Advice and Tips – Page 8 – Toledo Wedding Photographer

Toledo Wedding Photographer – What to do After the Bridal Shows

So many Bridal Shows! So many Vendors! So many Ideas! So MUCH Money!

SO OVERWHELMED!

Now What?

How in the world do you sift through all of this information and choose? Start with the basics!

Wedding planning is a long and complicated project and may be a lot more work than you realize, or can even handle by yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Ask friends that have been recently married or even a wedding planner to help you. Some of them even have plans to just help you get started or do everything all the way through to the big day if you need them.

Probably the first thing you need to do is set a realistic wedding budget. How much are you going to be able to spend and then how are you spending it?

Next, organize your information into categories. The main things you need to book once your wedding date is set, are the ceremony site, reception hall, photographer, DJ, and Caterer. These are also the most expensive parts of your wedding day and the things that will need to be booked long in advance. Once you have these booked, you will know how much you will have left for other expenses. But how do you choose?

If you attended a bridal show, you probably met a lot of vendors that were more than willing to help you so they could acquire your business. They all had beautiful displays and may have been overly friendly. But do you really remember each vendor with whom you spoke? Probably not, especially if you attended more than one bridal show. However, I am assuming they did give you information on their services and pricing to take home.

Now you need to “investigate.” Check out their websites. Compare their pricing. READ THEIR REVIEWS! While doing this, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Remember that serving Filet Mignon at each table is a lot more expensive than a buffet style baked chicken and mashed potatoes dinner.

The same is true with photographers. I have noticed that the new trend in photography is a second photographer. I have always been alone when I have photographed weddings, and have been able to catch every moment of the day. I also have (believe it or not) been a guest at weddings that have had two photographers. Do you know what I noticed? While one was shooting, the other was “on break.” They did both shoot the wedding, and the cake cutting, first dance and bouquet and garter toss at the reception, so basically, you are paying for two people to do the same job, (that your friends and family are also doing for you for free). Yes, it is different angles, but basically, the same things. Plus, sometimes, the second shooter is an intern or new photographer that is just learning the business of wedding photography. Some photographers even “contract” other photographers and overbook themselves just to get the business. Just because you spoke with the “main” photographer, doesn’t mean that person will actually be photographing your wedding. So be careful when you decide you want a second photographer or a photography business with multiple photographers and find out who will be photographing your big day and just what exactly the second photographer will be doing, if you hire one. I’m not saying that all wedding photography businesses that offer two photographers work this way, I’m just letting you know from my experience in the business that this does happen. Be very careful so you are not disappointed with the end results.

As I said previously, I usually do work alone. However, there may be instances where I feel a second photographer would be beneficial. If this does happen, I could pull from my extensive list of photographer friends that I have worked with over the years that do have the knowledge and professional experience to capture the important moments of your wedding as I would.

Another trend is to give everything on a disk. This is another thing that you really need to find out what is really included. Most of the newer photographers are doing this just to get the business. But what do you really get? Do they do any special effects or are they just the raw images that have been edited? (deleted the blurry ones, color corrected the ones with the bad lighting, etc.). Do they add any vignettes (gradual darkening or softening of the edges)?

Do they add regular effects (black and white, sepia, etc.)?

Do they add any other special effects like this one?

When they say they are high resolution, does that mean full resolution where you can print at any size or just up to a certain size like an 8 x 10? These are all questions that need to be answered so you do not become disappointed with your choice. If they give you the disk, do you get the copyrights to all of the images, or just a select few?

Plus, assuming you are getting the disk of images so you can make your own album and get your own prints cheaper than going through the photographer, you also have to take into consideration how much time and effort and the actual expense of doing your wedding album yourself, and the quality of the album and prints that you are able to access. Yes, you can get good quality items fairly reasonable, but they usually are not standard professional quality. Once again, do not become disappointed in your choice.

After your wedding day, the memories that you created and your photographs will be all that you have left to tell the story of your wedding day. Be an informed shopper and choose wisely. Meet with more than one vendor and make sure that you are comfortable with your choice. Ask to see examples of their work and compare it to what you can get somewhere else. Read their reviews, talk with other brides that have worked with them. And don’t hesitate to even check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints against the companies you are considering. Don’t be pressured by the vendors. Make sure there are no hidden costs and you are getting exactly what you are expecting to receive Definitely don’t expect everything for free or at an extremely discounted rate. And most importantly, remember, you get what you pay for!

