Adair Weddings is now on Twitter!!
https://twitter.com/AdairWeddings
Nothing very exciting yet.....I can't decide what to "update" about to be honest!! I don't think "the heat is driving me crazy" is interesting...since I'm sure it's driving everyone in Dallas crazy!
Also, sorry for not blogging lately, I've been having a wee bit of trouble getting INTO blogger the past couple of weeks. BUT, I have been writing a bit, I just need to do an edit and copy/paste on here.
Stay cool everyone...seems like summer here in the Big D is going to be WICKED!!! Keep your flowers in the fridge as much as possible before your wedding....no bride wants wilted flowers on her big day!
Ta-Ta for now
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Recent Creations
So, yeah, I have been rather remiss in my blogging as of late. It's this brutal transition from spring to summer....ugh! One would THINK that after 10 Dallas summer, I would be used to the brutal heat, scorching sun, and wilting humidity!
However, the heat has NOT stopped the creative machine that I am (hahaha!), here's some recent things I've thrown together, and a view of what happens when you keep curly willow branches around!!
I found these GORGEOUS pink bi-color roses, white roses, and a few solid pink roses, hand-tied (and all the roses are the HUGE ones, I really do try to always work with the larger roses...60-70cm. They just make that much MORE of a statement! And contrary to what many will tell you, they are NOT that much more expensive. Don't settle for 40-cm roses ladies!!!!) with this unique two-tone wired ribbon, accented with a gorgeous antique "something blue" brooch. Even more amazing, I took all the pictures! (in the middle of the
night...and even employed a couple new photography tricks!)
A close up of the brooch I stuck on here. Another brooch that I picked up in a lot on ebay (love ebay for wedding items!! IF you know what to look for!!). I put it on here merely for the purpose of taking the picture, so if this brooch is your hearts desire, I am sure I can part with it. It's blue crystals, and tiny little seed "pearls" (not real I am sure). Even further creating the authenticity of it being an antique, it's missing a couple stones. Very much a "something old" item!! I just love this one, it's really one of the more unique brooches I have come across.
Curly Willow is VERY popular for centerpieces. It's gorgeous, TALL, and it really makes a statement. Plus it's not a small fortune. However, I have recently discovered something new about this little branch. When kept in water, water that is changed and kept fresh, it makes roots, THEN it makes new growth! So while the hydrangeas have long since dried out (but I keep them, just because they are still beautiful, plus it's great to see an example of "width" in a centerpiece), these curly willow branches just get prettier!!
As I started only really "tending" 3 of the 5 "sticks", only 3 have sprouted at this point. But you can see in this closeup, how much new growth there is! When I first purchased these about a month ago, they were just sticks, with about 5 green spots.
Now they have roots, and are really sprouting! So my experiment will continue, to see how green I can actually get these suckers. I have faith I can get them pretty green, because the curly willow from the Ling/Lichliter wedding is doing the same thing, it just has about a month head start on mine. I need to pop back down there and take a picture of the two big vases of them, they are GORGEOUS!! We used those HUGE vases (that are really big candle holders from Target), and put the rocks in the bottom. Now the roots are growing into the rocks, the branches just so green & lovely, that I am going to attempt to make the bit I have in MY house do the same thing!!
However, the heat has NOT stopped the creative machine that I am (hahaha!), here's some recent things I've thrown together, and a view of what happens when you keep curly willow branches around!!
I found these GORGEOUS pink bi-color roses, white roses, and a few solid pink roses, hand-tied (and all the roses are the HUGE ones, I really do try to always work with the larger roses...60-70cm. They just make that much MORE of a statement! And contrary to what many will tell you, they are NOT that much more expensive. Don't settle for 40-cm roses ladies!!!!) with this unique two-tone wired ribbon, accented with a gorgeous antique "something blue" brooch. Even more amazing, I took all the pictures! (in the middle of the
night...and even employed a couple new photography tricks!)A close up of the brooch I stuck on here. Another brooch that I picked up in a lot on ebay (love ebay for wedding items!! IF you know what to look for!!). I put it on here merely for the purpose of taking the picture, so if this brooch is your hearts desire, I am sure I can part with it. It's blue crystals, and tiny little seed "pearls" (not real I am sure). Even further creating the authenticity of it being an antique, it's missing a couple stones. Very much a "something old" item!! I just love this one, it's really one of the more unique brooches I have come across.
