The wedding invitation is the first thing a guest sees in relation to your wedding (other than a save-the-date, if you sent it), so you want to make it good. The way to make it good is to make it memorable by crafting your own creative DIY invitations. A creative DIY invitation doesn’t mean the invitation has to be in some cut-out shape, like a heart or a tree, or in primary colors (unless your wedding colors happen to fall in that spectrum). You can make a wedding invitation creative by just personalizing it a little bit.

Start off by personalizing the images that will appear on your invitation. Including a photo of the happy couple is a good way to start. Typically your engagement photo appears on the save-the-date notices, but if you had two excellent photos from the session or if you didn’t send save-the-dates, include a new photo on your DIY invitations.

You can also get creative with your DIY wedding invitations through the wording on the invitations. While there’s standard phrasing depending on who’s hosting your wedding – and you might want to stick close to that to make sure no one’s feelings get hurt – there are a lot of other ways you can add text to personalize a DIY invitation. For example, add a romantic quote from your favorite song on the front of your folded wedding invitation. Some quotes I particularly like are:

- “With this ring, I give my all to you.” – Clyde Otis and Vincent Corso, “With This Ring” – “How wonderful life is now you’re in the world.” – Elton John, “your song” – “You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be.” – Goo Goo Dolls, “Iris” – “Come away with me, and I’ll never stop loving you.” – Norah Jones, “Come Away with Me”

The best choice might be to pick a lyric from “your” song. It’s especially nice if it happens to be your first dance song. If you’re not particularly musical, but like the idea of special text on your invitations, try a romantic quote instead. Something like this:

“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” –Aristotle “Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.” –Sarah Bernhardt “I love her and that’s the beginning of everything.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald “To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.” –Karen Sunde

Taking photos for a friend or taking photos as a professional in a wedding is a huge responsibility. Either way, here are 5 tips for wedding photographers whether professional or amateur that will have you doing it right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer. So whether you are seasoned pro, or a rank amateur, if you follow these tips, you will feel comfortable and not have to second guess yourself. You will be fully prepared for whatever may come.

The first thing you need to do is have the couple and their families make a shot list. This will help when you are trying to get family and group shots later on in the day. You can just go down the list and you won’t leave anything out by accident.

The second tip is a big one as well and that is to not delete any shots. Of course this is if you are using a digital camera, which most photographers use nowadays. Don’t even bother looking at the previews because you might end up deleting something that the couple would really like to keep. What makes a good picture in your mind and the couples could differ widely. And they might like some pictures that aren’t “professional”.

A third tip to consider is making sure you get candid shots. A good wedding photographer will not just try and get the typical shots, like family group shots, wedding party shots, or your standard bride and groom. But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there. And that includes some of the things that could go wrong, like a flower girl not making it all the way to the front, or the ring bearer dropping the rings. Every shot counts.

Fourth, a wedding photographer should always have multiple cameras with different lenses as well as backups. It really can throw a kink into everyone’s plans if the camera isn’t working or the battery died. Make sure you plan for every possible problem and be prepared to deal with them. Usually if something can go wrong, it will.

And lastly, understand lighting as well. The difference in lighting outside and the difference in the lighting in the church is huge. So practice all the different lighting conditions. And if this is your first time, you might want to go and practice some shots at the location. This will help you not only with the lighting, but also will help you plan for the big shots by scouting the location.

These 5 tips will help you capture that day immensely. This will have you prepare and avert any disaster, it will prepare you to capture the moment perfectly, and it will prepare you to help the couple make this a wonderful day by being a wedding photographer they can count on.

Some often claim that a gorgeous cake, a designer wedding gown, the best shoes and the priciest venue can make the perfect wedding. This is utterly wrong as the success of a wedding could not be measured by how expensive the couple spent on it. There is no perfect wedding as each event has its own flaws from preparation to the ceremony itself. The perfect wedding is one where the couple’s love is truly felt by the ones attending it.

To be able to achieve a less-stress and confusing wedding event a timely preparation and thorough knowledge of your chosen theme should be organized. Some couples resort to wedding organizers and some who are tight in a budget decide to do the planning themselves. This would make the wedding more personalized and the expenses well accounted. Knowing your local wedding suppliers beforehand should leave you with a general view of how much you will be spending.

Wedding Fairs are events usually held before the month of June or the bridal month. In here, wedding suppliers showcase their stuffs: from wedding designers, cakes, venues, photography and video, flowers, wedding accessories, invites, souvenirs, etc. A Bridal or Wedding Fair has all this suppliers under one roof. If youre a bride looking for ways to save time and money from going to different suppliers then surely this place is for you.

Wedding Fairs usually let in the most competitive and best suppliers in the land. It is advisable to ask a lot of questions and get to know a supplier in a more personal manner to get a more satisfactory and excellent service from them. A wedding fair is really a brides secret paradise and gateway in fulfilling her dream wedding.

Even though youre not a bride yourself being in wedding fairs will let you meet people who can plan a party that youve been creating in your mind. They usually dont just do weddings exclusively but other celebrations as well. Catch a peek of the Wedding Fair in Kansas City, Missouri for more details.

Trying to pick a photographer for your wedding can be challenging, but is an important choice. You want to find a photographer who is able to capture the style and emotion of your wedding day in their photos. To help you find a good photographer while planning you wedding, I have put together five simple tips that will help you find the best wedding photographer in your area.

First, I really suggest using the internet to find and get to know possible photographers in your area. Start using search engines and photographer directories. You will be able to find many (if not most) of the wedding photographers in your area. From here, you can continue to drill down your options by checking out their website, looking at their portfolio, and potentially reading their blog. Their website will tell you a lot of their professionalism.

