Posts Tagged ‘advice’

Brides need to know that they are going to get the best images possible from their day and they need their day to be relaxed and stress free. That’s why knowing you have the right photographer for you is so important.

You need to choose a photographer that you get on well with and that you know you can feel completely comfortable with on the big day. Check out their website, ask to see a whole wedding that they have taken and don’t be afraid to ask loads of questions. Most photographers love to talk about their passion.

If you love their work and like their personalities (after all they’ll be spending your wedding day with you!), book them and trust them to do their job. They get those images from doing what they do best, so let them do it. Have fun and be happy that you have found the photographer for you.

All that’s left for you to do is to start getting excited about your wedding day!

Look out for photographers offering a pre-wed shoot as this really helps you to get to know them and get an idea on how they work, so when it comes to the day you are more relaxed, resulting in better photographs.

The shoots normally take place on location. It can be quite daunting having a camera in front of you, but most of the time it’s fun and nice to get away from the stresses of organizing a wedding. And just knowing that you are going to get some amazing pictures as a result makes it all worthwhile.

It also gives you complete confidence you have chosen the right photographer when you see the images from the shoot.

Your wedding photographer should not just be your wedding photographer either. They should be able to turn up your wedding day like old friends - but with really good cameras!!

Kate and Craig from Craig Williams Photography have shot a video showing their brides about them and what they do, no hidden secrets or false pretenses, making sure their brides immediately feel at ease and confident that they are have chosen the best company.

Check out the video and the resulting images from a couple of their shoots…

Happy Friday people! I hope you enjoyed my first tentative steps towards telling our wedding story…next stop - The dress hunt!
 
After the tears of joy, the calling everyone we knew and the general ‘oh my god-ing’ after Gareth popped the question, the first thing on my agenda was the dress!  The very next day at work I was logging onto my computer and typing ‘wedding dresses’ into Google.  
 
At the beginning this will be a very daunting task. There are a million and one dress designers out there and a hundred billion squillion dresses to choose from.  Now, I’m not going to write an article telling you that you need to order your dress 6 months before your wedding, or that you need to take into account that your dress will set the tone for the whole day blah blah blah…as you can go and find all that boring information on every other wedding planning website.  What I’m aiming to do is pass on a few things I learnt from my own dress buying experience: 

·        The boring bit is the budget, but you really do need to work out how much you have to spend before you fall in love with a custom made Vera Wang that you just can’t afford.  However saying that, and this is something I heavily promote on RnR Bride (and actually in my everyday life!) if you want something that badly there is always a way…does that make me sound like a spoilt brat?  I hope not because what I mean is, if you were totally in love with ‘that’ dress, you could always get a similar design made for example…
·        Look at as many dresses as you can (online, in magazines or in store) to get an idea of the styles you like, however – and this is the important part – do not rule anything out and try loads on!  I was adamant from the beginning that I didn’t want a strapless dress. I was under the impression that big boobs + strapless = disaster.  Yet when I found out that dresses with straps/sleeves were rarer than I first thought (this was 2 years ago mind, fashions have now changed and strapped/sleeved dresses are a lot easier to find – I was just so ahead of the times!) I was forced to try on some strapless styles, and what do you know, some of them actually looked pretty good!

·        Despite what Sex and the City or Friends may tell you, buying off the rack is not a cardinal sin.  If you order a dress through a good bridal shop they will still alter it to fit you.
·        Think outside the box – Monsoon do an awesome and affordable range of wedding dresses, and Oxfam and Barnardos have specialist wedding dress shops stocking second hand dresses.  We actually went to a friend’s wedding last October and she got her dress from Barnardos, it was so gorgeous!
·        Don’t feel like a terrible bride if you don’t instantly know your dress is the ‘one’.  I first tried it on in a bridal shop in London with my maid of honour, Carly.  It wasn’t a magical ‘oh my god this is my dress!’ It was more like “hum…well this is the first dress I didn’t absolutely hate” (!)  I found it really difficult to make a final decision on the dress, and my mind was only made up when the woman in the shop said my other choice of dress was a much more popular style, and that they don’t sell many of ‘my’ dress it made the decision for me! There was no way I wanted something the same as everybody else!
Similarly, don’t feel cheated if your Mum/maid of honour/the lady in the shop doesn’t cry. No one cried at me when I put a dress on…but on the day they all really let it all go, and that’s what counts!

