After you have booked the facility it is time to get down to the serious business of finding the right wedding photographer for your wedding celebration. This can be tricky because 1) you need to find a wedding photographer whose style agrees with your taste; 2) you need a wedding photographer whose body of work is up to your standards; and 3) you need a wedding photographer whose personality clicks with both of you.

This last trait is quite possibly the most important of the three, although you don’t want to sacrifice any of them if you can help it, in choosing a wedding photographer. Why? Because it is the wedding photographer’s job to set everyone, and you especially, at ease so that the wedding pictures you get reflect the people you love and not some sick caricature of them. And this is best achieved by using a wedding photographer that you feel at ease with. True, there is no guarantee that everyone will feel at ease with the wedding photographer that you choose which is why it is so important for you to choose one that at least you will be comfortable with.

Before we move on, however, be aware that some of the bigger photography studios have a small number of representatives for you to meet with and sell you their wedding photography packages. The problem is that once your wedding party is booked they will give the assignment to someone else, even a freelance wedding photographer that you have never met before. Protect yourself by either using an individual wedding photographer, or a wedding photography company that will guarantee the particular individual that will photograph your wedding. If you can’t get a written guarantee that the individual that you have become so comfortable with will actually be the one providing your wedding photography, keep looking.

Likewise, be sure when choosing your wedding photographer that you see several entire weddings worth of wedding photography that he (or she) personally shot. Anyone can shoot hundreds of pictures and have a few that have turned out great, especially in particularly photogenic situations like weddings tend to be. It takes a real skilled individual though to turn out an entire wedding worth of great wedding photography. Isn’t that exactly what you are hoping to get when you hire your wedding photographer?

Finally, regardless of how sharp and how much of a people person the wedding photographer is there is no way that they are going to know who your great uncle Charlie is or where to look for him if he disappears. So save your wedding photographer (and yourself) time and grief by choosing someone within your wedding party (someone with a strong personality) who knows everyone involved to be the wedding photographer’s contact person.

Remember, any given wedding photographer is only one person (or, in some cases, one team). This means that they can only be in one place at a time. Since most weddings happen on Saturdays they are most busy on Saturdays, meaning that they will often charge a higher price to do a Saturday wedding than they would a Friday or Sunday wedding. It also means that the wedding photographer may well be coming from another wedding before yours, or be heading to another wedding after yours, if you do have a Saturday wedding so your cooperation with the wedding photographer will go a long way toward getting great wedding photography.

Jeanette Shinn is the co-owner of Your Exciting Wedding Favors http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com a website dedicated to helping brides realize their wedding day dreams with tons of tips, ideas, and the latest wedding news stories from across the country, as well as offering wedding favors, and accessories to enhance the entire wedding experience. Jeanette is also the founder and edible design artist behind Layer By Layer, http://www.frostingonthecake.com, a special order bakery serving weddings and other special occasion needs of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.

In the world of business there is an old adage saying that location is everything. That may be true, but your wedding is not all about business. It’s about making a memory and celebrating the lifelong commitment of two people to one another. So unless you are one who has to go wherever people go in your area to be seen, consider these five factors as you choose your wedding location.

First a note to those who do feel a need to have their wedding celebration at the hottest wedding location in town: Plan ahead. Wedding locations like those fill up early, and I mean really early. In my corner of the country I’m told that the top wedding locations fill their prime wedding dates upwards of eighteen months ahead! And unless your family has a lot of money, you might want to start saving your pennies now. Those most prestigious wedding locations are not cheap, commanding a price that is in direct relation to their level of prestige.

For the rest of us choosing a wedding location might seem simple, and it is, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t important considerations to be weighed prior to putting deposit money on the line:

First, talk with your spouse to be.

That’s right, the first thing you need to do when choosing a wedding location is to talk to your future spouse.

“Why? He doesn’t care about that stuff! As a matter of fact he’s practiced in his disinterest, so why should I bother?”

Exactly.

“What?”

Exactly. In my experience boys have been told all of their lives that the wedding celebration is for the bride, that he doesn’t get a say. As a result guys tend to take a practiced disinterest in wedding preparations. It makes having no say in the event easier to deal with. The problem is that this is a day that you want to be able to look back on as a couple with fond memories. To do that you need to talk to him and convince him that you really do care about designing a wedding that fits both of you and that starts with the wedding location. It might take some time for you to convince him that you are serious and not just being polite, but it could go a long way toward opening up the communication lines between the two of you and that is worth it’s weight in gold even if it doesn’t end up affecting your wedding plans.

