Category: Wedding Tips

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5 Steps to Hiring Your Wedding Photographer

Congratulations on your engagement! You are probably very excited telling friends and family, but do not get too relaxed, you have a lot of planning to do for your special day. One of those things is that you will need to hire a professional wedding photographer.

Hiring a photographer is probably one of the first things you will need to do, this is because some of the best professional wedding photographers book their shooting schedule up to two years in advance. So get searching for your photographer right after you have booked your venue. This will allow you to provide a date and location for them when checking availability.

Seek recommendations from family, friends and your venue.

Wedding photographers who are good at what they do, usually have a track record of success with a great reputation amongst many. This means good photography is not too difficult to track down. Start out by asking for photographer recommendations from family and friends who may have hosted their own wedding or been to one recently. Your friends and family will always have your best interests at heart, so they are more than likely going to recommend a truly fantastic photographer. If nobody close to you doesn’t know of a photographer not all hope is lost. Speak to your caterer or even the venue you plan to wed at. All these places may know someone perfect to capture your big day.

It’s time to pay them a visit.

If you are fortunate to have a list of recommended photographers, it is time to break the list down even further by eliminating particular photographers from your list. First, give them all a call, have a chat about what you require, but do not commit to anything just yet. Use the call to find out how friendly and accommodating they are.

Once you have eliminated a few more from your list, it is time to pay them a visit. Is their office or property nice? Is it well kept and modern? What is your overall impression? All these little things create the bigger picture (no pun intended) as to what you could expect when working with them.

Get judging that portfolio!

When sitting down with a potential photographer, have they offered you a wide variety of wedding albums for you to look over? Have they worked at the venue that you are planning on having your wedding? What are their working hours, do they suit your needs? These are just a few questions you may need to ask yourself before committing to hire a photographer, but most of all, do you love their style?

You may also want videography to be done at your wedding, if you do, this is the chance to speak to your photographer to ask if it is possible. Do they have any video samples to show you? Do they edit their own videos before handing them over to you? How much involvement do you have? Although you may not necessarily want to use the same company for your wedding video, but nevertheless choosing the same company to do both will certainly offer you peace of mind that everything is being handled together.

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How to Throw a Vintage Wedding

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There are many popular styles of weddings, one of which is a vintage wedding. A vintage wedding is great for those who are looking for a way to remember the past in a unique way. Everyone loves certain things from the past and a vintage wedding is a great way to do this plus create some excellent memories of your wedding day. Below you will learn more about what you need to do to throw a vintage wedding.

Clothing

The first thing that you will need to focus on is finding the outfits that are styled to be vintage. There are many wedding dresses, tuxes, bridesmaid gowns, etc. that have been created in this style, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding the right one for your special day.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that your outfits should correspond with each other. If they don’t, the theme may be lost on your guests and they will become confused. Accessories are also important and you should focus on finding the right vintage jewelry pieces that complement your dress. A veil that covers your face and head is also a must for a vintage wedding. Many of these items you can find at an antique shop.

Get your Guests Involved

To really complete the theme of your wedding, you should ask your guests to dress appropriately as well. Explain that you are having a vintage wedding and request that they wear outfits that display this theme. If you have the budget, you may want to consider handling the outfits for your guests as well.

The Vehicle

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Finally, you should consider the vehicle that you will be driving when you go on your honeymoon. If you have a friend or a family member that has an antique car, this would be the perfect option for you to make your getaway. If not, you may look around to see if you can rent one for the day. It’s a possibility that your local bridal coordinator or shop will be able to assist you in finding someone that rents vintage or classic cars.

Accessories

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Another part of the vintage wedding process is planning how the decorations will coordinate with the wedding theme and how to incorporate accessories into the mix that will help create the look that you are going for. For guys, accessories may simply be bowties, suspenders and certain types of shoes. Women should focus on the jewelry that they will be wearing as well as the bags that they will carry. Old fashioned umbrellas are also a fantastic addition to a vintage wedding and make a great party favor as well.

Conclusion

When you are planning a vintage wedding, it is important that you spend quite a bit of time on the planning process so that you can make sure that everything is in place; everything from the wedding gown to the wedding cake. If you focus on the small details, you will be able to have the vintage wedding of your dreams.

Best for Bride

Best for Bride is a one-stop bridal store with 4 locations in Ontario. Here, brides will be able to plan every aspect of their vintage wedding. They will have the choice of many different types of gowns as well as the accessories that will make their day perfect.

 

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How to Survive a Bridal Show

A bridal show can be incredibly overwhelming for a couple and the ones that decide to accompany them. With so many vendors to visit, all vying for your attention and business, how do you choose?

Most companies will send you home with information about them, be it a pamphlet, a business card or a brochure of their services. Carry a file folder with you, and only accept these items from a company you would truly be interested in having be a part of your big day. This will help you keep organized and you’ll know you don’t have any literature from someone you thought was “just okay”.

Be prepared to ask important questions. As professionals, they are all used to couples-to-be that have many questions about their products and services so don’t be too shy if you are interested. A couple of questions you may want to ask are:

– How long they’ve been in business
– How many weddings they take on in a year
– If they do multiple weddings in one day (this one is incredibly important especially for makeup artists and photographers)
– Pricing packages and if they partner with any other service providers (many hairstylists and makeup artists work together and can usually even suggest a photographer)
– Contact information
– Previous reviews
– Do they have all the necessary certification they need

If you are pleased with the information they provide you with, ask them to set up a meeting in the coming weeks to discuss details of your wedding. Remember, you don’t have to book all your services in one day at a bridal show, but it is a good place to gather information and see which professionals work with others or who they recommend. Often times, wedding business is based on word of mouth from other professionals in the field.
If you’d like to do some wedding gown browsing before you go to a bridal show so that you have something in mind for your big day, don’t forget to visit Best for Bride for all the latest in wedding dress fashions.

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Creative Guest Book Ideas

Want more than just the usual glided edged guest book that you can buy in any store for your wedding? Need something creative but aren’t sure what you are looking for? Check out our creative guest book ideas to add a personal touch to your wedding!

Letters to the Bride and Groom

Leave a vintage typewriter with a stack of paper inviting guests to type out some messages, words of wisdom or advice they have for a newly married couple. You’ll love being able to go back and read what they wrote for you and what they had to say on your wedding day.

Wedding Mad Libs

You can get these from a lot of online wedding stores or you can create your own. Instead of having a guest book, leave the mad libs on the tables at every place setting and have a box where your guests can drop off the mas libs when they’re done. You’ll love reading them!

Puzzle Pieces

If you are a couple that loves puzzles, you can have a photo of the two of you made into a puzzle by many online companies. You can let guests write on the backs of the pieces and you can put the puzzle together upside down to read all of the notes written to you. Fun, a little challenging and definitely unique!

Photo Frames

Instead of having a photo of yourselves, you can always have a custom poster made with your names and wedding date on it for your guests to sign around. This will give you something to hang up next to a wedding photo and you’ll be able to have all the well wishes on display.

Don’t forget to check out Best for Bride as your one stop shop for everything you need for your special day. From dresses to invitation, we’ve got you covered.