Guest Post: Military Bride Part 3

Welcome back to the third installment in a three part series of one military bride's story.  If you didn't catch the first two posts, here is the link to part 1 and the link to part 2.  Abby was a FCW client in October 2010 who has a pretty incredible story that started in a grocery store in Blacksburg, VA and ended up halfway across the world living in Guam.  She keeps updating her adventures on her blog, Seaweed & Sassafras, so check it out to see the latest.  This last post is about the formal wedding planning.  Enjoy!

We quickly settled into our little beachfront Condo. How many couples come home from work and walk the beach, or meet with friends to play volleyball? It was heaven. After a few months we decided we were ready to tackle planning a wedding. Now remember, Guam is a good 14 hours ahead of the East Coast, USA. So if it is noon in Maryland, it is 2am in Guam. Plane tickets cost about $2000 and it takes about 26 hours of flying to reach Maryland. It was obvious all of our planning was going to be done via internet and phone calls. After a few talks with my Mom, we realized we needed help; someone to help keep us organized and on track. Enter, Felicity. The first step was prioritizing what we needed to get done and when. We knew Chris would be deploying from November until June, so we started searching for a venue. Being 10,000 miles away from our venue meant no walk through for this girl. I had to trust in my heart to know it when I saw it. It helped to have Felicity and my parents visit the top choices and send me photos. I fell in love with Swan Harbor Farm the moment I saw it on the internet. It had sweeping lawns, grand old trees, overlooked the Chesapeake Bay, I swooned. We took whatever opening they had. In the mean time, Felicity and I would trade emails of decor ideas, colors, etc., trying to pinpoint some design elements. Chris and I share a mutual love for the outdoors and wildlife, so we decided to incorporate that into our theme.

When Chris deployed (for the first time) it was very hard, especially not living in the same country as my friends and family. But I did what every military wife has to do, pick up the pieces and make the best of it. We stayed in touch through email, a few port visits and just the anticipation of the day he would come home. He was always supportive, but let me make a lot of the decisions.

I was able to come home for the holidays. Three weeks turned into a whirlwind of wedding meetings. Felicity and I were finally able to sit down in person and talk through ideas, advice, tips, etc. This trip was also my only chance to find a wedding gown! There’s a little added pressure in finding a wedding dress knowing this is pretty much your only chance, but it didn’t take away from the special moment. We didn’t get everything done, but I left feeling like we had really made progress.

Guest Post: Why Giving Your Photog More Time Is Key

Do you want good photos at your wedding or do you want jaw dropping, breathtaking, phenomenal ones?  My name is Cicely Procopio and along with my husband Jason, we are Procopio Photography.  I think we can all agree that on your wedding day you want better than good pictures, you want to have the best portraits your photographer can produce! What you as the client can do to get these stunning pictures is to give your photographer enough time to photograph you. I can’t emphasize this enough, the more time we have alone with the couple, the better and more creative the pictures will be.

Every photographer is different so I would recommend asking your wedding photographer how much time they would like with the two of you. We typically shoot the couple on their wedding day for an hour. Some clients give us more than an hour, but on average it’s an hour of shoot time with just the two of them.

A First Look is key, which is when the bride and groom see each other privately before the ceremony. Don’t cringe! A first look is actually so much better than seeing your spouse to be for the first time at the ceremony. We have found that first looks are more intimate, more personal and much more emotional. The only people at your first look are you, your fiancé and your photographer. If you don’t do a first look you will be seeing each other for the first time with all of your guests at your wedding is staring at you.

Also, a first look will make it easier for you to have a relaxed and fun wedding. Think about your wedding day. You have to fit in this hour of portraits of just you and your fiancé, you have to do bridal party pictures (that take 30 min) and family formals too. If you see your spouse to be before the ceremony, that opens the door to being able to do the hour of portraits of just the bride and groom right after your first look. You can check that off the list, done!

Then there are the “bridal party all together” pictures. Again, every photographer is different so be sure to ask your wedding photographer how long they need with your bridal party all together. We spend a half hour with the entire bridal party all together. So you do a first look, roll right into the hour of couple’s time and then a half hour of bridal party pictures. Done, done and done before your ceremony even starts! Whew!

Then, the only other type of posed pictures you will have left on your wedding day is your family formals. Some couples decide to tack this on before the ceremony as well. You know what that means? You can actually attend your cocktail hour or have private time with just you and your new husband/wife and relax after your ceremony. Or, if you are up for it, you can do more pictures of just you and your spouse for as long as you like during cocktail hour. Basically, if you do all your pictures before the ceremony, cocktail hour is no longer mandatory picture taking time, it becomes whatever you want it to be.

