Wedding Planning : 7 Wedding Disasters & How to Avoid Them

THE CEREMONY

Wedding Disaster: It’s raining on your wedding day.

Even in your most demanding bridezilla moment, you can’t fight the weather -- but you can plan ahead. If you have your heart set on an outdoor venue, rent a tent or ask about additional space indoors. It may cost you extra, you won’t be stressed when you’re finally ready to say “I do.”

Wedding Disaster: You wake up with a pimple.

Do not pick your face! If you have acne-prone skin, speak to your dermatologist about his or her availability on your wedding day (some dermatologists have weekend hours). Most likely, a shot of saline or cortisone will clear up your breakout. If your doctor is unavailable, try a cold compress to bring down the swelling and keep a bottle of Visine handy. This super-secret modeling trick will reduce the redness and minimize minor acne breakouts.

Wedding Disaster: You cry during the ceremony and ruin your makeup.

Nobody said the price of beauty is cheap, so if you have the funds, consider having your makeup artist on standby until the reception for a quick touch-up. If that’s not in your budget, you can always request waterproof and smudge-resistant cosmetics or shoot most of your pictures before the ceremony to ensure that you look your best.

THE RECEPTION

Wedding Disaster: The entertainment cancels or doesn’t show up.

Don’t assume because you’ve signed on the dotted line that you’re in the clear. Accidents do happen -- one groom recently told us that the band got in a car accident on their way to the reception so his groomsmen raided a nearby Best Buy in search of CD players and music to entertain guests. Even if your contract is ironclad, make sure you have a backup plan in place. Ask your bridal party to bring their iPods, a laptop, and speakers just in case a disaster does occur. Better to be prepared than stuck in a jam.

Wedding Disaster: Your cake starts to melt.

It doesn’t matter what kind of cake you have -- heat and sweet are never a good combo! Too many times, couples feel that since they paid a lot for their wedding cake, they’re entitled to show it off. Unfortunately, hot weather or a warm room can turn a big unveiling into a sticky-sweet mess. Speak to your caterer and request that your cake be left in the fridge or a cool spot until after dinner.

Wedding Disaster: You get a stain on your dress.

Uncle Bob spills some of his red wine on your dress and suddenly your entire wedding day is ruined. Okay, maybe not ruined, but it definitely can put a damper on things. Plan ahead -- ask your dry cleaner for advice and tips on spot-treating your gown. Most likely your dress material will dictate how to remedy it.  Keep Tide-wipes to try and get out some of the stain.  Then apply baby powder or chalk to try and cover over afterwards.  

THE HONEYMOON

Wedding Disaster: The weather is bad.

Most airlines, resorts, and travel agencies will not refund your honeymoon if you have bad weather or natural disasters on your trip. While earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires, and freak showers are impossible to plan for, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and blizzards are all seasonal phenomena that can be avoided if you plan carefully. It’s always helpful to book somewhere that isn’t exclusively focused on a single outdoor activity so you have more than one option if the weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse.

Wedding Disaster: One of you gets sick.

You can’t really plan ahead for a sudden illness, but you can do your research and make sure you’re not left unprepared in the instance that you or your groom find yourself feeling ill. Double-check with your travel agent to make sure your resort has a doctor on call for guests. Your insurance card will be useless outside the US, so think of padding your honeymoon budget to cover basic costs like a doctor’s visit or antibiotics.

Taken from http://www.weddingchannel.com/

Port St Lucie Engagement Photographer : Sara & Jason's Engagement Session

Sara & Jason's Engagement Session.  This beautiful Engagement Session was taken in Sara and Jason's friends' backyard.  Nice!  If only my best friend had an awesome backyard.  Hmmm, but then I might be there TOO often.  Lol.  Their house was nice and quiet on a lake with a dock and cool greenery.  I love the dock, I think my favorite ones are of them on the dock.  I like the texture.  And I love that they wore their wedding colors, navy and hot pink.  It will look great when they display their prints at their wedding.  Super sweet couple, although Jason couldn't help but laugh when I made them do a "photo kiss".  Haha.  I just love working with happy couples in love.
www.CaptMemPhotos.com

Im Back! South Florida Wedding & Portrait Photographer!