Curly Willow is VERY popular for centerpieces. It's gorgeous, TALL, and it really makes a statement. Plus it's not a small fortune. However, I have recently discovered something new about this little branch. When kept in water, water that is changed and kept fresh, it makes roots, THEN it makes new growth! So while the hydrangeas have long since dried out (but I keep them, just because they are still beautiful, plus it's great to see an example of "width" in a centerpiece), these curly willow branches just get prettier!!
As I started only really "tending" 3 of the 5 "sticks", only 3 have sprouted at this point. But you can see in this closeup, how much new growth there is! When I first purchased these about a month ago, they were just sticks, with about 5 green spots.
Now they have roots, and are really sprouting! So my experiment will continue, to see how green I can actually get these suckers. I have faith I can get them pretty green, because the curly willow from the Ling/Lichliter wedding is doing the same thing, it just has about a month head start on mine. I need to pop back down there and take a picture of the two big vases of them, they are GORGEOUS!! We used those HUGE vases (that are really big candle holders from Target), and put the rocks in the bottom. Now the roots are growing into the rocks, the branches just so green & lovely, that I am going to attempt to make the bit I have in MY house do the same thing!!
I didn't take a picture of the roots on MY curly willow yet, because it's not enough to show up on the camera. I estimate a few more weeks, it will really be awesome!!! And yes, those hydrangeas are dead...they've dried out, but still retain their shape, color, etc. I love it!!
A pretty little bouquet. White & Pink roses, Hot Pink Hydrangea, Blue Hydrangea, and these GORGEOUS big leafy green things that I have NO idea what they are, but I have to find out, because they are just awesome!
Side view. You can see the fun "treatment" that I gave the handle...with the chocolate satin ribbon, and chocolate "sparkle" tulle. I don't normally cover the handle entirely, but I thought it would be pretty on this one. Especially with the big green things in the bouquet.
For some reason, I cannot get the second bouquet to "flip" (the photograph!!). It's white roses, bi-color pink roses, with blue hydrangeas throughout. I did the hand-tied effect, on this one I first wrapped the stems with chocolate satin ribbon, and then did a french-style wrap with the turquoise blue ribbon, and added some pearls. A bride of mine, Karen, we are doing something nearly identical, but with just WHITE roses, and then the gorgeous dark purple calla lilies. Her color of blue is a tad lighter, but I believe she's wanting a similar wrap on the handle. Unless I find something so fabulous, she changes her mind! *smiles*
A pretty little bouquet. White & Pink roses, Hot Pink Hydrangea, Blue Hydrangea, and these GORGEOUS big leafy green things that I have NO idea what they are, but I have to find out, because they are just awesome!
Side view. You can see the fun "treatment" that I gave the handle...with the chocolate satin ribbon, and chocolate "sparkle" tulle. I don't normally cover the handle entirely, but I thought it would be pretty on this one. Especially with the big green things in the bouquet.
For some reason, I cannot get the second bouquet to "flip" (the photograph!!). It's white roses, bi-color pink roses, with blue hydrangeas throughout. I did the hand-tied effect, on this one I first wrapped the stems with chocolate satin ribbon, and then did a french-style wrap with the turquoise blue ribbon, and added some pearls. A bride of mine, Karen, we are doing something nearly identical, but with just WHITE roses, and then the gorgeous dark purple calla lilies. Her color of blue is a tad lighter, but I believe she's wanting a similar wrap on the handle. Unless I find something so fabulous, she changes her mind! *smiles*
Which brings me to this. So I had mentioned the whole finding dresses on the fly, etc. I found the most GORGEOUS silk Lazaro gown. It's this stunning Ivory silk, but the style, no way, it's such a throwback to the 90's. However, I picked it up so cheap (under $20), I am going to do the unthinkable and take it apart for the fabric. Ivory silk bouquet wraps....how gorgeous will that be? *drools* At a cheaper cost than the synthetic ones I can get through my wholesaler! (and can be completely custom!!)
