Wedding Photo

You've seen them in movies, at Vegas Casinos, Disneyland, anywhere there is fun happening! Now, on the most fun day of your life, you too can have your own photo booth. Yes, photo booths are a hot item at finer weddings today. This trend is growing as brides look for ways to make their wedding reception special and fun for all.

Part 1 - WHY A PHOTO BOOTH?

For over 100 years the traditional four-shot photo strip has captured and preserved unique memories like no other photographic product. In addition to capturing memories, its real value is as a form of entertainment.

Not everyone likes to dance at a wedding reception; goofing off in a photo booth provides just enough privacy to allow people to loosen up and play without feeling self-conscious. What's more, its appeal is cross generational; everyone enjoys it! If the booth has a gimmick like props, green screen or the booth speaks to them, visitors are much more likely to let their guard down. This makes for more spontaneous pictures. There is just something about getting shoulder-to-shoulder behind a curtain which creates a sense of camaraderie and fun, where people feel they can let go a little and enjoy a shared experience.

As the photo strip prints out, everyone loves seeing themselves. Most companies include the name and date of the couple at the top of each photo strip so each goes home with a keepsake of the wedding. In many ways this replaces the need for cameras on the tables and usually provides much better and more interesting pictures. The Bride and Groom typically get a collection of all photos taken by way of a photos disc, photo book or through online access. Not only does this offer them a look at how much fun their guests were having, but it captures those rare moments when family and friends, who are not often together, intermingle through the fun of the photo booth.

Part 2 - HOW TO SHOP FOR A PHOTO BOOTH?

First understand that not all booths are created equal. There is a large range in pricing, which is usually (but not always), an indicator of quality. A select few are full-time businesses, but for most this is a side business. While this means that there is a photo booth for every budget, to avoid being disappointed it is important that you define which features YOU feel are most valuable and that you compare several companies and ask plenty of questions. Here are some differences to ask about:

• APPEARANCE - There are booths, boxes, tents, pipe & drapes, kiosks and even a "pod"! Some photographers will set up a photo station where they take portraits and call it a photo booth. Be sure you see what the booth will look like; if none is featured on the website, there is probably a good reason. While the rate might be better for your budget, be aware of what is going to show up at your reception first! What you don't want is a surprise. Most brides spend months creating their perfect reception and don't want it spoiled by an unsightly product.


• FUNCTION - Each company will have their own special features to make their booth stand out. Find out what's available and decide which features you like best. Ask what special features come with the booth; Props, Green Screen, Speaking Booth, Video, Scrapbooking, Etc. Also ask how many photos it takes, whether it prints single or duplicate, are props sanitized (there are health concerns with reused props) and ask how the photos are delivered (DVD or online). Be sure and see examples of photos taken in the booth.


• PACKAGES & PRICE - There will be many similarities from company-to-company but each will include different extras for the price. Some will up-sell from a menu of options, some are all-inclusive. In my opinion, best practice is that there should be no extra charge to receive the digital photos from the event. A key feature of renting a photo booth should be that the photos are included. At the very least, know ahead of time what you will be getting. The prices range anywhere from $700 to $2000, but a quality 4-hour booth rental usually begins around $1200. When choosing, factor in booth design, special features and number of hours included. Don't assume it's the same number of hours for each company.

Part 3 - HOW TO USE A PHOTO BOOTH FOR A WEDDING?

Place the photo booth in an area of the reception where it will not interfere with other events like the cake cutting or dancing. It should be easily accessible, but out of the way of the action and service staff.

As is true with a wedding DJ, 4 hours of photo booth entertainment is usually just right. I recommend starting the booth during the cocktail hour. This gives people something fun to do and they become aware of the booth which will draw them back throughout the evening. Unlike the dance floor, the photo booth will attract guests throughout the dinner hour. After dinner there is usually a surge at the booth, so starting your 4 hours at cocktail hour gets the most out of your photo booth.

Generally in the last hour of a reception more interest in focused on the DJ and the dance floor. If traffic to the booth is slow, a simple announcement from the DJ will usually get things going. Not all booths look like a typical photo booth so guests might not be clear what it is. Once invited, it's usually a big hit!

SUMMARY

Photo booths are fun, they make people laugh and provide everyone with valuable memories! Informed shopping requires a little buyer knowledge and some comparison. If you are working with a planner, be sure and let her know your interest in a photo booth and get her opinion as to which companies she is comfortable recommending.

Rest assured that whether your focus is on quality of photos, appearance of the booth, entertaining features, price or a combination thereof, there is a solution out there which is just right for you. Be informed about what you are buying and be sure that you are comfortable with the professionals you've chosen to hire, and you'll have a great experience with your photo booth! For years to come, you and your guests will treasure your special day each time they run across their photo strips. Rent a photo booth today!

The wedding invitation is the vanguard of your bridal experience. It introduces your guests to the theme and formality of your wedding and it gives them a peek into the flavor and personality of your relationship with your future spouse. It is the first chance you will have to make an impression as a couple on many of your guests. Innovative invitations are myriad, but if you want to make a real impression on your guests you may want to consider unique wedding invitation packaging.

Thai silk boxes couch your invitation in elegance. They look a little like they could house jewels or fancy watches. The basic style has a washed silk exterior that opens with a little clasp. Inside rests your invitation. There are many variations on this theme. You can order or design silk pouches with jeweled clasps, book and pocket folios that fold out into two or three segments, and boxes embellished with ribbons and jewels of your choosing. This is a truly royal presentation for your wedding invitation. It would be fitting for a black tie, celebrity, or ultra-formal wedding.