Second, consider the needs of the support people who will be doing the work that goes into creating your special day. That includes Aunt Gladys who volunteered to decorate the reception hall. Make sure you arrange to gain access to the reception hall with plenty of time for her complete her decorations without killing Uncle George in the process.

Likewise, consider the needs of the professionals who provide your photography, set up the cake, or flowers. Each business has its own realities that make it difficult, if not impossible to provide you the service that you’re paying for if the schedule that you arrange with the managers of the wedding location doesn’t allow enough time.

A good practice is to make a quick survey of wedding professionals that you are considering using about the time constraints they anticipate around your particular wedding date before you book your wedding location. Most professionals will appreciate the effort and be more likely to do what they can to accommodate your constraints when you get to their stage in your wedding planning.

Thirdly, consider the type of wedding location that best reflects the wedding celebration you and your spouse want. For people who are active members of a local community of faith this might be as simple as a trip down to your place of worship. For outdoor enthusiasts, a park or ranch might be a more appropriate wedding location. For those that want to celebrate into the wee hours of the morning, a hotel ballroom might be appropriate for the reception, if not for the wedding location itself.

For more wedding location options try contacting your local tourism board. They can provide you with a list of wedding locations and reception facilities in your area. Likewise an internet search might provide some ideas for wedding locations that you hadn’t thought of or weren’t aware of, as would a local wedding coordinator.

Fourth, consider the calendar when booking the wedding location. This sounds obvious, but it has deeper implications than merely finding a date that works for everyone in the party. The calendar dictates what kind of flowers will grace your wedding celebration (unless you are rich enough to import flowers from the other side of the globe), but it can also save you or cost you a lot of money. If you plan a wedding in a church or other public building during the Christmas season, for example, you might not have to worry about decorating. Just remember that this can backfire on you too because you won’t be in control of the decorations.

Obviously, there are times of the year when weddings are common and during those times you can expect to pay a premium for all of the services. This includes everything from the wedding location itself to the flowers, cake, food, and photography. But more than that, did you know that you can save a significant amount of money by scheduling your wedding on a Friday or a Sunday? You can, and the reason is simply because those are not the times that people traditionally demand so it is entirely possible that you will be able to get a better price on everything if you schedule your wedding celebration on a day and time other than Saturday afternoon.

Another aspect of the calendar to consider is major events in your town. If you book your wedding on the same weekend that the national square dancing association is having their convention in your city (or rodeo weekend, or, or…) you might find it difficult, if not impossible to get hotel rooms for any guests traveling in from out of town.

Finally, consider the restrictions that each wedding location places on your wedding celebration either intentionally or by default. A park, for example, could be a great wedding location but it might not provide enough power to allow a band or DJ to set up. Churches, likewise, might have restrictions on what kind of music you can play (to be fair, we have to recognize that many businesses are placing restrictions on the playing of religious music as well), your dress, or whether or not you can have a dance as a part of the celebration. Furthermore, many hotels require that you use their staff and catering services as a part of the agreement (this is convenient but you can often do better both in quality and price by going with an outside vendor).

Bottom line; consider the details of whatever wedding location you settle on. It is most likely that it will shape the rest of your day in some way. Be sure that the effect it has on your wedding celebration fits with the wedding memories that you are trying to build.

Jeanette Shinn is the co-owner of Your Exciting Wedding Favors http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com a website dedicated to helping brides realize their wedding day dreams with tons of tips, ideas, and the latest wedding news stories from across the country, as well as offering wedding favors, and accessories to enhance the entire wedding experience. Jeanette is also the founder and edible design artist behind Layer By Layer, http://www.frostingonthecake.com, a special order bakery serving weddings and other special occasion needs of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.

Some Tips When Buying Wedding Cakes

When you want to knock their socks off; when you want them to stand up and cheer; when nothing but the best will do because it is your wedding day; that is when you serve a spectacular wedding cake.

Do not let the vision of confetti, the crash of cymbals, or the fanfare of trumpets deter you from attempting to come up with such remarkable wedding cakes.

Generally, wedding cakes are is the conventional cake being dished up to the guests at the breakfast after the wedding. It is characterized as a huge cake, different from the usual cakes we have on ordinary occasions. In most cases, wedding cakes are layered or multi-layered and are heftily decorated with icing, beads, and other embellishments that would reflect the grandiose of the event. On the top is a small image of a bride and groom.

