Congratulations Isabella, you are the winner of the RosebudLips giveaway! We will be reaching out to you by email so that you can be in touch with Lauren to obtain your $25.00 credit for her beautiful handmade pieces! For anyone who missed it check out our interview with RosebudLips or visit her Etsy shop!
The most important dress a girl will wear is her wedding dress. So, with so many to chose from how do you find that perfect dress? Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the Shore gives ten great tips for making the search a little easier and to help you find that perfect dress of your dreams. {HR}
image by Reverie Photography
1. Secure your wedding date and venue
Before beginning to shop for your gown, you should have your wedding date and venue secured. Your decision will be much easier to make if you can envision yourself wearing your gown in the setting of your wedding.
2. Set a budget
In creating your wedding budget, be sure to include a realistic budget for your wedding attire. Your budget should include an allocation for not only the gown, but accessories (bra, veil, jewelry and shoes), alterations and gown cleaning and preservation after the wedding.
It is very important to articulate your budget to the sales associate when shopping for your gown. You do not want to fall in love with something that does not fit your budget.
3. Do your research
Prior to beginning to shop, research salons that carry designers that meet your taste level and budget. Evaluate the types of stores that you like to shop in for your everyday clothes and be sure that you select the correct shopping environment for you. If you are a department store shopper, a larger bridal salon with a large selection of gowns may be the right fit for you. If you prefer to shop in small boutiques, then a smaller, more intimate bridal store would most likely be best for you.
Visit the salon’s website before calling to set an appointment to ensure that the selection and price range meets your needs. It is also helpful to read the bridal blogs to find out what other brides to be have to say about the stores that you plan to visit.
Click here for the rest of these great tips!
New England wedding videographer Naomi with Generations Cinemastories, talks to us about videographers and how this growing trend has changed throughout the past few years. She explains the creativity that goes in to each video and how they will represent your own unique style. Using her tips you are bound to find the right videographer who will make your special day one to remember. {HR & BH}
Not too long ago a wedding videographer was some paunchy guy with a big camera who ran around, rolled on to the dance floor, got in guests’ way and videotaped your wedding. Lots of them had a list of stock shots. e.g., closeup of bride putting on lipstick, pan of dress hanging on door, bride smelling her bouquet, etc. They taped bits and pieces of a wedding, determining in advance when to put the camera on and off. Then they strung the clips together and added music. Often the results were “cheesy” with bad sound, pretentious transitions and predictable shots.
Yes, those videographers are still out there – offering inexpensive or combination packages (DJ? photographer? videographer? They can do it all!)
But a growing trend in the industry has brought serious artists and professionals into the mix. Some are film makers. Others may have backgrounds in theatre, writing or counseling. The new wedding videographer brings a level of storytelling, skill, sophistication and innovation to the wedding film.
New, smaller cameras can shoot in low-light. You may see multiple videographers at a wedding – or because they have strategically placed themselves, and rarely need to move in order to capture a variety of angles. You may not notice them at all. On a sophisticated setup there may be live sound captured with various microphones, which will convey a sense of being there again! Multiple videographers can be in several places and film at once, groom getting ready, bride getting ready, guests arriving at ceremony venue – all at the same time.
The debate on whether or not to have videography at your wedding begs for clarification and education.
How often do you hear brides discuss whether or not to have a bouquet? Or music of some kind? Or a photographer? By now all of the above mentioned are considered essential to the design and function of every wedding.
Videography is considered essential by a small (but growing!) percentage of couples. Others may sneer at the mere suggestion of hiring a videographer. That image of the paunchy guy with a big, shoulder mount camera, and a headlamp parked on top, is hard to get rid of. Engaged couples may have already suffered through several of their friends’ bad wedding videos and agreed NOT to go there with their wedding plans. Bad wedding video is a bad investment. Period. No matter how gorgeous and wonderful your wedding is, it will take talent and creative thinking to make a film about your wedding day. There are so many details!
Top videography studios have always looked for ways to create and anticipate wedding trends.
Many studios think up new and different products for their couples’ pleasure. Think of the growing up montage and the Same Day Edit. Both were new ideas that caught the interest of couples several years ago. Or the short film and the use of video for decor as well as documentation which is starting to catch on. Or having a photo-booth (at the reception), super 8 film and video effects;Good videographers draw from many styles of filming that they see in Hollywood films,on television, or in commercials. The style they choose for your wedding film should reflect and enhance YOUR style. It is to a couple’s advantage to see various styles of wedding films and read about several different studios and their videographers. Your personalities should be a very good fit – since you’ll be around this crew for many hours on your wedding day, and they should make you smile and relax.
Some videographers are interactive. Some are flies-on-the-wall. Some pose their couples like photographers. Some stand on chairs or ladders or move onto the dance floor. You want to make sure whatever the style, you see eye-to-eye on expectations for the day’s events.
If you just want a “basic wedding video” ask prospective videographers to show you what they mean by that. Maybe they film with just one camera. Or use an on-camera mic (not very good for sound); Maybe they do in-camera edits then just polish up transitions. Maybe they hand you all the raw footage minus the shots of walls, floors, feet and maybe you are left with a 3 hour video.