Good Luck and Happy Planning!

Toledo Wedding Photographer Tip of the Week: Wedding Cake History and Etiquette

The tradition of wedding cakes go all the way back to the Roman Empire. During that era, it wasn’t cake at all, but a loaf of bread that the groom broke over the bride’s head to symbolize his dominance in the union and to bring the couple good fortune.

The couple would then eat a few crumbs of the cake to bring good luck fertility to the marriage. Guests would then rush to try to get some of the crumbs on the floor so they too would have luck and fortune.

Icing on the bridal cake first appeared in the 17th century and was all white symbolizing the purity of the bride. However, the ingredients were so expensive to make the icing pure white that it became a status symbol and if you had white icing on the cake, it meant your family was wealthy. Obviously the wedding cake has since evolved and now can be very elaborate creations of all flavors and colors. I have even had a couple have Wedding Pie instead of cake which was a Medieval English tradition, and matched the theme of their wedding.

No matter what you decide for the design of your cake, there is still something to consider before you actually cut your cake on your wedding day. Are you going to be dainty and nice to one another?

Using forks is very dainty!

Or are you going for the “all out war?”

Hint: Heather wants a war!

If you choose the latter, you MUST kiss and make up!

But the most important part of all of this is to be in agreement prior to the cake cutting as to how it is going to go. If the bride has spent hours getting ready and had her hair and make-up done professionally, the groom can easily be in the dog house by smearing icing all over her face. At the same time, the groom will not want to be upstaged by his new bride in front of all of his friends and family!

This could feasibly be one of the most important decisions to make on your wedding day to ensure a happy wedding night!

Toledo Wedding Photographer Tip of the Week: Reasons to Book Early

From the information that I am seeing in the wedding guides and magazines, they are telling you to book your wedding photographer approximately 9 months before your wedding date. This is a good amount of time for most brides, but here are other things you need to consider:

Top 5 Reasons to Book your Wedding Photographer Early!

#5…Guarantee your date!
If you are getting married in the summer months, or the year’s most popular wedding month, which can vary from year to year depending on the wedding trends, you may want to book sooner. Also, you have to consider the popularity of the date, such as Valentine’s Day or date with numbers that have a meaning or pattern like January 1, 2011 (1/1/11), and especially if it’s a holiday weekend. Unfortunately, even us wedding vendors do not always know what dates are going to be popular until we start getting calls from brides and grooms to be.

#4…More time to pay!
The longer time that you have to pay your wedding vendors, the better you can control your budget. You will know exactly how much money to budget for photography and won’t have to worry about not finding a photographer you can afford. Plus, this gives you more freedom and creative options. I ask for a $400 deposit to book your date, but you don’t have to be paid in full until two weeks prior to your wedding. Therefore, you can make as many payments as you need, or save up until you can pay in full. Are you having an engagement party or bridal shower? You can always have your guests purchase Kurt Nielsen Photography gift certificates to help pay for your wedding photography, and you can always upgrade if you find you have more money left in your budget!

#3…Help with Wedding Day Time Management!
Don’t know how long after the wedding to start the reception? I can help with that! During your free consultation, I will ask you lots of questions including if and where you want to go for formal wedding pictures. We can then determine the amount of time needed to complete all of the post wedding photos which will vary depending on how many pictures we can get finished before the wedding and travel times to where you want to go for more pictures, and any other stops you want to make. You will probably change your mind about some of this as it gets closer to your wedding, so make sure you come in for another free consultation before you send out your invitations to ensure you leave enough time to get all of the photos that you want.

#2…One less thing to worry about!
You can relax a little bit because you now have one of the biggest wedding day choices secured! This will leave you more time to plan everything else and one less thing to worry about!

And the #1 Reason to Book Early!…..
You get this year’s prices! Unfortunately, occasionally I need to adjust my pricing because my suppliers pricing increases. When you book your wedding, you get the current wedding pricing. If my prices go up by the time your final wedding payment is due, you will only have to pay what your signed contract requires even if my prices have gone up, saving you money!