Following the excellent response we’ve received since our booth at the Marions-Nous show, we’ve met with dozens of couples who all seem to have similar questions that I thought we’d address here today. Interestingly enough, the questions are not about our photography or about us at all for that matter (we’ve been told that everything is very clear, so that’s good to hear!). Instead, I’m going to provide you with the first edition of At First Sight’s Wedding Tips 101. The following is a list of concerns and questions had by many of our clients and the suggestions we provided them with.
NOTE: We can handle anything that comes our way when it comes to taking pictures; these are simply recommendations we make based on all the weddings we’ve attended.
Q: We are having the reception in a generic hall that doesn’t really reflect our taste.
A: Invest in extra lighting. Companies like ShowDesign (http://showdesign.ca) can put up drapery and reflect lights of different colors onto it to create great ambient light. If you have a smaller budget, even placing spotlights every few feet around the room can make a big difference.
Q: We have a huge guest list. How can we make sure there are pictures of everybody?
A: Consider reserving our photobooth for 200$. Guests always absolutely love it, it creates additional entertainment for them, and it ensures that you’ll have a picture of everyone who takes the time to pass by it. While we do our best to take photos of the guests (usually during cocktail hour when guests are relaxed and enjoying themselves), taking individual pictures of every guest at large weddings takes us away from capturing the day itself so this is a good option to consider.
Q: We don’t have a clear theme and the colors we’d like to use don’t necessarily all match.
A: To give the wedding a cohesive feel, considering using your wedding colors and the colors of the ceremony or reception location in a pattern. Wedding planner Elyna Kudish of Unity Weddings (http://unity-weddings.com) did this for Pascale and JF by using a pattern for the invitations and table cards; bringing together the pinks in the bride’s bouquet, reds in the reception hall, and the blue of the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Q: What should the guys wear? Should they all match? Should the groom be different?
A: From a photography perspective, the groom need not match his groomsmen or vice versa. Personally, we like the look of tailored suits instead of the rented tuxes that don’t always fit right and come with limited options for vests and ties. For one wedding, the groomsmen all wore suits to work so for the wedding, they each wore one of their gray suits with matching, solid pink ties. The effect of the different shades of gray was quite lovely and the matching ties provided unity and differentiated them from the other guests. As for the groom, whether or not he should match his groomsmen is entirely up to you. Many couples will opt for more elaborate or simply different boutonniere for the groom which often does the trick. We love the work of Flore (http://flore.qc.ca) who also make amazing centerpieces (they made our flower arrangement at the show).
Hope this is helpful! Feel free to ask more questions and we’ll be happy to give you our advice.