On the other end of the spectrum are electronic invitations. Websites such as evite.com offer still and animated invitations set to music. You can choose from humorous, religious, emotional, and other themes to imbue your invitation with life and personality. These invitations would be useful for a budget wedding where it is important to keep costs low, as many options on evite.com are free of cost. Electronic invitations would also be appropriate for a casual wedding or a wedding for a couple who share a love of computer technology or the internet.

DVD wedding invitations are a kind of hybrid between paper and electronic invitations. They come with a traditional paper wedding invitation insert, but also include a video or photo montage of the wedding couple inviting guests to attend the wedding. This could be a video the couple has made themselves, introducing guests to the couple for the first time, or it could simply be a nice keepsake for the guests: a video/photo favor before the wedding.

Traditional invitations can be layered and embellished to create unique and personalized wedding invitations. Paper invites can be embellished with anything from collage to glitter, creating invitations with personality and flair. Some ideas for embellishments are photographs of the bridal couple, dried or pressed flowers, and tiny crystals or jewels. Invitations can also be decoupaged to create an interesting effect, or they can be layered with interesting backgrounds, calligraphied invitations, and inset or cut-out decorations. The layered treatment creates a stand-out effect that can look eclectic, stylized, or minimalist depending on the desired result.

Playing with wedding invitation packaging is a fun way to show yourselves as a couple to your guests. It is the perfect opportunity to introduce a wedding theme, and it sets the tone for the ceremony and reception. Truly original wedding invitations are works of art worthy of framing and can make touching heirlooms to pass on to the next generation. Let your imagination run, and use original invitation packaging to create wedding invitations that are as unique and full of life as you are.

A wedding is always an occasion that is meant to be remembered for a life-time. Though many people attend various weddings throughout their lifetime, in some way or another, each of them is memorable in their own special way. In efforts to make a wedding even more memorable and unique, often times the bride and groom will decide upon a wedding favor that is given to each guest that attends the special event. Often times these wedding favors are personalized to showcase the date of the wedding as well as the couple's names. Though there is an endless amount of items that can be used as wedding favors, photo keepsakes have become a very popular custom wedding favor that can be used by brides and grooms of all types. Photo key rings are truly timeless.

A great benefit to using photo keepsakes as custom wedding favors is that they are very unique and are able to provide a visual memory of the wedding day and the couple. Often times the bride and groom may choose to use a picture of themselves together to have printed on each key ring. There is no limit as to what can be put on a photo key chain or what type of picture is most suitable. Instead the marrying couple has the option to choose what they want the photo keepsakes to look like.

Photo Keepsakes - The Benefits

If you've ever compared your key chains to a friend's or family members', it's likely that each of you have very different key chains. For wedding couples, this means that finding a photo key chain that is unique and different from the rest will be quite simple. Since photo key ring can often times be personalized, there are several different small details that can be added to them to make them especially unique. This means that the couple can choose to add their wedding date, their names, and possibly even a thank you message on each of the key rings.

Another benefit of photo keepsakes is that they can fit any budget that the wedding couple may have. Since photo key chains are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and even different materials, they often have a wide range of prices. This means that a couple looking to spend frugally on wedding favors can still afford to buy key chains for each of their guests. For example, plastic key rings are often a lot cheaper when compared to metal key chains.

Buying photo key rings is often done online through companies that offer bulk personalization and purchases. This way the bride and groom can design a key chain that they like and can afford and they can then have them made and shipped all by one company. In the end, the process for buying photo key chains is relatively easy and quick!

Using key chains as custom wedding favors is a unique idea, especially since the normal wedding favors usually involve wine glasses, candles, or candy. Photo key rings are sure to stand out from any other wedding favors and guests are sure to love them.

When it comes to planning weddings, finding the perfect venue is the hardest part. Here is a variety of choices of venues ideal for wedding photos.

Photo Shoot Venue #1 for Weddings - Greenhouses

The Oakville Municipal Greenhouse one of the preferred locations in the city for wedding photo shoots. The greenhouse, which can also accommodate small wedding ceremonies (with no more than 20 guests), has provided a lush backdrop for many local weddings. The greenhouse is available by reservation only.

Photo Shoot Venue #2 for Weddings - Gazebos

The gazebo in Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park is a beloved location for more than just weddings: residents will also recognize it as a popular venue for outdoor concerts. Within view of the lighthouse and the Bronte Outer Harbour Marina, the gazebo is a favourite photo shoot venue for summer weddings.

Photo Shoot Venue #3 for Weddings - Museums

Schoolchildren take field trips to the Erchless Estate museum, which was home to six generations of one of Oakville's founding families, the Chisolms. It is a place to learn about the downfall of Colonel William Chisholm (1788-1842), who after working so hard to develop the harbourfront, went bankrupt, or, about Allan Stuart Chisholm (1866-1918), who is said to have given the estate its charming touches that make it such a draw today for weddings. Brides and grooms-to-be, take note: the estate is not available for ceremonies, but you can take photos there. By permit only.

Best thing about the grounds of this museum as a venue for wedding photography? The museum's flower garden, which is tended to reflect the gardening style of the 1920s. A romantic historical touch!

Photo Shoot Venue #4 for Weddings - Rose Gardens

If you are planning a wedding between June and September, then you might want get a permit to take wedding pictures in Gairloch Garden's rose gardens. The pond, the water, the stairs... Every corner of this park screams romance.

Photo Shoot Venue # 5 for Weddings - Permit-Free Venues

Budget-conscious brides and grooms-to-be planning weddings may prefer the freedom and spontaneity of choosing a wedding photography venue that does not require a permit. The ornamental grasses and flower beds of municipal parks represent one such location.

And those who are tempted by the roses of Gairloch Gardens, may find the free roses of Shell Park equally appealing. These beds are in bloom between June and September, just in time for peak wedding season.

Enjoy choosing from all the venues for weddings.

