Where to start
Choosing the right photographer is perhaps the most stressful and overwhelming decision couples have to make.

Referrals
It’s the easiest and safest way to go. Ask a friend who recently got married or was in a wedding party they will have first hand experience and advice.

Internet
Now a days it’s the most convenient and discrete way of viewing portfolio’s without the big sales pitch.

Trade Shows
It can be a bit over whelming, and once you factor in parking and the cost of admission it can also be a bit expensive but it’s a good way to browse. Just be prepared to return home with bags and bags of flyers and other marketing material.

Plan of Attack

• Narrow down your selection to 3
• Meet and visit the studio/photographer
• View their work

What to Ask
At first glace all studios/photographers may have the same look and feel…but no two studios are created the same.

• How long has the studio or photographer been around?
• Are you able to meet and see the work of you assigned photographer?
• Are your proofs included and are they stamped/marked in anyway?
• How many proofs on average can you expect?
• Are you limited to committing to set packages or can they be customized for you and is there a charge for that? Or can you make changes to your package after the fact and is there charge or penalty for it.
• Most studios do not include albums and frames. Be sure to ask for an idea of pricing in advance so you can plan.
• Do the hours of coverage they provide suit your needs?
• Have a budget but research average rates. Every client is different. The rates are typically based on how many hours you require the photographer for and what type of print package you will need after the fact.
• What is the average time for proof pick up?
• What is the deposit structure?
• Are high resolution digital files included if not do you have option to purchase them?

Things to remember
Everyone has a budget but you get what you pay for. The package and the dollar figure attached to it is one factor but the following points can either make your experience fun and exciting or can leave you with that bad taste in you mouth. Most couples tend to overlook the following:

• Do you feel comfortable with the studios policies and personality? The work is one thing…but the personality, commitment and vibe you get is just as important. Remember you are physically ‘stuck with the shooters ALL DAY LONG not to mention you will be dealing with this vendor well after your wedding day.
• Does their style of work fit the overall look you are going for? There is a difference between candid and formal and a few studios still provide a more traditional way of shooting. Be sure to research and look at samples before you start your search.
• How flexible are they?
• How reliable do they appear?
• How professional do they sound?
• How reachable are they?
• How willing are they to take the time to explain in detail the process?
• Are they open to suggestions? If you have specific things you are looking for you should feel comfortable enough to ask!

Decision Made
Your photographer should be one of the first vendors you should choose. Book at least a year in advance. Once you choose your photographer, here are some of the things they should be able to help you with.

• Helping you with the overall timing of the day. Keeping you calm, organized and as on schedule as possible.
• Planning or taking some pre wedding photos/engagement photos. Great thing to have done if your assigned photographer is the one you will be working with. Great way to get comfortable with the shooter.
• Locations. Picking a spot for photos between ceremony and reception and helping suggest back up locations should weather not cooperate.
• Once the wedding is shot most studios can help organize and design prints for framing and or albums.

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Ok I really don’t like her!!  I started off liking her but now I really don’t.  I did not enjoy that shooting experience at all. It had nothing to do with weather, or timing or even laziness. It had everything to do with that bride!  Which may seem a little harsh to you, or even inappropriate for me to be mentioning but it is truth.
I wish there was a way for us to weed out and predict the future prior to any client signing a contract. As much as my gut and radar are usually in top form sometimes that little bit of crazy slips past me. And by the time we see it show itself it is too late to walk away or run for the hills.
I can honestly say that 99% of our clients are great, sane and respectful people.  But all it takes is that 1% to make you want to change careers or commit murder.  And yesterdays bride has me seriously rethinking all my life’s choices.

And this is how they get you.  Crazy people are sly. They come in and meet you for the first time and are friendly, sweet, charming, and totally in sync with you.

Then 8 months later the wedding day arrives, and BAM you are sucker punched! Sweet and charming no longer exists. Instead you are introduced totheir evil alter ego, who is rude, condescending and totally illogical. Now, I have worked a lot of weddings and it still shocks me as to how nervous people get. I really can accept that, it’s a big day, probably the biggest day most people will have. BUT that is NO excuse to morph into someone else. And following that miserable day she continued to place demands as she convinced herself she was the studios only client.

So here is what I say we do. I think photographers across this fair land should band together and make a few changes. Everyone knows when you book a photographer you sign a contract; it has all the generic stuff to cover both the client and the photographer. So I say we add a few points, clauses if you will. The reality is the changes don’t affect the clients that fall in the 99 percentile; it will merely protect us from that sneaky 1%.
Clauses…

• At the first sign of crazy or multiple personality disorders we the above mentioned studio reserve the right to cancel any legal contract or simply pack up our equipment and leave the day of the scheduled shoot.
• Prior to signing this contract all potential clients must attend a psychiatric evaluation that will also include personality testing. A therapist will be provided by the studio. The assigned medical professional will access personality traits and mental stability. Should their findings raise concerns clients will be asked to leave our premises immediately and never return. A restraining order will be issued at the end of the evaluation if deemed necessary.
• We fully understand that a wedding photographer is not a cosmetic surgeon or god. The photographer can not make us look taller or thinner or provide us with a full head of hair. Any issues with our appearance will be addressed with both sets of parents.
• We also acknowledge that a photographer can not prevent traffic or stop time. Should we the client choose the create an agenda that consists of 5 cities in one day with very little travel time in between or ignore agreed times and locations suggested by the studio rep we, the client, will accept full responsibility that we were stubborn and stupid.
• We solemnly promise to be dressed and ready to go at the agreed start times noted above. Failure to do so is subject to punishment by your assigned photography. Because failure to comply with this meant you made us wake up a lot earlier then we needed to. (just think how you would feel if we ignored the start time and showed up whenever)
• As a client of the above mentioned studio we will meet all deadlines for ordering, provide ACCURATE information in regards to timelines and venues, show up for all scheduled appointments or call if we can’t and we will even try to be on time!