So, off to find a decent pair of scissors. I lost my really good pair at a recent wedding. WHOOPS!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wowzers, I've been a little naughty over the past week, not writing anything!! With the holiday weekend, and the last week of school, it's like bam!, things are insane!
I thought I'd cover some cute things today....accessories!! Favors, garters, fun little touches that are what makes a wedding personal!
I came across this fabulous little company the other day, they are based in Miami, GirlyBows, and they make the most exquisite party favors, table decor, and some really "girly" accessories! Great for showers, weddings, birthday parties, etc. I especially love the money/card boxes, and I LOVE that everything is custom made!
http://www.girlybows.com/
Garters...
To wear or not to wear. Brides, even if you aren't going to do the all-famous (and embarrassing!) toss, I think you should wear one, even if only you and your husband are the ones who see it. (and maybe the photographer because he/she took a shot of it before you put it on) It's just a tradition I feel shouldn't be forgotten!! However, there is always the problem of finding ONE that is "you". I mean, who wants the same old boring one from Wal-Mart that everyone else buys? It's not like you can walk into any department store or lingerie department and BUY one either (they really are quite hard to find!!), so many brides turn to the internet. There are many sites that have some gorgeous (and expensive ones), but hey, you only get married once, right? =) Here's some sites I love for this (and one ebay seller that has pretty ones!) Many of these places also sell coordinating accessories for other aspects of your wedding as well. Several do custom orders.
Wedding Favors Unlimited
http://www.weddingfavorsunlimited.com/Wedding_Garters.html
My Garter, personalized & custom garters
http://mygarter.com/
Ice Standard
http://www.icestandard.org/content/view/102/wedding-bridal-garters.html
Eye Catching Creations (Military & Sports themes! Website is a little difficult to navigate)
http://www.eyecatchingcreations.com/mystore/
Trent Valley Mercantile-Canadian Ebay Seller
They do alot of custom items, all is very good quality, and fabulous customer service. What more could a girl ask for?? Oh yeah, they don't charge you a small fortune!
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Trent-Valley-Mercantile__W0QQ_armrsZ1
I have to say, I know I listed several different companies to find garters, but hands down, I recommend the last the most. Their pricing is amazing, and they just have gorgeous items! Debbie is quick to respond, and I always like to recommend small-time merchants if I can. =)
As far as other wedding accessories, ring pillow, guest book, flower girl basket, there are just SO many options out there. Most of the companies I posted in regards to garters also sell these other items, many of them to match the garter. A really neat option for the flower girl & ring bearer is to buy plain white (or ivory) basket/pillow, and then "dress" them up with your wedding colors by using ribbons, crystals, charms, etc. You can take a $6 pillow and turn it into a work of art without spending $45 on something that is going to be used for less than an hour! Same with the basket. If you are really creative, you can actually make these two things.
For the guest book, a fun idea is to use a scrapbook, start a few pages back, and have guests write in their "advice", "best wishes", etc. Then you can add your pictures in after the pages of the written advice, and the first few pages can be your invitation, program, and other items from you wedding (place cards, table numbers, things like that). It's a great keepsake, and you'll have it forever! Plus you can display it on your coffee table! Whereas the normal guestbook, well, if you're like me, it'll be stuck up in a closet for the next million and a half years! In the years since my wedding, that guest book, that was SOOOoooooooooooooooooo important (and that I spend like $40 on!) hasn't been opened more than once. The ONLY reason I've even opened it? Because I was digging in a closet for something and it fell off the shelf it was on and bonked me in the head!
How about instead of buying a $20 pen with the feather & weird stand, taking a few plain Bic pens, wrapping them in ribbons (to match your colors), and topping with various silk flowers. Place these in a ribbon wrapped cup (try ikea for a glass, they are under $1!) or clear glass with some type of rocks or clear gems at the bottom, and voila!, you have a pretty container that is actually pens! You can also take these pens (and you can use gel inks if you want some color & sparkle) and make them like a small flower "garden" by using larger containers. Use some sand in the container, and wrap the pens with green ribbon for a "stem" of the flower at the end. Way cooler than a feather pen (unless you have feathers incorporated in the wedding...which feathers are REALLY fun to use in centerpieces!!)