Ok, sooooooo I've been bad.  Business has been amazing, so many wonderful clients and so many great weddings and portrait sessions.  But that also keeps me very, very busy.  My goal is to produce beautiful images for my clients, which requires lots of time shooting and in front of this large screen here we call the computer.  And blogging has been one of the last things on my mind.  But many other photographers and webinars I've listened to say how blogging is important for me to show you, the world (ha), my photography.  So I'm going to try my best to keep us with this thing.  After all, I have been super busy with work and so I have many great images to share with you.  :)  So stay tuned..........
You may of course view many of my photos at my website at www.CaptMemPhotos.com

Here's a photo of us from one of our recent jobs.  That's my pretty cool second shooter aka my hubby on the right, and my super duper helpful assistant aka my mom on the left.  We make a pretty awesome team if I do say so myself!  :)

Baby Photographer: Alejandro Jr.

I truly enjoyed this portrait session since I had the honor to photograph Selena & Alejandro's Wedding back in 2006.  I just love seeing past clients, and especially seeing their family grow.  This lil guy, Alejandro Jr., was such a cute munchkin.  He has the biggest smile.  The ladies better watch out!  Haha.  Here are a few favorites from their session. 

And here's one of my favorite images from their wedding I thought I'd share as well.

Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2011

1. Sophisticated Elegance Returns
It's back to basics with elegant, sophisticated style in 2011. Wedding decor will be simple and understated, with modern design elements trumping DIY touches. Scripted calligraphy, custom monograms, and classic wedding cakes embody this trend. Brides will wear pearls, and grooms will ditch the Converse in favor of more tasteful wedding day kicks.

2. Outdoor Venues- Where It’s At
Couples tying the knot in 2011 will gravitate toward outdoor ceremony and reception venues. The raw, minimal backdrop of an outdoor setting leaves room for personalization and customization, a major perk for creative, hands-on nearlyweds. Lakeside venues, vineyard locations and spaces situated alongside sprawling mountains will dominate, and they’ll be spruced up with personalized touches that represent the bride and groom.

3. Grey is the New Black, Crazy for Navy
Gloomy no more, grey is the neutral IT color for 2011 weddings. Organic and natural, shades of charcoal, dove, stone, oyster and shell will be incorporated liberally into wedding color palettes and paired with vibrant hues to make the colors pop! And while grey remains the talk of the town for 2011, navy blue (and other deep blues) are definitely on-trend for the coming year.

4. Mad for Metallics & Bold Color Palettes
Whether it’s two bright hues with a metallic accent, or several metallic shades used together, brights and metallics will be popular choices for wedding color palettes in 2011. Gilded gold, shimmery silver, and sparkling champagne will used alone or with accents of yellow, purple or teal. And since metallics make such a bold statement on their own, couples will scale back over-the-top decor in favor of a more restrained style aesthetic.

5. Big Ball Gowns are Back
Dramatic ball gown wedding dresses floated down 2011 bridal catwalks in droves.  Wedding dress designers draped, ruched, and layered clouds of tulle, power netting, and chiffon to fashion wedding dresses with limitless volume. The outcome? Fairytale-inspired bridal style and whimsical wedding dresses for 2011 I Dos.

6. Grooms Take a Walk on the Stylish Side
Grooms are taking a stand in the name of fashion. Their tux choices will no longer be dictated by some “rent 5, get 1 free” deal. Instead, they’ll chose formal looks that represent their unique style. Bow ties will replace classic long neck ties, and embroidered dress shirts, engraved cufflinks, stylish lapel pins and the color of the season- grey- will grace the white aisles.

7. Wedding Invitations Go Green
The green weddings movement continues full speed ahead in 2011. From totally paperless wedding invitations and save-the-dates, to stationery printed on 100% recycled paper, invitations have truly gone green.

8. Luxurious Textures-- from the Dress to the Tablescape
Luxe textured fabrics will bring a sumptuous, opulent vibe to 2011 weddings.  Wedding dresses will feature 3D applique, layered light fabrics (tulle, lace, chiffon), romantic ruffles, oversized florals, and illusion fabric with eye-catching beading. Textured linens will be layered to dress up reception tables, chair covers may be embroidered or beaded, and branchy centerpieces and floral arrangements will captivate wedding guests.

9. Ethnic Influences, Cultural Wedding Details
At long last, brides and grooms are embracing and showcasing their unique cultural traditions and ethnicity. Whether it’s a religious wedding ceremony ritual, traditional wedding day garb, cultural cuisine infused throughout the reception dinner, or wedding decor with bold, ethnic prints, you can’t help but embrace the unique cultures and ethnicities of couples in 2011.

