Music - Do it your self?

I've seen a trend with couples wanting to save a little money on their wedding and cutting an important part of their wedding. Their DJ! A DJ provides a much needed service for most weddings, they introduce the couple, they provide a fun environment for everyone, the get people involved, but that's not all. They provide experiance! I was helping my niece pick out some songs for her wedding before she met with her DJ and I will tell you it's hard. What music to you you have the mothers walk down to? I've shot a lot of weddings and never knew the names of these songs or even where to find them. Sure google is great, but that leaves you still looking for the music. What song are you going to cut your cake to? what song will your bridal party dance to? etc.. and really important, what songs make people just want to get up and DANCE?

My suggestion is find a good DJ and hire him for his services and personality he will bring to your wedding and reception. I couldn't believe all the options and all the various artist out there doing wedding music, and unless your friend has this experiance and collection of music I think you will be happier with a REAL DJ. I've got a couple in my perferred vendors that we have worked with that you can start with, but really do your home work, find one that you like.

Memorials

Weddings are a time to remember but not to necessarily dwell on lost family members. A small dedication of flowers on an alter is not unheard of. Some couples choose to do a little more, lighting a candle in memory of a lost member. We’ve even see a small speech. What you do is up to you, just remember not to let it set the mood for the rest of the day.

One wedding we attended a few years back where the bride just lost her grandmother a week before the wedding was rather touching emotionally. One of the family members that was in the wedding was to read a poem, when he got up to read it he made it through about 10 words before he was in tears. I was thankful I had a camera to shield me, because if I was just a guest I would have joined him and half the guests.

Personally I like the candle idea or small memorial table places somewhere off to the side so it don’t flavor the whole wedding.

On a happy note:

I heard on the radio today that the Recession is officially OVER! Hopefully everyone is in agreement on this and it really is and I’ve had the last person that wanted a full blown wedding package with Albums, Engagement sessions and a ton of prints to display call to inform me that they have decided to let their Uncle Fred (or a friend) take their pictures. See our blog at http://georgestarrphotography.blogspot.com for more on this subject as it is important to couples trying to cut costs.

LOCATION - It's where it is at!

Location - Your wedding location is personal to you, and when you are searching for a place to have your wedding and reception you want it to reflect on you and your good tastes. Above is a local Banquet center called "Mill Race Banquet Center" that is located on West Sharon Road. There are several locations and parks around town that have a lot to offer to couples getting married. Some of the parks even provide the food.

A few things go to look for when you are selecting a wedding venue are listed here:

• Emotional Attachment
• For the wedding, Long isle? can I use an Isle runner, nice alter space
• Is there a nice place for formal pictuers close by?
• If you can visit during the time of day of your wedding.
• Clean - It's gotta be clean.
• Do they supply the food and if so and you bring other food in?
• Do they supply Drinks? Do you provide the bartender seperatly ?
• Rest Rooms, are they located out of the way, and enough of them?
• Location for cake, Don't hide you cake in an ugly cornor!
• what is on the walls, can it be taken down or covered up?
• Can you get in early to decorate?
• Who cleans the place up?
  

This is just a short guide, best practice is to find a nice place you like, attend an open house if you can, or just hope for the best because it is open (last minute planners do this).

What to have! Things you need.

You will find you need a lot of things for your wedding day. You will need simple things, like hairspray and deodorant, but you will also find you need things you might not think of, like a cake knife to cut your cake with and a server. Bottle water is a nice thing to have also that you might not think about, you day gets long and you need to remain hydrated. You'll need flowers, something to keep wet them in if they are real. Napkins for the cake, servering dishes if they are not provided by your venue, etc. Below is a short list of things, it may not be everything you need but at least it will be a good start.

Something I have seen people forget about too is their help, i.e. D.J.'s, Photographers, etc. They need areas to sit down their gear (ask then how much) and something to remember is they are working at your wedding as long as you are, be sure to feed them or at least offer them something, it's a small thing, but something very much appericated. While everyone eats there is not much work for either of them to do. The D.J. has a little more to do, but dinner music is not that interactive. No one wants their pictures taken with a mouth full of food either.

