Wedding Photo

Are you getting married really soon? Do you have all of your wedding accessories that you need for your wedding day? You probably already have your wedding cake designer, reception hall, music, flowers, dress, wedding rings but do you have your wedding guest book yet? Well if you have not chosen your wedding guest book then maybe you should take a look at a personalized digital photo guest book.

A digital photo guest book is a really unique alternative to the plain old boring wedding guest book. So below I am going to outline a unique personalized digital photo guest book.

Digital photo wedding guest book:

This unusual photo wedding guest book will make a great addition to your wedding or any special event you may be having. Most digital guest books have 15 archival pages for you to customize how you want them. Each page is custom cut that is perfect for you to frame a digital printed picture. You can easily take the wedding guest book to your wedding and bring along a digital camera to take fun and unique photos of your family, friends and wedding guests. This guest book gives everyone an opportunity to write their message and good lucks on the page while their photo of them prints.

This guest book is a unique and fun interactive way for you to cherish your memories of your wedding or event. Each guest book typically includes a personalized brushed silver plate with adhesive backing for you to place the personalization of your book wherever you may like.

You want to remember some moments of your life and you want to forget the rest. Your wedding is one of the most memorable and best events that you will want to remember forever. Your wedding can be remembered solely in your mind, or through your mind and a couple or three really great photo albums. It is a universal truth that memories will fade in time. It happens to everyone and is just one of those inescapable things about life. To bring back some of your most important memories you need to capture them on. What better way to capture one of the happiest days of your life then through wedding photography, and what better a location to shoot your wedding photographs than in the beautiful Bay City of San Francisco, California. San Francisco and the Bay Area in general have many great locations to get some great wedding photography shot.

There are probably hundreds and hundreds of great locations to get wedding photography done in San Francisco. There is an abundance of picturesque architecture, great places stunning with their sheer natural beauty, and that ever-unpredictable San Franciscan weather. Despite the many gorgeous locations that San Francisco and the Bay Area have to offer you, there are only a few ideal places where you can get the perfect wedding photos shot at. The Bay City has locations to suit whatever your tastes of backgrounds, location, weather, and more are. If you are looking for a backdrop with architecture, then the Palace of Fine Arts is just for you. The Palace of Fine Arts offers many wonderful examples of classical architecture, which will lend you an amazing background in your wedding photographs. If classical architecture does not fit your tastes and you have always loved the beach, then Baker's Beach is perfect! Photos taken of your and your beloved at Baker's Beach will include the beautiful backdrop of the famous Golden Gate Bridge. If you want a more natural scene, Baker's Beach has some magnificent boulders and moss covered rocks that will make your wedding photographs truly unique. If you have been to the beach enough or if you think that wedding photographs taken at the beach are too clich矇 for you and your partner, then you should try the Legion of Honor building (it doubles as a pretty interesting museum during the day) with its majestic columns and architecture. If buildings and the beach aren't your thing, then the Golden Gate Park might be a great location for you. The Golden Gate Park comes replete with a lake (Stowe Lake) and a waterfall that lends a touch of the exotic to your photographs.

Memories can be fleeting but photographs are forever. Your wedding is something that you want to remember for yourself and for your future progeny. You want to look back on your photographs and marvel at the architectural and natural beauty of the scenes where you and your partner were shot. If you're thinking of getting your wedding photography done in San Francisco, then these are the places to look at.

Whether you're planning a 25th, 50th or other milestone wedding anniversary celebration, you'll want to send your guests home with party favors that they'll love. You're probably looking for ideas for just the right memento to give to friends and family. These tips will guide you in choosing just the right anniversary favor for your happy occasion.

1. Inexpensive doesn't have to mean cheap. Don't run to the dollar store. You can find little gems online for a couple of dollars or less, if you hunt for them. It's worth taking a little time to search different websites if you end up saving money and finding something wonderful. Be willing to invest in browsing.

2. Practical beats pretty. Don't give into the impulse to give your guests a dust-collector, no matter how beautiful it looks. Instead, present them with anniversary favors they can use. A functional token will continuously remind them of your special day. That's because they will be using it, instead of storing it in a box in the garage.

3. Traditional shouldn't equal boring. If you're planning a very elegant event and feel compelled to include classic favors, they don't have to be ordinary. For example, you can use conventional little gold frames as place cards by adding printed prints with your guests' names. Or update an engraved wine glass giveaway by filling it with gold wrapped candies.

4. Edible appeals to everyone. If you want a no-fail idea for anniversary favors, do something sweet. Who could resist a made to order chocolate bar covered with a personalized wrapper? Or how about an adorable little tin filled with gourmet chocolates? You can find custom made fortune cookies with your message inside. There are brownies that are decorated with your text in icing. You'll find a wide assortment of goodies available to satisfy any taste.

5. Remember when? You can stir up nostalgia by choosing anniversary favors that encourage reminiscing. People love to talk about the good old days, so these kind of mementos will encourage conversations at your party. You could give a CD with love songs from the year or decade of your marriage. Or how about bookmarks, notebooks or magnets covered with facts, prices, songs, sports and movie trivia from they year you were married?

6. A picture's worth a thousand words. Photo anniversary favors are the ultimate show-stopper. Whether you choose a wedding picture or a current one (or both), the image can be imprinted on a vast variety of items. Magnets, keychains, candy bar wrappers, bookmarks, pocket mirrors, mini notebooks, coffee mugs and coasters are just a few possibilities. The photograph of the celebrating couple can be such a nice reminder of the happy occasion.

7. A way to say thank you. Of course, the reason you give your guests tokens in the first place, is to way of expressing appreciation for sharing the celebration. But if you'd like to put your thoughts into actual words, you can choose personalized anniversary favors with enough room to hold a longer message. Items such as bookmarks or the back of a candy bar wrapper, for instance, contain enough space to add a personal thank you, quote or even a short poem.

It doesn't take much effort to find memorable anniversary party favors. Take some time to browse online and you'll uncover abundant options. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll be sure to find just the perfect keepsake to give to your guests.

WWWhat?

Some photographers might tell you that you don't need a website but in today's highly connected world you are not going to go far without one. If you don't know how to design a site, don't have the money to pay someone else, or don't know anyone who wants to help you out, there are alternatives. Sites like SmugMug, Zenfolio, or even a WordPress photo blog allow a budding photographer a great way to start in the wedding photography business.