Any angle you look at it, we prefer first looks and our clients do too. They are private, more emotional, and they also open up your time line immensely for whatever the bride and groom want to do. Our advice for brides that still aren’t sold on the first look idea we highly recommend scheduling two hours of cocktail hour (not including travel). That way we can accomplish the hour of bride and groom portraits, a half hour of bridal party all together pictures and then a half hour of family formals.

Depending on how the day flows, some couples will choose to split up their hour of portrait time (of just the two of them) into two 30 minute sessions or three 20 minute sessions. It all depends on how their day flows and what they want to do. Whatever is best for you as a couple is fine, just make ensure that you give your photographer enough time to capture the images you have been dreaming about your whole life.

Enjoy!

-Cicely
http://www.procopioblog.com/
(All images credited to Procopio Photography)

Guest Post: Military Bride Part 2

Welcome back to the second post telling the story of one military bride's journey.  Here is the link to the first post in case you missed it.  This post is about the civil ceremony Abby & her husband planned before they were stationed in Guam and her introduction to being a military wife.  To keep up with her fascinating life, check her personal blog.  Enjoy!

THE CIVIL CEREMONY

We chose to have it in Maryland because it was faster than Virginia, and the courthouse was a stone building with a lot of character in a Historic District. My mom and I shopped for a white dress, my wedding dress. At the time the only wedding dress I was sure I would be wearing. I wanted something not too formal (there was still hope for a wedding gown later) but serious enough for the occasion. As soon as I put it on I knew. It was fitted, with ruching, knee length and a cute little criss-cross in the back. Nicole Miller had hit the mark. I came out to oohs and ahhs, I gave my mom the look that this was it. I double checked that it wasn’t too sexy and given the okay we bought it. The love for this dress is equal to that of my Wedding Gown. But I can wear this one all the time! This was shortly after the first Sex and the City movie had released and it just so happened that I had a pair of hot pink Manolo Blahnik shoes which I had purchased (on sale) with my first Big Girl Job paycheck. Oh yes, I wore them. My mom gave me her diamond necklace as something borrowed and my best friend gave me sapphire earrings as something blue. I was set! The groom’s outfit was probably picked out in less than an hour, but he looked incredible in sand colored slacks and vest, with a baby blue shirt and tie. I was impressed. And let the flip flops slide.

We decided to have a few wedding like elements. We went cake tasting and ordered a small cake decorated with a beach scene to represent Guam. We picked the Chart House in Annapolis for dinner after; his father had attended the Naval Academy so it was a nice touch as well. The staff there was fantastic and had menus printed with Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. H. They even ushered the family to a small corner of the lounge/bar when we first arrived as a make shift cocktail hour. Growing up, my mom and I would go to a florist every Wednesday to get flowers for the house, so the ladies there were more than happy to help us pick out some flowers for me to put together in small vases. They also surprised me with my Yellow Calla Lily bouquet wrapped with ribbon and pinned with pearls. How could you not feel like a bride? We also put together little favors of snack-sized bags of chips to represent where we first met and a few other favorites. We used my mom’s rice basket from my parent’s wedding as part of the decor which was a beautiful finishing touch.

Guest Post: Divine Transformation

One of the best parts of my job is meeting and working with great vendors who truly love what they do.  Rev. Laura Cannon & I make a great team for our clients and I am so thrilled that she agreed to write a guest post to discuss the most important part of a wedding- the marriage that happens after the big celebration.  Her experience as an officiant and relationship coach has given her some great insights, so read on and enjoy!

I am so lucky to be one of those people who absolutely loves their job.  How could I not?  Being a wedding officiant means that I get to spend one of the most joyous days of a couples lives with them.  But it isn't just the wedding day that I love.  I love being truly invested in my couples happiness, even after the big day!

One thing that I always discuss with couples is the importance of the engagement period.  Many couples look at the engagement period as the time to "plan the wedding."  By the time people meet with me to plan their ceremony they are already mentally bombarded with decisions about flowers, cake flavors, chair covers, linens, music... the list goes on and on. (Photo credit: Procopio Photography, Ford wedding 9/25/10)

I started asking couples,  "How much time have you spent planning your wedding so far?"  The answer was usually something like "too many to count."  On average a full-scale event planner takes 250 hours to plan a wedding, and remember, they know what they are doing!  I would follow up this question with, "How many hours of you spent planning for your actual marriage?" You know, the life that will be waiting for you after the cake is eaten and the music has stopped.  The response:  Deer in headlights stare.

Many of us get so wrapped up in planning for this one (albeit very special) day, we neglect to realize that planning for our married life is equally important.  Not only am I a wedding officiant but I am also a relationship coach.  I coach couples in all stages of their relationship from pre-engagement to post marriage.  From my work with these couples it became clear that there were definite indicators that I could see even before they walked down the aisle that would indicate how successful their marriage would be.