In today's world there are a millions of professions from which you can choose your own or choose in which you have your interest. And sometimes it not all about taking something professionally rather that's your passion and you give proper time to it. There are many fields in which you might have your interest or passion. But really passionate people are the one who have an artistic mind. And the field of arts is very vast, providing peoples so many interesting fields in it that people are really attracted towards them. In recent years, technology and software advancements lead to many software's and computing tools which helped every person from any field. And in such software's a very interesting one is the Photo Collage.

Photo Collage, is software which helps you to merge different photographs in a single image. This can be used for a number of purposes and requirement or you can be doing this just for the sake that you have a shear passion to artistic photographs or even just to show how good you are at this area of arts. Online Photo collage requires a huge amount of bandwidth, and also many processing on the server end. But to provide users ease of access and usability, many websites are providing this service online. And some are the paid services and other are providing it free of cost.

One fantastic tool that can be used for this field is the Adobe Photoshop. But that is a paid service and is not available online; you have to buy that software and run that fully from your computer at home. Many services that are available online are really good, but they won't give you many advance features as Adobe Photoshop or any paid service will do. But still if you a real general requirement for a Photo Collage then there are many which are available for a normal home user to gain access and use it online.

What photo collage basically does is that it provides you with the basic functionality of merging a number of different pictures in a single image. It also allows you to merge your pictures in different designs like in a shape of heart, rectangle, oval etc. With this online tool you can also add many different effects to your merged photograph. There are many soft-wares and websites online which are providing this service online like Shape Collage, picture collage and many more. And you can search them on Google and check which options they provide you and how advance the software is, and then you can select the appropriate service that is comfortable for you.

Or whichever fulfills your need is the right option for you. The requirement to use an online Photo Collage is that you should have a high bandwidth connection to the internet, which can downloads and upload your data at very high rates. Because to use a photo collage online you have to upload your files as well which you are willing to merge with a photo collage.

Marriage Announcements to Announce Your Marriage

Marriage announcements are a great way to let people know that you have gotten married. These are a great keepsake for friends and family that attended the wedding and are an especially great way to let those who did not attend know that the wedding has taken place. To follow proper etiquette, they should be sent within one month of the wedding to two months after the wedding has taken place.

Marriage announcements should keep with the theme of the overall wedding. This means the same color, and formality as well as the tone. This is true even for informal cards. Making sure that all stationery is the same will help further the theme of the wedding.

The parents of the bride traditionally send these out, and are keeping with a formal theme, they have a fairly standard format for sayings, verses and wordings. Typically they will say something such as, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith have the honor of announcing the marriage of their daughter, Rebecca Jane to Brain Matthew, 30th of June, 2007 at Calvary United Church, New York, New York."

If the wedding was a small, casual affair, the marriage cards should keep with the casual theme. For instance, if the wedding took place on a beach and was unconventional, the tradition isn't a necessity. The wordings on the marriage card could say, "we tied the knot! At the Paradise Sands Resort Beach in the Bahamas, on June 30th, 2007. Thanks to all of those that participated in our special day!"

A photo taken of the ceremony is a nice inclusion. It will give those who could not come to the ceremony a glimpse into what the day was like. The photo should obviously include the bride and the groom and if not taken during the actual ceremony, it should be taken in the same setting that the wedding took place. This photo can be used as the front, with the back of the photo indicating the details. Using a black and white photo can be a nice touch.

Even those who did not attend the wedding may wish to send presents to help the couple begin their lives together and to congratulate them. While couples should not expect this, it's a definite possibility. For this reason, there should also be thank you cards ordered. These are just small cards that will thank the person for their gift and can keep with the theme.

Marriage thank you card verses and sayings should keep with the theme. For the casual wedding on the beach, the wordings could say something such as, "we want to show our thanks." For the announcement that has been more formal, the thank you card sayings should be something such as, "we express our gratitude to you for celebrating in our love."

There are many different types of printed marriage announcements, announcements for marriage and the theme and tone of the wedding need to be adhered to when sending both.

Flush mounted wedding albums have not been around for a long time, but they are here to stay. They offer a lot of advantages over traditional albums, which more than justifies the higher prices that photographers usually charge for them. This article is trying to give an overview over what exactly makes flush mount wedding albums more special and why you should not settle for less.

More spectacular and original design

Flush mounted albums are digital albums, designed on the computer in so called "magazine-style", which gives your album designer a lot of possibilities. Whereas a traditional album forces the designer to work with photos attached to a single-colored piece of paper, there are virtually no limits to the design of a flush mount album. This is because each double spread is designed on the computer and then printed on a SINGLE large photo. So, the limits to the wedding album design are not set by the way the album is made, but by Photoshop (or any other software the designer might be using).

More impressive way of presenting photos

Flush mounted wedding albums have thick pages that will not bend. The photos fill the whole page. There are no margins at the edges of the pages or in the fold in the middle. This allows to present photos in a far more spectacular way of than possible with a traditional album. Traditional albums limit the designer to use comparatively small photos that will at most fill one page (with margins at the edges). Also, in flush mount albums the designer can use photos that stretch over the full width of a double-page spread. For example, group shots of the whole wedding party look stunning when presented that way.

Better suited as storybook wedding albums

An album that tells a story revives the memories of the big day more vividly and is more interesting to read. Flush mount albums make great storybook wedding albums. On a traditional album it is somewhat difficult to add nice looking text. One could write or print text next to the individual photos, but it is very hard to compose text and picture in a stylish way. Flush mount albums make this task much easier. The text can be put wherever the designer chooses, next to photos or on top of them, in whatever font-style and color he or she wants. In flush mount wedding albums it is common to print the transcript of whole speeches, maybe with a photograph of the speaker put in the background.