What do you need from your first site?

You'll need something that can grow with you, something that is SEO (search engine optimized) compliant, something that keeps new customers on your site, and something that allows your existing customers to order pictures. A combination of options can accomplish this, for example:

• Website with a link for your existing clients to Zenfolio or SmugMug

• Blog with a link for your existing clients to Zenfolio or SmugMug

• Just a SmugMug account

I personally started with SmugMug and then developed my own site. Now I have a Blog/HTML/Flash site mix. I use SmugMug as a gallery site for my existing customers and a blog to add new content on the fly. You can start with a website but I'd suggest starting with SmugMug, Zenfolio, or a WordPress blog.

Don't Be so Smug About It!

SmugMug is an amazing tool for new and existing professional photographers alike. It's customizable interface is second only to the amount of help found in the support forums. It will cost you $149.95 for a pro account for the year but to be honest it's a small price to pay to get your wedding photography business off the ground. It's features include unlimited storage, the ability to setup public and secure galleries, customizable pricing, professional prints, protection from downloading of your prints, SEO tools, and the ability to change the look and style of the interface to meet your needs.

As I said before it also has a great forum with lots of tips on how to customize the interface. If you're going to attempt to customize you'll need some knowledge of style sheets and a bit of HTML knowledge wouldn't hurt either. However, if you just want to go with SmugMug themes then no need to worry about that. It also allows you to use SEO tools which will help to drive customers to your site. I'll cover this in more detail in my marketing article.

While some photographers use SmugMug as their sole site and online portfolio if you truly want to drive customers to your site at some point you will need to move to a website which allows you to modify every aspect of the design and SEO compliance. However, SmugMug will work great for you in the mean time and once you've designed your own site you'll still want to keep a gallery service in place for your existing customers.

Find your inner Zen

Zenfolio is a service similar to SmugMug in that it provides galleries and ordering capabilities. It has a very nice interface that is intuitive and extremely easy to use for novice internet users. Everything about the service is extremely easy. It doesn't have as much flexibility when it comes to modifying the overall design as SmugMug so what you see is what you get, but to be honest it's a very beautiful site. It also has a lot of tracking ability within the site to help you get the most out of your orders and to know who is ordering what.

The premium service costs about $100.00 per year for unlimited storage. In my opinion Zenfolio is not a good service on its own. It works great as a customer gallery where your customers can order their prints from but doesn't work as a primary site. If you want to use Zenfolio when you first start up but don't want to design a website I'd say go with a WordPress photoblog that links to Zen for your private galleries.

WordPress Blog

I've just started my photoblog and did it for different reasons than a brand new photographer would do so. I have done it because it adds more links pointing back to my main photography site thus increasing my ranking in Google. It also allows me to show off new work without updating my main site all the time. For a new photographer it would be your primary online portfolio. To show people your work and to meet SEO needs. The reason I say use a WordPress PhotoBlog is because WordPress is easily indexed by Google. I'll go into that in the marketing article. A PhotoBlog is nothing more than a template placed onto a blog that lets you have images as your primary purpose rather than words.

There are lots of photoblog templates out there but to be honest my favorite is the one I chose. I am using a Pro Photo Blog template which allows for extreme customization without the hassle of knowing html or flash. The cost is $199 so its not cheap, but it is professional. Feel free to view my site for an example. Whatever template you chose you'll still need a gallery for your clients. If you'd like to keep your branding similar, go with SmugMug. If you just want dead simple, go with Zenfolio.

Read On

Make sure to take a look at my next article on marketing which goes into some things I've learned along the way. I won't be able to cover everything because to be honest the subject could fill books but I'll cover some highlights to get you started.

In an interview sometime in 2010, Steve Jobs proclaimed that we have entered a post-PC era. With the advent of the iPad and its multifaceted utilities, we can assume that he was actually right!

History of the iPad

The iPad is a tablet computer. It connects to the internet with Wi-Fi and 3G. It can also be connected to other devices such as DSLRs, Laptops, iPod and iPhone via USB or wirelessly. Apple Inc., first released the iPad in 2010. The iPad2, which is 3G enabled, was released in April 2011.

It comes in 16, 32 and 64 GB internal storage capacities. It is compatible with any GSM mobile connection provider. By default, the iPad comes with apps such as App Store, iBooks, iTunes, Videos, etc. Most of the apps were developed for the iPhone and later improvised to suit the iPad. When connected to a PC or laptop, the iPad is recognized by the iTunes.

How does the iPad help photographers?

With the iPad at hand, you can do a lot during a photo shoot. Here are some must-have iPad apps for the shutterbugs out there:

PosePad

For photographers who like to take notes at spot after a photo session or like to make a 'to do list' before shots, PosePad is a good app. You can draw your own idea for the pose, scribble down the lighting effects and show it to the client or model. You can have a clutter free photo shoot idea with PosePad.

Easy Release

Once you are done with the photo shoot, the next step would be to get your model release or property release signed by the concerned people. Things are digitalized and long gone are the days of paper forms. With Easy Release your model can fill up the form and sign it, right on your iPad. You can email it to yourself later using the Wi-Fi or 3G.

Photoshop express

Adobe's Photoshop Express is an excellent free app for quick editing. You can store albums online and access it using this tool, thus saving space on the iPad.

Filterstorm

While the free Photoshop express is great for minor editing, Filterstorm gives you the ultimate editing prowess when it comes to the iPad. It comes with features like exposure adjustment, cropping, text tool, watermark tool, and many more. This is an alternate option to carrying your laptop around for editing.

LIFE for the iPad and The Guardian Eyewitness

Need inspiration? Get some of the best photos at your fingertips on touch from LIFE. The huge collections of some of the best photographs from far end of the world are bound to do more than just inspiring.

Another similar app is Eyewitness from The Guardian. Both these apps are free and available from the App Store.

Smugmug/Photobucket/Flickr

After having edited your photos, what best way to unveil your creation than sharing it online? Apps such as Smugmug, Photobucket and Flickr are great for maintaining an online storage of albums without burdening your iPad's memory. These are not just great for getting good critique of your photos, but also the best way to present your work to clients.

