Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about photobooths. Mainly about how much I love them; how people seem to step inside them and completely lose their inhibitions; how they’re a bit like giant Polaroid cameras. And how nowadays, there are photobooths of all shapes, sizes, and forms. But first you've got to choose between the two main options: digital and film.
Posted by Katie Hatch, Style Director
Last year we did a story on photo crafts for the wedding, and my favorite idea came from a photo from my friends' wedding. They were leaving their reception in a convertible, with the usual "Just Married" sign; we took that photo and replaced "Just Married" with "Thank You," which is something you could do yourself using a photo editing program. Or, if you want to avoid that challenge, you can prepare a separate sign for this moment, then have your photographer shoot you both ways. You could even print the card yourself on a good photo printer, like the Epson here, which I use. I think it makes a darling thank you note, and a fun memento for your guests.
Aren't they cute?
Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director
I recently went to a 15th anniversary party for my friends Robin and Jeff—I can’t believe it’s already been 15 years! It seems like yesterday that they were married, that is, of course, until we watched their wedding video and saw what we all looked like back then.
I know statistics show that videography is one of the top things brides cut out of their budget, but don’t do it! There's nothing like going back and watching those videos later and laughing and crying all over again. And today's generation of videography is subtle and sophisticated (read, no more bright lights and rotating mikes on the dance floor). I love Milk and Honey, Robert Allen, Elan Artists.
In the meantime, you might want to outfit you maid of honor with a Vado Pocket Video Cam to document the shower, the dress fittings, the bachelorette party—and everything in between!
Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor
I have a friend who always takes tons of great photos whenever there’s a fun occasion, be it a birthday celebration, road trip, or night on the town. The only problem is it takes her a while to get the images to me and anyone else in said photos. She’s busy, and I get it—I still love her. But I’m also impatient, so, naturally, I want to get my hands on them pronto so I can flip through them over and over again, order some prints, or add them to an online album.
So imagine if you’ve got a lot of friends like this at your wedding, or you’re just impatient like me, and want to be able to relive your wedding before you even board the plane for your honeymoon.
What’s a girl to do? Simple. Rent a Canditto. This lovely device corrals all of the digital photos your guests take (it’s set up to only grab images from within the last 8 hours) and puts them all on a little thumb drive. You can rent it for a week, so you’ll get all the photos from any of the events you’re planning before and after your wedding, too.
The new model just came out earlier this month. It costs $450 to rent and it includes shipping. It arrives on a Tuesday, and you have until the following Wednesday to send it back. You just pop your camera’s memory card in and wait for the light to change from red to green. No buttons, no switches. It even comes with a little how-to so your DJ can announce how to use it on the spot. Or you can post a link about it on your wedding website so your guests know about it before the big event.
As long as you place it somewhere highly trafficked and your guests know how it works, you should end up leaving your wedding with an additional gift—instant gratification!
Posted by Cheree Berry, whose wedding is in our new summer issue!
We absolutely loved our reception venue but there were certain elements that weren't perfect. Just like when you buy a house, you have to make adjustments based on what you have. Unless you hire David Monn to build a completely customized space for you that is. So, get creative. Our reception venue, Lumen, had a shadow box wall for displaying photos in frames. I think this is a nice idea, but I wanted to make a bigger splash with the wall. Therefore, we had photos of our family members' weddings printed on canvas the size of each shadow box to create a grand and graphic entrance to the space.
We had the canvases stretched on frames and they are now hanging in our house. The result: Instant artwork with lasting memories!
Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director
Over the July 4th weekend, I visited my good friend, photographer Donna Newman, who had some very good advice to offer—she's even an expert in our latest issue's Expert Advice column (not to mention the gorgeous work she did on Cheree Berry's wedding by the way, Donna creates these video clips s for couples right after their wedding to get a sneak peak at their wedding photos. Love this one she did for Cheree Berry). She was in Long Island shooting a party, but unfortunately the weather forecast called for scattered thunderstorms. The day turned out to be beautiful, but you may not be so lucky.