More suitable for large sizes

Flush mounted albums look great in small sizes and stunning in big ones. With a traditional album it is crucial to keep them below the critical size, when pages are getting too big for single photos. Some photos are so important that they need to be on their own dedicated page and if then there is tons of white space around them, they start looking lost. In flush mount albums the photos fill the whole page without margins no matter what size you go for, so a single photo will never look lost. For the extra important photos you can even cover a whole double-page spread. Also, super wide sizes like 15" x 12" look great with flush mount wedding albums, whereas they just don't work that well with a traditional album.

To sum up, if your photographer offers flush mounted albums then go for it. They will often cost substantially more than the old-fashioned equivalent, but it is worth it. If you want to save money, than DON'T get the album from your photographer, but check online for an alternative. A couple of companies are specialized on flush mount and therefore can offer much better value for money than your photographer.

Many things can go wrong at a wedding, but the most heartbreaking mishap is one that relates to the photography. By avoiding the mistakes detailed below, you can choose the ideal photographer to give you picture-perfect snaps of your special day.

Ignoring the photographer's style and personality

Every photographer has a unique style. It can be a traditional approach, documenting the important ceremonies and the popular poses. Or it can be photo-journalistic style that focuses more on capturing the moments and emotions than the poses. There is also an artistic approach where the photographer uses unusual or irregular camera angles, hand-coloring of images and other off-beat styles. Choose a wedding photographer whose style you like. You should also hire a particular photographer only if you like him/her on a personal level.

Not establishing rapport with the photographer before the wedding

Many people do not realize the importance of the wedding couple and the photographer getting to know each other before the event. You must have a pre-wedding session with your photographer so that you become comfortable with him/her. The photos on the big day will definitely show you in a relaxed frame of mind and add that extra charm to your smile.

Giving more priority to products than the art

What use are bad pictures in a beautiful album? If your budget is limited, do not make the mistake of compromising on the photography and hiring a cheaper photographer just to be able to afford a smart album. You ought to know your priorities. The album can always be replaced with a better one whenever you can afford it, but you cannot recreate the wedding day!

Not hiring an experienced professional

An amateur or inexperienced photographer is not likely to produce the results that an experienced professional will. Even if an expert photographer costs a little more than you had budgeted for, he/she will more than make up for it by delivering photos that you treasure for a lifetime.

Not getting a copy of the wedding photography contract

And lastly, do not forget to get a copy of the contract that you and your photographer should be signing. While you do hope that everything goes along fine and you end up with a collection of truly memorable pictures of your wedding, you must be prepared for things going wrong. You deserve to get good value for your money and if the photographer fails to deliver it, you need to have written proof of having hired and paid for the services.

You should not leave capturing of the most cherished moments of your life to chance! Take a planned approach to hiring your wedding photographer to make sure that you get photos you can look at fondly even after long years have gone by.

To a professional wedding photographer or photography enthusiast, building a portfolio is an important milestone. Not only will it give them the chance to organize, store and showcase their best works, it also allows them to share their work with their colleagues, prospective clients and friends and family. This explains the demand for photography websites. In offering virtually free services in creating a gallery or portfolio for a photographer's work, they mix the elements of art, media and business in answering to the technical challenges of storing and sharing stock photos. Hence, a wedding photography website can practically mix the beauty and business aspects of creating and sharing wedding photographs.

Wedding photography business has come a long way. In catering to the ever changing needs of its clients, wedding photography websites have become an essential part of its existence. Not only does it enable visitors to gain access to the photographer's sample work, it also provides come valuable information about the wedding photography business. On aspect of running a business is building networks. Wedding photography websites make it easy for novice and professional photographers to do that.

Since the photography industry has become very competitive, there has been a need to more effectively execute an effective marketing plan. A wedding photography website presents a perfect strategy of reaching out to the clients as well as prospective clients. Photographers benefit from its listings make their work accessible to their clients. Aside from this, there are more considerations on how to make a successful wedding photography website.

First, it has to have a catchy name. Since the business name doubles as the domain name, a website can easily be popular by giving it the right name. In most cases, the website name makes or breaks the existence of a website.

Most successful websites have simple interface. This makes them easy to navigate by its audiences. It makes good and clear images easily accessible. They also have unique content. When we say content, we refer to both the articles and photographs that are posted in the website. The website content is basically makes the website popular to the audience and easy to promote as it is what makes the website relevant and included in search engine listings.

Also, successful wedding photography websites usually offer some extra features like free photo editing or digital framing. You can do a number of things to a photograph these days. Offering these possibilities to your audience allows you teach them more ways to play and display their precious photographs.

Perhaps the most important factor that makes any successful wedding photography website is the work itself. That will distinguish its individuality among the dozens of website photography website today. Talk is cheap. In most cases, websites gain traffic and audience because of the featured eye-catching initial photograph in the menu layout. Hence, your ability to produce and showcase outstanding wedding photographs is what matters most.

Hopefully this article has given you an insight on just about how you can start making your own wedding photography website. With tools like WordPress, you can easily start your own photography business in the World Wide Web. Following the mentioned pointers should enable you to visualize and create a website that matches the passion and style of your work.

Wedding wishes quote are applicable in creating inspirational messages for the wedding couple. The best man and maids of honor would require very relevant quotes and wishes that create and convey the correct message to the couple and to the entire witnessing audience. The wishes and quotes are attached for use in wedding cards while some would choose to have them printed out and fixed on some beautiful frames. Ideal wedding wishes quote can be played in music in the wedding ceremony or echoed in applause. Toronto weddings have a characteristic of love messages relevant to the occasions. The wedding quotes mostly feature in invitational cards and wedding photos in Toronto and Ontario weddings.

