Having a wedding on a holiday

Not sure how many people do it but we did. Would you consider having your wedding n a holiday especially if it isn’t on a weekend. As most services are much less booked on weekdays you can likely get a lot more choice and often a better deal on everything if you have your wedding on a non traditional day. For us it made sense. Many of our friends and family were coming from across the country or oversees. They were already coming for the week and with  many flights and schedules it was easier to travel Saturday to Saturday so a mid week wedding actually made it easier. For local people they had the weekend to do what they wanted and we were at the end of a long weekend so it was a nice way to finish the long weekend and some people took the week off anyway. As we picked a holiday that falls on a specific day every year now we are always guaranteed to have the time together on our anniversary even when it falls on a Wednesday. From a practical perspective our venue and suppliers were all free and for many of them we were able to work out a deal.

All in all it turned out great for us and would definitely be something to consider. Maybe it will work for you.

Outside Spring Wedding & Engagement Photography

As the weather is getting a little nicer and the snow is melting it is a great time to do outside engagement pictures. There are some great venues in Milton and Oakville to take outside engagement pictures. The parks and conservation areas create a wonderful backdrop for your engagement photography session. Over the years we have done a host of engagement & family sessions near the rivers, ponds, abandoned railway tracks, numerous bridges, conservation areas, barns and old houses. In the spring light with the trees and flowers starting to bloom the photography always look amazing.

If you are looking for some engagement photography ideas here are a few of the spots we visit often:

• Lowville
• Mill Pond
• Mounstberg
• Kelso
• Oakville Harbour
• Bronte Harbour
• Erchless Estate
• Gairloch Gardens

Marriage advice for the bride and groom.

I love many of the sayings and words of advice from this marriage page but these three really hold true.

Three Simple Ways to Strengthen your Marriage*:
1. Communicate openly, honestly, lovingly & often.
2. Keep creating new hopes, goals & dreams together.
3. Be quick to give & seek forgiveness from each other.

I am very thankful that we are not only spouses but also best friends. There is no one I would rather spend the day with or share a walk, special moment or just a night in front of the TV watching a movie.

Wedding Photography Tips For The Bride

With whoever you hire for your wedding photography there are some universal hints that will ensure that you get what you want from you pictures and get the most from your wedding photographer.

1. Communicate the must have shots to your photographer. Spend the time before you even pick your wedding photographer to find the style you like and ensure that the person you pick matches that style. Spend time on pinterest, facebook and other photo sites to discover other posses and neat ideas that you might like. Discuss these early with your photographer.

2. Find an advocate. It is hard for your photographer to know everyone in your wedding party. It would be helpful prior to your special day to have someone who knows a lot of the party to help co-ordinate. This makes sure that the photo session goes as smooth and quick as possible. This person should have a wedding photography shot list with the people required so that they can get people ready prior to each shot. Also try to group the shots by the required people. Get any kids or older family members out of the way first so that they can head to the reception. This is even more critical if your wedding day may be a hot summers day.

3. Make sure you set enough time aside for pictures. No one wants to be rushed. If it is warm you may need to step back into the limo to cool off and have a drink during your wedding photography. It can take 15-20 min to setup and take a proper portrait and to make sure you get everything you want to remember you don’t want to be rushing. If you are concerned about time (and not worried about superstitions) you can always have some of the pictures taken prior to the ceremony. It is a little unconventional but does allow for a more relaxed atmosphere.

Wedding Advice from Divorced vs Long Time Married

We often look for advice and information that we can share with our visitors. We stumbled on wedding advice/survey from people who had been through a divorce. The article said that this is the best place to get advice on how to stay married. The rationale being that people who had divorced had spent the time to look at what went wrong, reflect on regrets and had a unique perspective. I respect their perspective but generally I would want to emulate people who are successful in the endeavor that I am trying to also accomplish. As I was reading the article I am curious how different the advice would be from people who have had long marriages versus the opinions of people who have had a divorce.

The summary of items listed by the divorced advice article.

• Boost your spouse’s mood
• Talk more about money
• Get over the past
• Don’t blame
• Reveal more about yourself

So what does the oldest married couple* ever say?

Respect, support & communicate with each other.Be faithful, honest & true. Love each other with ALL of your heart.

* Meet Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of North Carolina. They have been married 85 years (86 in May) and hold the Guinness World Record for the longest marriage of a living couple and get this…. Zelmyra is 101 years old and Herbert is 104.

Wedding Advice Similarities:

Really both perspective offer similar advice an it really makes sense. Support and improve your spouse by being supportive and encouraging. Communicate about everything and ensure importing items are covered. Communication is two ways, don’t expect your spouse to know how you feel if you don’t tell them and make sure you listen to what they are telling you (verbal and actions). Money leads to many relationship troubles so both spouses need to be on the same page. As with any disagreement (marriage, work, friendship) don’t play the blame game. No one ever “wins” this way. You both win if you work it out together.

Most importantly love each other and let your spouse know it. Tell them and show it not just on valentines, birthdays and anniversaries but on a regular basis for no reason. Remind them why you fell in love with them just because you did and still do.

