Grooms Look Good Too

Having posted about why a bride would have photos taken of her getting ready, I thought I’d follow-up with why a groom would want images taken of himself getting ready. These kinds of photos can be very similar to a bride getting ready, but also very different too (a groom usually doesn’t have a gigantic lace up dress to get into).

Not too many couples opt for photos of the groom getting ready, but honestly I just love these kinds of photos. There is a different energy with a group of guys, and maybe it’s having a pair of brothers myself, but I love just hanging out and relaxing with the grooms dudes.

Photos of a groom preparing for his wedding day can often consist of similar elements: detail shots of things he will be wearing like shoes, a tie, his boutonniere, cufflinks or any other special items.

During these photos, I often try to act as much as a “fly on the wall” as possible.  Perhaps it is the grooms that I have had the pleasure of working with, but I find that these men are less likely to enjoy being the centre of photographic attention, so I try to capture these gentle creatures in their natural habitats (or rather, just allow them to be as they are end take photos along the way).

Typically, I’ll get images of the guys having fun and being themselves – playing video games, smoking a cigar, or enjoying a beer.  Other times, I get images of the groom dressing, putting on his tie, and making last minute adjustments.

A groom having his boutonniere pinned on by his mother or another friend or family member is a great opportunity to show off a little bit of love.

All in all, the preparation by the couple is all part of telling the fantastic story of the whole wedding day, that I just love telling!

Getting Ready Photos for a Bride

Why in the heck would anyone want photos of themselves getting ready for a wedding?
That’s actually a really good question.

For me, taking photos of a wedding is made that much more special with being allowed to start with the bride (and groom) before they arrive at the ceremony location. There’s an energy of excitement, of quiet (and loud!) moments with family and close friends who the couple have chosen to be with the bride before she joins her life to another.

Getting ready photos allow, in my opinion, for a fuller telling of the story and for some often requested and desired detail shots of the important elements of the couple’s person items.

A bride’s preparation for her wedding is a careful one, with all of the details of which earrings to wear and how her make up will look being dreamed of long before the day.

Often times, as the photographer, I’ll take a few moments to capture items while the bride  is getting ready. This too allows them to get used to the idea of having another person in their space, photographing them.

I will always ask, if time permits for the bride to wait getting into her dress until I have had an opportunity to photograph it, and then to be able to photograph her getting into it as well.

Photographing a bride getting into her dress gives a unique opportunity to capture special moments between a bride and her close family, like her mother, or her bridesmaids.

There is often laughter and joy in those anxious getting ready images, which show how important it really is.

The last-minute preparations by a bride, capturing her thoughts, writing her vows or a love letter to be passed off later to her soon-to-be husband.

This time often allows for capturing images of the wedding party in their element as well.Honestly, the getting ready images are some of my favorite of the entire day. They exemplify the nervous and excited energy before vows are said.  These images capture the bride with her closest friends and relatives as they send her off to her new life with her partner. It’s exciting! It’s fun and it’s full of love.

Planning a Wedding: Location! Location!

Hooray! I’m engaged! Now wait a minute… where do we start…?!

Evan and I made a point of not making any decisions about the wedding the weekend right after we got engaged.  We celebrated with friends and family (though to be honest, the celebrations were originally intended for Evan’s birthday, since we got engaged on his birthday! Oops!) and just reveled in it.  To be honest, I wish we had waited a week… or more!

The sheen of a sparkly new engagement wears off a little too much once the hard reality of it all sets in of planning a big event. With everyone we know and love weighing in with questions, requests, and suggestions – I was feeling overwhelmed!  I’m no stranger to planning big events. I have planned events with thousands of attendees, tens of volunteers that I’ve coordinated and professional event staff. I’ve organized conferences, wine and cheese events, and more! I have been around the event planning block, so to speak. This isn’t my first dog and pony show, and I’m hoping these experiences will come in handy in planning my own big event.

I think some couples get engaged and plan a wedding a year or maybe more in advance. This amount of time gives a couple plenty of time to plan, deliberate and negotiate the various aspects of the event. I would imagine that they have the luxury of choosing a date first, perhaps something significant to the couple and then going to their desired venues with the likelihood that it will be available.

Not us. Ooooohhhh no. We are rebels! We like to do things outside of the box, and we are planning to get married this year. Yes! This Year!  So, in approaching venues, we are coming with a range of dates (late this summer or fall) as opposed to one date that we must have.  This gives us flexibility, and we are looking at venues based on whether they fit us, our wedding and our budget.

When I first started looking at venues, I quickly learned that not every location prices themselves the same way.  Some don’t charge a location rental fee, but require you to use in-house catering.  Some require a (relatively) small location rental fee, and allow you to choose from a short list of their exclusive caterers, from which they charge an additional percentage of the amount that you spend on catering (a Landmark fee) that will often go back to the upkeep of the venue, which is often associated with heritage or cultural centres.  Some charge a location fee, require you to use exclusive caterers, charge a landmark fee, and require you to use their bar services, as opposed to bringing in your own alcohol.  There are so many different ways of pricing it!