For those of you who might have chuckled while reading this I can assure you meeting these requests will be easy. Those of you who think we are being unreasonable need not book an appointment.

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Wedding invitations hold more weight than most couples give them credit for. A wedding invitation often gives the invited guests a glimpse into the theme and style of your ever important day.
Depending on the time frame invitations are not the priority in terms of planning the wedding. This allows you time to create the theme of the wedding based on things such as flowers and brides’ maid dresses. When you have decided on a theme and even a colour scheme it will be easier to choose a style of invitation that brings it all together.

Here are a few questions to consider when deciding on an invitation:

• What is the theme of the wedding? Is it traditional, formal or casual?
• What are the colours being used in the wedding?  Colour of the brides’ maid dresses, linens, flowers etc.?
• What types of flowers are being used? This may be useful by finding an invitation with a similar flower motif.
• What is the budget for the invitations? Budget will often determine the type of invitation chosen based on type of paper, ribbon, envelopes etc. If budget is a concern you may choose to create your own or purchase pre-packaged invitation stock and type and print them on a home PC.

Once the style, theme and budget of the wedding invitation are determined it is time to create the wording.  Based on the answers of these questions the writing process can begin.  Don’t forget to include the date, time, locations and addresses where the ceremony and reception will be held.
Essentially there is no right or wrong way to write an invitation. It can be as formal, personal or as fun as you would like it to be. In the end it’s about welcoming those closest to you to share in one of the most important days of you life.

Below are some standard examples to guide you:

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What We Know, words of wisdom from the happy couple

I've heard it said, "Go with what you know".  That saying is all good and fine when you're talking about choosing a hobby, picking a cell phone carrier, or even selecting a nice wine for dinner, but weddings.... nobody knows. 

Steven and I are both Italian, and in our early 30s.  Between the two of us, we've attended our share of weddings.  What we know when it comes to weddings is a beautiful catholic church, an exquisite hall that seats 500 people comfortably and comes with a three storey cake, a poofy dress and a wedding party big enough to register in the community baseball league. 

When Steven proposed to me at the cottage last September, what we knew was that we were in love and that we wanted to be married surrounded by our family and friends, and what we knew pretty much ended there.  Looking back, I can say that it's a good thing that we are surrounded by so many family and friends who love us, because everything else from there on in required a lot of research, and making sure to ask the right people the right questions.

We had talked about maybe, possibly, potentially, one day, if the stars aligned for us, having a destination wedding, so that's where we started.  We needed to get a buy in from our immediate family, we needed them to be on board with us.     Opening the conversation to them in the early stages really opened up a lot of avenues for us.  Almost overwhelmingly, our family responded with generally the same thing, "wherever you get married, we'll be there".   And with those words ringing in our ears, we got in the car and drove straight to the travel agent.  No stopping at Go, no collecting $200. 

What we knew was the travel agent that had booked a trip for us the year before, so that's who we went to talk to.  We let him know that we wanted to be married somewhere hot and somewhere that had great food and lots and lots of things to do.   After all, we were talking about traveling with over 40 friends and family,  we wanted the wedding to be special, but we also knew that we were asking people to be away with us for seven days.  Keeping that in mind, we wanted a destination that had lots of opportunity to have things to do on or off a resort. There were about 4 or 5 locations that fit these requirements, but only two were out of hurricane season for the first week of July;  Punta Cana and the Mayan Riviera.  Steven and I had traveled to Punta Cana the year before and knew it would be lovely, but also that year a few of our close family members had also traveled to Punta Cana.  So we were going to Mexico!  

Being blown away by the Gran Bahia Principe in Punta Cana, we decided to try out the same chain in the Mayan.  And what an excellent decision that turned out to be.  This five star resort had 2500 suites spread out over three separate mini-resorts, each catering to a different style of vacationer.   The one we picked had a perfect mix of beach and pool action with villas right on the sand, pools everywhere and a restaurant selection that catered to everyone.   The beach resort wasn't our first choice as Steve and I pretty much soak in the sun as it reflects off the pool, but our family let us know that they were in the mood for a lot of beach blanket bingo. 

With the destination and location picked, there wasn't really too much else to decide. 

-Wedding coordinator, good things
-Photographer
-Ceremony, mariachi band, priest
-Academy, for family back here

What we know now about weddings is certainly a lot different than what we knew then.  What we know now is that we made a lot of the right decisions for us, and they were some of the best decisions we could have made. 

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For the more Traditional music lovers:

Mable is all about audience participation! If you think you know of a song that fits either of our lists send them over!

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