Guest Post by Nicola

Summary

Sometimes wedding photos will work out much better if people void making any serious mistakes, so I’ve talked about what they are and how people can stay away from them. The moment your wedding photos arrive through the door it can be a time of bliss, or it can be a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately some things go wrong and photos get ruined, but if you stick to a few tips I’m going to speak about today you shouldn’t suffer any problems.

Stick to the schedule

Wedding photographers appreciate it’s your big day, but at the same time you have to appreciate the world doesn’t revolve around you even on your wedding day. When you arrange a schedule with the photographer it’s best to keep it which means you shouldn’t be running around late. It might take you one or two minutes to take photos of famous monuments when you go on holiday, but if you want your wedding photographs to look great the photographer needs lots of time to do their magic.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Your photographer might think they’re taking beautiful photos of you, but when you see them you might decide you hate them. How will they possibly know what photos to take without guessing? The perfect solution is to send them a bunch of photos before your big day. Send a pile where you think you look attractive and send a pile where you think you don’t look attractive. On your wedding day this will help them take a lot more photos you will love compared to lots you’ll hate.

Going with one photographer

A wedding photographer doesn’t come cheap. They have to spend the day at your wedding taking hundreds of photos, but after the wedding is over they need to edit everything. That being said, if you want the best photographs possible you should definitely hire a second photographer. The second one will be able to capture photos from angles the first photographer won’t catch. Just in case you’re wondering, your Uncle Bob and his iPhone doesn’t count as a second photographer.

Deal with the schedule beforehand

We’ve already talked about sticking to the schedule, but first you must work with the photographer to devise one. They will know much more than you, so you must listen to everything you say. You might want to do something at a certain time, but your photographer might tell you that is the best time to take the photos so you can take advantage of the natural light. If you want photos with lots of unflattering shadows you can just ignore everything they say.

Don’t look at the camera

You don’t need to stare at the camera when the photographer is clicking away. It would look a little strange if every one of your photos had all eyes pointing at the camera no matter what the situation. Sometimes they will need to take natural shots and that means you need to go about your business as usual. I know this is quite difficult to do and an unnatural force usually pulls your eyes towards the lens, but try your hardest to stare away from the camera unless your photographer says differently.

Author Bio:  Nicola Joseph, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger, currently writing for, JS Photography, professional wedding photographers in Sydney. She takes keen interest in animation and graphics and is currently working on bettering her skills. You can get in touch with Nicola via Twitter @NicolaJoseph.

::Guest Post by Nicola Joseph::

If you are busy planning a wedding then your very long list of things to do in preparation may well be making you feel a little daunted! This is not surprising – after all planning a wedding is very involved and there are lot of different things to think about. One of the things that you should tick off your list early is booking all of the suppliers. This is important because the really good ones tend to get booked up really early. Here are five suppliers that you can’t do without – get them booked nice and early to avoid disappointment!

Photographer

The photographer is a crucial part of the day (and you may want somebody there to film the day too). Photos are a wonderful way of being able to look back on your big day for many years to come. It is also a lovely idea to share the photos online so that your friends and family from further afield can get an idea of how the day was. Book your photographer early as the good ones get snapped up quickly!

Caterers

Another important supplier to book early is the caterer. These are the people that are going to serve up delicious food to your guests, so it is vital that you book caterers with a great reputation so that you feel safe in their hands. You will need to choose the menu and this may involve some tasting – so pick your caterer and then go along to sample some of their yummy menu options!

Venue

Of course, you are going to need to secure the venue nice and early, so make sure you pick one that you know you will be happy with on the day. Most dedicated wedding venues will allocate you one member of staff who is responsible for helping you with the planning, and it’s a really good idea to build up a great relationship with them as they will be able to help you a lot.

Wedding Stationer

You’ll need to employ the services of a wedding stationer who will design some stunning invitations, place names, ‘save the date’ cards… whatever you need. Some people even get their wedding stationer to design the order of service for the church. Have a look at their portfolio and make sure that you like their style before you book them.