PhotoSync

Need to transfer all your photos from/to the iPad? All you need is Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and PhotoSync. This app is intelligent enough to detect duplicates and hides at the background while you play your favorite game or attend a phone call.

DSLR Camera Remote

This application makes your iPad a digital remote release, making a remote release cable complete unnecessary.

You can buy these apps or download some of them for free using iTunes.

App store is a boon, because it makes the iPad even more versatile. You can store all your photos on your iPad and carry that around as a portfolio for prospective clients. Share it with the world and explore things on the go.

Every wedding ceremony ends with a sweet kiss.

A fantastic and memorable kiss to top off a sweet and loving wedding ceremony is a beautiful forever memory for a couple. Some kisses are better than others. That's just life!

It might seem elementary to talk about "kissing.' However, having been up close and personal to many wedding ceremonies over the years and having worked with hundreds of wedding photographers, I know one thing for sure: some couples are just better at the public "kissing thing" than others!

So, as you talk to your Sweetie about your wedding ceremony, take a moment to discuss what you both want and desire at the moment you "seal the deal." Do you want a big smooch? A small peck? An enthusiastic and energetic kiss?

No matter if your wedding ceremony is small and intimate or if you are being married in front of a ballroom filled with people who love you, here are four sweet tips for an outstanding and memorable smooch:

4 Tips For Creating An Outstanding And Memorable Wedding Ceremony Kiss

1) Hold it. Hold it. And hold it some more. That's right! Take time for a nice long kiss at the end of your ceremony. This will help your photographer get some great photos and you are intentionally taking time to truly mark your "we're married" moment with an authentic and romantic kiss.

2) Tell Your Officiant Or Minister to Get Out Of The Way! Nothing makes a wedding photographer more crazy that an Officiant or Minister who doesn't move out of the "kiss photo" at the end of a ceremony. Top wedding officiants and ministers will move out of the lens of a camera and to the right or left as they are making your pronouncement.

To insure this happens, tell your Officiant or Minister to move - and remind him or her of this again just before you walk down the aisle. This way, your wedding photographer will have the happy experience of capturing your kiss in a clean shot Trust me, this makes for a fantastic photo!

3) 2-For-1 Ceremony Kiss. Okay, picture this. You've just had your sweet kiss at the end of your ceremony and you take your partner's arm or hand and begin to walk down the aisle. The Groom then stops mid-aisle and romantically cups the face of his Bride and gives her kiss with cheering and clapping family and friends lining the aisles. Talk about an wonderful moment!

Yes, this "mid aisle kiss" may be orchestrated but here's what is lovely about this opportunity. Even if planned, few grooms actually remember to do this. It's the act of "remembering" that touches the heart of a bride like no other. So, talk about possibly incorporating this aisle kiss into your recessional to create a very touching wedding moment.

4) "10" Cards Or "Message Cards. If you have a lot of members in your wedding party and want to do something fun, have them hold up "10" cards while you are kissing! This surprise stuns guests and creates such joy at the end of a wedding ceremony.

This move needs to be elegantly and quickly coordinated by your Officiant or Minister. One of the best ways to execute this is to have the Officiant or Minister hand cards to the Best Man and Best Lady as he or she is pronouncing the couple. These cards can also be hidden on a small side table or in the binder/folder held by the Officiant and the passing of the cards can be quickly done by two members of the wedding party.

For those couples wanting to take their love of motorcycles to the alter, they can. Motorcycles have been a popular theme and also have hundreds of thousands of followers so why not a themed wedding. There are many products that carry the motorcycle theme that can now be incorporated into the wedding. Many couples literally go "hog wild" with their themed wedding.

For beginners one of the most important ways to let people know about your themed wedding is to send a motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation. These invitations can be changed to suit the couple. They can be different styles, colors and many are even handmade with pressed flowers or ribbons. The motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation can have custom photos of their own Harley or a picture of the couple. One of the best ways to have a photo that tells all is for the couple to be photographed on their motorcycle. That is a good way to show your love for both your motorcycle and you're soon to be spouse.

Motorcycle picture theme wedding invitations are just the beginning to the themed wedding. Many of these couples decorate, are dressed in their hobby attire and even have the attending official dressed in leather! There are a number of ways to celebrate your wedding with the dedication that you have to your motorcycle family. Many times the motorcycle club or family is how the couple actually came together. It is only appropriate to acknowledge this with the appropriate theme and motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation.

Motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation can also be handmade by the bride and groom. The paper can be purchased to facilitate the perfect wedding. The invitations can then be printed with the pertinent information about the wedding. There are many software products and templates that allow you to print your invitations on a laser printer or ink jet. This makes it very easy to customize your motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation. When couples make their own invitations often times they will personalize with a poem or saying that is a slogan or representation of their relationship. It may have to do with how they met or any significant event during their dating lives.

Motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation can be very formal or casual depending on what type of wedding that the couple is having. The motorcycle theme allows for either method of delivery. The attire and decorations can be very classical with a formal twist, or the theme can also be carried outdoors on the cycle. There is a great deal of uniqueness that is allowed with the theme. The motorcycle picture theme wedding invitations are a great way to invite your club members plus your other family!

There are many motorcycle products that can help enhance the wedding. From the decorations to the motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation there is something for everyone. Now couples all over the world can share their love of the motorcycle with others. Wedding favors, attire and other motorcycle themes can allow for a very intimate wedding. The very best way to start your adventure is to send out motorcycle picture theme wedding invitation. This will get the party started, then you can go hog wild with the other motorcycle products out there!

Promoting your photography studio can be very effective with the help of canvas prints. These printed materials contain full-color graphics that can attract more prospective clients. Stretched or rolled canvas prints are cost-efficient tools that you can use to give a boost to your wedding photography studio. Here are a few canvas print ideas that you can consider to promote your wedding photo services:

1. Promote Your Services: You can create canvas prints to promote the services that you offer at your wedding photography studio. Your services can include makeup and hair styling services before photo shoot, artistic backdrop services, and equipment and lighting services.

2. Promote Your Photography: Utilize stunning photos of your previous clients to showcase your skills in photography. Presenting the photos in a stretched canvas can help you build a more professional image. You can choose between gallery wrap and museum wrap, the methods of stretching your prints around the sides of a stretcher bar.

