Make Your Wedding Stress Free pt3

5. Showing emotion to wedding vendors

Wedding vendors love soppy brides. Why? Because it means they can

charge full price and get away with it.

You need to haggle to get the price down on just about everything you

buy, and you need to do it without showing your true feelings because,

if you do, you’ll never get any kind of discount.

So, make sure you ask for a discount without bringing emotion into the

equation.

6. Testing the catering

It’s really important to get the caterers to make you a meal before you

decide to go with them. Looking at the menus and thinking ‘wow! Their

food is awesome! is pretty pointless if the local kebab shop food tastes better.

Make sure you try out the food first. All you have to do is ask. If they’re decent and professional they won’t hesitate to make you a small, 3 course dinner to sample.

Make your wedding Stress Free pt2

Following on from our article last week here are the next two tips in this series that will help you minimise the stress you may feel when you are preparing for your wedding.

3. Don't Drag Your Feet
If you want a catastrophe in the week leading up to, or the day of the wedding, just put things off. The more organized you are and the better you have delegated those "last minute" things, the more you will be able to participate in and enjoy your wedding day.

 There is no reason not to book your reception venue 12 to 18 months in advance especially if you plan to be married during the more popular months of spring and summer.

Have your final dress fitting weeks not days before the event! Make sure

Make your wedding Stress Free

I have been working in the wedding industry for the last 20 years. During that time I have photographed hundreds of weddings and have had the privilege to be part of and share with Brides, Grooms and their families, one big event in their lives that brings to them so much, joy & happiness. Long before the memorable moments there has been an enormous amount of work put into the preparation and over the years I have seen and heard of many moments that possibly, the families may prefer to forget. Most of them are trivial and some are more substantial. However all have lead to some level of stress which in most cases could be easily avoided.

Through personal experience and talking to many brides over the years I have

TJM 4x4Masters Series

Got some great new lenses recently and wanted to have a play with them.
Since I love 4WDs I thought I would visit the TJM 4x4 Masters Series hosted at Eastern Creek, NSW.

It was a dusty day and there were a few broken 4x4s, However it was great to see the various custom modified Fourbys taking on the challenges of this difficult course.

Plenty of Air and some mud thrown in our faces made it lots of fun. It was pretty scary for one of the competitors however. Check out the Cruiser which almost flipped over. It would have been a long roll down the hill if the car had tilted over just a few more degrees to the left

Lady Gaga and Polaroid Join Forces to revive the instamatic

With the advent of digital cameras came the demise of the iconic polaroid instamatic.

No longer would we press the button, seconds later a piece of photographic emulsion spitting out of our lunch box shaped cameras.

Waving it around in the air till it dried and then passing the surreal coloured images around our group of friends.

Now we shoot with our Iphones and instantly SMS or email to our same group of friends scattered half way around the world.

Polaroid has appointed Lady Gaga as their Creative Director to try and revive the instamatic, with a digital twist.

Initially they are introducing a GL10 Instant Mobile Printer
a GL30 Instant Digital camera and GL20 Camera Glasses where you can instantly capture or upload images and view them on the glasses LCD screen for others to see!

Read more here Lady Gaga and Polaroid

Amanda & Jason - Woolloomooloo & Botanical Gardens Sydney

I had fun with these guys down at the Botanical Gardens and nearby Woolloomooloo Bay.
The late afternoon light added a nice quality to the images

Planning on a theme for your wedding? What about Colour?

The flowers are often a great starting point to build the theme of your wedding around.

I photographed the wedding of two chefs a few years ago and instead of the traditional rose lapel, the groom wore an imaginative choice of asparagus spears combined with some small red chillies. It looked great against the black of his suit and helped define the  couple.

Colour is another great way to stand out and will look great in the photos

This blog The Perfect Palette is a great place to start.

Traditional white is and will always "be in", however many brides are looking for something to make their wedding day stand out from the crowd. So if you are looking to introduce a little....or lot of colour to your wedding day I suggest you check out this site.

Here's how the owner Chrissy, describes her blog. 


"The Perfect Palette is a wedding blog dedicated to exploring the color palette possibilities for your wedding and a place to find fun and creative wedding ideas! From inspiration boards, to color tips, my aim is to share with you the many ways that color can be used in your wedding, and to create a place where brides and grooms will see the many different ways that you can put your special touch on your wedding day. "
Check out The Perfect Palette here

Nerves and Wedding Photography | Manolo for the Brides

I came across this interesting article for brides and grooms who may not be so keen on posing in front of the camera on their wedding day

Nerves and Wedding Photography | Manolo for the Brides

I would also add that the more you get to know your photographer before the wedding the more relaxed and confident you will be in his/her ability to
ensure that the photography is a calm and relaxed affair.

I like to visit the locations for the formal photography, with the couple prior to the day. We spend time planning the shoot, choosing spots for the photos and I explain to them what to expect on the day. If they agree I'll even bring the camera along to this meeting , take a few test shots. This enables them to see how good they look on camera and we can share ideas and give feedback.

Then on the day of the wedding the bride and groom will know what to expect, know what kind of shots we will be doing. ie: casual/formal/romantic/fun/funky etc. it puts their minds at ease and it certainly shows in the images. Someone that feels uncomfortable in front of the camera will look uncomfortable in their photos
.
So get all the mystery out of the way before your big day

Suggested reading for improving your photography

Here is some suggested readings that will help you take better photos of friends family and relatives.Enjoy!

Elena's portrait in the Park

I had been trying for two weeks to meet up with Elena. Unfortunately every time we set a time for the portrait, the rain would come bucketing down!

Finally the gods were kind to us and we had beautiful afternoon light. We met up about 6pm, an hour or so before sunset. Its the best time of day for portraiture as the light is soft and a lot less contrasty than the rest of the day.

Centennial Park is such a picturesque spot for photography. Its popular for both weddings and portraits.