·        Customise! – This is your dress; decorate it (and yourself) how you want! I’m talking neon pink earrings, bunny ears and converse trainers (or whatever floats your boat!)…don’t be a ‘typical’ or ‘classic’ bride…how very boring.
·        If you are going for a ‘traditional-esque’ wedding dress - and by that I mean a dress you would buy in a wedding dress shop, as apposed to something completely unbridal, I would highly recommend buying it from a reputable bridal store or getting it made by a seamstress that you have met face to face.  What I’m saying is, if your dream dress is £1000 in the shop and only £100 on mycheapweddingdress.com there is probably a reason for it. Think cheap copies made of cheap material by cheap labour.  Not nice.

·        Finally, and if you take nothing else away from my rambling, take away this - it is your dress… and probably the most important dress you will ever wear in your life (well, as important as any dress can be!). If you don’t like what you see in the mirror when you’ve got that white dress on then walk away from the bridal shop and straight into your favourite boutique/charity shop/high street shop. I can not even begin to describe some of the amazing, weird and wonderful wedding dresses I’ve featured over at Rock ‘n Roll Bride – some of them have to be seen to be believed!  Just wear what you want…It is your day after all!

 
Feeling uninspired? Come check out some of my favourite wedding Rock n Roll dresses that I’ve featured recently. 

Hi, it’s Brett Harkness from Brett Harkness Photography. The wonderful world of weddings can be a minefield for the uneducated and the last thing you want to do is get it wrong on your special day. As a successful wedding photographer I would say that photography is one thing you can’t afford to scrimp on. You need to find a photographer that is passionate about their product, their image and the clients. Images and an album are the only things you will have left from the day and we hear too many horror stories from couples who went with their uncle or a friend or a photographer offering a cheap package and it all backfired.

In today’s wedding photography market there is a lot of choice to suit all kinds of budgets, styles and needs. It is important that you meet with the photographer in person before thinking of booking. They may have the best images on the planet but if you don’t like them then it is not going to work. The photographer or photography team has to be someone that you want to have at your wedding also, despite the calibre of the work on offer.

Upon initial consultation you need to determine the following things:
(My answers in brackets)

1: How long the photography coverage is on the wedding day. (From getting ready to the speeches)

2: If the photographer does a pre-wedding shoot? ( Yes, very important)

3: How many pictures you get in your album? (The first 50 or 60 depending on the package)

4: How much are extra images to purchase for the album and loose?

5: Can I buy frames & smaller albums for parents etc…? (Yes)

6: Will the images be available online? (Yes)

7: Which album company do you use and do I get a choice of cover, size etc…? (Queensberry and yes, a great selection)

8: How much is it for the photographer to stay extra into the night or is this inclusive? (Depends on location but usually an extra £250)

9: Are there any travel costs involved? (Up to 1 1/2 hours from studio no charge, but can depend on location)

10: How many photographers will there be on the day? (If your photographer is any good then why should you need more than one?)

11: Is it necessary for the photographer to visit the location before the wedding day? (I would personally say no. If the photographer is good then they will be inspired on the day and look at the light differently than if they pre-visit)

12: Can I buy a CD slide show or high res versions of the images?

The last question can be quite a tough one. In my eyes any photographer worth their salt will not just give away the high res images. If the photographer cares about their product, the quality, the clients and do not want the images printed out anywhere you must be prepared to honour this and discuss with them your specific needs.

You must be prepared to pay for the high res images if you want them. The © should always remain with the photographer but now and then we will offer the high res for sale if the client feels it necessary. We have guidelines on where to print etc…. to try and get the best out of the imagery.

Good photographers will get booked up very quickly. Sometimes two years in advance! Once you have found your fiance, your venue, then the photographer should be high on your list. We only shoot a small amount of weddings a year and once we have reached that number that’s it. Your budget for photography should initially be at least £1750+ with possibly more money being spent at the viewing stage. Any photographer charging much less than this I would run a mile from. Anyone charging more then you have to see the difference in the imagery, products, experience and eye to make it worth it.