3. Decorate Your Photo Studio: Use it as decorative materials for your wedding photo studio. Rolled canvas prints in sizes like 40" x 60" and 55" x 100" can serve as your backdrops. You can also utilize creative photos of wedding couples, gowns, tuxedos, wedding cakes, flowers, wedding venues, and wedding gift favors in creating the design for your prints.

4. Extend Gratitude to Clients: Rolled canvas prints can be a good gift to your valuable clients. Print the clients' photo on a canvas material with a size of 8" x 10". Look for a local printing company to help you create high-quality printed outputs. The printed materials can be a good expression of gratitude and appreciation to specific clients.

With these ideas, you can effectively promote your wedding photography services. Canvas prints are visual tools that can catch the eyes of your audience, and attract prospective clients to visit your studio.

Giving gifts to your parents at your wedding party simply shows your appreciation and gratitude for their financial and emotional support to help make your wedding a success. Giving parents gifts can be done before your wedding day, like at your rehearsal dinner or wedding shower. Grab the opportunity to personally thank your parents as well as parents of your partner for all the love and effort to be the best parents to both of you. If you are a bit confused on what to select for moms and dads, here are some wedding gift ideas to help you:

Sentimental Presents

To help your parents get used to the new dynamic in the family, the more your gifts are sentimental the better. Consider a framed family tree, including the new member of the family. You can add something like your family background or your family history. Be creative when making such gift by adding decorative accessories to the portrait and to the frame itself.

Photo albums also make great sentimental gifts for the parents. Purchase nice-looking albums at your mall. You can make a multiple copy of photographs that you have saved before or copies of your wedding photo shoot. Place the photos in the albums so that your parents will not need to do that themselves to have a memorabilia of your wedding day.

Jewelry is also known to make a great keepsake that can last for a lifetime. You may want to give your parents some nice jewelry gifts that they can wear on your wedding day. There are some wonderful options for jewelry gifts, like making them personalized by putting a childhood or engagement picture in a locket or engraving their names or initials on bracelets or pendants.

Practical Presents

You may want to give something useful to your parents, like items that can give benefit to their everyday living. Any useful gift is highly appreciate. A tea set, multi-purpose tool bag, apron kit, tea box, bathrobe, or anything that can be useful to them makes a perfect gift for moms and dads.

Other presents you can give to your parents can actually be found during the ceremony itself. These gifts don't need to be expensive. One great idea is buying extra flowers from the florist and you can just ask an attendant to do the giving for you. Or, you may also have the flowers presented by someone while parents are walking down the aisle.

Wedding gifts for parents don't have to be lavish nor extravagant. Stick to gifts that convey the message that you want to tell to your moms and dads and as much as possible, personalized them. Search online for some more ideas. Other presents that weddings often need are gifts for groomsmen and best man, gifts for bridesmaids and maid of honor, and gifts for ring bearer and flower girl These are all thank you gifts that you can give to those who have a major involvement in your wedding.

Your wedding day will undoubtedly be one of the most important days of your life. Traditionally, the wedding couple and guests would not be able to view photos and videos the day these were taken; they would have to wait for the film to be developed and that would cost at least a few days. Now, every photo can be instantly viewed, edited and printed.

The bride and groom naturally want good photographs of their special day, for keepsake and to share with friends and relatives afterwards. You can make the most out of the digital age by creating stylish and artistic wedding photo montages. It is not as difficult as it seems, and you don't need to be a pro in Photoshop to create your own photo montage! There are plenty of free photo montage software online that come with professionally designed templates and step-by-step tutorials to make creating your first artwork a walk in the park.

Wedding photos can cost quite a bit to print, so cutting up physical photos is literally cutting money away because any mistake made is almost irreversible. Besides, it can be rather troublesome dealing with paper, glue, scissors, tape, and dealing with limited space on paper. Rearranging to fit photos into constrained space can take up a lot of time, especially for busy professionals. Creating digital wedding photo montages help cut costs because you can upload your photos, select those to insert and arrange them the way you like BEFORE printing. More importantly, you can edit your photos - remove red-eye, adjust shadows, manipulate color tones - to produce the perfect wedding montage.

You've got a list of the top wedding photographers based on recommendations and research, but now comes the hard part: entrusting one of them with the everlasting memory of your wedding. Finding the best wedding photographer for you, your family and your wedding will depend not only on your intuition, but also on how thorough you are in interviewing him or her.

You can glean a lot of information from just the first contact with the wedding photographer. This is your opportunity to ask if he or she would even be available on the day of your wedding and if so, when you can meet for a more thorough conversation. After the first contact, ask yourself these questions:

Did you like his or her personality? Did you feel comfortable talking with him/her?

Was he or she responsive and easily contactable by email or phone?

Did he or she answer all your questions clearly and thoroughly, and make you feel welcome to ask more?

Was he or she accommodating to your needs and special requests?

The face-to-face meeting is when you get to know the wedding photographer much better by interviewing him or her. Consider the following questions for your first appointment:

- How long have you been in business? How many years of experience do you specifically have in wedding photography? How many weddings have you covered?

- Have you covered a wedding at my venue before?

- How will we receive the photos to select from? Online gallery and downloadable from the website, a photo CD or proofs?

- How can I, my family and my friends order reprints?

- How long after the wedding can I see the photos? How much time do I have to select the photos?

- Will you be the person I'll be doing business with after the wedding? Will you help me select photos?

- How much time will you spend at our wedding? What are your overtime fees?

- Will you personally be the wedding photographer at my wedding? Do you have an assistant? What is his or her role? Can I meet him or her?

- Will you be more or less invisible at the wedding or will you be making requests of the wedding party and guests?

- Do you have any special packages, plans or options? Do you create wedding albums and design Thank You cards?

- How can you get the most flattering shot of my face and body?

- What is your cancellation policy? What if the wedding date changes?

- Do you keep back-up copies of all your wedding photos?

- Do you provide any guarantees on your services?

- Will you be taking film or digital photos? Why? If digital, what is the resolution at which you'll set your camera? (Photos at 12 megapixels allow for quality enlargements).

- What is your photography style? Photojournalistic (more candid shots), traditional (more posed shots), both or another style altogether?

- What is your philosophy on wedding photography?

- What's the worst wedding situation you've experienced and how did you problem solve your way through it?

