In part 1 of this series, I discussed, briefly, some winter wedding spots in Southern California. What I’d like to do now is briefly discuss some winter wedding favors as well as colors you may use for a winter wedding. You’re probably asking what does this have to do with wedding photography, well, a lot actually. You see, your photographer will be responsible for capturing your wedding day and if you are planning on having a winter wedding then there are some things that make it a unique wedding, like the favors and colors. Your photographer needs to be able to capture these and this is why I am providing some suggestions for them.
If you’re hosting a winter wedding, then you’ll want to seek out winter wedding favors, which by the way, if you’re looking for suppliers online, try this wedding favor site: MyWeddingFavors.com or type the keywords “winter wedding favors” or “Christmas wedding favors.” in to a search engine. You’ll be surprised at the amount of online weddings stores that offer these items. Note: You can try the advertiser on my site to the right side of this page
Some suggested winter favors may include:
- snowflake photo coasters,
- snowflake place card holders,
- hanging picture frames,
- snow globes,
- silver bells,
- and holiday cookies.
By displaying these favors, it provides many great opportunities for your wedding photographer and videographer to capture the elements of the this unique wedding day; so when family and friends look at your albums they will get a sense that you actually had a winter wedding.
Colors
With winter, comes the winter color pallet. While it’s suggested that the bride wear white, the groom may also want to wear a white tuxedo as well to keep within the “snow” feel of winter. Additional winter colors that can be incorporated in to your winter wedding theme are
- gold,
- white,
- soft gray,
- silver,
- light blue,
- red (pinks), or
- green.
These colors can be used through-out your decorations and even as colors for your bridesmaids’ dresses. For additional color ideas, think of nature’s offerings during the season: berries, holly leaves, pine cones, eucalyptus, snow and ice. Use colors from nature to accent your occasion.
In my next post, I’ll talk about winter wedding photography opportunities.
I think being a Southern California wedding photographer has its moments. Aside from actually taking photos, a wedding photographer not only has to pay attention to the details, but tends to listen in on a lot of the details. After, some guests, family members, and couples tend to just say the darnedest things at a wedding. And as they say, weddings bring out not only he best in people, but the worse as well.
So, just for fun and entertainment purposes, I have added my first list of wedding liners to my blog. These are actual statements made by guests, couples, and family members at weddings I have photographed. Of course, I’ve omitted names and locations.
- “My step-mom is such a bitch. Just ignore her.” I could remember a bride telling me (the photographer) this. I wasn’t sure what compelled her to tell me, but nevertheless, she felt she needed to get it off her mind.
- “Shit the cake! Don’t tell (brides name). Hurry, dust it off!” Yep, the cake actually fell on to a dirt, gravel sidewalk. needless to say, three bridesmaids stood in front of the cake while the maid of honor picked up the top piece of the cake and tried to set it in its place. I didn’t have a slice of cake that night.
- “Why don’t you shut the F…k up!” While setting up to take the photos of the bridal party, a brides maid turned to the father of the bride and blurted these words out. And let me tell you, she was not joking!
- “Here, help me with the twins.” Often times and while taking the getting ready photos, the bridesmaids and bride will tend to forget I’m in the room with them. So they tend to say what comes to mind. Here, the bride was referring to her breasts as the twins and wanted a bridesmaid to help her with them.
- “My mom is such a bitch, she expects me to go get her a sweater in this dress on my wedding night. What a bitch!” The Bride blurted this statement out to me as she stomped off to her parents car in the parking lot. Needless to say, she was not happy about leaving her wedding reception and getting her mother a sweater.
- “How do I cut the cake, I’ve never done this before.” A bride was asking me the photographer this question. I included the line since I tend to hear this a lot. My comment, I hope you haven’t done this before. But I just thought it and didn’t say anything.
- “Hey, you’re taking too many photos of the step-mom with my daughter. I’m the mom! She shouldn’t be in all the photos.” Lets just say that the bio-mom was having a hard time that day with the fact that the her daughter was calling the step-mom, mom and wanted a lot of photos with her. The bio mom didn’t like that.
- “Why don’t you just shut up and enjoy the damn thing.” I guess this groom was setting the tone for his marriage to his bride when he blurted these words out during their reception. I wonder if they are still married?
- “What do you mean he’s an hour away. The ceremony starts in 10 minutes.” The bride was talking to a groomsman regarding the whereabouts of her future husband. I guess the groom forgot to set his alarm clock…at least that’s what the groomsman claimed.
