Category Archives: planning your wedding

Choosing a Wedding Photographer (part 2)

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After you narrow down photographer options as described in my first post, you should start meeting with photographers that fit your budget, style and other preferences. The first step–make sure they have your date available.

From there, in order to get a good sense of the photographer, his style, personality and business, ask the following questions:

  • How many weddings have you photographed?
  • In what type of photography do you specialize?
  • How would you describe your style of photography?
  • Will you, personally, be photographing my wedding?
  • What type of equipment do you use? Is your camera a pro camera? Digital or film? Will you have any large lights or other equipment you use at weddings? Do you have backup equipment?
  • How many weddings are you willing to photograph a day?
  • How do you interact with the wedding party?
  • Can I see a single, complete wedding album?
  • Why did you choose to become a wedding photographer?
  • Why should we hire you?

And ask about any other concerns you may have. Some questions may pop into your head during the conversation–this is your chance to get them answered, so go for it!

Ultimately, you are looking for the best value you can find in a photographer. In other words, you want the photographer who can deliver high quality images in a style you want and provide an enjoyable experience before, during and after the wedding.

Also look for my answers to these questions soon.

Destination Wedding

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After deciding to have a destination wedding, consider how will you embrace the local culture in your ceremony. This is especially important if you are inviting guests to a special location — in addition to the beauty of the venue, they will want to explore the tastes and sights of the place!

This spring I photographed a wedding celebration in the Alpjarra hills of Andalusia in southern Spain.

Guests spent the entire weekend at a hotel called Alcazaba de Buquistar, with views of the surrounding mountains:

The Hotel at the destination wedding in spain

Local Flavors

Upon arrival at the hotel, each guest received a bottle of Garcia de Verdevique red wine to enjoy as an introduction to the local tastes––or to take home as a souvenir. Menus for the weekend consisted of regional specialities, including tortilla espanola (Spanish omlette), morcilla cocida (black pudding), and paella.

Wine for the Spanish wedding

The buffet of Spanish food at the wedding

The ceremony was held outside following a procession to the wedding site, with its scenic mountain backdrop.

Newly Weds kiss with the sun behind them in the South of Spain

The dance floor took on a Spanish flair thanks to several flamenco dancers and musicians, but there was still time for the father-daughter dance:

Flamenco dancing at a spanish wedding

The cake had something for everyone: one layer was gluten-free, another nut-free, another vegan, and all three were delicious.

Lyra and Andrew cutting the cake

New Traditions

Guests were invited to help make a new constellation of stars by sending these fire-powered floats into the night sky:

Lanterns floated into the night, signifying a new chapter for Lyra, Andrew and their families

For more ideas on entertaining guests in a special location, see the slideshow of the whole weekend. It includes yoga, ham, and hiking!

Choosing a wedding photographer (part 1)

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So how do you choose the right photographer for your wedding? I would say there are several stages, and many different ways to go about finding the right photographer. I would start by asking yourself some questions about what you are looking for.

1) What style of photography do you like?

To answer this it will be helpful to browse photographers’ websites, bridal magazines, blogs, books, etc. It may be helpful to choose your favorite photographs and look over photographers who create similar images. Another way to think about this is: how do you want to remember your wedding? Are you going to treasure the candid/photojournalistic photographs or family portraits? How about some fun portraits of you and your partner? Is there anything in particular you need your photographer to know or do (for example, know how to photograph a Persian wedding ceremony or use black and white film)?

After you decide on the type of style you like, I would move on to find out more about how photographers photograph, and what you are comfortable with:

2) What would make me comfortable with my photographer?

Do you want your photographer to be in the background? Do you want him to help create moments? Perhaps you prefer to have your photographer to act more like a guest more than a contractor, or vice versa?

3) What is my price range?

Or what is the upper limit you may want to spend if you find the perfect photographer? How much would you like to spend?

After you answer these questions you will have the basic criteria needed to build a list of photographers you are interested in, whether it be by going online, visiting a bridal show, or some combination. The photographers should fit in with the styles you like, how you want the photographer to participate in your day and your budget–I would also throw in one or two photographers who maybe do not fit all the categories, but grab your attention one way or another.

Once you have your potential photographers, and know they are available, you should come up with a list of questions to ask each photographer to ensure that he or she is the right one. And come back soon to check out the list of questions I think you should ask.

Virginia venues I like, part 1: Jasmine Plantation

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I am going to share many of the venues I enjoy, from a photographer’s perspective, through several posts on this blog. And I am going to start with a venue I have photographed at many times: Jasmine Plantation. The Plantation is located half an hour east of Richmond, Virginia in a place called Providence Forge. Below is a photograph of the main house:

Photograph of Jasmine Plantation at dusk

The house provides a bedroom suite for the bride to prepare for her day (and the bride and groom can spend their wedding night there) and provides beautiful decorations, with each room decorated from a different period of Americana. These different rooms provide a great variety of choices for indoor portraits, getting ready photos, and also great detail images (of the rings for example).

When it comes time for the ceremony, you have several outdoor locations to choose from. Where ever you choose, there is great garden scenery and greenery in the background–providing an excellent photographic backdrop. This garden scenery is also great for any portraits you want before and after the ceremony and includes fountains, bird baths, cute benches, bird houses and even decorative lamp posts.

Most couples choose to have their reception out back on a patio (and a tent is set up for this to keep guests cool–and protected if it rains). Again, the reception site is surrounded by gardens and several fountains, providing gorgeous backdrops. And oddly enough, photographs in the tent turn out really well because that white ceiling helps bounce and even out the light from our flashes.

Great Wedding Blogs

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Here are some of my favorite blogs to follow for great tips and ideas for planning your wedding:

The Man Registry is for the groom (and really it is not as stylish as the other sites) and mixes humor and advice on all topics wedding related.

Once Wed is a cool blog and follows several topics from ideas for diy, real weddings, and also has a section for used wedding dresses.

Recycled Bride is a great site if you are looking for eco-friendly ideas, from recycled shoes to vegan cupcakes.

Style me Pretty is a great site with everything from DIY projects and tips to a bridal forum and vendor list.

Tweet My Wedding is a cool blog that follows real brides planning their weddings–a great resource to help you along and let you know tips and tricks for planning your wedding.

WeddingWire Blog features ideas for your wedding and is also part of the large WeddingWire network–which I would describe as part resource and part social network where you can browse and connect with vendors and other couples planning weddings.