Florist

Last but not least, you need a really creative florist on your wedding team. The flowers are such an integral part of your wedding day – they are present in the church, at the reception, and even in your hands as you walk down the aisle! Find a local florist and let them know your colour schemes so that they can start working on your designs.

If you book your wedding suppliers really early you can be sure that things will run smoothly in the lead up to the big day. Make sure everything is contracted so that nobody can let you down, and remember to thank them afterwards for being a part of your big day!

Author Bio:

Nicola Joseph, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger, currently writing for, Flowers by Alice, leading Florists in Adelaide. Her hobbies include gardening and baking. You can get in touch with Nicola via Twitter @NicolaJoseph.

:: Graphic Title Lettering by Kelly ::

Guest Post by Nicola Joseph

Today, I’ll be talking about some of the things friends and family can do to eliminate some of the stress from the bride’s life so they don’t end up freaking out on their big day. Once you’ve worked with enough brides-to-be you’ll know they are a little crazy. They can get stressed out by the simplest of things and since you’re their friend or family member it’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen. We’re going to take a look at a few ways you can make their life as stress free as possible so they can concentrate on enjoying their big day.

Look over the contracts

Once the bride has decided which vendors she wants to work with it’s your job to take over the reins so she can forget about them. This means checking over the contracts to make sure everything is ready to go as planned. The bride won’t forgive you if the limo doesn’t turn up to take her to the church. Even though everything looks good to go you should still contact each vendor a week before the wedding to make sure everything is still on schedule, which will prevent any unforeseen hiccups from ruining anything.

Everyone should be in sync

Hopefully you’ve got a detailed time-line of everything that needs to happen during the big day. The photographer, DJ, and anyone else providing a service at the wedding should have their own one You should maybe make sure all of them line up correctly. Go over it with the bride so she can agree to it, plus she might want to change a few things. Once everyone knows what they have to do and they’re in sync there is much less chance of something going wrong.

Supervise the Set-Up

The bride-to-be will spend the entire morning worrying about what is to come. If you’re getting ready with the bride you should still send someone to supervise the set-up, so it means she won’t have to stress about things not being ready. Instead she can just stress over how she will feel standing in front of hundreds of people in her beautiful gown. Because someone will be at the venue in plenty of time it will also give them a chance to sort any last minute problems before you and the bride arrive.

Usher guests to reception venue. 

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of a wedding and everything will go a lot smoother when someone takes care of it. As soon as the wedding ceremony is over you should put on your shepherd’s coat. Imagine all the guests are sheep and it’s your duty to make sure they get to the reception venue in plenty of time. It means people won’t get to mess around and the party can start much sooner, plus the photographer won’t get bored standing around waiting on everyone.

Take care of their personal property

Once the reception party is over the bride will want to sail off into the sunset, so she won’t want to waste her time making sure all of her personal property is taken care of. You can take her wedding gifts and secure them in a hotel or storage room so nobody can steal anything. Don’t think you have to do all the heavy lifting yourself. Ask some of your trusted friends for help if they’re not too drunk, but you just need to oversee everything so the bride doesn’t have to worry about it.

Author Bio: Nicola Joseph, the author of this post, is a freelance blogger, currently writing for, Dream Day Limousines, a renowned limousine hire service in Brisbane. She is great with software and designing and enjoys spending her time in research. You can get in touch with her on Twitter @Nicola Joseph.

1. Budget Calculator
Probably one of the most important tools.  Before you fall in love with a venue, make sure it’s within your budget by filling out this form.

Giving wedding gifts to the couple sometimes be stressful and even pricey, especially if you’re attending all three engagement party, bridal shower and the wedding.  How much are you suppose to spend? Are you suppose to only choose from the registry or find something more personal between you and the couple?  Do you give cash instead of gifts, knowing the couple’s situation?

Here are a few etiquette tips on giving wedding gifts to the couple to ease your mind.

+ There are no minimum or maximum on cash gifts.  You need to look at your personal budget and the relationship to the couple.  Here’s a rough guideline for you if you have no idea how much to spend.  If you are a co-worker or a distant friend $75-100, relatives and friends $100-$125, close relatives and close friends should be $100-$150.