- Are you formally educated in photography? Do you have any credentials, certifications, awards or recognitions?

- How will you be dressed on the wedding day?

- Can I see a full wedding album of a wedding you've covered? How about one from the backroom or one that's going to be picked up soon?

If your wedding is growing near and you are searching for favors to give to your guests which are as elegant and dignified as your nuptials and reception - you may or may not find what you are searching for. While it is not that the search results are flawed, it is simply because the term elegant and elegance is hard to define; different people have different concepts of what is elegant and what is not. The best practice is to search for terms specific for what you are searching for as the term "elegant favors" will bring you more general ideas.

Elegant as defined, is something that is gracefully refined, luxurious or dignified and of high grade or quality. Based on this definition truly elegant favors will be on the higher end in cost, style and design. Essential components include simplicity and consistency in design focusing on the essential features of the product while showcasing it within beautiful packaging. Don't be fooled, there simply are no cheap ninety-nine cent elegant wedding favors - favors of this class and quality will cost several dollars - if not into the double digit range per piece.

If you are looking for some ideas which will fit into this category of favors and gifts here are a few for you to ponder:

• Truffles or Chocolates from an exclusive chocolatier. Some chocolatier's will custom make chocolates for you to suit your palette, colors and desires. High end gift packaging completes the look


• Espresso Sets, Tea Sets or Cordial Glasses many upper class entertain either for afternoon tea or after dinner with drinks. Larger gift sets of six or more glasses will offer them something they can take home and put to use.


• Fine Crystal Gifts exquisite 24% genuine leaded crystal items such as snowflake ornaments for a winter wedding, crystal candle holders for a black tie event or crystal flowers for a spring event will provide a unique and displayable keepsake for their homes.


• Larger Photo Frames picture frames that hold 4 x 6, 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 photos in finishes such as silver or with crystals is a grand way to thank your guests. Your guests are more likely to display a larger photo frame in their home versus a smaller wallet sized photo frame which is most often given as wedding favors.


• Candy Dishes or Hostess Dishes purchase items that your guests may not normally have in their homes such as candy dishes, decorative cheese boards, olive trays, appetizer platters. Unique salad tongs, pasta servers and cake serving sets would also be considered a generous thank you gift.

With a little imagination and knowing exactly what you would like to give, you will find a range of home items and fine goods that will be readily be welcomed by your guests. When selecting an elegant favor for your event, use this rule to go by: "Give what you would like to receive".

After all the bustle and stress of preparing for your wedding, the actual event itself can seem to pass in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, this is probably one of the most well documented days in your life. Even if your recall of the ceremony or reception is fuzzy, the memories will live forever in your wedding photo album. What are the top 5 most popular options to consider for showcasing wedding photographs?

Classic and Clever

Traditional white or ivory fabric accented with monogrammed initials and lace makes the exterior of your album an instant reminder of your wedding day. Choose one with archival quality, matted pages on which to mount your photos. Select ribbon binding in a contrasting color or decorate the cover with a wedding flower mandala to make it even more special.

Leather Luxury

If you plan to pass down your wedding photo album to your children, you need one that is heirloom quality. Leather ages well and can conceal fingerprints and smudges. Emboss the front in gold leaf with a verse of scripture or a romantic passage from poet Kahlil Gibran such as "Love one another but make not a bond of love; let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."

Creatively Themed

With a little creativity, you can create a custom album incorporating any concept. For example, if you have a Medieval or Renaissance themed wedding, put your family crest (a real one or your own invention) on the front cover. Accent the pages with illuminated text and a storybook narrative telling the tale of the great celebration day when you and your beloved made your vows to each other.

Scrapbook Mementos

This is a great supplemental photo album style. Include candid shots taken by friends, pressed petals from your bouquet, invitations, place cards, etc. Affix the wedding announcement from your local newspaper with a drop of wax from your unity candle. Decorate the book liberally with ribbon, tulle, or scraps of lace from your veil.

Digital Delight

Hardcover digital wedding photo albums can feature flush mounted photos. Alternatively, the images can be printed on more flexible paper to create a coffee table style book. Digital albums often feature full spread photos laid out to resemble a fashion magazine. Ask a professional to design this type of book for you. Or, build your own album online and have it custom printed.

Whatever option you choose, take your time in selecting the best photos to include. This will help ensure the end result is as picture perfect as your wedding memories.

Like anything in life, setting goals gives us drive and determination. Without a focus or a deadline, us feeble human beings tend to drift along a never ending road of confusion and despair. By setting some well defined and realistic business goals right from the start, you will feel achievement when you have reached them and also get a clear definition of how your business is growing in line with your expectations.

You need to determine where you want your business to be in one year, two years and three years time. Hard as it is to judge, you must try and estimate the number of weddings that you think you may undertake in the first, second and third year. You must also assess where you are going to advertise and how much to allocate to this in these years, who are you going to secure funding from, how much profit you would like to achieve etc.

Below I have shown an example of some typical business goals:

Year 1

• Secure funding in line with the forecasted financial needs


• Purchase all necessary equipment


• Establish website and get it up and running


• Analyse good advertising avenues


• Build relationships with other local wedding providers


• Create 3 distinctive albums for display purposes


• Take on 10 weddings


• Enter 3 competitions for experience


• Achieve 2,000 profit

Year 2

• Take on 20 weddings and put prices up by 50%


• Employ a Digital Imaging assistant to process up weddings


• Undertake 2 wedding fayres


• Rent out own studio and start expanding portrait side of the business


• Build on relationships made with other wedding providers


• Attain LBIPP status


• Achieve a profit of 10,000

Business Plans

A thorough business plan is absolutely vital and the importance of it cannot be stressed highly enough. The business plan is not just something that must be done in order to secure funding; every business venture needs to do one. You need to sit down and construct a well thought out business plan, which details every aspect of your business. You need to do this, not only to focus your minds but it is also a requirement for grant providers and bank lenders who may not take you seriously otherwise.

It is equally important to amend the plan on a regular basis, as time progresses and priorities change. The whole purpose of the written plan is to focus your mind on the key elements and goals of your business. The very act of preparing the plan will make you take a close look at the competition; the services they provide and their pricing structures; yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. This enables you to identify any potential problem areas you may experience and turn them into positives.

