Be Our Guest

Everyone knows that wedding marketing and advertising drills into every bride-to-be that this is "your special day" and it should be "all about you." I do agree that your wedding day is monumental milestone in your life and that it really is about you and the person you are going to get old and grey with.

However. . .

Consider this: what would your life (and your wedded future) be like without the support and presence of your loved ones? And since these same loved ones are most likely going to be the honored guests at your wedding celebration, you should treat them like the royalty that they are for the few hours that you are hosting them. Make sure your nuptials don't fall on the list of painful wedding experiences by avoiding the following guest gaffes:
1) Make sure the time between the ceremony and reception is short and sweet. Yes, we know you must get the gorge shots of you and your honey on the Canal, but long pauses between the ceremony and reception are generally a bummer. If you cannot book the ballroom immediately following the ceremony, arrange for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at a nearby space.

2) Don't make the guests pay for their own spirits. This means no cash bar! A cash bar is never an acceptable penny-pinching strategy. Would you ever ask guests to pay for a cocktail in your own home? Your wedding should be the same.

3) Mind your bridal party and don’t create a painful experience for your attendants’ dates. If most of the bridal party have significant others, forgo the head table unless you plan to seat the dates together. In addition, speed up the marathon post-ceremony photo shoots so the dates don't have to spend so much time alone at the reception.

4) Make sure the guests can get from Point A to Point B if the ceremony and reception locations are far apart or if they are far from the hotel accommodations. You should provide guest transportation. Besides the obvious safety concerns of drinking and driving, your guests should remember what an awesome time they had at your wedding – not how they got lost trying to get there.

Unfortunately for me, I have experienced ALL of these things as a wedding guest. Have you? Or do you have any other guest gripes that I didn't include? Please post a comment and share it with us!
Photo Credit: InStyle Weddings

Point, Click, Shoot.

I just read this article in the New York Sun and I think it's pretty interesting:

Bill Would Tie Down Runaway Photographers
For the full article, click HERE.
In brief, the city of New York is proposing a bill that would force photographers to pay fines and damages to clients if they don't deliver the promised goods. City Council will vote on this legislation that will cause wedding photographers AND bridal shops to have to register with the city and post a $5000 bond with the Department of Consumer Affairs. The bond would allow spurned clients to claim damages and the fines would range from $1000-$5000. This proposed legislation all stemmed from a Staten Island case in which an unscrupulous photographer ran away with a young couple's money and never delivered their engagement photos.

I am all for protection of the consumer (and definitely my brides!) because I know it's a horrible feeling to get burned by an unethical vendor--especially for one of the most important events you'll ever have. That being said, there are unethical vendors in all industries and in all categories of the incredible wedding machine, unfortunately. Is it fair to target just one sector?

What do you think about this proposed legislation? We'd love to hear your comments!
Photo Credit: Paul Fortino

Thanks, On 3 Photography!

What did I do for lunch today?? I went and took some head shots with Anthony of On 3 Photography. He had his equipment set up for another client, so he offered to shoot me, gratis.
So, I mosied myself on over to his office in-between meetings and. . .ta-da!


I feel like I'm back in grammar school on picture day. . .except my outfit wasn't so meticulously planned out. Aside from the errant strand of hair (which was my fault), he made my skin look absolutely radiant! Kudos to Anthony and I'm sure to feature him on this blog as a Velvet Vendor. It's important that you "click" with your photographer personality-wise, as he or she will be with you ALL day. Anthony will surely have you cracking up ALL day!

One of my BFFs in life and in the business was also there at this shoot and it just so happens I took some pics with her over the weekend. I can't wait to see the finished results and I'll be sure to post them, and blog and rave about her, as soon as I get them.