1. The number one thing people forget is: Something to cut the cake with!
2. Cake Topper
3. Garter
4. flowers/bridal party/mothers/etc
5. Isle Runner
6. Rings
7. Table Center Pieces
8. Glasses to Toast with/something to put in them
9. Wedding Programs/Guest Book
10. Bubbles, Bird seed, etc (Rice is out)
11. Special Music/Church/reception
12. emergency items/Safety pins/sewing kit/bandaids/hair pins/Deodorant/Tissues
13. Church Decorations
14. and anything else you might need personally

I hope this list at least makes you think of things you might need, if you can add to it feel free to leave some comments or shoot me an email at george@starrphotos.net

Music - Play lists

Music is a very important to your wedding, Selecting your song, and those that are on your play list is important if you want to control a little bit of the feel of your reception. If everyone hates RAP music you don't want the DJ playing a RAP music song every other song. A good DJ will sit down with you and go over what he can play, and even help you pick appropiate music for Dinner and the other dance events. If he is unwilling to do this, you might want to reconsider his services. Again check out your DJ if you can.

This is a short post today, later this week I'll post a more serious one if time allows for it.

Kids at your wedding!

Having children at a wedding brings life to the wedding, sometimes a little chaos. Some brides choose to do a no children wedding and reception which is okay but can prevent some guests from being able to attend the wedding and/or reception. At the wedding ceremony kids are normally pretty well behaved, babies have some issues, especially with the longer ceremonies. We have seen several have to be taken out by Mom or Dad crying, it happens and if it does don’t worry about it, it’s life. After the wedding ceremony kids get a little on restless side if they are kept around for pictures.

At the reception, kids have a tendency to go a little wild, they have just went through a long time in church (20 minutes to sit still is a long time) and have a lot of energy. This is where you hope the parents keep a little control or you have kids circling around under foot when you are announced, when you are eating, when you are dancing your first dance, and generally all the time if they are permitted.

What is a couple to do? Well you can ask the parents to keep the kids under control, have the DJ ban the kids from the dance floor at key moments, and these work pretty good. Now there are a few thing more a couple can do. If you think like a kid what would be neat to do? We’ve seen craft areas set up, even kids sections/tables for dinner, that had fun things for the kids to do. Now not all parents will want their smaller children at separate tables, but it will keep a few occupied. We’ve even seen kids plates prepared for them, and a kids buffet line with kid friendly food.

You can do kids events too, kids want to be included in the fun. Single guys and girls have a Bouquet and Garter toss, why not do something like this for the kids. Do a Candy Sucker Bouquet and include them all, just make sure everyone gets something (extra suckers or something). We have seen separate dance areas for kids to keep the off the main dance floor. I would at least have the DJ ask the parents to keep the kids off the dance floor for the formal dances. After all you don’t want tripped, or to have to dodge kids running around during your first dance. Plus the pictures will turn out. At our wedding, during our first dance, one of my older nieces toddlers broke away onto the dance floor just crossing to the other side, my niece ran after her and the two of them almost took us out.

As you can see from the picture though, not all pictures are ruined by children. and we snapped a few without them showing up too. These kids had a blast and I bet they slept very good that night.

INLAWS – OUTLAWS and more

Dealing with your inlaws has just begun, I’m sure you have your issues, not everyone gets along with their new extended families. Your wedding day shouldn’t be stressful, however, they have their ideas and you have yours and sometimes they don’t agree. What is a couple to do? Well first off remember Don’t fight about it. Most reasonable people will, if you explain to them what you want and why, come around to seeing your way or at least explain their point of view. Getting the issues you know you will have out in the open early is a very good idea so that on your wedding day everyone agrees on how things will take place.

The question on some items is should you give in? Well the answer is YES and NO! If you give in on some smaller things then the major things you WIN will not be as big of a loss for the inlaws. Believe it or not everyone wants what they think is best for you on your big day. You don’t want a disagreement on your wedding day. People have a need to be needed, you might find that you can create a need for you inlaws that just “HAVE TO HELP!” You might put someone in charge of picking up the tuxes, or dealing with the florist, or helping the cake person making sure the cake goes where it needs to go and is how you want it.

One good piece of advice for you and your soon to be spouse it do discuss your feelings and know what your true limits are. For example and this is silly I know, but know that you can not tell her father he can’t walk her down the isle. Okay that was never a real disagreement with a couple, but as long as I mentioned that, another issue to consider is who does walk you down the isle if you have divorced parents.

Along with divorced families comes a whole separate set of problems, we see it at picture time but it’s there for every thing. Where do you sit the new spouses, who dance with the bride or groom first. I like to see these extended families come together for this one day and get along although it doesn’t always happen. There was a reason for them to separate and some people just don’t want to be close to someone they can’t stand to be around. Inform your Photographer and DJ or these issues so they know how to handle the “Parent Issue”

With a little thought to how people feel you can make your day a day to remember (in a good day) for everyone involved.

Btw: I normally do a people picture here... I wasn't going to touch adding a person to this one..