- “My dad’s an idiot. Look, he’s off drinking again.” Apparently the bride was not too happy when she discovered her dad off drinking again. She was muttering this to a bridesmaid.
- “Where the F…K is my husband?” Apparently the bride could not find her new husband for the first dance. She was pacing all over the reception hall looking for him. He was outside smoking a cigar with his buddies.
- “Look at the racks on those girls.” I was actually standing on the edge of the dance floor when the groom was next to me and made the comment in reference to a bridesmaids breasts. I was actually in shock. After all, didn’t he just get married?
As you search the internet for wedding photographers, no doubt you will come across a multitude of articles or lists on how to hire a professional photographer; some of the articles may have been either written by a professional or inspired by one, while other articles have been created by either brides or sites that have never worked in the field of photography. As a professional wedding photographer, I would like to inject my experience and professionalism when it comes to creating a list of tips on hiring a professional wedding photographer for your special day.
Regardless of whether you have an idea of the style of photography you like or not, one thing is for certain, the type of wedding photographer you hire should be a personal choice and one you are completely happy with.
7 Tips to Consider When Hiring a Professional Wedding Photographer:
- Make it a matter of style: Your selection of a wedding photographer should be based on the particular style you like. If you think all photographers are the same, think again. I once had a bride book me online, never seeing my work, and when she received her photos she was a bit upset at my style which was not what she had wanted. I make it a point to show my work and explain to the couple that I am not a “traditional” wedding photographer. I can appreciate the diverse styles other professionals have and so should you. So, my first tip is to make sure that what you want matches the style of photographer you are seeking. You will be able to tell by what they show you in their albums.
- Personality is paramount: I don’t mean that if a photographer doesn’t have a personality, you shouldn’t hire them. What I do mean is that the both of you should be able to hit it off and that your personalities should be compatible. You need to feel comfortable on your wedding day and the photographer needs to feel comfortable as well. I can recall a time when I was photographing an engagement session on the beach and the groom was a bit of a problem. He had a horrible attitude about the entire photo shoot, as well as his bride to be. At the end of the photo shoot, I simply told him that it would probably be best if he hired another photographer and that I wasn’t a fit for him. Needless to say, I received a phone call that evening with an apology. I explained to the groom that my roll as a photographer involved a creative process and that if he planned on being rude and disrespectful, it would be difficult for me to provide him with a quality product. He agreed. The point is, personality is important. He would have been better off hiring someone who may have matched his demeanor.
- View sample work: This may be a no brainer, but you would be surprised at how often brides don’t want to see the work and just get excited at the low cost or what they see on an online portfolio. Most photographers will show you there work. What you want to see is at least a complete wedding the photographer photographed and some nice formals, enhanced work, etc. But for the most part, you won’t have a problem seeing samples. My only take on this is ask how old the weddings in their albums are. The point here is that styles can change or the photographer may not have photographed a wedding in a few years. This may or may not be a problem, but it’s always good to see some fresh work. This will give you the confidence that the outcome is similar to what you may expect. (Side Note: No two weddings are alike and no two brides are alike, so don’t expect to see the exact same image from your wedding as you saw in the photographers book.)
- Get it in Writing: It’s a good practice for both couple and photographer to get what is being bought and offered in writing and on a contract. This way, there are no discrepancies when it comes time to collect your images and album.
- Determine who owns the copyright: While this may not be negotiable with many photographers, it’s a good idea to ask anyway. I retain the copyright, while I give limited copyright to the couple allowing them to reproduce the work. Some photographers give up the rights all together while others don’t. So, be sure to ask so you don’t end up with any surprises in the end.
- Referrals may or may not be a good thing: I make this bold statement because, what one family member or friend may have liked about their wedding photographer, may not be what you particularly like. But, getting a referral from a trusted source is a good start. You will at least know that your trusted source won’t lead you astray.
- Price is not everything: Because a photographer charges you a rate of $5,000 for a wedding package, does not make him/her the best and the opposite is true; If a photographers has a rate of $1,200 for a package, this does not mean their quality suffers. So don’t base your sole criteria of a photographer on price. Determine your budget range for a wedding photographer, and then seek the ones out that fit the style you like. Often times you may find someone with a slightly higher rate than you budgeted for, but you hire them anyway. The point here is find the style of photography you desire, and then try and find a photographer within your price range, giving consideration to those outside your range as well.
Hopefully this helps you on your quest to hiring a photographer for your special day. If you have any additional tips or questions, feel free to leave a comment.