You also need to identify all the financial implications and undertake a cashflow forecast. (explained later).

You can certainly guarantee that your Business plan will raise things that you had not even though of. For example, your running costs and expected expenditure and turnover as well as identifying your need for any additional funding.

By preparing a detailed Business Plan you will be aware of market trends, your business objectives and strategies, its place in the market, resources and expected cashflow. This is so vitally important, especially with a new business venture as undoubtedly you will be looking to re-invest your hard earned money back into the business. Being aware of your cashflow can save you from the potentially crippling situation where one can month you can afford that new AppleMac laptop to the next month being unable to put the fuel in your car to get you into work in the first place. The Business Plan will help you to decide what you can afford and when. Remember forewarned is forearmed!

To re-iterate, a good plan is very important:

• If you wish to apply for grant funding/bank loans, as these institutions will usually insist on seeing a well constructed and thought out plan.


• In measuring the success within your business.


• In spotting problem areas before they arise.


• In focusing on the key development areas.

The key elements to a business plan are as follows:

Company Name

Executive summary of your business

This should list the highlights from each of the other sections of the business plan so it is a good idea to leave this part until the rest of the business plan is complete. It is also necessary in this section to detail whether your company is sole trader, Limited etc. The objective of this section is to interest the reader and inform them in a concise way of the whole purpose of your business. If applying for funding, it is sometimes the only part that gets read!

Mission Statement

This is a clear and concise statement of your company's long-term mission. It should incorporate your ultimate aims and aspirations (mission) for the Company.

Products and Services

This section should detail how you are going to brand your company and its products. Are you going to undertake weddings solely or are you planning to offer portraits, commercial etc. You also need to think about and detail which market you are aiming at (eg. low end, high end). You should detail when you started trading, any history (eg. was it an acquired business), and plans for the future etc. Also detail the service you intend to deliver to clientele and how that compares with competition. Do not get tied up with technical jargon - keep it simple because those reading it may not appreciate the industry you are in but still need to be able to understand the concepts.

Sales and Marketing

This section is vitally important and time and effort needs to be put into this area to ensure your business succeeds. You need to think about:

Where to position your business in the market place (eg. top end quality, low end volume etc.) Pricing of your products - this is one of the most important and difficult decisions as you need to set your prices at the right level to be profitable.

You need to analyse competition to see what they offer and what they charge and then establish your own niche. If you charge more, there must be tangible reasons for a customer wanting to pay more for your product or service.

Advertising - it is important to identify the most effective routes for promoting and advertising your products or services i.e. how are you going to reach your potential customers in a cost effective manner and how are you going to monitor the effectiveness of your advertising. Also which mediums do you intend to use for your advertising; is this via websites, editorial, social media sites such as Facebook/MySpace/Twitter, YouTube, adverts in magazine/newspapers, shop windows, wedding fayres, emails, posted fliers and brochures etc.

It is important to identify on the business plan why people would choose your product at that price and why it is different to competition (eg. quality, price, unique, extra benefits or add ons etc).

The Team

Even though initially you may be starting off on your own, due to financial limitations, you will eventually need some help. You need to establish what personnel requirements will be needed and at what stage. You also need to identify skills they will need to possess and any weakness areas that they may need training up in.

Business Premises and Equipment

More often than not, it is best to start your business from home as this keeps your overheads down. This section should detail where the business operates from (home or otherwise), advantages and disadvantages of its location, leased or owned and for how long, equipment bought or investment needed. Also, IT facilities, outsourcing necessary, management and accounting systems required to control the business and any plans for the future to improve in these areas.

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats

This is referred to as SWOT analysis and is a useful exercise in analysing exactly what it states: Strengths and Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is useful to divide a piece of paper into 4 areas and construct a list in each section. Think carefully about all your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and your goal is eventually turn your weaknesses into strengths.

A few examples:

Strengths:

• Excellent location with potentially an elite client base


• Qualified member of BIPP


• Excellent photography skills

Weaknesses:

• No helper - have to juggle the photography as well as marketing, accounts etc


• Photoshop skills need enhancing


• Not very experienced with Sales & Marketing

Opportunities

• Some lovely wedding venues surrounding us


• Many wedding companies I can affiliate with

Threats

• A lot of photographers after the same business

Competition

Even though competition is included in the Sales and Marketing section, it is a worthwhile exercise to establish the names, locations, prices, products and services, selling tactics of all your main competitors in your niche - basically find out everything you possibly can about them. Ring them up and pretend to be a customer wanting their services. This will give you a real sense of where you are at in the market place and what you can offer that they do not as well as how to sell yourself against them. This is an ongoing process throughout the life of the business.

Goals & Objectives - One and Five-year goals

A written statement of where you see yourself in one years time as well as in five years time, in both financial terms and in market share. Visualisation of where you want to be is the key to success and drives you forward.

Wedding photographs are a truly cherished reminder of one of the most important days of our lives. Unfortunately, like any old photograph, paper wedding photo prints can become easily damaged over time and can quite quickly begin to show their age - especially if you like to leaf through the pages of your album or photo book on a regular basis. Photo albums are meant to be viewed and they're meant to be shared and while every precaution is usually taken to try and help ensure the pictures retain their good looks this doesn't always happen.

Damaged Or Worn Wedding Photographs

There are many ways that pictures can become damaged. Even sunlight or a collection of dust can have a detrimental effect on the colours in the picture giving light to faded images, scratched surfaces, and even worn or torn photographs. It is very difficult to protect against every eventuality but for those whose wedding day was before the days of digital photography, the photo album may be the only copy of their wedding photos left in tact.

Scanning Your Photos

Scanning your own wedding photographs to the hard drive of your PC is an obvious way to offer some protection against the complete loss of your pictures. This also gives you the opportunity to use those scanned images in the creation of a new photo album or by having any of a number of other personalised photo items created. Online photo item services can be used to order personalised photo albums that include a photograph and test on the cover making them ideal as replacement wedding photo albums.

Using Professional Photo Services

Some of these same services may also be able to sympathetically work with your paper prints in order to scan them for you. This helps ensure that you get the best results and that your photos are returned to you in equally good condition as when they were sent. Some blemishes can often be removed by professional services; again, this can prove highly beneficial when working with older photographs.