Guest Post: The Military Bride Part 1

Military couples have the 'normal' stress of weddings plus a whole 'nother level- civil ceremony only? ceremony and reception for friends & family? when? where? before deployment or after?  My first military bride in particular is unforgettable- we planned together for a year and a half... while she & her Navy husband were stationed in Guam!  Throw in the fact that planning with my Guam bride included a 14 hour time difference, her husband was deployed for part of her stay and she conquered a few tsunamis just to name a few reasons why this is one planning process I will always remember. I've asked her to share her amazing story and she happily obliged.  You can follow her adventures on her own blog and on here as this is the first in three posts on her wedding story.  Enjoy!     

“Do you see him?” I whispered to my best friend, trying to discreetly point out the cute boy on the chip aisle of the grocery store. Casually leaning against the shopping cart talking to his two friends, his hoodie, with “Surf Rescue” printed on the back, caught my attention. And when I saw him turn a corner riding the cart, you know how we all used to -- both feet on the bar in the back, enough weight in the basket to counterbalance you -- I knew I had to meet him. Fortunately, one of his friends noticed my sideways glances and made sure they got behind us at the checkout line. My girlfriend and I giggled and glanced, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Would he be turned off if I approached? The cashier handed us our receipt; it was do or die. My friend nudged me, handing me a pen, and said “Just go!” Scrawling my name and number on the back of the receipt, I walked the long 3 feet closer to him and found myself frozen by the deepest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. I have no idea what I said or what he said to me, but he had my number and, embarrassed, I walked away certain I’d never hear from him again.

My phone rang late Saturday night and the next morning I listened to a voicemail fueled by liquid courage and decided he sounded normal nice enough. Sunday afternoon, after flopping on all of my roommates beds and debating every detail, I called him back. Pacing around my room on my cell, we talked for about an hour. He was part of the Corps of Cadets which didn’t phase me, my dad was a Colonel in the Army. My dad had also been in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech, and met my mom there. I knew what the military was about. Chris was a Navy brat and was hoping to be a pilot. Our first date led to a second, a third and soon we were officially a couple. My first experience with how the military would play into our relationship was his summer cruise. He was sent to San Diego for a month to learn about life on a carrier. I stayed in Blacksburg taking summer classes. It was only a few months into the relationship so I honestly wasn’t too affected by it. He came back to Blacksburg for the rest of the summer and our relationship grew. A year older than him, I graduated in December of 2005. This began our long distance relationship. He graduated in May 2006 and was accepted into Flight School. In the following 3 years, he would move every 6 months, to Florida, Oklahoma and back to Florida. I stayed in Maryland working and going to visit every 4-6 months. He asked me to move in with him when he moved from Oklahoma back to Florida, but the timing for me was off and I had to say no. I wondered if I had missed my chance. He became a helicopter pilot and got orders to Guam. I was crushed. No that doesn’t do it justice. I curled into a ball and sobbed thinking I was losing my best friend. He was going to be training in San Diego for 6 months before going to Guam and I decided to go with him. I figured the time together would help me decide whether to wait for him or call it off when he moved to halfway around the world. We packed as much as we could into his Camry, I sold my beloved 1994 Honda Civic and we drove across the country to North Island Coronado Navy Base.

Guest Post: The Wilmington Photo Booth Company

Chances are that if you have attended a wedding in the past 2 years, you probably have seen a new vendor who is making a splash in the wedding industry: the photo booth!  This new option is guest friendly but being so new, some couples may not know what to look for in a photo booth vendor.  Enter Pete Marroni, owner of the Wilmington Photo Booth Company in Wilmington, DE, with some insight for couples to consider when choosing a photo booth vendor.  Take it away, Pete:

Photo booths are quickly becoming a must at wedding receptions. The buzz they create is unmatched at a wedding. So where do you start if you are choosing a photo booth company?

Have you seen a photo booth in action? If you have seen one or two photo booth companies in action you can use them as your starting point. Nothing beats seeing the photo booth company in action. As there are huge differences in quality and fun with the various companies. If you haven’t seen any companies ask around. Who should you ask? Anyone who has hired a company in the past is a great way to start. You can ask friends and family who you’ve known to been at an event with one, however you may not get the complete feel fro how the whole process worked and how the dealings were with the company. If you’ve hired an event planner they are a great resource. Event planners have typically seen many photo booths through their work. Often they can tell you the pros and cons of each company. The venue contact should know a great deal about photo booth companies as well. Both the venue and event planners love sharing this info as if you hire someone who has a good reputation it makes their job easier. Once you narrow down a few companies we recommend setting up appointments to go and see the photo booths in action. This can be done at their office or at a bridal show/public event. Be weary of anyone who is not willing to show their product.