Ultimately you have to like the photographer’s style. You want someone there to capture the day. Good personality. Minimum fuss. Amazing images in a small amount of time. Even if you have to bring them from afar it shouldn’t matter. A lot of our clients are from London or overseas. It makes no difference to them or us. Our client care is second to none and the images will always remain on file no matter how far the clients live away. Remember the day is about the two of you not about the photographer. A good rapport is essential. Like I said this is the only thing that you will have left to remember your amazing day by, so make sure the choice is wise and not based primarily on price.

Brett

All images Brett Harkness Photography

Kat is a 24 year old wedding obsessive and blogger from Reading, UK. Her Rock ‘n Roll Bride blog promotes individuality and general awesomeness in a cookie cutter, pastel pink, poufy dressed wedding world. Kat says “Don’t let the wedding industry define your day – let *you* define your day”. We couldn’t agree more!

Kat will be contributing regularly to Bridal Soup so keep checking back for some inspirational ways of making your wedding your own.

(Photography by David M McNeil)

For my first Bridal Soup post I was going to write a mass exodus of all the joy and fun I had planning our own wedding, hopefully passing some tips and tricks that I picked up along the way.  However (and you will soon learn this about me) I am not a girl of few words – I can seriously rattle on and on and on…so I’ve decided to break the rambling up in to easily digestible chunks (like those revision guides – remember them from your school days?!)

First of all, lets get one thing clear…I want my story to aid and hopefully inspire you in the planning of your own weddings.  I don’t claim to be any kind of expert and I don’t want you to think this is the only or definitive way to plan your day…your wedding is yours and should be totally subjective and organic process.  For a wedding to be defined as ‘Rock n Roll’ you don’t have to be uber cool, you don’t have to be ‘out-there’, you don’t have to go crazy – you just have to be you.  My choices and experiences will be different to yours and that’s what makes Rock ’n Roll Weddings great!

So, let’s start at the beginning with the engagement…

On our 5 year anniversary Gareth suggested we went to the river with a disposable bbq and wine which suited me fine as a) we were both broke and b) it was that really hot April of 2 years ago…remember?  It was boiling!  I literally had no idea what he had in store, but to cut a long story short; he got down on one knee, I was so shocked I forgot to say yes, fireworks went off (not planned, just a huge bloody coincidence) and I called my parents who already knew as the sneaky boy had already asked my Dad’s permission the day before.

Chances are that if you’re reading this you’ve probably already got this far and although my story is a lovely one (for me anyway, it’s probably not much help to you) there is a slim chance a poor, terrified potential groom-to-be is reading this, and if that’s the case I have a few pieces of advice when it comes to popping that all important question.  

1. Do it in private – no one wants the most romantic (hopefully) moment of their life to be in front of a restaurant full of people

2. Avoid the whole ring in the cake thing – two words, accidental ingestion

3. Have a ring – whether it’s the ring or not doesn’t matter (Gareth chose the ring all by himself and I adore it, but some girls might want to choose their own – you’ll know which to go for – you’re the one who wants to marry her!) Basically, if she says yes (and I’m sure she will!) she will want a ring to show off straight away!

4. Chill out.  The proposal (just like the wedding in fact) does not have to be the grandest of romantic gestures (it will be romantic and wonderful whatever you do.)  Even if you did it at your own house in front of the TV with a take away, believe me, you will blow her away.

Oh there’s one thing you should know about my Rock ‘n Roll blog posts (which I will most defiantly continue over here) I like to illustrate each post with images…it just breaks up all the words!  So here’s me and my Gareth on our engagement shoot in Soho, London.  If you have the opportunity to do an engagement shoot I can’t recommend it enough, especially if you’re not used to being in front of the camera – not only will you get some great photographs of you and you fiancé, but you’ll get to practice all your best poses for the wedding day!

For more posts like this, kooky real wedding inspiration and general wedding greatness, check Kat’s blog out at www.rocknrollbride.com