New Reception Trend

Are you one of today's brides who wants to forego the feel of a formal reception and instead dreams of a reception that looks beautiful, elegant & romantic, but has the feel of being fun, upbeat and casual? If so, count yourself in the majority! My clients are seeming to follow this new trend in weddings. Brides are looking for a way to offer their guests a fun celebration that includes more than just dancing.

In our area, there is one DJ who can deliver the whole package ... dancing, games (a multitude of choices!) ... anything to keep your guests entertained in an interactive fashion. Shawn from Event Team Entertainment can deliver it all!

Don't be afraid to think outside the box ... your guests will have a great time that won't soon be forgotten.

The Photography Puzzle

Let's face it, choosing a photographer for your wedding can be a very daunting task. There are sooo many out there; how in the world do you narrow it down to "the one"?

Once you've gotten referrals from those you trust most (your Wedding Planner, your family, your friends), the next step is to take a look at each photographer's style of photography. Which style most resonates with you & your fiance? Which pictures strike you, and why? Whose style seems to fit best with the vision you have for your wedding?

The next step is to take a look at your budget and compare it to the packages offered by each of your favorite photographers. Who fits best within your budget? If you have one all-time favorite photographer and you can't afford their top packages, consider one of their lower packages where you end up with all of the images on DVD so you can print the individual photos later as you are able.

Finally, it's important to meet with your photographer ... you are entrusting the future memories of your wedding to this person. You want to know that they understand your vision, that they "click" with you personality-wise, that you have good rapport. There may be (and are!) many, many amazing photographers out there ... but possibly only one who is the "right one" for you! Often you can judge a lot about the personality of a photographer by their blogs ... are they fun, are they serious, what do they love?...

I am lucky to call many of the "best of the best" photographers my friend; but these amazing photos from my own wedding were taken by my friend Jenny of Jenny Hill Photography. If you don't yet have a photographer, check her out!

And tell her I sent you ... :)

Holiday Cards!

We all love getting fun holiday cards from our friends & family. And let's face it -- us brides are eager this year to send out our own cards with some of our fun engagement and/or wedding photos. So which place am I using this year? Shutterfly!

There are a million and one places to get holiday greeting cards done, so why Shutterfly? It's fairly simple ... I have used Shutterfly in the past and trust the quality of cards, photos and photo books they produce with my personal pictures.

But let's be honest ... the fact of the matter is that they have AMAZING cards to choose from! Seriously, people. You need to see it to believe it ... go check out their selection of Christmas cards while you still have time!

Already have your Christmas cards printed & mailed? Take advantage of some of the other things you can do with your wedding photos on Shutterfly ... check out their photo gifts section where you can create a keepsake box, an ornament, or some fun playing cards.

OR, and how cool is this? ... go create your own canvas art for your new home together!

That's the fun thing about your wedding photos ... they look gorgeous in that amazing coffee table album your photographer creates for you AND they can be used for all kinds of other fun things.

Memories live on forever through pictures ... that's why I love my photographer friends so very much!