10. Revved-Up Wedding Receptions
Who wants the best day of their lives to end? Not couples and guests in 2011, that’s for sure! Couples will plan a post-reception after party lasting into the wee hours of the night with drinks, entertainment, dancing, and snacks so that wedding guests can party all night long!

Post taken from OneWed
http://www.onewed.com/blog/savvy-scoop/category/top-tips-wedding-ideas/2011/01/02/top-10-wedding-trends-2011-hot-press/?utm_source=bridevendornewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20110103bridevendor

Photo of the Month - December 2010

While rain isn't a good thing when trying to photograph a wedding, it's awesome what it does to nature.  After a rainfall, it leaves beautiful texture and a glistening all around.  It almost looks like jewelry.  This leaf caught my eye and I just had to photograph it.  The different lines and textures are so interesting.  I hope you find it as beautiful as I do.  Florida is such a great location to find nature like this.

Photo of the Month - September 2010

This Photo of the Month I chose two photos of this beautiful flower I saw at a botanical garden.  It had rained earlier that day, so the rain drops added another cool aspect.  Then I saw this little bug guy hanging out, so I waited for him to land and captured the moment.  Nature has such amazing “art” all around.  It’s truly beautiful and I love taking some time to be able to capture some of its beauty.  I hope you enjoy these. 

Photo of the Month - August 2010

I was so busy with the Pinups for Pitbulls 2011 calendar submissions during the month of August, that I totally forgot to post my Photo of the Month, which happens to be a Pinups for Pitbulls image.  So here is my Photo of the Month for August.  Hey it's August 31st, but it's still August.  Lol.  I submitted four different sets of photos for their 2010 calendar last year.  I was so excited to find out that two of my images were finalists.  And then super excited to find out that one of them made it into their calendar!  Yeaaa!!!  This is the image that they used for their August 2010 image.  The model is my friend LaQuaisha and the dog is Rusty, owned by my friends Jessica and Justin.  They were both great to work with.  LaQuaisha had never "modeled" before, and look how cute she looks.  So anyone can be a model for Pinups for Pitbulls.  And Rusty was just happy that he got to eat so much ice cream that day.  Lol.  We went through a few cones by the time the session was over.  If you would like to check out the rest of the calendar or purchase one, or to learn more about the Pinups for Pitbulls charity, please visit www.pinupsforpitbulls.com.  They are a great charity that tries to educate people that pitbulls are not these evil dogs that some people think, plus help out injured pits and shelters.  This year I submitted seven different sets of images for their 2011 calendar.  I can't wait to see the images they choose.

Photo of the Month - July 2010

I decide to use one of my favorite Model Session images for this month's Photo of the Month.  This photo has got to be from one of the most fun Portrait Sessions I've done.  Plus most dangerous!  Haha.  I saw some portrait somewhere online with fire, and thought "Hmmmm, that would be fun to try!"  I wanted to glam it up a bit with a fashion model look.  The fire is real!  No editing it in later.  We took some rope made a circle around the model, then drenched it with lighter fluid, finally added the fire with matches.  It didn't stay too long, so my husband had to keep lighting the rope, until it burned away.  Pretty cool!  By the way, don't try this at home.  Haha.  We were in a large open concrete floored abandoned parking lot. 