If you are looking for art, then expect to pay for it. A really good studio does, and should charge fees equal to photographers, maybe even more. A really well-shot and edited wedding film might start at $5K for a short film (15-20 minutes) – and go up to $10K for a full-day of shooting and a feature film (45-65 minutes) and even more if you are looking for rehearsal dinner coverage.
When thinking about video, think image AND sound. Sound is the one thing your photographer won’t capture. Whether it’s your personally written vows, toasts at the rehearsal dinner and reception or the first words you and your partner said to one another as you recessed down the aisle as a married couple.
When you watch online demos, make sure you are watching a whole wedding rather than snippets taken from the best shots of a bunch of weddings. It’s much more challenging to make a wedding from just one wedding! Look at several videos from the same studio and notice if they are all alike, except for the people in them, or if every video is different, reflecting each wedding and each couple.
Finally, when you’ve picked out a few studios to meet with, do your best to meet with them, watch the various kinds of projects they have created for other couples, and ask about creating a package that is exactly what you want. You may want a simple or complicated montage, a short film, and all the toasts, unedited, on a separate disc. You may want a feature film and a shorter highlights. You may want a particular kind of video project that one particular studio specializes in (see our Modern Love Poems) or you may come up with an idea that a studio hasn’t done before (we were asked to create a father/daughter montage to be shown during the father – daughter dance – ending with dad giving his daughter away). A good studio should always be willing to come up with new ideas just for you!
Okay, so we all know that party isn’t always necessarily over once the reception ends… Jessica Harris with Alden Blair Events, has some great advice on how to keep the party going after the reception ends. {JC}
image by Jasmine Star Photography
It’s inevitable – after the last dance the younger crowd will be looking for an after party, so planning a post-reception event provides more than just another round of drinks, it’s a way to keep your friends together for another few hours of shenanigans. The mild-mannered kind, of course.
An after party is also the first chance couples have to informally unwind with guests. When all of the wedding obligations are over, this is the perfect chance to relax with a glass of wine without being the center of attention. This just may be the perfect end to a perfect day.
Partying the Night Away
* Is an After Party for You?
An after party is extra time for you to mingle with your guests. Each after party has a life and feeling of its own – depending on your interest it can be a late-night club or a small house party. The decision on an after party should come to the desire (or not) to spend additional time with your guests – no one will fault you for choosing a few hours sleep over grabbing extra drinks at the bar.
* Selecting the Right Location
The keys to a great after party are knowing your guests and scouting venues. Clubs, busy bars, and music venues are best suited for high-energy groups. More intimate spaces like lounges, private homes, or hotel bars are best for the subdued crowds. Our advice: select a venue that appeals to your guests’ typical weekend night out. This is not the best time to expand their horizons – a familiar atmosphere will attract more guests.
Click here to check out the full article or check out some other feature articles from Alden Blair Events.
For this weeks interview and giveaway we are featuring Amanda with Creative Crabbe. I came across her work on Etsy and fell in love with the adorable wine labels. She also offers table numbers, favor labels, bookplates, note cards and more! Amanda discusses with us about her work and how Creative Crabbe came to be. She has also generously offered to give away 1-16 wine label table numbers to one lucky winner! In order to be entered into the contest simply comment on this blog post! The winner will be announced on June 3rd! Good luck to all and thanks again Amanda! {BH}
PW: How did you start Creative Crabbe?
Amanda: I started Creative Crabbe in a spur of a moment situation, I stumbled upon etsy, and thought “great, here is a place for me to sell some old beaded items I use to do for craft fairs” I set up my account right away with my non creative store name. After I was done doing the beaded items I decided to start to do graphic arts and the wine labels were a real hit and now that is mostly what I do, and coordinating items to go with it. Most of the coordinating items are not on my site because they are made individual for each person, so never hesitate to ask for something you may not see. I also get a lot of customers who email me their invite and I create corresponding items to go along with it.
PW: What intrigues you about the wedding industry?
Amanda: The ever changing themes and colors and what is considered “in”.
PW: What are some recent wedding related trends you’ve seen?
Amanda: Nature and Vintage inspired
PW: What type of products do you offer that would be considered specifically for weddings, meaning… Style, product type, etc.?
Amanda: I offer table number wine labels, monogram wine labels, favor stickers, menus, escort cards, and Thanks You’s. All items except for the wine labels, the designs file can be purchased for DIY; this is very popular for the escort cards because of the cost factor.
PW: What is the most popular item in your shop? What can you not keep in stock because it’s just that popular?!
Amanda: My wine labels are my most popular item, and everything I do is customized so there is no pre-made stock. I love personalized items every detail should fit your style.
PW: What is your typical business? We would assume that you deal with a lot of brides?
Amanda: Yes Mostly brides, sometimes , Mothers, Mother in laws, fiancé’s and Friends, but in the end the Bride always decides so those orders can take the longest because of all the back and forth.
PW: What is your turnaround time for different size orders?
Amanda: After the item is paid for and the proof is approved I send them out in 2-5 business days, escort cards may be a bit longer.
PW: Do you have the ability to ship nationwide?
Amanda: Yes I ship all over.
