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Gratitude = thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. I was grateful (and honoured) for the invitations to be a part of these special celebrations this past year. Thank you! Wishing you all the best in 2017 and beyond!  Here's to 2017... Feeling grateful for the amazing and talented vendors I’ve had the opportunity to work with this past year. It’s the people that make the job enjoyable and I’ve had one amazingly enjoyable year in which I’ve had the chance to work with the best of the best…thank you! Looking forward to working with you again in 2017…it’s going to be one great year!! Start each day with a grateful heart! 
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 After months and months of planning your wedding you’ll want to be sure all the important moments and intricate details of the day are captured so you can relive and remember them forever. It all comes down to the photos and selecting the right photographer who will make it all happen for you. So how do you research, select and decide? Here is our list of the top questions to ask the photographer(s) you’re considering.
1. What is your style? While most photographers use a blend of styles when shooting, it’s important to ensure their style fits yours. For example, if you are looking for posed portraits or candid moments, you want to be sure they can capture these images to perfection. 2. How many weddings have you done? Experience, experience, experience! Photographers with a good amount of wedding photography experience under their belts will be able to organize themselves to ensure they capture the moments you want (and when you want them). You only have one chance to get amazing photos on your special day so you will definitely want someone who can perform under pressure. 3. What is included in your packages? Prints, digital files, online gallery, photo album, USB, full resolution…sometimes deciphering the ‘what you get’ in a wedding photo package can be tricky. Be sure to not only know what you are getting but understand what it is so you’re not left wanting more at the end of the day. Also, be sure to clarify the number of hours of coverage that are included (and how much an additional hour costs) so everything you want captured fits within the hours allotted from getting ready to the first dance. 4. Have you shot in my venue before? You will want a photographer who has worked at the venue before or is, at the very least, planning a venue site tour prior to your wedding date. Photographers should know the layout, lighting, obstacles and challenges of the space so they can prepare specific shot locations as well as come with the right equipment. 5. When will the photos be ready following the wedding? Waiting to see your gorgeous photos and relive the day will be excruciating unless you have a timeline as to when your photographs will be ready. A general rule of thumb is between 4-6 weeks following the wedding day. If you can’t wait that long, ask you photographer if a few sneak peaks might be available earlier. 6. What happens if you/the photographer gets sick? If you’re going with a solo artist, be sure to ask what the back-up plan is in case they aren’t able to make it due to illness, emergency, etc. On the flipside, if you’re booking through a company, you’ll have a team of photographers behind you, so your Plan B will be good to go! Weddings are kind of a big deal and choosing the right photographer to document your day is important. If you’re happy with the answers you get to the above ‘experience / logistics’ questions then you’re half way there. Finally, make sure you get along with your photographer of choice – this is probably the most important tip we can leave you with. It can make all the difference!  Ahh, Pinterest…a dizzying array of colours and inspiration and a great tool, if used correctly, to organize your wedding planning. But where to begin? Pinterest can be a bit overwhelming and daunting, but if you follow the quick tips we’ve outlined below you’ll be on your way to a beautifully organized wedding that reflects your own personal style.
Tip #1 – Create Specific Boards We suggest creating boards for each aspect of your wedding…dresses, invites, venues, bouquets & boutonnieres, hair, make-up, ceremony look, wedding poetry, reception table décor, late night snacks, guest favours, etc. We encourage you to be as dissective and thorough as possible. That way when you want to share your ideas with a friend, family member or vendor, every element will be captured in its own board which will make it easy to find. We like things neat and organized! Tip #2 – Follow the Experts In addition to random topic searching on Pinterest, we suggest following the experts. Wedding companies like The Knot and Style Me Pretty as well as wedding magazines like Real Weddings Vancouver and Martha Stewart Weddings are all over Pinterest pinning thousands of inspirational images. You can choose to follow as many or as little of their boards that interest you. Tip #3 – Vendor Scoping There’s no substitute for using trusted sources when it comes to your vendors, but Pinterest may shed some light on your vendors that are in the running. Wedding vendors know that you’re on Pinterest so they will most likely be there as well pinning their work, their services, etc. We suggest following a few photographers, florists, wedding planners, and rental companies to see what their posting, what they’re up about and if they match your style and meet your requirements. Tip #4 – Secret Boards If you’re worried about privacy and if you’d prefer to keep some of your boards tucked away from the general public, we suggest creating secret boards. These can be shared with a select few…your fiancée, your maid of honor or your wedding planner. Tip #5 – Manage Expectations Be aware that Pinterest is a curated collection of imagery that may not reflect reality. Pictures may have come from stylized wedding shoots or they may be the best images of someone’s actual wedding. The bottom line is, you may not be able to get exactly what’s been captured in an image. Consider the resources available to you and your budget when you’re looking through the thousands upon thousands of images and pinning like crazy. It’s a good idea to keep your expectations in check! Tip #6 – Don’t Lose Yourself It’s very easy to get wrapped up and carried away in the world of Pinterest. You will be faced with literally thousands of ideas as to how your wedding should look, and what you should include and do on your special day. Remember to take a moment every so often to ensure that what you’re pinning reflects who you and your fiancé are and what the two of you want your wedding day to represent. It’s easy to get caught up in the fanciful ideas, but at the end the day your planning your wedding and it should be all about you and your style. Tip #7 – Narrow It Down Once you’ve created your boards, have a good sense of your style and expectations, we challenge you to create one wedding inspiration board with 15-20 pins. While we admit, this may not be the easiest thing to do, it will give you a very clear idea of what your wedding day will look and feel like. Some of your ‘final picks’ might not even be wedding related, and that’s okay. Think of this board as your go to wedding day collage. Happy organizing and happy pinning!  Yes, we’ve all seen the extravagant weddings of the world’s wealthiest people - take Salim & Aysha for example - and our favourite celebrities splashed about in magazines and online…when you’re that rich how can it not be extravagant?! Of course the sheer size and complexity of these weddings requires an extraordinary wedding planner - Preston Bailey, Tara Guérard, Mindy Weiss, Bronson and Mimi van Wyck to name a few of the world’s best.
So, we know that celebrities hire wedding planners, but what about us regular, ‘normal’ people? The size and budget of the wedding doesn’t always dictate the need for a planner. Regardless if you’re Jennifer Aniston or Jennifer Smith, you may need one and here’s a few reasons why.
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AuthorA wedding or special event can be overwhelming but we're here to help by sharing our monthly words of wisdom. Read a little, read a lot...we hope you might learn a thing or two. Enjoy! Archives
January 2017
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