Though you can plan every detail from the flowers to the cake, there's nothing you can do to control the weather on your wedding day. Donna says the best thing to do is be prepared so that, if it does rain, you're not distraught. She always scouts a beautiful "Plan B" location for photo-taking, one that is ideally outdoors and in a covered spot. That way, she can still get an outdoor feel to the pictures without being too negatively impacted by the weather. She also suggests getting a large colorful umbrella to cover both the bride and the groom while walking from one location to the next; it gives the photos a fun feel without ruining your outfits.
It's really so important you think through these things ahead of time. Have you come up with any other "Plan B's"?
I snapped this shot of Donna with her camera—it felt very strange having our roles reversed—and I think it captures her positive, fun personality.
Posted by newlywed Grace Bonney, of Design*Sponge
You all know what staircase I'm talking about. The one that hits you like a ton of bricks when you enter someone's home: miles of steps, each one punctuated by a framed picture of the wedding couple in various clichéd poses (her hands on his shoulder, posed on a sand dune, laughing spontaneously at the camera at the same time). Remember Mark and Vanessa's stairway in Juno? That's the one.
Every time I go into a house with more than three pictures of a wedding couple in a row I get a little weirded out. For some people it's the best way to remember their wedding day, but for me, it's a little too much to have pictures of myself up and down a hallway or staircase.
That said, I love wedding photography (we just picked ours up from belathee yesterday!) and want to keep reminders of our big day around my home as much as the next girl. But what's a girl to do when you don't want to smack guests over the head with giant pictures of you and your husband every five feet?
I thought it would be fun to share some of the ideas I've had for remembering our big day around the house, as well as some creative ideas friends and acquaintances of mine have had. Hopefully they'll inspire us all to find unique, personal, and perhaps creative ways to remember our wedding at home.
Continue reading "Avoiding the Dreaded Staircase (creative ways to remember your wedding) " »
Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor:
I studied abroad in London back in college and visited countless museums during my stay. After all, most of them were free to students, and I was there to soak it all up. One of my favorite museums was (and still is) the Victoria and Albert, and I think I could probably wander around there for days.
And what does my museum hopping have to do with weddings? Well aside from housing all sorts of inspirational pieces, it recently started prepping for a massive wedding exhibit for 2011. Kinda like a long engagement, it’s taking about two years to plan.
That’s where you come in. They’re asking for photo contributions to build a database dating from the Victorian period through today. So go share photos of you in your dress, or any of the lovely women in your family on their special day.
Or just peruse gowns by decades. It’s pretty addictive. I can’t wait to see the 1980s category fill up with ladies clad in puffy sleeves larger than their heads and blue eye shadow up to their eyebrows. In the meantime, I added my parents’ wedding portrait (that’s them above)—classic 1970s, with my mom's flipped and feathered hair and my dad's flared three-piece suit. They're still going strong, although their taste in fashion and hairstyles has thankfully shifted.
Will you take part in the exhibit?
Posted by Mary Cahill, Photography Expert
Clearly, your wedding day is your chance to shine. But, really, is it all about you?
Among a million other things, you’ve hired a florist, some form of entertainment, created favors, and assembled all your favorite people into one room (did I mention leap tall buildings in a single bound?); don’t let all of this hard work and research (and let's not forget the memories) fall by the wayside.
Creating a visual checklist for your photographer is a good way to relay how you'd like your wedding to be captured. Use a few keywords—like the first kiss, cutting the cake, my favorite uncle Walt—to let your photographer know exactly what shots you expect. Also let him know if you prefer more candid pictures or posed portraits. That way you get an album that not only reflects your taste and personalities, but accurately portrays all the hard work that went into making your wedding so special.
Take a look at these wedding photos (click on them for links back to their stories on our website). They're all beautiful for sure, but they also capture the tone of each wedding really well.