So, how to really compare the true cost of what the venue, the food and the drink would cost?  I created a handy-dandy Wedding Location Comparison Spreadsheet!  Oh yes I did!

You can download it here to use planning your own wedding, event or shin-dig!

Location_Comparison_Spreadsheet

Here’s how to use this cool spreadsheet:

• I wanted to ensure I was comparing apples to apples, so it was important to note the amount of people I would be hosting (I’ve inserted 85 here) and the number of hours (I’ve put down 7). Some venues charge a rental fee, per hour, and other charge a flat fee for a day/evening etc.

• I’ve input a spot where I can indicate with an “x” if the venue has exclusive caterers (or if I can choose my own) and if the venue provides the alcohol (or if I can buy and bring my own).

• As we are ideally hoping to have the ceremony and the reception at the same location, I’ve included that as an additional category, but you don’t need to use this part at all. The end total will add both the cost of the reception and the ceremony, even if its zero.

• Set a Budget! This is important! Venues that are waaaaay too far outside of our budget don’t make the cut, regardless of how much we love them.  And it’s helpful to see right up front how much we have budgeted to spend to make a quick comparison.

• As I make inquiries and I talk to venues, I am inputting all of the myriad of costs (big and small) into the spreadsheet. A location may charge less for the rental fee, but all of the little fees like renting linens, chairs or AV equipment can really add up and make a venue with a higher rental fee that includes all of those things work out to be less expensive in the end.

• Make notes. Where a location has an exclusive caterer, I am just inputting my budget for catering (the example here is $2000) rather than inquiring and negotiating with the caterer now – so I would make note of that.

I hope you find this spreadsheet helpful; happy location hunting!

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A Wedding Survival Guide, from behind the lens

I’ve been to a couple of weddings.  Okay, maybe more than a couple.

One of my favorite parts about documenting a wedding is being so close to the bride and groom and sharing many of the intimate moments of their day.  It is the peeking behind the curtain of the wedding, knowing all of the details of the day and how it is to unfold, the special surprises and the tiny thoughtful details that make doing what I do so wonderful.

I most certainly have not seen it all, not by a long shot, but I am familiar enough with weddings to know some of the pitfalls and joys along the way.  I am, by nature, one who over prepares but I’m also pretty practical too.  So feel free to take my suggestions with that grain of salt.

So, here we go, a random smattering of my wedding survival tips:

• Don’t forget to eat. Eat a really hearty meal before you get in your dress or tux.  Despite how nervous you may feel.  This will be one of the last opportunities you will have to eat before dinner, many hours later.  Or if you are able, stash a granola bar with someone you trust not to eat it!

• Bring a survival kit.  If you can manage it, bring along a kit of “just in case” items that can help mitigate spills, accidents or other things life throws at us.  Things you may want to consider include: safety pins and/or a mini sewing kit, lint roller, stain-removal pen, bobby pins, wet wipes, lip balm, Advil or Tylenol, spare contacts or your glasses.

• Preparation is key! Brides: Get a trial hair and makeup session done before the wedding to ensure its what you want the day of.  Grooms: Try on your tux days in advance to make sure it fits!  Be sure that the person who is driving to the ceremony and the reception have maps or know where they are going.

• Don’t pressure others.  This includes trying to get a pet or little niece to walk down the aisle when they don’t want to, to asking your brother to make a speech when he hates public speaking.  It will only make them uncomfortable and it will feel and look awkward.

• Budget your time. If you have a dress that laces up in the back, it will take you a lot longer to get into it than you think it will.  Remember, when you tried on your dress last, it was at your fitting, and you had someone who laces bridal gowns for a living.  Your Maid of Honor and your sister have perhaps seen it done once, but it will still be pretty confusing for them.  These aren’t your sixth grade shoe laces!

• Consider your comfort.  If you’re not a gal who normally wears high heeled shoes, make sure you wear in those wedding heels well beforehand.  Think about bringing flip flops or other comfortable shoes to wear at the reception.  If the undergarments you are wearing have been specially purchased for your wedding day, think about wearing them for a day beforehand to ensure that they support you and don’t chafe or rub unnecessarily.  You don’t have to wear your garter all day!  Stash it in a purse for walking down the aisle and casually slip out at a point during the reception to put it on.  Grooms: rental shoes often aren’t made of leather and don’t breathe well, consider bringing a spare pair of your own to give your feet a break.

• Make a detailed time line of the day.  Share it with all of your vendors! Putting it all down on paper can really help to solidify the little details of the flow of the day, and it will help all of your vendors understand how they fit in.

• Make another list.  Check it twice.  I encourage you to make a list of the friends and family members you would like to have photos of during the formal photography portion of the day.  Try to remember that each grouping can take about five minutes to arrange and corral people together for,  so make sure you’ve budgeted enough time for all of this.  By planning in advance, you’re not going to miss anyone the day of in the flurry and excitement, and your photographer (who you’ve ideally shared this list with) will have a sense of what to expect.  In addition to making this list, I would additionally suggest that you assign someone  (or two) who is familiar with the people in the list to help ensure that everyone who you would like photographed is available and hasn’t run off to the reception for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres!

What do you think? Do you have any survival tips to share?