Voila! Some fun ideas that also save you some money. Great for the bride who likes the whole DIY route, or is super crafty. I've done many of these ideas myself for brides....well, I mean, that IS why you hire a wedding planner......to have someone to do all your wonderful ideas while you enjoy your engagement!
Next time.....why are flowers SO expensive anyway? The myth of Silk VS Real!
Okay, so maybe not. But I'll come up with something interesting.
I thought I'd cover some cute things today....accessories!! Favors, garters, fun little touches that are what makes a wedding personal!
I came across this fabulous little company the other day, they are based in Miami, GirlyBows, and they make the most exquisite party favors, table decor, and some really "girly" accessories! Great for showers, weddings, birthday parties, etc. I especially love the money/card boxes, and I LOVE that everything is custom made!
http://www.girlybows.com/
Garters...
To wear or not to wear. Brides, even if you aren't going to do the all-famous (and embarrassing!) toss, I think you should wear one, even if only you and your husband are the ones who see it. (and maybe the photographer because he/she took a shot of it before you put it on) It's just a tradition I feel shouldn't be forgotten!! However, there is always the problem of finding ONE that is "you". I mean, who wants the same old boring one from Wal-Mart that everyone else buys? It's not like you can walk into any department store or lingerie department and BUY one either (they really are quite hard to find!!), so many brides turn to the internet. There are many sites that have some gorgeous (and expensive ones), but hey, you only get married once, right? =) Here's some sites I love for this (and one ebay seller that has pretty ones!) Many of these places also sell coordinating accessories for other aspects of your wedding as well. Several do custom orders.
Wedding Favors Unlimited
http://www.weddingfavorsunlimited.com/Wedding_Garters.html
My Garter, personalized & custom garters
http://mygarter.com/
Ice Standard
http://www.icestandard.org/content/view/102/wedding-bridal-garters.html
Eye Catching Creations (Military & Sports themes! Website is a little difficult to navigate)
http://www.eyecatchingcreations.com/mystore/
Trent Valley Mercantile-Canadian Ebay Seller
They do alot of custom items, all is very good quality, and fabulous customer service. What more could a girl ask for?? Oh yeah, they don't charge you a small fortune!
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Trent-Valley-Mercantile__W0QQ_armrsZ1
I have to say, I know I listed several different companies to find garters, but hands down, I recommend the last the most. Their pricing is amazing, and they just have gorgeous items! Debbie is quick to respond, and I always like to recommend small-time merchants if I can. =)
As far as other wedding accessories, ring pillow, guest book, flower girl basket, there are just SO many options out there. Most of the companies I posted in regards to garters also sell these other items, many of them to match the garter. A really neat option for the flower girl & ring bearer is to buy plain white (or ivory) basket/pillow, and then "dress" them up with your wedding colors by using ribbons, crystals, charms, etc. You can take a $6 pillow and turn it into a work of art without spending $45 on something that is going to be used for less than an hour! Same with the basket. If you are really creative, you can actually make these two things.
For the guest book, a fun idea is to use a scrapbook, start a few pages back, and have guests write in their "advice", "best wishes", etc. Then you can add your pictures in after the pages of the written advice, and the first few pages can be your invitation, program, and other items from you wedding (place cards, table numbers, things like that). It's a great keepsake, and you'll have it forever! Plus you can display it on your coffee table! Whereas the normal guestbook, well, if you're like me, it'll be stuck up in a closet for the next million and a half years! In the years since my wedding, that guest book, that was SOOOoooooooooooooooooo important (and that I spend like $40 on!) hasn't been opened more than once. The ONLY reason I've even opened it? Because I was digging in a closet for something and it fell off the shelf it was on and bonked me in the head!
How about instead of buying a $20 pen with the feather & weird stand, taking a few plain Bic pens, wrapping them in ribbons (to match your colors), and topping with various silk flowers. Place these in a ribbon wrapped cup (try ikea for a glass, they are under $1!) or clear glass with some type of rocks or clear gems at the bottom, and voila!, you have a pretty container that is actually pens! You can also take these pens (and you can use gel inks if you want some color & sparkle) and make them like a small flower "garden" by using larger containers. Use some sand in the container, and wrap the pens with green ribbon for a "stem" of the flower at the end. Way cooler than a feather pen (unless you have feathers incorporated in the wedding...which feathers are REALLY fun to use in centerpieces!!)