Your Weddind day

We get a lot of questions about what to do on your wedding day. Brides want to know what looks best, what we see other brides doing. I really recommend that they look up a local wedding planner, but short of that we provide some help and I'm gonna pass that along to anyone that wants it.

First off for today's entry, a short list of what you will probably need to get started.

#1 You need a DATE and place to get married - Sure it sounds silly to remind you of this, but I've seen brides looking for a place a month or two before their wedding date and not being able to get their first choice.

#2 You need some wedding officiant (minister/priest/judge/justice of the peace) to perform the ceremony. A church and their minister don't always come as a package.

#3 A Guest List - you got to know how many people to expect for food and drink. Of course Wedding invitations are included in this.

#4 Your Wedding party - Don't assume your Maid of Honor is available. Also Remember Gifts for them, extra hairspray, and a backup emergency kit of goodies.

#5 A program for your wedding - who is in it, songs, etc.

#6 A reception hall for the party you want to have.

#7 Decorations and other items for the church - Flowers for the pews, candles, Unity Candles, isle runner, guest book, flowers for mothers, offerings etc.

#8 Decorations for the Reception - Table center pieces, Cake topper, fountains, napkins with your names on them, streamers, glasses for toasts, a cake cutter, and anything else you might see fit.

#9 A good DJ is a must. He is the life of the party

#10 Transportation - Your car, a limousine, a horse drawn carriage are all good options.

#11 Photography and Video Services - When it is all over all you have are your memories, pictures and/or Video.

This list is pretty complete, although I am sure people will add more to it in the comments.

I'll go through a typical wedding in my next post. Be warned it is more involved than you think!!

Qustions to ask your Photographer before you book

Questions to ask

First off one of the questions I’ve gotten the most of has been regarding they type of equipment that we use, which changes over the years, and even what we might use at any given wedding varies. Some weddings require different lighting; some require the use of special lenses for the cameras to capture the images you desire. I prefer Canon Cameras, simply because that is what I learned on when I started out with film cameras. Nikon makes great cameras, but I don’t know how to use them in a dark room like I do the Canon cameras I own. In reality, the camera is just a box that captures images. The photographer you select is the important part, with today’s technology almost anyone can aim a camera and get a picture that is properly exposed. Look at the images the photographer you are interviewing has taken and see if you like those and then ask them are these the images you have taken or are these the images of the photographer that will be shooting out wedding? I say this because some larger Photography studios will show their best work and then send out a different photographer to your wedding. Get to know the person who is shooting your wedding, not their sales person.

Other Questions I get from people that I think you should ask are,
· What kind of training do you have, how do you keep sharp?
· What kind of continuing education do you have? Groups you belong to?
· How many Weddings have you done?
· How long have you been shooting weddings.
· Do you have References?

· Did you take these photos?

· If you get sick am I still covered.

Remember to get a contract when you Book your wedding, if it's not in writting you could get taken.

Introduction - Selecting A Photographer

I know.. I'm a wedding photographer and of course I want you to select us to do your wedding, Our first few tips are going to be about selecting a photographer. I all efforts to be fair, you can ask me the same quesions I pose.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important days of any couples life starting out is their wedding day, it is one of the rare occasions where family and friends come together all to share in one of life’s most important rituals when a man and woman become Husband and Wife. Young girls plan this day long before they ever fall in love, I know one of our nieces already has her colors for her brides maid dress picked out, know the season she wants to get married in, and even how she envisions the day will progress. Of course guys might never admit it but we see our fair share of grooms involved in the planning of the wedding ceremony and reception that follows.

Most weddings cost in the range of fifteen to twenty thousand dollars by the time you add in all the costs of items like a dress, food, music, decorations, hall rental, limousine, and cakes. You plan months in advance (sometime over a year) to bring your day into reality. When all the food is eaten, and all the dancing is done at the end of the evening you will take with you the memories of one of the greatest days of your life. Of course you have selected a photographer to share your day with you and to capture those memories forever.

I know in the above section I said “share” your day with you, and that’s the relationship you will have with your photographer. A good photographer will be there to help you when needed, suggest poses, and capture those intimate moments without interfering. Your photographer will be there for all the events, they will be there when your veil is placed on your head, when your mother fixes that stray hair, when your maid of honor(or mother, sisters, etc) pins the boutonnière on the groomsmen, they will be there when you walk down the isle, when you say I DO, for that first dance and all the other events, perhaps even when your carriage takes you away for the evening.

Because your photographer is so involved in your day, it is important to select one who has a proven track record of capturing the style images you desire. I suggest you ask a lot of questions, this guide is meant to help you in finding a photographer that you will be happy with sharing your day with.

My next Entry to this blog will be some questions to ask your photographer so become a follower to keep updated.