Photo of the Month - June 2010

Ok, well sorry for skipping a month, I've been sooo busy with portrait sessions, print orders and meetings with brides, that I forget just to show off some of my everyday photos just for me.  For this month I'm going to show off my newest baby, Rocky.  He's very special to me.  My favorite cat Remy who passed about a year ago had the personality of a dog, and was like my best friend.  Since then I've been missing something.  It was time for our family to grow and add a dog.  I browsed online at various animal shelters and learned about different breeds to find my perfect fit.  I didn't want a huge dog that would weigh more than me, haha, but my hubby didn't really want a teeny lap dog either since he likes to go outdoors and wanted a runner.  I had a few dogs lined up to meet, but when I found Rocky online, something inside me just knew I wanted him.  The first time we meet he ran over to my husband and I, licked us, stayed by our sides while we visited, and wanted to go with us when we were leaving.  I just knew, it was love at first sight.  The first night be got him we went to the beach and had a blast.  We've had him about 6 months now and we're so in love.  He's by my side when I'm working on the computer (he's here right now as I type this), loves his walks, is buddies with our cats, so well behaved and loving.  I couldn't have asked for a better dog.  We took him to some training classes and he can do tricks, walk with us without his leash, knows commands, and is great with other people, kids and animals (although he does seem to prefer the ladies over the guys, haha).  He is just so wonderful and has made my life happier.  And he happens to be part pitbull, so for all of you that think pitbulls are "dangerous", you have got to be kidding me. Any dog can be as sweet as you train them to be, or if you're a jerk and train your dog to be mean, then any dog can be mean too.  I'm actually going to use Rocky this year for the Pinups for Pitbulls 2011 calendar submissions.  I'm excited!  Well here is a portrait of Rocky I took while I had my backdrop out for another session earlier in the day and of course wanted to get some portraits of my new child, so decided to do a session with him while my equipment was setup.  This image happens to be my favorite from his lil mini session.  So I proudly introduce you to Rocky.   :)

Average Wedding Costs

I came across this website so I thought Id share it with all of you Brides&Grooms-to-Be planning your wedding.  Been through it myself, I know how stressful and confusing the planning and budgeting process can get.  So every little bit helps, right?  This site let's you know the average costs of items you need for your wedding, and also the average in your specific area.  That way you get a little heads up when you start to price shop, and know about how much past couples have spent.  There's also a list of the items you need, which some get overlooked.  Hope some of you find this helpful.  Happy planning!!  :)

 

http://www.costofwedding.com/

The Bui Brothers Photography Workshop

Last week I attended a very cool and informative photography workshop by the Bui Brothers.  It's always a good idea no matter what your profession to keep up with the latest techniques and skills.  So from time to time I love to attend professional photography seminars and workshops to help inspire me and to be able to learn from other people's point of views and experiences.  Plus I always meet other friendly photographers with experiences of their own, who make great friends to bounce ideas off of.  The Bui Brothers workshop was on lighting, natural and studio.  We learned some in the classroom first, about some great equipment and some super cool lighting techniques that they use.  Then we went outside to photograph what we just learned on some models.  With the natural light we learned the best spots for the model to stand and for the photographer to stand and how to really make the light work for you, plus some little tricks and tips.  When all you have is the sun to work with, you really have to know how to use it to your best advantage.  Being in Florida, one minute is can be super bright hot sun, then the next a cloudy dark sky, so I need to know what works best in all situations to really make my clients look amazing.  After we used just the natural light we had a couple different studio strobe lighting setups outside.  It's amazing at how many different looks and creative feels you can get from introducing different lights and different power of lighting into your scene.  I personally love using studio lights rather than just natural lighting.  So it was great to experiment with different setups and see the styles I really like best.  After that we ended the day by going back into the classroom to learn some editing techniques.  It was a great day and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge and meeting some great new friends. 

Here are a few photos of me that some of the other photographers who attended took.  I'll post some of the images I got from the day very soon.

Wedding Photographer: Tarin & Bob's Outdoor Wedding - Club Med Port St Lucie

Tarin & Bob had a beautiful outdoor Florida ceremony at Club Med in Port St. Lucie.  It had been unusually cold for Florida the past couple of weeks on and off.  But on the day of their wedding, it had a slight breeze accompanied by the warm sun and blue sky, and it was just perfect.  The ceremony was emotional and filled with tears of joy (I always have to fight back my tears when the bride or groom cry haha).  Followed by a fun and crazy reception, mostly due to the comical bridal party.  There was a lot of dancing, singing and jokes all night.  Everyone had so much fun and I had a blast photographing it all.  Tarin & Bob seem like a perfect pair and they kept stealing kisses from each other during the day.  Here are some of my favorite memories from their wedding.  I hope you enjoy.

Venue: Club Med - http://www.clubmed.us/cm/resorts-north-america-usa-sandpiper-the-resort_p-115-l-US-v-SANC-r-1-ac-vh.html

Harpist: Barbara Brundage - http://www.floridaharp.com/
DJ: Kiss By a Rose - www.akissbyarose.com
Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse - www.menswearhouse.com
Bridal Gown & Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal - www.davidsbridal.com
Flowers: Martin Downs Florist - http://www.martindownsflorist.com/