For the best wedding wishes quote, the couples or coordinators identify the best wedding photographers for real and attractive images. Toronto weddings have professional camera operators for quality images meant for posterity. These services spread to other parts of smaller regions of Mississauga weddings. In the cases where regions occur outside Toronto, one would find it more of more convenience to obtain the services of a Mississauga photographer. Weddings have the identity of detailed photography to depict the main quotes and wishes for a particular wedding. They revolve around love between the wedding couples and the responsibility of the entire community in supporting the marital union. A wedding photographer should ensure that the underlying theme relies on the wedding wishes quote. Some quotes are inscriptions attached to the wedding pictures and animated beneath the photos, behind, or as continuous frame patterns.

A wedding videographer will skillfully capture video as they cover a Toronto or Ontario wedding. This would serve to place the quotes or wishes at the start of the video clips or as a background for the video. Wedding wishes quote in a video or film gives the perspective of the couple's beliefs and underlying inspiration in tandem with the event. They would love to get a reminder of their objectives and duties in attaining the meaning of the quotes. It is lively when a professional and skilled videographer presents an attractive documentary on the wedding wishes quote in the clips for viewing and sharing among wedding attendants. These facilities are available for clients and according to the respective tastes of the wedding planners and organizers. They are found in Mississauga weddings as well. One should seek the assistance of qualified persons and organizations that offer a wide variety of formats.

Wedding wishes quotes are important to for a couple right from the time of preparations to the wedding day and thereafter. Having a wedding limousine adorned with the elements of quotes is creative. One can decide to make the interior of the limousine bear the wishes. The chauffeur could play the music loaded with the wedding wishes quote for the couple as they enjoy the most memorable time of their lives. With the climax of the wedding moving towards the fête, a professional wedding DJ could ensure that the music played during the ceremony is appropriately themed.

Your Uncle Ned may take lovely pictures of birds and puppies, but you'd probably never consider hiring him as your wedding photographer. Cousin Matt may be a wizard with a video camera, but you're not really interested in a wedding video that looks like it was made for a heavy metal band. And your Aunt Sissy may be very creative and make lovely scrapbooks, but no matter how much she wants to make the album of your wedding photos - don't let her. It may seem harsh, but your personalized wedding album will be one of your most treasured possessions and you want it to be perfect and to last forever. So give Aunt Sissy the job of making a scrapbook of the invitations, name cards, pressed flowers, and all the lovely accessories from your wedding, and hire a professional wedding album crafter to make your customized wedding photo album.

Experienced designers and crafters of wedding albums have made hundreds, maybe thousands of albums and know what it takes to give you the picture book you want. They will also take the most difficult, time-consuming tasks off your hands and make ordering and receiving your custom album a joy. Here's what you can expect from a reputable professional wedding album designer.

• Photo selection - They'll go through ALL the pictures of your wedding and select the ones for your album (Don't worry, you'll have some input in this).


• Design and Organization - Your designer will use the input you give them to design an album to suit your unique taste, and arrange the photos on the pages of your book.


• Solid construction - The best wedding photo album crafters use the best materials like leather for the cover, thick rigid "lay-flat" pages, mounted photos, solid one piece binding, and special touches such as gilded edges, rounded corners and engraving. You will also get a handcrafted, not machine made, album so quality control is personally checked by a human being every step of the way.


• Fast delivery. Because they are experts at crafting customized photo albums and have all the necessary materials on hand, the completed album of your wedding pictures should be delivered to your home within a month.


• Reasonable pricing - If you're worried that hiring a professional to create your wedding album will be expensive - don't worry. Customized wedding albums can start as low as $300, and for $600 or more you can have the finest quality wedding photo book with beautiful, elegant touches that perfectly suit your style.

Of course, one of the most important considerations is how comfortable you feel with your wedding album designer. Are they well established and live up to their promises? Are they easy to work with? Do they really understand your vision and share it with you? Do they handle every step of the process from design to assembly? (Some just do the design work and you have to find a company to produce the album). Be sure to check out several different wedding album crafters and select the one that feels right for you. Your wedding planner or photographer should be able to recommend someone. Or you can easily find a wedding album designer on the web, such as zookie.

As much as you love your Aunt Sissy, you will want to love your personalized wedding photo album as well. And you will, if you use a professional to create it.

If you're thinking of catering your wedding reception all by yourself, you'd better think again. Planning an event of this magnitude and gravity should be left to the professionals. The amount of work involved and the dedication and patience needed can be absolutely overwhelming.

Your wedding day should be memorable. With good memories, that is. Being in charge of your reception can be fraught with opportunity for disaster. Besides, why would you want to take away from everything else that will be going on that day? It may be challenging enough just to get you down the aisle without tripping let alone make and plan enough food to meet the expectations and satisfaction of your guests.

Even the best cook will most likely need a lot of helping hands on this special day. Hiring a professional catering service has many benefits. The possibility of a close time frame, low budget and stressful situations are the reasons it's mandatory you hire a professional service rather than do it yourself.

Most companies employ a well-trained staff from food preparers to wait staff. And most strive to use the best and freshest food possible that will leave your guests complimenting you every time they pass you on the dance floor.

Catering professionals are also financially affordable and can usually offer delectable menus which will fall into most any price range. Don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. This will ensure you won't have any surprises on your big day.

It's crucial you work with the company of your choice in order to ensure your menu tastes great as well as looks good. Ask if you can sample any of the foods ahead of time.

Food preparation and safety are extremely important and a professional food company will know exactly how to keep food safe. Preparation, delivery, setting up and safe food handling takes know-how.

Another great benefit of using a catering professional is that they will have an assortment of the finest glassware, plates and other assorted items to make your table and landscape look as if it just landed a wedding magazine photo shoot. These are necessities which will add polish to your wedding day. Planning for and the use of flowers, decorations and photography are other advantages.

Full service event planners have access to great vendors and resources. They've learned how to correct last minute errors and make sure your reception goes off without a hitch.

