standard linens for the 30″ wide tables, but some venues and rental companies don’t have floor length linens for the 18″ wide tables.  In addition to dealing with finding linens to cover your two tables, you now have a seam down the entire length of your table, and it’s not centered down the middle of the table at all.  I would suggest getting a runner that is wide enough to cover the seam, so a 14″ or wider runner would cover your seams and make your table look complete.

above image by Matthew Lomanno Photography

60″ square table: 8 guests exactly.  It won’t look right having some sides with two guests and some with one guest so you have to be pretty exact with your seating on these tables.

36″ square table: 2 people is usually the best option here…. this sized table is used for a sweetheart table

I think that pretty much covers everything you need to know about tables and their coordinating linen sizes.  Hopefully this will give you the information you need for planning your seating charts!

Laura Parent from Relive Photography shares with brides some helpful tips when choosing a photographer for their wedding day. Check out her fabulous work on her website: Relive Photography

Make sure you hire a photographer that specializes in weddings. If your photographer cannot show you a real wedding that they have photographed, chances are, they won’t be the photographer for you. A seasoned wedding photographer will know how and when to anticipate the important moments. This will be important for your photographer to be in the right place at the right time. A great photographer will also guide you through your day to be sure that your event is seamless and stress free.

Personal rapport is at the top of your list of importance when choosing your wedding photographer. You can hire an extreme professional but without that personal connection you may be unhappy with your end result. You can see the connection that your photographer has when they capture the excitement and joy of the wedding day. Keep in mind your photographer’s style and be clear with your photographer of the style that you expect for your images. A great photographer will make sure that your preferences are always taken care of. Don’t forget that you and your fiancé will be looking at these images for the rest of your lifetime. Therefore hiring the right photographer is your most important decision.