What does the photo booth look like? There is nothing worse then having a great setting and having a cheesy looking photo booth. Again this comes down to seeing is believing. Also ask or see how many guests can fit into the frame. Many times you can only get two or three faces in a shot. If you want large group shots (which enhances the fun) make sure that the photo booth can accommodate. 

Is the company full time?  How quickly did the company get back to you after initial contact? Many companies have started a part time business and if they have you want to make sure that they are still responsive. Make sure that the company is fully licensed and insured. Many venues require the latter and require a certificate to confirm this. Also the quality of website that the company has is a pretty good indicator of how serious they are about their business.

Is the company receiving good reviews? As with all wedding vendors, on-line reviews are a great way to weed out the less than stellar performers. Testimonials on the company website are fine, however they are only going to put up the good ones.  A great resource for reviews are independent sites like the Knot and the Wedding Wire for instance.

How nice are the prints? A photo booth company that spent the extra time ensuring that they are producing high quality prints is worth looking at. How nice does the graphic and text look on the strip? How quickly do the prints come out? This is a very important aspect of your photo booth experience and is often overlooked. Ask to see samples from different companies.



How nice are the extras? The same could be same for props, memory book, frames and other options. See if the company reuses props. Ask to see a memory book and ask to see what company they use for their memory book and check out their reputation. The memory book is something that you will look at for years to come. Quality may not mean anything now but 5 or 6 years down the road a book that has held up well will stand out. Also check to see about place cards, thank you notes or save the date magnets. All of these options enhance the total experience.

How accessible are the prints after the wedding? With social media being king you want to make sure your guests and you have the ability to get the photos digitally after the event so they can easily be put on facebook. Some companies may not host the photos at all or they may charge you extra. Sometimes they are watermarked or they only get put up for a month. Also check to see what size photos are accessible and if the strips themselves are accessible. You may also want to check to see if guests can get additional strips after wedding at no extra charge? Many times only two strips print out and if there are ten people in the shot either 8 or 9 people are losing out on that memorable shot.

What kind of value are getting? Getting what you pay for is very important in today’s day of age. When comparing prices make sure you look at the overall picture, as sometimes cheaper is not better. True value comes from weighing all aspects of your experience. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Peter Marroni
Owner/Event Consultant

The Wilmington Photo Booth Co.

(302) 388-3619

http://www.finestbooth.com/

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Guest Post: Why SO Serious? The Photography Trend Of Not Smiling

A lot of my post ideas come from other blogs I read.  When I came across this OffBeat Bride article, "Whatever You Do, DON'T SMILE", it was so intriguing that I had to send it to some photographers who I really admire to see their opinion.  And here is what I discovered, both photogs made really good points for each side.  If you are a couple who is unsure what direction you want to go for your wedding day photos, these two professionals break down the trend so you can decide what is best for you. Enjoy!

Lindsay Hite, ReadyLuck: I've been noticing that myself on the blogs too recently.  I say if it reflects the couple's personality (maybe a deadpan, or dry sense of humor), why not?  I think a big part of creating beautiful images that the couple will enjoy long after their wedding day is all about playing off of their vibe, and what's important to them.  Recently, I've made a few portraits with serious expressions, and they've been successful because they work as individual images, and in the context.  If the couple is bursting at the seams smiling, why try to stifle that- go with it!  Sometimes, if people have their "photo face" on and I can see in their eyes that their mind is elsewhere, I remind them that it's ok to relax and try to bring them back into the moment.  Bottom line, trends are trends but the images that are true to the couple will last.



Annabelle Dando, Annabelle Dando Photography: I think, unfortunately, in the process of creating "fine art photography" (which in and of itself has become a trend nowadays) some photographers have forgotten that their clients aren't just models in nice dresses/outfits and cool settings. Instead of remembering that they have been hired to document all the joy and bliss and love (and sometimes tears) that go along with a wedding, they see it as a production, almost, in which they are directing a "shoot" trying to up the ante and create something epic. While I'm all for epic photography, and I think it can have its place in a wedding, I think some photographers have got to remember that the clients don't want to look like models- they want to look like themselves, captured brilliantly. Yeah, models often do look miserable and "super-serious" in their fashion shoots, but if you look at mock wedding shoots set up by magazines or designers, the pictures never have the amazing energy that exists with people who are happy or in love. Sure, grab one or two serious shots, just to mix it up if you'd like, but I don't think it should be done in overkill.  Getting real smiles (or any type of real emotion) is the best part of being a photographer with a documentary instinct. To tell people to do the opposite of what they're feeling is to shoot yourself in the foot, in my opinion.  I have taken pictures that I love compositionally, but I doubt my subject will love how they look- so it doesn't end up in the "keep" pile.