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Some of our Favourite Wedding Shoots from 2009

Every year we go through our piles and piles of amazing photos of our amazing couples and pick a handful of our favorites. It's always very hard since every couple is so unique to us and we have so many great emotions tied to each event.

After much hard work we have pick a short list of our favorite. I hope you enjoy the gallery below.

Some of our Favourite Engagement Shoots from 2009

After much hard work we have pick a short list of our favorite. I hope you enjoy the gallery below.

When is the best time for Engagement Photos?

The answer is simple; springtime. Here are some of the reasons:

30% of couples get engaged during the Christmas season (Nov – Dec)
10% of couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day
40% of weddings happen during the summer
Average length of an engagement is 16 months
A bride will spend about 8 months planning for her wedding
As we all know “Love is in the air” during the spring.

When these stats are taken into account it makes sense that the spring time is the best time for an engagement session.

The Importance of Wedding Photography

Your wedding is a once in a lifetime event. There is no replay, and you cannot do it all over again if something goes wrong. There are lots of important elements of a wedding; your beautiful gown, the old church, modern banquet hall and so on. But arguably one of the most important elements of your big day is capturing all the precious memories made during the day. You can go with a budget photographer and focus on solely documenting the events of the day if you like – but if you want to capture the essence of your wedding and all those special moments you should hire a professional photographer.

A professional will know how to preserve the magic you felt as you walked down the aisle. They know how to stay out of the way and let you enjoy the moment but they also know when to direct the actors (bridal party).

We all know how to tell good quality from bad, like an authentic coach purse versus a cheap knockoff, there are certain things and times when quality matters more than price. Be aware, that if you decide to go down the road of compromising quality for financial gain then you will be jeopardizing the future of your everlasting wedding memory. Remember your wedding day comes only once, and only once does a photographer have a chance to capture this precious moment. To summarize, choose carefully and remember less is not always more.

Tips for choosing wedding vendors: Choosing the right venue

People who are not married often wonder why couples stay engaged for over a year before making their final commitment; it’s not a case of cold feet but rather an indication of how hard it is to secure a popular summer date at a desired venue. Choosing the venue is a very important step - that is why it’s usually the first decision a couple make after getting engaged. Just like every other aspect of your wedding the venue you choose says a lot about who you are and what you want your special day to be like. Below are a few tips based on my experience with all types of venues over the years:

Style: So much of your wedding day ends up being about style. You should choose a venue that fits you. Do you love being pampered? Then a Hall might be right for you. Are you looking for a more intimate event with a small group? I’d recommend a Manor house. Ultra wild party? Find a country backyard and put up a tent. Intimate beach getaway with a few friends and family? Then a destination wedding might be right for you. Whatever you choose make sure it makes you happy and meets your needs.
Package Deals: Venues often offer package deals which include cake, or entertainment or limo service. Sometimes these work out to be incredible deals, other times they are substandard services at inflated prices. Always check out the partner services and do some comparison shopping before agreeing to these add-ons. If after your investigation they turn out to be a great deal don’t hesitate. Having the venue take care of multiple aspects of your special day can alleviate a lot of pressure on you.
Proximity: A wedding is like a choreographed dance – there are a lot of moving parts that depend on each other. A typical wedding will have 5 different locations (groom prep, bride prep, church, photo shoot, reception) so it’s beneficial for you and your guests to keep proximity in mind when choosing your locations.
Cancellation Dates: If you are not picky with your wedding date ask about cancellation dates for your favourite venues. Halls often discount their cancellation date by up to 50%, for example if you had 175 guests at $200 a plate your savings would be $17,500.
Instincts: First and foremost you want to trust your instincts when picking a wedding venue. It pays to take time and visit as many different venues as possible. Check your local phone book or the web and create a list of potential candidates. Then make arrangements to visit the sites with your fiancé
Preview: Once you have narrowed down your list ask to see your favourite venues setup for a wedding. The coordinator will invite you to come by on a Saturday before another wedding so you can see the hall all decked out and ready for the party. If you opt for bundled catering make sure you have a taste testing session.

Tips for choosing wedding vendors: Photographer

“Picking a photographer” seemed like the perfect place to start this series since I’m trying to be yours. That being said I’m going to be as straight forward and transparent as possible – one of the reasons is that I want you to have the perfect photographer for your wedding, and that might not be me – you see everyone has their perfect fit and it might not always be me.

Enough dancing around the topic – onto the tips!

Style: So much of your wedding day ends up being about style. You should choose a photographer who’s style matches your own. If you are young, hip and edgy you should choose someone who can capture your day your way. If you are conservative and consider yourself traditional you should choose someone who will give you that kind of coverage.
Interview the actual photographer that will be covering your event – not the company’s salesman. And make sure you review their portfolio.
Get the DVD. Not every photographer saves every photo forever. You should take control of the archival of your precious memories.
When dealing with budget constrains products should be the first to go. By this I mean prints and albums. You can always get those later – but you can never recapture missed or mess-up moments.
Photography is more important than flowers. This is another dealing with budget tips. Your flowers will be dead the day after your wedding – but you’ll be sharing your photos with your great-grand children.
Engagement photo shoots are great! These sessions let you practice being in front of a camera, they are really fun and you get some great photos. But the most important reason (and photographers will never tell you this) is that you get to test the photographer. If your engagement shoot turns out really bad run (don’t walk) away from that photographer. If they can’t rock a simple engagement session then don’t trust them with the main event.

It’s all about the details!

In last month's newsletter I spoke at length about the importance of a great location and about my passion for capturing "Moments". This month I wanted to share another side of my passion for weddings, details!

In my mind the details are what make each wedding unique - it’s why I’m always excited about the next wedding. I want to see what is different – for example this past weekend the drinking glasses were really shallow, I mean incredibly shallow, like 2 cm. I thought they would make a great compositional element for a ring shoot. "See the first photo below"