And, when it comes time for you to escape to begin your honeymoon, you'll not want to be straddled with clean up. This is another wonderful feature of hiring a professional.

But the biggest advantage has to be in the area of saving time. As the hostess, do you really want to take a chance for disaster on your wedding day? A professional catering company can supervise all activities necessary from start to finish so you can focus on enjoying your day and your guests.

Every wedding anniversary is a special one, and that's true whether you're celebrating your first year or your twentieth year together. To help celebrate this special occasion the giving of personal and carefully thought out gifts is essential. While there are various traditional anniversary gifts relating to each anniversary, photo gifts can be given as a special and unique celebration of the occasion that can be given to your partner or any family member or friend.

For Your Partner Or Any Recipient

As well as giving anniversary gifts to your husband or wife, personalised anniversary gifts make exceptional presents for other family members and friends. While some couples prefer a more personal celebration, anniversary parties and celebrations require the giving of good looking and considered gifts from all guests. Photo gifts make great anniversary gift ideas because they are such a unique and personal gift; nobody else will have bought the same gift and it will certainly show that a lot of thought and attention went in to choosing the present.

From Paper To Diamond Anniversary Gifts

Traditional anniversary gifts are available for every celebration and are based on materials ranging from paper to diamond. While these may be traditional gifts they are far from the only solution and there is a good variety of ways to incorporate these materials when deciding on gift ideas for a wedding anniversary.

Refresh Your Wedding Photo Album

Wedding photo albums and wedding photos can become damaged and aged, even when well cared for. As well as items like photo canvases and photo blocks, personalised anniversary gifts can include updated wedding photo albums or even wedding photo books. Good personalised gift services are usually able to scan old photographs, as well as work with digital photographs, to create great looking items.

Using A Photo Montage To Celebrate Your Years Together

A photo montage is one of the most beneficial ways to combine photographs that the happy couple has collected over several years together. Anniversary gift ideas can include a canvas print created from wedding and honeymoon photographs, or a blanket that incorporates a photo montage of images spanning an entire life together.

Other Personalised Items For An Anniversary Party

Canvas prints, photo blocks, and photo montage blankets as well as photo books and photo albums are among the most popular gift ideas to celebrate a wedding anniversary. However, this is only a small sample of the possible photo items and personalised items that make great gifts. Furnishings such as cushions and blankets, or the more unique photo cube are functional, personal, and great looking. Wall art and home décor items include folding screens, posters, and even personalised wallpaper. Many items can be customised to look great and offer a personal touch.

Photo Gifts Make Great Anniversary Gifts

The personal touch is what makes photo gifts such great anniversary gift ideas. Adding wedding photographs or images of the couple is a superb way to add that special touch to any of the superb range of photo gifts and anniversary gifts that are available.

One of the chief advantages of using digital rather than traditional technology when taking photographs is that digital images, once captured, are both easier to store and far more flexible once they've been stored. Whereas traditional photographs could be reprinted or, perhaps, enlarged, digital images offer a whole new world of possibilities. Many of these possibilities revolve around the issue of storage, and exactly how you go about keeping your images in a way which is safe, accessible and shows them off to their very best effect.

All too often, huge numbers of digital photographs can end up being scattered across a large number of computer drives and digital devices. What this means is that they languish unlocked at and not celebrated for many years, rather than being enjoyed in the way they should be. The answer to this is to collect your favorites together and store them in the digital equivalent of photo albums. Personalized photo albums such as these are a world away from the albums which people used to use to store their printed photographs in. Rather than being slightly scrap books with pictures glued to the pages, these volumes are the equivalent of the photo books which are produced to celebrate the work of famous photographers or the lives of celebrities. When you produce photo books online, you'll be designing something which is produced to a luxurious and lavish standard, with thick glossy pages and state of the art printing techniques.

You might want to create your own wedding album, for example, gathering together the images taken by all the guests who came with their own digital cameras. These will form a touching counterpoint to the official wedding photographs, since they'll capture the quieter, less formal pleasures of a wedding day. For others, it's an ideal opportunity to produce a baby album which will last in perfect condition for many years to come, meaning you can always take it off the shelf and take a trip down memory lane.

Making a photo album of this kind is much easier than most people probably think. Once you've decided on a theme and selected the images you wish to include, you just have to upload them to the website you're using. Once they're on there, you'll find software which has been especially designed to be simple to use no matter what level of experience you have. The process is set out in the form of a series of simple choices, allowing you to select such basic things as the size and shape of the book, and then moving on to more detailed choices such as the layout of each page. You'll also be able to add any text you might want, and to choose from a wide range of colors and styles for the front and back covers. Once you've made sure it looks exactly how you want it to look, it will be printed to a standard which is more than a match for those on sale in book shops all over the country.

If you choose to create books to give as gifts, then you can take the process one step further and use more of your photographs to create bespoke, one of greeting cards which will stand out in sharp contrast to the bland offerings available on the high street.

If you have just got married or you are planning to get married in the new future, you may be considering some ways that you can preserve the memories from your wedding forever. One of the best ways that you can do this is to create a wedding scrapbook full of wedding scrapbook pages that tell the romantic story of your wedding. While there are a variety of great ideas out there for wedding scrapbook pages, here is a list of some of the "must have" pages that you definitely will want to add to your very own wedding scrapbook.

Pages on How We Met

First of all, when it comes to important wedding scrapbook pages, you'll definitely want to include some pages on how you and your husband met. Include some pictures of your first date, the first kiss you ever had, the engagement photo, and other important pictures to you throughout your meeting, courtship, and engagement. It's definitely a lot of fun to look back and see how your relationship started, bloomed, and developed all the way up to your wedding day.