Do not depend on a family member or friend who knows a little something about photography and has a nice camera. Picking a friend over a professional photographer is almost always a mistake. A wedding photographer has experience and equipment that an amateur photographer does not. I suggest getting a photographer who has devoted their life to wedding photography full time.

It is important that you click with your photographer. The chemistry is an important part of capturing your style. Most photographers are more than happy to setup a face to face meeting with you. I suggest doing this and take the time to talk with them and interview them. This will help you feel comfortable working with them on your wedding.

Dont get too hung up on products, packages, and services. A good photographer will work closely with you to design the right deal. Dont pick a photographer just because they have simple predefined packages. Find a photographer you like, fell comfortable with, and can afford; then worry about the packages.

Lastly, really check out your photographers background and experience. Ask around about them and check the internet for reviews. During your interview with them, Ask about their experience and if they do this full time. Ask about references from past clients. You want to know you are working with a legit wedding photographer.

Magazines/Internet

Get some ideas before you even think about going shopping. If you have an idea of what you like and don’t like it will be easier to find similar dresses once you get to the store. It will also help your consultant find dresses you will like.

Set a Budget

It is so easy to want to go hog wild on your wedding dress. It is your wedding day after all and hopefully will only happen once in your life. However, if you spend more than you should on your dress you will have to scrimp on something else. Before you even set foot in a bridal shop know how much you can and can not spend on your dress. The flowers will thank you.

Leave time for the dress to arrive

Make sure you leave more than enough time for the dress to be sent out, made and returned to you. This process usually takes at least 4 to 6 months so plan accordingly. If you don’t have that much time to wait you might try an “off the rack” store or even think about renting your bridal gown.

Have a general idea of the styles you like

This goes along with number one. If you have no idea what you want or like it will be difficult once you get in a store filled with wedding dresses to find something that you like. It will also make it more difficult for the consultant to help you find the perfect dress, as she has no guidelines about what to bring you.

Have an open mind

Even though it’s important to have a good idea of what you’re looking for it’s also good to have an open mind. Remember your bridal consultant does this every day. She is also very familiar with the dresses in her shop and will be able to find things you might not have thought of. This is her profession, trust her and keep an open mind when she brings you dresses you didn’t really have in mind. It might be your perfect dress.

Look at your behind

Everyone else is going to have a good look. When the bride is walking up the aisle and standing at the altar the view everyone else has is of your backside. Make sure whatever style dress you decide on looks good from the back. Also make sure the veil you choose doesn’t “cut you in half”.

Be practical

Think about your venue and where you will be holding your reception. If you are having your wedding in a small church or other small space you probably do not want to choose a huge dress. It will be very difficult to move around and you risk tearing your dress. If you are having your wedding on the beach you probably do not want to choose a ballgown, it’s just not practical for walking in the sand.

Think about the season

When is your wedding going to be held? If it’s in the winter you may want to consider a long sleeve dress or at least something with a little bit of sleeve. As well if you are having your dress in the middle of summer you will want to alter your choices as well.

Take 1-2 people with you

Don’t take your whole entourage. It’s not feasible for the boutique and you will get more opinions than you really need. You will probably have to take your mom, then choose one other friend to take, especially if you and your mom have differing tastes. Having 2 people with you will allow you to get a couple of opinions as well as views from all angles.

Try on the veil

Try on your veil while you are trying on your dress. This will give you a full picture of the whole look. You also want to make sure your veil works well with the dress you have chosen.

Think about your accessories

Make sure they are going to fit together. You want to think about necklines if you have a particular necklace you plan on wearing. Also if you are wearing a tiara, you want to make sure it will look right with your veil. Also think about your shoes, and other jewelry ~ you want to get a feel for the whole picture while you are there, and before you have purchased.

Planning to lose weight?

Be realistic. Think about the time you have before your wedding, and how much you can reasonably lose between now and then. Remember, it is much easier to take a dress in and can be almost impossible to let one out. If you buy a dress in a size expecting to lose the weight and then you don’t it can be a nightmare.

There you go. 12 tips to help you find your perfect wedding dress. Good luck, and remember this is supposed to be fun! Let go and laugh a little, it’s a once in a lifetime experience, enjoy it.

Yes your photographer is probably well schooled in getting those technical photos, you know the memories everyone expects to capture of their wedding, but what about those candid moments at the reception?

Your photographer is only one person ~ how is he expected to be in all places at once? He’s not. But there is a way to capture all those magical, fun and candid moments ~disposable wedding cameras.

Yes, I’m talking about those little one time use cameras you just take and have developed. They’ve come a long way. They are no longer those plain old, ugly orange and black. You can get them in a variety of wedding related colors, even rhinestones if that’s what you are looking for.

If you were to put at least one disposable wedding camera on each of your tables you are more likely to get pictures of every single person at your reception. People will be having a good time and taking pictures of each other at the table. They are also more likely to capture those silly and sometimes embarrassing moments, that a photographer just can’t catch. Your guests are more likely to be calmer and more relaxed with the disposable wedding cameras than if they have a professional photog in their face.

Using disposable wedding cameras is very personal. You will get a chance to see your wedding from your guests perspective. As the bride and groom are often pulled in many directions and don’t always have a lot of time to spend with each and every guest you will get to see just how much fun everyone had.

Once you get the pictures developed you can easily add a special, more personal touch to your thank you cards by sending a picture along ~ one they took or one that captured them having the time of their lives.

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