Voila! Some fun ideas that also save you some money. Great for the bride who likes the whole DIY route, or is super crafty. I've done many of these ideas myself for brides....well, I mean, that IS why you hire a wedding planner......to have someone to do all your wonderful ideas while you enjoy your engagement!
Next time.....why are flowers SO expensive anyway? The myth of Silk VS Real!
Okay, so maybe not. But I'll come up with something interesting.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Simple Rose Hand Tied Bouquets
Just a couple of bouquets I threw together recently. The purple (it really is purple...I don't have the most fabulous camera, so it looks a little "off" in the color) roses are Blue Curiosa, wrapped with a shimmery organza ribbon & accented with a gorgeous crystal brooch (antique of course, for the "something old"!)I actually found the brooch on ebay in a huge lot of antique brooches. I love to use these in completely random ways, such as adding a brooch to a plain tank top, using it to "pick up" part of a skirt, attaching to a beautiful satin ribbon & tying around neck or your wrist,
taking a pair of matching brooches and puttingon your favorite pair of shoes (yes, yes, I love shoes!), or even placing one somewhere on a handbag to add some extra "flair". (yes, I used the word "flair". It's a requirement, those 15 pieces of flair!) *grins*
Seriously though, there are so many neat uses for brooches, I think it's wonderful that such an awesome piece of jewelery is becoming popular again!
This particular pink is my second favorite rose variety, Rosita Vendela. They range from pale to deep pink with a hint of white/cream in them. They are almost a bi-color rose, but not quite. This year Martha Stewart used them in her Mother's Day arrangements on FTD.com
This particular bouquet of the Rosita Vendela's have a gorgeous "bouquet jewel" in them, a pink crystal bow. The pink crystals range from light to dark pink, and I think they add something special to this already gorgeous bouquet!
There are 17 roses (normally I use 18-22, but it was all I had...I made these just to make them really!) hand tied with a white satin ribbon (I use double-face satin, it's a heavier weight, and is nicer to the touch), and accented with a gorgeous pink crystal dragonfly brooch!
These sweet little arrangements have the Rosita Vendela roses, and small daises for accent. Ivory satin ribbon is wrapped around the container (the "vases" are actually sorbet cups!!), and I made small ivory bows with some wired ribbon.
I made these for my daughter's preschool teachers, just to brighten their weekend! They were SO pretty. You can see the darker Rosita Vendela roses in these arrangements!
This corsage was done for my neighbor's daughter Stephanie for her prom. She wore the most gorgeous blue cinderella ballgown, and the ribbon on the corsage matches it perfectly (and it also matches the ribbon on the corset back of her dress. Intentional matching of course!) It has an Oriental Lily (mmmm, yummy smell!), a single Blue Curiosa Rose, and a sprig of Blue-Purple Hydrangea from my personal garden. I also made a matching flower for her date, Caleb. It's just a single Blue Curiosa Rose with simple greenery. I'm hoping to have some pictures of the two of them, as she looked stunning!!! (I did her makeup as well)Next time....I'm not sure yet. Perhaps a post on some details, and how to have gorgeous accessories for prices that won't break the budget!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A peek into Fall
So yesterday I had a "pow-wow" with one of my brides, Erin. For the occasion, I threw together some bouquets, a couple of table arrangements, and of course...I made some chocolate cake balls. Here's some pictures of the flowers!We also had a wonderful cake tasting at Annie's Bakery, a cake place located in the tiny suburb where I live in Murphy. I just love this bakery, they have fabulous cakes, and she does cupcakes for her tastings! I even got to take a couple home...they have GREEN icing on them, my son's FAVORITE color. I guess now I don't have to bake him that green cake this w
eek! =) While I'm not a huge fan of icing, her White Chocolate Buttercream, mmmmmmm. That was yummy. I highly recommend her, especially as she's got great talent, AND she's not a small fortune either. She never freezes cake (yay!), and only takes a couple of weddings each weekend, which makes me VERY comfortable because I know that the cake will be there on time, it will be gorgeous, AND it will be fresh!Erin has choosen a gorgeous paprika color for her bridesmaids dresses, and they will all have accents of a gorgeous gold color. It's a fall wedding, and we are com
pletely running with the theme!! Hydrangeas, red roses, orange roses, these gorgeous yellowy-orange roses with red centers (the prettiest bi-color roses I've seen. Now to find their NAME!), red hypercium berries, the miniature calla lilies in the reds, Mmmm, it's going to be GORGEOUS!The two bouquets here are just a starting point, for size, to see some colors, etc. I cannot wait to see the reception with the HUGE dramatic centerpieces...the tall vases, the gorgeous antique hydrangeas, the tall budding curly willow branches, and clusters of hydrangeas on the branches! We're actually going to do several types, to make it not completely uniform. Smaller vases with roses, probably some dahlias, and lots and lots of candlelight!
