Great wedding photos

Here are some tips for great wedding photography & video…

Many years from now,  nothing better than looking back on all the beautiful photos & video from your wedding day. Here are four tips that will make them all just right…

1. Make your comfort  priority one…. Your  photographer will be with you for largest  part of your wedding  day, so it’s important that you feel comfortable around him or her. Weeks before your wedding, get together with your photographer and explain what type of shots you want and how creative you’d like the day to be. This will make  that you’re both on the same page on the day, and that you won’t feel so shy or awkward when being  posed  for photos . The picture taking process should goes easy and be fun. After all, your hair and makeup will be done just right  your dress  will be beautiful and you will look your best ! Enjoy and take in every minute of this,that is why we say do video as well,if it is in the budget.
2. Leave lots of time for photos… You may  be the most organized, bride around  but schedules don’t always run as planned. On your wedding day, don’t be surprised if things take more time than you thought they would, the  photography being one of them. That’s why it’s so important to leave an adequate time  between your ceremony &  reception.Think about  the size of your wedding party as well, the more bridesmaids and groomsmen you have, the longer it will take to get all the photos done. And is  your reception along way from the  ceremony? Make sure you take this into account. Bottom line girls.Please  don’t expect to get all your pictures done in  a half an hour, this is what you have to look at forever.
3. Be ready on time… If you want your  photographer to shoot pre ceremony stuff, like   the salon, getting dressed, getting into the limo and on your way to the church, make sure you and your bridal party are ready when they  show up. If you’d like to feature your bridal bouquet in these photos make sure  that your flowers will arrive on time,before you leave. PS tell the florist you need them 30 minutes before you really do, do this with the hair and make up too. You’ll also want to make sure your limousine is booked for enough time to allow for things to run a little late  they often are.
4. Know your back up plan to a tee…. Of course rain is the last thing you want on your wedding day, but don’t assume it won’t rain. Have a back-up plan for your wedding photos just in case, and make sure your alternate location is available.If  your photographer and video are worth anything, they will know where to go to take photos if it rains…I DO !!!

The Wedding Album…

After the ceremony, you’re still going to be faced with a few major wedding chores. One, writing thank you letters, and another is selecting wedding photos  from the  proofs. Some of these will be blown up and framed for your wall or as gifts. But the biggest job will be selecting and organizing photos  for your wedding album.

It’s up to you to choose your favorite shots, but many photographers will include a photo album service, for a fee. You’ll get professionally mounted photos, artistically presented in a keepsake album you’ll treasure forever. And take your time on this, do not RUSH it and try not to buy the album from the photographer,call or e mail and i’ll tell you why…

Cheers Peter Bruce

What should I look for in a wedding photographer?

Happy New Year & I hope 2009 is good. Just got an e mail from a girl called  Jessica, she sent me a link to her site and asked me to link to her site  http://www.beautymakeupinfo.com I don’t much about the back end, do’s & don’t of makeup. But as a photographer I know what looks good or not and as a person I seem to know good advise when I read it, and Jessica seem to be on it. So check the site out. Maybe Jessica and I might work together one day.

Cheers Peter Bruce Photo

Peter Bruce Photo & Belle Fine Weddings have done many New year eve weddings and they are always fun. How could they not, your having a party at your wedding. The photos here are no exception, they had fun. I wish we had done video. This wedding was at the Palm Event Center in Beautiful  Historic Ruby Hills.  I have never done a ceremony where a couple ties the knot right at 11.59 and 59 seconds, normaly they get married before that and share the count down for the fun. I am going to give you some tips here as well as some photos. But remember if you are going to go for a New years eve wedding, plan ahead, it is a busy time for a big night. There is doubt about it, a wedding  on New Year’s Eve is going to be the party of the year! Here are some ideas to let your guests ring in your wedding vows with a festive wedding favor .What says New Year eve more than champagne. Give your guests small bottles of champagne with personalized labels to take home. Also you want noise, it’s a party right.Make a gift bag of Blow Horns and party hats,also write your names on them with the date. These will keep the kids going for ever. Another nice wedding favor that I have seen is a CD of the years music, maybe with your name on it. We have also seen couples give out personalized calenders there’s a lot of software out there that can help you make a personalized calendar for the new year party. If you don’t wish to do this on your own, pick out some really nice photos (either personal photos, landscape scenes, etc.) and take it to a local print shop to print for you. I know from first hand Apple makes great calenders on line. Also Vista prints has free samples. Great idea. You does not want good fortune for 2009, Fortune Cookies are a great idea,see what the New Year has in store for your wedding guess. Wrap fortune cookie favors in netting , decorated favor bags/boxes for each guest to take home. I am talking about Favors first because you want people to remember the event, but lets talk about other small matter. Timing is important.Try to make the start  late, starting around 8:00 8:30pm. You want your guests to stay through the stroke of midnight to ring in the new year!And maybe beyond, but talk a lot with your cater on this because a lot of thing work around them. Also if you recall some posting ago, we talked about photographer and not hiring vendors (i hate that word, so if anyone can come up with a better on, please let me know) by the hour. A while ago at an event I was talking to a lady, a she said the photographer did not stay till 12pm at her sisters wedding. WOW, what a downer and great photos lost. I think one really important person at a new years eve wedding is the DJ, make sure he knows how to get people moving.

Also have a video of this, at Belle Fine Video, we find New Years eve wedding are a blast and always come out great. There is so much action to catch.

Something that is cool and can work will for the DJ is place balloons, white lights, and glittery snowflakes throughout the venue. Place a large bright or well lite clock  behind the DJ to countdown to, and /or have a large screen TV to watch the ball drop or on Time Square New York . Also, place balloons in netting over the dance floor to drop down at the stroke of midnight on top of all your guest, white is the best color for them.

A tip for food, because you are having a party you may want to skip a seat down full dinner and opt for hot appetizers offered throughout the night. You can serve hot wings, chicken/beef sticks, scallops and bacon,crab cakes etc. Or, you can have food stations set up so guests can help them selvesas they want.

Always make sure to have plenty of coffee available throughout the night, or consider a coffee station when serving dessert.I like the idea of hiring a fully manned coffee station, that way you can give your guests a Cappuccino, Latte,Espresso etc. Does not cost much and your guest will enjoy it. On last tip I am going to give you,is on when the guest leave your party, here are a few things, don’t drink and drive. There to set up shuttles for your guests. And if possible invite a friend who is a police officer in the area, he may be able to find out where the police are going to have those you know whats on the side of the road. But still don’t drink and drive.

Cheers  Peter Bruce

Let me know what you think…

Peter Bruce

Q.What is the difference between your in-laws and out-laws?
A. Out-laws are wanted!

Peter Bruce Photo

Ok all you people out there that read this blog  (don’t know who you are) but thanks you for doing so, also please pass it along.

But apart from the real stories and wonderful weddings that we post, we are going to try and give you a funny wedding tip and or quote for the day. So I hope you enjoy and keep on reading.

Here we go first one…

A young girl at a recent  wedding asked her Mom, “Mom, how come brides always wear white dresses?” The mom replied, “Because they’re happy.”

Halfway through the recepetion  the girl asked, “Mom, if bride wears white because she is happy, then why does the man wear black?”

Cheers, Peter Bruce Photo