Category Archives: WTT

WTT! – Not Just Your Everyday Engagement Shoot

Although Engagement Pictures are not done on the wedding day they are still a VERY important part of the experience of your wedding.  I say this not just as a wedding photographer but from experience from my own wedding – I never had any done!!!  I know, tragic right!  I really wish I had.  My wedding day went so fast and we got some great shots of me and my new hubby but we’re really pretty casual people so I really wish we had some fun casual shots.

Engagement shoots are probably my favorite part of your wedding experience (besides the big day of course :)  .  There is no wedding day pressure, it’s casual and fun, just you and your photographer.  It’s such a fabulous time to be creative and get some great shots of you and the one you love.  So why just find some spot and take some pix – NO!  Tell your photographer what makes you tick.  What is it that you and your Fiance like to do?  integrate that into your engagement pictures.  Do you like to picnic?  FABULOUS – bring your favorite picnic blanket and basket and goof it up!  You got engaged at the Local state park – GREAT!  Go there and recreate the big moment just for fun!  If your wedding has a vintage them to it, maybe your engagement pictures should too!  That way when your photographer puts together your photo guest book your engagement pictures will go along with the them of your wedding.  The ideas are limitless!  And remember, props aren’t bad ( I have to tell myself this sometimes :) , as long as they are personal and mean something to you.  The favorite picnic basket I mentioned earlier, it’s a part of your life so it will mean so much more in those portraits.

  Your photography should be one of the most fun elements of your wedding experience.  Start that out right with fun engagement portraits that express who you are!  For some great ideas check out blogs like Wedding Wire.com Blog and The Wedding Row Blog

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Engagements, Wedding Tips, Weddings, WTT

WTT! “Alright Everyone – Just Relax!!!”

For those of us who have ever planned, attended, or worked at a wedding you know how stressful it can be.  There are vendors to confirm details with, chairs and flowers to arrange, and of course the Bride must get herself ready!  If the Bride is doing a lot of organizing herself it will be all she can do not to PULL HER HAIR OUT!!! 

Relax . . . your wedding day is supposed to be enjoyable.  You do not want all your memories to be of you running around like a chicken with your head cut off.  Former Bride Sarah Hemp Wilson says, “I think the most important piece of advice I got is to do all your worrying and nit-picking during the planning process, but on THE DAY, forget about everything and just enjoy it. Things are going to go wrong, but enjoying every single moment is the most important thing.”  Couldn’t have said it better myself! 

Former Bride Kimberly Grant even takes it a step further, “I say, even during the planning process don’t freak out if something goes wrong. Let as many people help as possible & don’t be a control freak. Even if nothing goes right you will still enjoy the day because it is *YOUR* day and you are marrying your best friend. In the end that is all that matters :) “ 

The day of the wedding there are going to be things that go wrong, sorry Ladies you can’t avoid them.  It might rain, or the flowers might not be correct, or the Minister might run late but if you just believe that you have done everything you can and just relax and enjoy the fruit of your labor everything will work out.  There are a few things that you can do in the days and weeks before that can help ease some of your stress:

  1. Hire a wedding planner – Either for the whole process or even just for the day of to help organize everything so that you can get pampered and enjoy the day.  Leslie Menich of Memorable Moments Event Planning is one of the vendors that we work with who does Full service event planning or day of planning to help your wedding day go off without a hitch.  The common misconception is that wedding planners cost too much and you probably wouldn’t be able to fit one in your budget.  Give Leslie a call and you might be surprised.  I always ask, “How much is my sanity worth?”
  2. Set up meetings and talk personally with ALL of your vendors, or if you are doing a destination wedding call them, and confirm all the details at least a week before the day.  If balances are due, go ahead and pay them, then you don’t have to worry about doing any business the day of your wedding.  Who wants to be shelling out any more money when your supposed to be cuttin’ a rug on the dance floor!
  3. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time in the morning the day of for a relaxing session with your hair dresser and Makeup artist.  It’s not everyday that you get have people falling all over you to make you look beautiful. 

 

I think with all the media coverage of weddings lately with David Tutera on every channel putting together $100,000 dream weddings for brides and Say Yes to the Dress on TLC with their $24,000 gowns (LOVE this show by the way :) I think that we forget sometimes that when it all comes down to it, it’s about you and your best friend (thank you Kimberly :) spending the rest of your life together.  If your run short of the cute little favors that you spent HOURS putting together, or if the flowers (like at my wedding) show up without the correct number of bouquets for the bridesmaids, then it’s ok! 

Or if all else fails, have plenty of Mimosa’s! :)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

1 Comment

Filed under Wedding Tips, Weddings, WTT

Welcome to the 1st WTT: Wedding Tip Tuesday!

Hello All!

So excited about the very first WTT or Wedding Tip Tuesday!  Each and every Tuesday we’ll be sharing Tips and Tricks to help make your wedding Super Awesome!  Our Tips will come from vendors that are in the industry and have great advice on everything wedding as well as from our past brides who have the best tips having lived their own wedding experience. 

Also, If you have a tip that you would love to share with future brides please email us at gillian@carolinaphotostudios.com and let us know.  If we publish your tip we’ll let you know.  It can be about anything from Photo’s to Flowers, engagement to after party. 

WTT:  5 Basic Rules for your Wedding

1: Do your Homework! Gather referrals from recent brides-find them through friends, coworkers, family and even other vendors.  Then read customer reviews at TheKnot.com/local and the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org).

2: Know your numbers.  You must have an idea of the number of guests and a tentative budget before you start reaching out to vendors.

3: Don’t be afraid to negotiate.  If you find yourself over budge, ask your vendors what you can do to cut costs.

4: Be an adult. Come to meetings prepared with ideas and concerns, and dress professionally.

5: Ask Questions-LOTS of them.  Don’t forget to write down all their answers.  While you’re at it, write down, print and track all correspondence for your records.

(5 Basic Rues for your wedding comes from The Knot Magazine Winter 2010)

Leave a Comment

Filed under Boudoir, Bridals, Engagements, Wedding Tips, Weddings, WTT