His and Her Pages

Of course his and her pages are great ideas for wedding scrapbook pages as well. These pages can be used as ways to show your lives before you got married, or even your lives before each other. Consider adding some baby picture or pictures from your childhood. Also, important milestones like graduations can be added to these pages as well. Even pictures of family members, hobbies, friends, and the two of you showing off your personality can be great additions to these pages.

Wedding Mementos

If you've already had your wedding, more than likely you saved quite a few different mementos from the wedding day. Perhaps you have napkins, programs, party favors, place cards, champagne corks, or even confetti around from the wedding. Well, you can include these on wedding scrapbook pages of their own or you can use them as embellishments for the entire wedding scrapbook if you want to as well.

Wedding Party Pictures

You'll definitely want to have wedding scrapbook pages that are dedicated to wedding party pictures as well. No doubt you'll want to remember all the important people who were in your wedding party. Consider going with some shots of wedding party members on their own and group shots of the wedding party as well.

The First Kiss

Now you definitely can't get away without creating a wedding scrapbook page that is totally dedicated to your first kiss as husband and wife. You can add one large photo that dominates the page or consider several photos of the first kiss from different vantage points if you have them.

As you can see, these are just a few of the important ideas for wedding scrapbook pages. No doubt you'll want to include these pages in your scrapbook and a whole lot more as well. So, get started today and start making a book full of romantic memories from your wedding, complete with exciting wedding scrapbook pages that you'll cherish forever.

While contemporary wedding dresses are fine and beautiful, vintage wedding dresses add a special element to any wedding. The typical bride today is choosing to shop for a vintage dress as it offers an old fashioned, charming effect to the ceremony.

If you love quality clothing, then you know that sometimes new wedding dresses that are designed nicely have something that is not quite right, or something missing. Perhaps it is the use of inexpensive material or maybe the dress was not sewn well. Whatever the reason, some of the most expensive, modern wedding dresses are just not pleasing to the eye.

If you go with a vintage wedding dress on the other hand you are all but assured of good quality. The vintage wedding dresses being sold in high-end boutiques and on the internet were made during a period in time when every last detail was attended to. You can easily find dresses that date back to the early 1900s, which were worn once and then stored away properly so that they are as good as new. You can find designer originals created by the likes of Kathleen Kennedy or Chris Hudson Couture which feature antique lace and wonderful floral designs. Imagine how lovely your wedding photo will look when you are dressed from head to toe in one of these original gowns that often come with beautiful under-slips to complete the look.

Some of the most popular types of vintage wedding gowns being worn today are Edwardian style gowns. This type of gown features a high lace neckline and a large front lace yoke. The finest laces are used on the mutton-style sleeves and cuffs and the bodice is normally fitted through the waistline. Not only will your wedding pictures look amazing when you are wearing this type of gown but you will look absolutely spectacular as you walk down the aisle to exchange vows with the man of your dreams.

If you choose to shop online for vintage wedding gowns you can also enjoy looking through the vintage bridal lingerie, veils, shawls, capes and stoles. If your wedding budget permits you could even opt for some wonderful vintage bridal accessories such as lovely antique necklaces and anklets. There are many retailers on the web who offer vintage wedding clothing so be sure to set enough time aside to look through many of the sites. The offerings are breath-taking and the prices vary widely. There is so much to choose from today if your dream is to have a truly vintage style wedding.

Light, composition and camera technique are essential ingredients in making a great photo. But in today's digital age there's another crucial element that happens after the photo is taken - post production.

This is the digital equivalent of developing a negative. Instead of choosing a film type to render the desired colour, tone and contrast the digital photographer now has to make these decisions in post production.

Most pro photographers shoot in RAW because this format contains a huge amount of data which provides a blank canvas for the photographer to develop the digital negative to their taste.

The typical digital production workflow goes something like this: after importing the RAW files into LightRoom go through the process of selecting keepers and trashing the duds, then onto the post production phase. Make basic edits which include tweaking white balance, exposure and contrast. Hopefully there's not too much to do here as you should try as hard as you can to get the settings right in camera. Having the correct white balance preset and exposure saves SO much time in post production.

After these adjustments are done, export the files as jpgs and take them into Photoshop for further refinements and batch processing. This includes retouching, which should be kept to a minimum. There's a big difference between the way the picture looks straight out of the camera and when you finished processing it. However always be very careful to keep everything looking natural and make sure that retouching is subtle. Over-processed pictures can look fake, especially if skin is softened too much or the colour of eyes is enhanced beyond what looks normal. Pick up any glossy magazine and you'll find examples of models whose skin has been airbrushed so much that it looks unnatural and almost plastic. Teeth are pearly white and eyes pop with colour. This look works well for glamorous fashion photography but looks ridiculous in wedding photography.

The final process before delivering the images to the client is to sharpen the picture for output. The amount of sharpening depends on end media. Printing a large canvas will require more sharpening than a small print. Reducing a file in size for use on the web also has the effect of softening it considerably so these files need quite a bit of sharpening.

Wedding photographers have a huge number of files to manage and process over the course of a year, so anything that reduces the amount of time sat in front of the computer is very welcome. That's why so many professional photographers use LightRoom. It makes cataloguing and organising pictures a breeze. You should always be looking to improve your workflow so trying some new software to see if speeds up the process.

If you are a Photographer and you just started shooting weddings, you might consider start offering an Engagement Session to your clients, as part of your packages.

An Engagement Session is a Photography Session scheduled to happen few weeks or few months before the wedding date, where you (Photographer) take the couple (your clients) to some nice or unique place to have their portrait done. This Photo Session is the best way to show the beauty of the couple in a more artistic way.

Because you have planned ahead the location, time, props and etc, you must know about how much equipment you really need to bring with you.