The detail's are all still coming together, but with the cake tasting yesterday, and the meeting about flowers, I just want to fast-forward to September, to see how all the hard work will play out, and to see a truly wonderful couple share their joy & love with their families!!A look into my "office". =) Yup, my kitchen table loaded with all the wedding "stuff". And of course the all-important computer...where all the magic starts! Okay, so maybe thats really my brain, but I didn't think posting a picture of my brain was very wedding-y!
Up next.....some spring & summer flowers, and a peek into the world of Tiara Making....wait, okay, so maybe just a peek into some ideas FOR wedding tiaras! *grins*
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Money
This is completely off topic, but Monday is my son's 3rd birthday. Birthday's are usually HUGE around here, I go all out, big cake, party, the whole she-bang.However this year there was a caveat, as daddy (my husband) was called out of the country on business (lucky bugger actually!!! Back down in Sydney, I'm incredibly jealous!). So, we decided to postpone the birthday celebrations, since Theoden IS only 3, he'll be okay and not really notice the difference.
OOPS. I think I was a little wrong on that front! Because
Eowyn (big sister, my oldest) has it all figured out, and she knows how to read a calender now! (smart, but ruins my plans!!) So she's been telling Theoden all week that his birthday is on Monday. Then today, the mail came, and of course Miss Eowyn found the birthday cards before I could intersect them to hold them until Monday.Yeah, didn't work out so much! But this is where is gets adorable. His Sugar and PawPaw sent him a small amount of "mondey" (as he says it), $5 to be exact (little stinker, he KNEW how much it was too!! How on earth did he learn about money???). Then there's a second card, this one JUST a card. Total 3-yr old MELTDOWN because there wasn't any "mondey" in it! SO, being a mommy, I took it back and said that maybe he missed it, ran into the kitchen and slipped in the only bill I had in my wallet, a $10 bill. Little stinker knew how much THAT was too!! So now he is RUNNING around the house yelling that he now has enough "mondey" to buy the toy noise-making helicopter he wants at Wal-Mart (yes, he said he's buying it from Wal-Mart). The best part? The toy he's talking about is $15 even at Wal-Mart! This was something he saw 2 weeks ago, and I had told him "no, it's $15, you can spend $1". He REMEMBERED the amount of money he needed to buy that toy!
Just so adorable! I wish I had taken the time last night to clear my camera, because a picture of that would have been priceless!! However, I'll leave it with some pictures of him from the wedding a couple weeks ago....he made the most ADORABLE ring bearer!! I still cannot get over how darn cute his little tux was!!Yes, it was as hot and humid as it looks that day...the two of them just look like they are melting a bit once they got to the steps!!!