Wedding cakes can go from the simplest to the most complex decorations; each has its own artistic distinctions depending on the creative juices of the baker. They should conform to the main purpose of the cake, that whatever embellishments it possess, it can still be edible and can be eaten.

Because the wedding cake is such an important part in the wedding celebration, here are some tips you need to know in case you will be buying a wedding cake in the future.

1. Check on the length of time required for you in ordering your wedding cake.

Time is such an important factor when making wedding plans. Of course, you would not want your wedding be hurriedly done or rushed. Because the wedding cake is a part of the wedding plan, it is important to devote an appropriate time in ordering wedding cakes.

It is best to ask your favorite bakeshop on the time frame that they usually give with regards to wedding cake so that you can make early orders if it will take such a long time to create your wedding cake. In this way, you will not be in a hurry coming up with a wedding cake to be served on your wedding day.

2. Verify the details of the cake and its cost.

A lot of couples are so fascinated with the luscious treats that go with their wedding cake. What they do not know is that each embellishment and every twists and turns embedded in the cake has a price.

Therefore, it would be better to clear it out with your baker how much will be the cost of every decoration are added features you wish to add on your wedding cake.

3. Tell your baker about the details of your wedding.

In today’s modern world, weddings are not just done in the church. A lot of ideas had come up in terms of wedding venues. Therefore, if ever you have any plans of having your wedding by the beach or anywhere else where it is open, it would be better to inform your baker about this.

In most cases, icings are vulnerable to environmental hazards. So, if the baker knows that your wedding will be a garden wedding or a wedding by the beach, he could make such arrangements with your cake in order to endure the environmental conditions where it will be placed.

4. In a budget? Why not decorate your own wedding cake.

It is not so uncommon nowadays to find somebody decorating his or her own wedding cake. In fact, it is a feasible idea especially to those who have a very tight budget.

All you have to do is to order a plain wedding cake and buy the decorations from the retail stores.

5. Choose the right bakeshop

If you have an idea on where the best bakery is in your city, then head to that place immediately. You can ask suggestions from your friends or family members also. Get a reservation at once. Do not procrastinate. The availability of cake decorators might be restricted. Be sure to drop by the bakeshop to talk about the designs, flavors and other things you wanted to add to your cake. Be sure to give a detailed description of exactly what you want your cake to be. Give the vendor ample time to prepare, approximately six months ahead of your big day would do. You may need to pay a deposit fee for reservation.

6. The right taste

Aside from the look of the cake, keep in mind that cakes are made primarily for eating. They should taste good as well as they look good. The texture and flavor of the cake itself is important. When scouting for a bakeshop, don’t hesitate to ask for cake samples of the flavors you want. If they do not allow this, jump to the next store.

7. Check on your budget

Wedding cakes ranges from $300 to $1000 or so. Cost primarily depends on the cake design you want. You have to pay for the cake decorator’s fee on top of the cost of the cake itself. Know what your budget is ahead of time. Some shops may give you free delivery too. Most bakeshop has a standard number of servings for each cake type. Know how many guests would attend your wedding so you would know more or less how much money you would allocate for the cake.

8. Flowers as decorations

Flowers have been a traditional thing on weddings. You can well put them in cakes too. You can either choose from fresh flowers or artificial ones. Fresh flowers are beautiful addition to your cakes. But it is very important that you choose fresh flowers wisely. Be sure that they are free from chemicals. Just to be on the safe side, sugar flowers are safer. These are edible gum paste decorations that have wire or toothpicks on them.

9. Where to place the cake

Most cakes, especially on summer, might end up melted under the heat of the sun. They can also cause flowers and flavored curls to dry up. Not to mention the possibility of flies gathering on your priced cake. Just be sure, always have a back up site where you can store your cakes to preserve its look and taste. Never place your wedding cake near the dance floor or where there is a heavy flow of traffic. You might just see your cake fall down. That’s not a good sight at all! Be sure to check the sturdiness of the table you would place your cake.

Buying wedding cakes can be fun and hassle-free. Remember that your wedding cakes needs to be presentable, most of the photo opts are done beside the cake. It’s always nice to give out that bright smile beside you’re well decorated cake that brings out your personal statement.

So, set aside some special decisive moment when it comes to your wedding cake because there would be no better way to glamorize your wedding than to have a perfectly made wedding cake.

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