Here is a list of what you might consider bringing with you for your next Engagement Session;

1) Camera
I know that you knew this one, but better be safe than sorry. You might also want to bring your backup camera. I generally leave my backup camera in my car, so I don't have to carry any more extra weight.

2) Lenses
There are photographers that can not go to a photo session without taking his or her whole lenses collection. Remember that this session is very casual, and you would be just fine with a single zoom lens; like a 15mm - 55mm. Depending on your style or the location of your photo session, you might consider bringing also your 70mm - 200mm lens as an option.

3) Flash
Most of the time you might not need to use your flash, but is always good to have it there with you just in case you need it as a fill light.

4) Memory Card and Battery
Bring some extra memory cards and batteries. You never know when you are going to need them.

5) Tripod
Some photographers feel more comfortable shooting with a tripod. I normally just bring my tripod if I know that I am going to be shooting late in the evening, but you can also bring your and leave it in your car.

6) Props
A lot of photographers don't bring any props to their Engagement Photo Session. I can not stress enough the importance of this subject. If you really want your photographs to look something special and unique, this is a must. You can bring some extra fabric, roses, or anything else that you think that would make your pictures look special.

Remember that the Engagement Session is the best moment to you to connect with your clients and show them what a great professional you are. Go ahead and have some fun, they will love you!

Do you want to send an invitation that gets your guests talking? Does an 'off-the-shelf' invitation make you wrinkle your nose? Unique wedding invitations are not as complicated as you might think. Here are not-so-common wedding invitation ideas you'll love to send:

Go non-traditional

The possibilities for unique invitations are endless. For example, while linen paper or engraved text are timeless invitation styles, they don't exactly make for one-of-a-kind wedding invitation ideas. Instead, try eco-friendly or textured paper. Also consider abandoning traditional colors in favor of bright, bold shades to announce your wedding.

It's all about the messenger

Create a buzz among your guests by sending your wedding invite in a non-conventional way. For example, if you're getting married with your toes in the sand, consider sending an invitation tucked inside a bottle. Or, if you have a wedding worthy of a storybook princess, send an invitation rolled up into a scroll. Christmas wedding invites might be sent in a gift-wrapped box.

One disadvantage with this idea is that it can be expensive. However, if you have a generous budget, this is one of the most unique wedding invitation ideas and is sure to create buzz about your nuptials.

Have a way with words

Playing with wedding invite words is one of the no-cost invitation ideas. For example, you might toss out the traditional Mr.-and-Mrs.-Smith-cordially-invite-you wording in favor of clean and modern wording. Think along the lines of "With joyous hearts, we invite you..." or "Join us for a celebration of love and family..."

Does your significant other call you "Sweets?" For fun and unique invitations use nicknames in the text--just make sure they're not the kind of nicknames that will make Grammy blush!

Get in touch with your inner artist

One sure-fire way to create unique invitations is to personalize the invite with a special photo or image. For instance, consider using baby photos of you and your future spouse. If you have an artistic hand, perhaps you can draw your profiles. Got a place or landmark that's important to you? Take a photo of you and your love at the spot for instantly unique wedding invites.

A professional printer can often incorporate your photo wedding invite ideas, but be aware that there's often a fee for using your own artwork. If you're a budget-conscious bride, consider designing the invitation on your home computer. Then, you can print them yourself at home, or, to save wear-and-tear on your home printer, have a local copy shop do it for you.

Go Green

If you carry a trunk full of reusable grocery bags or chide friends for drinking from one-time use water bottles, consider eco-friendly invites. These unique wedding invitations are printed on bio-degradable paper that contains no harsh chemicals. Sometimes the paper can be made with 100% recycled products.

For the ultimate in wedding invitation ideas, consider using invites printed on paper embedded with wildflower seeds. Your guests simply "plant" their invitation in the garden, creating a lasting memory of your special day.

As a bonus, some eco-friendly companies use carbon-free shipping to deliver the unique wedding invitations, lowering your carbon footprint. Memorable invitations you can feel good about--what's not to love about that?

When it comes to your special day, don't use the same wedding invitation ideas used by every other bride. With a little planning, you can create unique wedding invitations that announce the most important day of your life to your family, friends, and loved ones.

Someone wisely said that an image can speak a thousand words!

Be it an Asian or American wedding we all look forward to the big family reunion. The bride and groom eagerly wait for the day when their uncles and aunts, cousins and friends, grandparents and parents alike, will be excited and nervous at the same time. A day when the room will be filled with congratulation and jubilation. A day when there will be song and dance. Also, a day marked by 'togetherness'.

The fun and frolic at any wedding comes out of the coming together of two families. On the wedding day, the bride and groom meet so many of each other's relatives and dear ones but for such short time. Now remembering them all becomes impossible!

Imagine your husband asking you what you thought of his younger brother's best friend who you met at your wedding. Forget about remembering her name or her beautiful dress, you may not even remember her face. That's when a family portrait photographer comes in as your 'savior'. These photographers capture timeless moments that we cherish for years to come.

A professional photographer would click the most interesting family portraits. In order to do that, he would come and meet you in advance, much before your wedding day. He would always focus on what you want and like than his preferences. He would know how to bring the family together on and off stage for the required portraits. He may even click few family photos without asking everyone to look into his camera lens as that would bring out wonderful personal moments.

The technical skills required by a photographer in this specialization are different from that of glamour photography professional. This is because one handles a group of people within a frame and the other concentrates on one or two people at the most. Balancing a photograph with many people of varying heights and sizes requires a different set of skills from the one where the most important thing is that one must look gorgeous.

The types of lenses used for family portraits and glamour photography are different too as the latter usually requires close or mid shots. Lighting a family portrait in a studio set up may be a bigger challenge as each member may have a slightly different skin tone or complexion. On the other hand, clicking images of individuals is a bit easier from the point of view of lighting.