A Photo Montage Of Your Big Day

Why not scan your images and have new copies printed while ordering a replacement, updated wedding photo album? Alternatively, you could have your old wedding photographs turned into a photo montage that celebrates your big day and then have this printed onto a canvas print or another high quality photo item. Another good looking alternative to the photo album is the personalised photo book.

Wedding Photos

Customised photo books are quite unique - while they offer the same kind of customised front cover as the photo album, they are also a more direct route to receiving new copies of your photos. Pictures are printed directly onto the pages of the photo book, from edge to edge and top to bottom and more complex designs can be applied to some or all of the pages to make them appear even better looking and even more unique.

Photo albums and photo books, as well as photo canvases, are among the most popular of photo gifts. If you're looking for the perfect, heartfelt anniversary gift or you want to update your own wedding photo album then you need not look any further.

Wedding photos are an important part of any wedding experience. They serve as a way for the bride and the groom, as well as the guests, to remember this important day. You can do a lot more with photos today than was possible in the past, and this include unique and memorable gifts like a wedding photo collage puzzle. Also referred to a photo montage puzzle, these are basically collections of photos assembled together as one image and then printed as a jigsaw puzzle.

Creative ideas like this can make great gifts for your wedding guests to remember the wedding by. It might also make for an excellent anniversary gift to your spouse. Imagine their surprise when they start to assemble the puzzle and realize that it's a picture of the most important day of their lives.

Getting a wedding photo collage puzzle made is a pretty simple task. Once you've located a online business that can make your photo collage, all you have to do is supply them with a selection of your wedding pictures and provide details of any special requests you have regarding layout. You can usually just email digital copies of your wedding photos and let the puzzle company take care of the rest. Once the professional designers have done their magic, you will receive a preview of your layout design. You can then approve this or request further changes. You can also enhance the collage look with unique personalized text depending on the occasion or purpose of you wedding photo collage. When it's all done, you'll have a wonderful and memorable gift to give.

The dog days of summer have passed but Jack Frost isn't nipping at your nose just yet! The days may be getting shorter, but there's still plenty of time to plan a fantastic fall wedding!

Autumn colors are bold, vibrant, warm and inviting making fall time a perfect theme for the beginning of your marriage adventure. By scheduling your wedding at this time of year you'll reap the benefits of off-season planning and no extreme weather.

Here Are 5 Fall Wedding Ideas I Harvested to Help You Plan for Your Special Day:

1. Customize your Fall Wedding with Polaroid Instant Photo Guest Books

Capture every moment of your wedding day with Polaroid instant pictures and hand-written sentiments from your guests! Instant photo guest books, like Adesso's Polaroid Instant Photo guest book, buck the digital trend.

When they're combined with notes from all your friends and family, the instant photo guest book becomes a valued keepsake filled with memories that will last forever! Customize your autumn-themed wedding photo guest book by using pens with gold, brown or rust-colored ink, and for added seasonal pizzazz, you can even trim the cover with ribbons in colorful fall shades.

Fall Wedding Idea: Choose a fall-colored instant photo guest book that will accompany your autumn-themed wedding colors!

2. Autumn in New York? Choose Your Fall Wedding Destination

Frank Sinatra and other singers have immortalized the romantic notion of autumn in the Big Apple. And the vivid changing colors of New England always come to mind when thinking about the season.

Many locations hit the spot just right for an autumn wedding: a country inn, an old church, a vineyard, a local park and that's just to name a few! Is there a friend or family member whose big backyard has lots of trees? Remember, it's not the setting itself. It's the spirit you bring to the setting that makes your fall wedding so memorable you'll want to capture it both in pictures and in word.

Fall Wedding Idea: If traveling out of town isn't in your budget, you can transform any venue into a fall fantasy. Look in travel or bridal magazines for fall wedding ideas, and visit your local craft store to find faux flowers, foliage and other items to help with inspiration!

3. Set the Stage for Your Autumn Wedding

Autumn's trademark colors can be incorporated easily into every part of your wedding décor. Instead of bright white, try a gown in raw silk or a subtle cream shade? Bridesmaids and your maid of honor can wear a bouquet of lush fall shades like gold, burgundy, hunter green or chocolate brown. Select complementary ties or vests for the groom, best man and groomsmen.

If the flower girl is going to sprinkle the aisle with rose petals, use dried flowers or autumn leaves instead. Depending on the time of day, you might be able to have the ceremony by candlelight. And don't forge to decorate the reception tables with seasonally-colored linens, mini pumpkins, dried flowers, acorns and colorful gourds.

Fall Wedding Idea: Assign someone you can count on to take pictures of the festive table settings before the reception to include in your instant wedding photo guest book!

4. Plan Your Menu with Autumn Foods In Mind

Many delicious foods conjure up images of crisp autumn days and nights. For starters, greet guests with a glass of warmed, mulled cider spiked with something festive like Tuaca liquer from Tuscany! Nuts and dried fruits can be available for nibbling before and after the ceremony.

For your main course, there are the staples like a Thanksgiving dinner theme. Serve the turkey with all the trimmings or try roast chicken or Cornish hen with cranberry garnish. For more hearty fare, there's prime rib. Or be creative and try a game bird like quail or pheasant. And you can even "spice" up the wedding cake by choosing carrot, pumpkin-flavored or spice cake. If it's got to be chocolate, added seasonings will give it an extra flair.

Fall Wedding Idea: In addition to serving a traditional wedding cake, you can also offer your guests dessert treats like apple, pecan or pumpkin pie.

5. Pick Your Autumn Wedding Favors

Send your guests home with some of the "flavor" of your wedding by favoring them with autumn wedding favors such as sachets and potpourri in seasonal scents. If there's a farm stand or local specialty shop in the area, give a jar of homemade
jam, preserves or chutney. Scented fall-colored candles are sure to be appreciated and enjoyed.

And since your wedding is all about the future, you can give your guests something to look forward to: flower bulbs that will bloom next spring. When it's time to wrap it all up, package the autumn-themed wedding favors in a fabric bag (muslin, burlap, calico-designed cotton) tied with a raffia bow.

Fall Wedding Idea: How about an autumn wedding favor that's good enough to eat? Thanks to the Internet, it's easy to order unique, custom-made sweets, like jelly beans in fall colors or personalized M&Ms.