+ If you are invited with a plus one, there’s no traditional rule to this, but it’s customary to give a bigger gift since the couple is now paying for the two guests.

+ If you know you’re a part of all three big events such as the engagement party, bridal shower and the wedding, make sure to budget your financials in advance.  It might feel weird to give them a big gift at the engagement party then bring a small congratulations card to the wedding.  Think about how much you want to spend overall, and budget them 20% engagement party, 20% bridal shower and then 60% wedding gift.

+ It is customary to follow the couple’s wishlist on their registry.  However if your financial situation doesn’t fit with their wishlist, you might look at the registry as a guideline and find something elsewhere.  Don’t get offended though if they have exchanged your gift something else later!

+ If the couple are a really close friend of yours, and you would like to be creative on the wedding gift, there’s no rule saying that you can’t.  I personally loved all the creative gifts our friends got for us, but we’re pretty artsy like that.  One tip I would give you though is to keep it somewhat small.  If it’s a huge painting for them, unless they absolutely love it, it might stay in the attic and will become an awkward subject between you guys.

+ There’s nothing wrong with sending the wedding gifts in advance, or shortly after the wedding.  It’s a hassle for you to bring a big gift to the wedding in your lovely dress, and it is also a hassle for someone at the wedding to move all the gifts to a locked room, and then to the car at the end of the night and then deliver it again to the couple’s home after their honeymoon.  Mailing the gifts is the cool thing to do.

+ There is nothing wrong with cash gifts, as well as giving them a check.  Some couple might even prefer it, to contribute to their new home renovations, honeymoon, baby fund, savings, etc.

+ Please, please, write add a card with your name on the gift.  There’s nothing more awkward in not knowing who sent the gift, and being vague on the thank you card.

+ If you’re attending a destination wedding, it is okay to give a smaller gift since you’re spending much more on the traveling expense.  But make sure you do give a gift.

General rule of gift giving, give something or as much that you are comfortable with.  You don’t want all the weddings you go to be financially stressful every time.  Have fun with gift picking!

We all go to a wedding for the same reason, to celebrate the union of the couple and show our support and blessings.  The more closer you are to the couple, the more you want to do for them.  But the reality is, there are times when the wedding collides with other events in your life.  You may have a business trip, you may have kids, you may have an engagement party for your family, your babysitter bailed on you last minute, you may have someone in the hospital that you need to take care of, and the list goes on.  And plus, the wedding trend has changed a little bit that the bride and the groom aren’t in a hurry to go to their honeymoon.  They like to stay until the end of their wedding night to have a good time with their friends and family.

Instead of not showing to the wedding at all, these are few possible tips on how to leave a wedding early.

+ Check that you have a legitimate reason to leave a wedding that they’ve spent thousands of dollars and over a year of planning.

+Let the couple know your situation long before the wedding.

+Let the couple know that you will only be joining the ceremony, and that they should recalculate the number of plates they will report to the caterer.

+ Offer the couple to give up your seats for someone else if it’s a small wedding.

+ Show them your frustration for your unfortunate situation.

+ General rule is that you should stay until everything that the bride and the groom has paid for has been served.  Most of the time it would be your meal, desserts and reception favor.

+ Another good cue to leave would be after all the special events.  First dances, cake cutting, speeches, bouquet toss etc.

+ When you let the couple know that you will be leaving the wedding early, it should never be on the day of.

+ Tell them a specific reason for you changing your schedule, instead of saying “Something came up.”  That just sounds like an excuse.

+ If you know that you’re leaving early, don’t carpool with others.  It’s already a sensitive issue that you’re leaving early, you don’t need to take a whole big group with you.

+ Write them a congratulations/sorry/thank you card after the wedding to show your deepest apologies.

+ Try your very best to cancel the other event!

Remember, these are only tips on how to make a well-mannered wedding exit, ONLY if you absolutely have no solution for you to avoid it.  You should always try to stay at the wedding as long as you can.  These couples only get one wedding in their life time!