Wedding Proposal Day

I bet you didn’t know (or maybe you did) that today is National Wedding Proposal Day. Having said that December is the most popular month for proposals. In fact proposals in general are much more likely in the winter months starting around Thanks giving according to a survey by the Knot. “Christmas is considered one of four big proposal days, along with Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Thirty-nine percent of proposals occurred between November and February among 20,000 newlyweds surveyed by the popular wedding website TheKnot.com. Of those, 16 percent got engaged in December, more than any other month, according to TheKnot editor Anja Winikka.” Given this we have been looking for advice on wedding Proposals and popping the question. The Huffington post had an article today from experts on that very topic that we wanted to share highlights from:

1. Make sure the proposal is personalized
2. Unless she’s indicated she wants you to propose on a certain day, avoid popping the question at expected times like holidays and during vacations
3. Think about everything that could go wrong with your proposal and plan accordingly
4. “Make it memorable” is “kind of ‘duh,’” but it’s important
5. When it’s time to propose, everything you planned to say often comes rushing out, so it’s crucial you give yourself a moment to pause and take it all in
6. Listen to the signals your partner is already giving you about how she’d like you to pop the question
7. Cautioned men against “bamboozling” their girlfriends instead of simply surprising them
8. You want to be able to remember your proposal, so don’t forget to ask a wedding photographer to snap some photos

Harbour wedding photography

While we are on vacation in South Carolina we have been exploring an area on one end of the island called Sea Pines. It is a beautiful part of the island and has many distinct areas to walk through. Once of the most famous parts is the lighthouse and marina at Harbour Town. If you are a fan of golf you may recognize this famous lighthouse. The PGA event on Hilton Head (RBC Heritage) often shows the lighthouse in many of its images. 

Living where we do in southern Ontario we are blessed to be near the lake. Capturing these images reminds me of my wedding. Our wedding was at the Oakville yacht club overlooking the marina and harbour. The setting was magnificent as we were married on a wonderful summer day.  We shouldn’t forget that there are so many great places to use for wedding photography along the lake from Mississauga to Oakville to Burlington and Niagara.

Places at the lake in Oakville for Wedding Photography:

• Gairloch Gardens
  
• Oakville Harbour
• Bronte Harbour
• Erchless Estate

Some Mississauga wedding photography locations

• Adamson Estate
  
• Benares Historic House
• Bradley Museum
• Leslie Log House
• Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens
• Riverwood
• Richard’s Memorial Park

Don’t forget that in many areas (Oakville and Mississauga included) you do need to apply and pay for permits to use them for wedding photography.

• Oakville photography link
• Mississauga photography link

Destination Weddings

It is great to be away. We are lucky enough this week to be done on Hilton Head Island with our kids. As we walk along the beach during the day and watch the beautiful sunsets in the evenings I am reminded at how beautiful the scenery is and the wonderful backgrounds available for a destination wedding. It is tempting to go away and celebrate this wonderful occasion  on a beach or other romantic spot. The wedding pictures are spectacular when framed by an ocean, beach or other natural beauty. Having a wedding set  within that natural beauty of the rocky mountains, the ocean, the beaches or even man made wonders in far off lands is a dream come true.

The Beach

There are many practical advantages as well. Often the destination if you are in a resort will take care of many of the arrangements. This can reduce a lot of stress and headaches of the wedding planning. Depending on where you are going and where you live you should check to see if anything is needed to make your wedding official in the governments eyes.

There are also other things to consider. You will likely have a smaller guest list. Not everyone can afford, is that OK for you and your soon to be spouse? What if someone you really wish could be there can’t afford the time off or the cost? Will you pay for your wedding parties expenses?

From a wedding photographers perspective will you use someone local or bring someone you know? It is an opportunity to have a very memorable and distinct wedding and you want to make sure those moments are captured well. If you are using someone local for wedding photography really do your homework. Check them out on line. If possible get references from out of country. Does the hotel or resort have a recommendation?

If you are planning a destination wedding enjoy it. I am sure it will be spectacular.

Best or worst wedding advice

During the run up to your wedding and in the “honeymoon” years your will get lots of advice about how to have a successful marriage. Some of it will be good. Some not as relevant. We have been following a facebook page and site called “marriage” that has daily (or more frequent tips) on marriage. It is somewhat religious but not every update is religious based.  With that there are lots of great simple tips and updates that bring being married into context.

Some of the more recent updates that we like are:

• “Being in love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Whoever said that is probably divorced! The truth is that husbands and wives must be quick to forgive and humbly seek forgiveness from each other. “I love you,” “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you” should be said often.
  
• Love your spouse even when they’re being unlovable. When you promised “For better or for worse,” you promised to love them when they were at their best, but also when they are at their worst. Your love has the power to bring out the best in them and the best in yourself.
• If you focus on trying to change your spouse’s flaws, then both of you will be frustrated, but if you focus your energy on trying to change your own flaws, both of you will benefit.

With the stress of planning a wedding these thoughts are words to live by. As you go through heated moments think of the big picture … this is about starting a lifetime together.

Unplugging your wedding?

In this day an age we live in an always connected world. We have phones, tablets, camera’s and all sorts of devices at every moment in our lives. Our kids will live in an world where images and connectivity are always present. So as you are planning your wedding have you considered asking your guests to disconnect before starting the day. No phones etc… during the ceremony or the reception (in between they can do as they like)?

We spend a lot of time seeing the world through our screens. It is kind of like watching live but on TV. Will your guests be much more encompassed by the moment if they truly participate and not just view your special day? It also reduces some issues and complications. Many weddings become more difficult for your wedding photographer and videographer when they have to compete with Aunt May to get that special picture. You have paid professionals to document the day and the last thing you want is to have an elbow from your high school friend get in the way.

It also reduces those “embarrassing” pictures of you taking a bite of dinner or that weird look when you were turning as the first memories that make it on Facebook for your family oversees. With digital images it is easy to share pictures of your special day afterwards with everyone so they can all keep those memories. If you do want some impromptu pictures there are services or apps that allow you to see the images captured for you instead of using personal phones. These can also be “released” at a certain time.

It isn’t for everyone but it might be something nice to consider … Is this one day a day to not view those special moments from an iphone screen.