Next time....I will post some pictures of the lovely flowers I've assembled for this weekend. It's prom (ugh, corsages!!! All those tiny bows), and I have a couple of floral consultations as
well. Of COURSE I made a lovely batch of chocolate cake balls for the occasion. Hey, I have to serve my brides something sweet, don't I? Might as well me pretty too!Thursday, May 14, 2009
Photography
So, a few days ago I mentioned that I would put up some information on Wedding Photography...sometimes a controversial issue! Mainly due to cost, many couples struggle with this decision. Personally I feel that wedding photography is not only as important, but also as personal as the type of undergarments the bride chooses to wear!There are many types of photographers....different styles, personalities, approaches to the art. I call it art because it IS an art form, and when it is your WEDDING day, it becomes very very personal. You want a photographer who will not only take the key shots (walking down the aisle, groom's reaction to the bride's beautiful entrance, the first kiss, family shots, etc), but also one who will capture the essence of your day! There's always videography, but lets face it, how many times are y
ou REALLY going to watch the video of your vows? Most couples who choose to do the videography choose this option due to special friends and/or family who are unable to attend their wedding. But pictures are something you will display in your home, on your walls, and give to your family! (especially your parents, even more so if they are the ones paying for it!!!)I ALWAYS recommend to my brides to first set a budget for photography. THEN start looking at photographers that are in your budget. Photography for your wedding can be anywhere from $500 (any less, and I really tell them to be completely SURE the photographer is worth it!! There is HOURS Of post-processing in wedding photography...at LEAST 20, typically close to 100 and this is factored into the price you pay) to over $10,000.
Once you have set a budget, really do alot of research, what style you want, if you want a traditional wedding style, or the current trend of "photo journalism" type coverage. Then look at what type of post-event processing you want (airbrushing, toning, changing the colors, sepia, black & white, etc. The possibilities are ENDLESS!!!), and then start interviewing.
In the age of digital (because 99% of wedding photographers shoot in digital these days...it's more cost effective, and you can do more effects. Airbrushing is SO MUCH EASIER in digital! Any photographer worth their weight will be able to do this in a way that is natural and NOT weird looking) more pictures are shot, and you can even go the route of not having your photographer make your wedding album or any proofs. They can throw it all up on a website for you to share with your family and friends, and throw everything on a CD for you to print yourself. They will probably need to be contacted if you want SUPER DUPER huge pictures (large than 16x20 usually), but this keeps costs WAY down, and gives the couple a little more flexibility and time to create their wedding album.
Photography, there are many options. From finding a fabulous photographer who is just starting out in weddings (this takes trust, but if you are on a budget, I recommend it. I personally keep a list of this type of photographers, and you can get your entire wedding with engagements & bridal sessions for under $1,000) to the super-duper pro who's done more weddings than they can possibly remember (this category goes for photographers who have done at LEAST 100 weddings. You will also pay a HUGE premium for this type of photographer....at the least $3500 is the base price...but you'll average around $5,000 if you want albums, engagement session, and bridal sessions. Some of these types of photographers even cover the rehearsal, which I think is really awesome. You'll have some great memories of what is usually a fun relaxed family affair!!
I do have some favorite photographers, but I never EVER push them on my brides....because while I do like some vendors, how they work, their personalities, etc, every bride had a different idea of what SHE wants (okay, the groom too!), and I feel that while I can give recommendations, when it comes to the wedding photography, it's just such a personal thing!
My top three Photographers here in TexasLaura Haney Photography (Excellent photographs, and great pricing for those brides on a budget)
Stacey Reeves Photography (quite a unique gal. I've got some fantastic pictures of her "dancing" at a recent wedding!!!!)
Ed Verosky Photography (while based in Austin, he is FABULOUS. I just adore him and his work!!!!)
Of course there are others I love....and I have a huge list of great photographers. These are just some I enjoy working with, and they are all a pretty good range as far as pricing, so it gives you some different ideas on how much to spend!
And one parting word of advice. Please please PLEASE do not count on Uncle Joe to take your wedding pictures!!!! UNLESS he is an experienced wedding photographer and is also willing to actually give you some type of contract (just to put everything down in stone, and gives you options if he drinks too much and just gets shots of your shoes). Just because he has a nice camera does NOT mean he knows how to use it for a wedding!!! This is just something I feel so strongly about. If your budget is tight...cut something else out. Alcohol, special favors, those super designer invitations....you HAVE to have good photography, because you can never EVER recreate the 'bridal glow' that you will only have on your wedding day! Sorry guys, re-doing them, it's just not going to be the same. TRUST me on this one!!!
Cheers!
Julia
Photography credits go to Adair Weddings and Ed Verosky Photography.
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