Oct 22, 2012 | Budget Planning, DIY, wedding planning
You might look at the cost of professional photography and think you’d be better off without a professional photographer. You might be right. Or you might be very disappointed. It all depends on how important photos are to you.
Here's a photo I took with my point-and-shoot camera and limited photography skills.
If having high quality photos of your entire wedding and reception is not your first priority, you can ask a friend or relative to document the day for you. Someone with good photography equipment can probably take decent photos for you.
But if having professional quality photos is important, it’s difficult to get them without paying professional prices. Professional wedding photographers have equipment and skills that ordinary mortals lack. The best consistently take copious, excellent photos that capture the essence of your day. They are on the spot and don’t usually miss any important moments. It’s also important that they are not guests, but are hired to work for the entire time, so they will be alert and sober until the time they leave. They know what to look for and how to take good (and often stunning) photos of your wedding.
The same cake in a photo taken by Agnes Malorny, professional.
As with all DIY projects, think this one through before you make a decision. There is a definite difference in quality between amateur and professional photos. Decide what is important to you, and then pay a professional if you can’t live without those photos.
Aug 27, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, wedding planning
Photo by MWD Photography.
Probably the largest environmental impact from any kind of celebration is from the transportation involved. Guests from other places and in-town transport cause inevitable carbon emissions. To reduce the environmental impact, you might encourage your guests to arrive by rail, by bus, or to carpool. Of course, if you have your event where public transportation is an option, you can help your guests to get around by local transit. If possible, reserve hotel rooms for your guests within walking distance of the party. If they will have to travel some distance, charter a bus for them. Or, try a pedicab.
Carbon offsets are one way to mitigate the environmental consequences of travel. Although there are some who question their effectiveness, you might know of a program you feel comfortable with. You could ask your guests to pay for carbon offsets instead of bringing gifts. Or it can be your gift to them in place of favors.
For an eco friendly honeymoon, try these ideas: honeymoon close to home; honeymoon at home (turn off the phone and tell everyone you’ve gone away); honeymoon by bicycle; or, most romantic of all, honeymoon by rail. (As my sister says, “Anyone who says romance is dead hasn’t been on a train lately.”)
Aug 20, 2012 | Budget Planning, DIY, wedding planning
How many cake plates do you need? Photo courtesy of Artisan Events.
When you see the total cost of rental dishes, you might be tempted to go to Ikea and buy dishes instead of renting them. Depending on your circumstances, that might be a good choice–or it really might not be.
I know someone who bought enough dishes to serve about 50 people at her wedding. They got married in their own home, had a good caterer, and had places to store all those dishes after the wedding. It can work.
On the other hand, if you are having 150 guests at a rented venue, you might run into some unexpected difficulties. For example, keep in mind that everything may need to be washed before it is used. Your catering staff probably won’t do that for you without an additional charge. Next, think about what will happen to all those dishes at the end of the night. The kitchen staff will scrape them and pack them up in whatever boxes you provide for them. Then you or your representative will have to pick them up from the venue the day after the wedding and take them somewhere to wash them. And then you’ll have to figure out what to do with 150 place settings. That might not be how you planned to spend the first day of your honeymoon.
This is not to say you shouldn’t buy dishes, but you should think it through all the way to the end before taking the leap.
Aug 6, 2012 | wedding planning
Sometimes, the nicest weddings are the ones that don't do what they "should." Photo by Paul Grigonis, pplusgphoto.com.
I try to keep tabs on the current bridal publications. There are certainly a lot of ideas and some useful information to be had from reading them. There are also snares to watch out for, as with many things in the wedding industry.
One thing I notice is how often articles use the words “should” and “must,” generally when referring to items or services to purchase. Then, when looking at the advertisers, I see that most of the things they say are required are things the advertisers sell. Based on what I know about the publishing industry, I know this is no coincidence. So, my advice would be to take the “shoulds” and “musts” with a grain of salt. Decide what is important to you and make your decisions based on that.
Jul 30, 2012 | wedding planning
Your vendors want to provide you with the best service. Photo by hannahelaine photography (hannahelaine.com).
One of the things no one ever talks about is the automatic sort of insurance that comes with hiring a wedding planner or coordinator. It’s not foolproof, but if you have a planner as part of your team, it can keep other vendors on their best behavior. Other vendors rely on planners to refer them for future work, so they are often careful not to pull any funny business. Of course, there are exceptions, and I have written about some of them in the past. But having a planner and the power of internet reviews are often enough to ensure that you are getting the best service from your vendors.
Jul 23, 2012 | Budget Planning, DIY, wedding planning
Of all the things you might want to do yourself for your wedding, the one I would recommend against without hesitation is catering your wedding reception yourself. You might think this would be obvious, but I have talked to people who thought they could do this.
Did I mention that presentation is a professional catering skill? Photo courtesy of Artisan Events.
I have actually heard of self-catered weddings that were pulled off with a lot of help from friends and family. I know it can be done, especially if there are people with special skills involved. So, I won’t say you should never, ever do it. I’m just going to give you a lot of reasons not to.
Caterers do a lot more than cook in quantity. They also manage the kitchen, order and return rental items, keep the food (and so your reception) on schedule, hire and manage serving and bar staff, set up tables, chairs and linens, set the tables, and clean up. Caterers also have food sanitation licenses, meaning there is a low probability of spoiled food or food poisoning from their kitchens. They know how much ice to buy and bring. Some of them own serving equipment that they provide at no charge.
And that is just the minimum of what a professional caterer has to offer. I would say that unless you are able to provide everything a caterer brings to the table, hire a professional and save cooking for a crowd for another party.
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