When discussing types of pictures that can be taken by a professional photographer, there are two main types. Candid photography lends a more personal feel to each photo, and captures life as it is happening. Professional photographic portraits on the other hand, are more about chronicling an event, and preserving it on film in a staged manner. Each method has its own place and time in which it is most appropriate, and the information below will provide you with the main differences between the two styles.

Positioning and Appearance

One of the main differences between candid photography and photographic portraits is in the way they are positioned, and in the way that they appear. Candid photographs are taken on the go when life is happening, and present pictures of an event as it was. Professional photographic portraits however, are staged using sets, props, and a predetermined position. These photographs capture an image and preserve it in the way that it was positioned to look.

The appearance of these two types of photography are quite different, in fact, candid photography can often look like it was not done by a professional at all. It can sweep you away, and remind you of a past event with it easy appearance and candid positioning.

Photographic portraits preserve things in their perfect condition. They allow you to look your best, or capture something or someone in an ideal way. Often, when somebody goes to a professional photography studio or hires a professional photographer, they will opt to have both forms of photography used. That is because while different, these two styles both have their own merits and value.

Equipment That is Used

Another major difference between candid and photographic photography is the equipment that is used for each. Candid photography is usually done with much lighter weight equipment. There is often no need for a tripod, lights, and certainly not backgrounds or props. It is often done outside with natural backdrops, and usually on the go.

Professional photographic photography is quite different on the other hand. It requires the use of heavy equipment, large tripods, elaborate lighting, props and backgrounds, and often other items as well. The idea behind photographic photography is to make an object or person look their very best, and a variety of measures and tools are used to achieve this.

When They Are Used

When looking for differences between candid and photographic photography is important to explore the difference between when they are both used. For instance, photographic photography is better suited for taking still photos that you wish to look professional and staged. These might be wedding photos, children's photos, family photos, or even pictures for cards or invitations.

Candid photography however, is generally used to capture the action of an event. That is why candid photography is often used to capture wildlife, sporting events, wedding receptions, or even news events.

While each of these photography styles has various times and places that they can be used. It is also possible for them to be used in the same situation at roughly the same time. In the example of a wedding, before hand you may wish to have photographic pictures of the wedding party taken. However, during and after the wedding you may wish for a photographer to use candid photography to capture the action in every moment of the day.

Both candid and professional photographic photography have their benefits and appropriate times to be used. While there are differences in these two styles of photography, they both require the skill of a professional photographer in order to present a beautiful finished product. When you know the differences between these two styles of photography, you can make the choice of which one is best for you.

The Wedding Photobook

A wedding photo book is a beautiful way to show off your favourite photos from the big day. Choose between 30 and 80 of your favourite pictures and have each one printed on a single page of the photo book. Alternatively, you can create more complex designs for the pages in order to use even more photos and you can combine different page styles in order to give your wedding photobook a unique style of its own.

Photobook Cover

The cover of the photo book can also be customised. Choose another photo, or even create a montage from your favourite wedding day pictures, and then have this printed on the front and back cover of the book. For a little extra you can choose a second design or photo and have this printed on the back instead. You have complete control of the design of your wedding photo book and this means that you can create exactly the look that you want from a book that you will almost certainly leaf through and use to relive memories for many years to come.

Photobook Designs

The photobook is a hand bound, hardback photo book that uses an HD Satin cover and 160gsm silk art paper pages to show photos off at their very best. Available in three sizes - A3, A4, or A5 you can enjoy leafing through photos from your big day whenever you like. Metal corner protectors can be added in silver or gold and the spine, headband, and ribbon are colour coded to give an elegant, matching finish to any book.

Presentation Tin Or Box

A wedding photobook will contain some of your most precious memories and some of your favourite photographs. A wedding day is the happiest day in a couple's life and it is important to keep the photobook safe, even though it uses very high grade materials to ensure a longer life. A presentation tin is lightly textured to give it a simple but extremely elegant finish, while a presentation box is crafted from rigid board and covered with soft black book cloth. You can even have a photo laminated and used as the lid of the presentation box. Both of these items will help to ensure that your wedding photo book will always look its best.

Personalised Wedding Guest Books

A personalised wedding guest book is also a beautiful touch for the big day. This hand bound book allows for approximately 200 to 400 guest entries and not only can you choose the design for the front and back cover by adding your own photos but you can also decide on the headers that are used in each column - ask the guests to leave their name and a brief comment and it will serve as a loving reminder of your guests and your big day.

With the new technology of digital cameras also came a great way to take high resolution pictures and be able to view them immediately. A person can also print the pictures out on the printer at home, with picture paper, and even email them or post them to social media sites. This also saved a person time of taking the film to become developed or worse, forgetting about the film and losing treasured shots due to loss of exposure because of age or overheating. Using memory cards and digital cameras also brought a new headache though. Along with memory cards comes the chance of corruption to pictures from any causes of error and deletion of precious photos can be heartbreaking.

With software created for this type of tragedy, C-Photo Recovery, it has become possible to get those pictures back that were thought to be long gone. C-Photo recovery not only just scans the uppermost part of a memory card, or hard drive, for deleted files, it goes and does a deep scan to mark any file that looks to be a in a picture extension format. These photos can be deleted, or corrupted, from months ago and C-Photo can recover them.

Not only does C-Photo recover photos from memory cards but it also works on hard drives, cd's and also on flash drives. It will recover any and every type of image format available and will even recover damaged or corrupted image files on a RAW, or formatted, hard drive and/or flash drive. C-Photo recovery is the wonder of wonder when it comes to recovering precious photos accidentally deleted or that became inaccessible due to maybe taking the memory card or flash drive out of the USB port before ejecting it properly.

There are many types of commercial software claiming to be able to recovery damaged or deleted photos. Yes, some are even free. Yet there aren't many that actually can delve as deep as C-Photo recovery can and recovery photos, even if they are taken RAW with a digital SLR. Photo recovery is nothing to mess with when trying to get back those precious wedding photos. Image recovery of your baby's birth cannot be trusted to anything other than C-Photo recovery.

Yes, the best bet is to try to keep a backup of photos taken. Yet, when a digital camera or USB flash drive messes up right off, photo recovery is the way to go to make sure your photos are where they're supposed to be, in your possession.