Go Lakers!!!!

Awww, yeeeahh! Our Lakers are the NBA champs! Just basking in the afterglow of victory!!! As you might know, our wedding colors are Lakers-inspired - purple and gold. But I thought the actual Laker shades were, well, not exactly what I had in mind for wedding colors, so we decided to go with a plum purple and a more subtle gold than yellow. But when I saw photos of this wedding at the Turnip Rose in Orange County, CA, I thought...wow, these colors might actually work! BTW, loving her shoes!!!!

Photo by Hoffman Photography

Nice! Our engagement portrait print

Thanks to a win in a recent giveaway, the FH and I received a free 18X24 poster print from Uprinting. We decided to use the print for an enlarged portrait to display at our reception. The process was relatively easy. Just upload your design and voila! You have your own print ready to go! Thanks to our graphic designer friend, she put together a simple but very nice layout for our photo.

Word to the wise, whenever you do a print job, always opt for a copy of the proof, whether it's electronic or hard. And then really check it. Go through it with a fine tooth comb! The last thing you want to see is a glaring mistake after you get the final copy in your hands! Luckily, Uprinting offers many chances for you to view a proof before you send the job to the press. Their pre-press team even sends you an evaluation of the initial proof to check for resolution and other image quality concerns! Great, because there were a bunch of things I missed after I sent in my first file!

After just three days, here's what waited for me on my doorstep:

We're going to frame it and place it on an easel for display at our reception. I'm really pleased with how the print turned out! Not bad for a free print!

"Faux-to" Booth

So you don't have the budget to rent a $1000+ photobooth. And, yes, I've been secretly wanting one, but darn it...why do they have to be so expensive? Well, if you have a Mac computer, a do-it-yourself photo booth can be yours! I saw this video on Youtube, and I thought...this is definitely doable!

Think of it as more of a photo station rather than a booth, but your guests will still have a blast! Hook a photo-printer to the Mac and your guests can print their own keepsake of your wedding day! Read more about this "faux-to" booth here!

Vendor Spotlight and GIVEAWAY: Bliss Imagery

OK, as promised here's our latest giveaway! I have been really excited about our next vendor spotlight and giveaway because 1) he's our very own wedding photographer and a very talented one I might add, 2) you have a chance to win a very awesome prize and 3) this giveaway is a little different than what we've done before! First, let me introduce the subject of our next Vendor Spotlight -- Don Le, part of a two-man team that make up the wedding photgraphy studio Bliss Imagery. He and his partner Nate Fu offer highly stylized photography and videography from a truly photojournalistic perspective. As you might know from an earlier post, Bliss Imagery will be shooting our own wedding in August and we are really honored and lucky to have them for our wedding! Looking at their work, you can see why. Not your usual run-of-the-mill wedding photography, Bliss Imagery offers great angles, truly genuine moments, rich color and texture and amazing perspective. Seriously, major swooning!

What I also loved about Bliss Imagery is that they were willing to customize a package that fit what we wanted while staying within our budget. With an attentive ear and a truly creative eye, I bring you Don from Bliss Imagery!

How did you get involved in photography?
It all started out in high school when I just felt the urge to satisfy something inside of me creatively... especially the visual core of myself. I've always wanted to be a director because I love films, tv, music, cartoons, videogames, and just the medium of visual entertainment as a whole. It always seemed like photography was one extension of that world that I could enter into and continue to evolve and express myself. Expression was the most significant part to me when it came down to photography. Once you get the technicals of it all down pat, the process is that much simpler to express yourself in ways you never thought imaginable.

What made you get into wedding photography?
I love the single fact that I get the chance to experience one of the major milestones, probably THE milestone, in these couple's lives. I'm actually a romance junkie; one of my favorite movies is "The Notebook". If you throw something schmaltzy in front of me, book, movie, music... I'll probably
bawl my big softie eyes out.
I actually never thought that I would ever get into wedding photography, but I was given the chance to photograph a friend's wedding two years ago on a whim. They just asked me do some quick photography and they loved it dearly. After that experience, I had such a great time that I slowly thrust myself headfirst into the art and fell in love. I'm still in love with wedding photography more than ever and am learning about the greatest nuances of it everyday. In time, I just hope to continue to grow the wedding studio with my partner, Nate Fu, into one of the premier outfits in the OC/LA area.

What is your photography style? What would you say makes it unique?
I have a mixture of styles both photojournalistic and traditional. I'm very photojournalistic in the sense that I can blend into the shadows and everybody who sees my pictures afterwards would be surprised, not having remembered me there in the first place. At the same time, I'm traditional because I'm able to work with clients and help pose them. I can work with big groups or one-on-one to make subjects feel comfortable.
My background flows from a love for film, TV, and overall pop culture, as well as producing background in music videos, commercials, short films, etc. All of that contributes to a very cinematic style in my photography and videography. I like to think outside of the box and create products or items that people haven't ever seen before. And if they have seen it before, I want to turn it upside down, shake it, and make it anew.

What would you say would be the most interesting wedding you ever shot? What was it that made it so awesome?
The most interesting wedding I ever shot had to be a yacht wedding with a couple by the name of Peggy and Alee. They are the owners of a couple of Paul Mitchell schools, so naturally, they had the co-creator of Paul Mitchell and Patron, Jean Paul DeJoria, as an MC of the festivities. The whole affair was very much like a lazy Sunday. Everybody was maxing and relaxing (approx. 80 guests), and the Patron was flowing on the boat all night. The couple was very chill, and we just all had a good time. To me, it was not only picture perfect, it was immaculate in the spirit of love.

As a wedding photographer, what are the components you look for that make a great wedding shoot?
I always make sure that I bring my "A" game to every wedding shoot, so everytime I come into a wedding shoot, I intend to create memories that not only I would enjoy, but that the couple could look back on in 40 years and it would remind them of their magical day. As a photographer, I try to make sure that every picture is timeless. It's not about shooting 1000 pictures in the span of an hour. You could hire a monkey to do that. It's more along the lines of figuring out how to compose the shot in a style that moves you. If it compells, shoot it. That's my motto. At the end of the wedding shoot, if I'm still energized by the whole day's worth of photos and am able to look at the pictures afterwards on my computer with a jug of tea, then I'll know that I had a great wedding shoot. I have to be amped up before and after the wedding!

What advice would you give to couples out there as they pick their photographer?
Couples need to look out for three specific components when choosing their photographer: chemistry, innovation, and style.
Chemistry because the couple should be able to click with their photographer. If the couple isn't comfortable being around their photographer, it will reflect in the pictures. That one is key.
Innovation is important because it's important that your photographer constantly strive to improve themselves, their craft, and their vision on things. A wedding photographer who's been doing it for years upon years becomes complacent, almost lazy in their vision of weddings. For every photographer, a wedding with a new couple should always bring a new energy and unique vantage point. If the photographer's portraits start looking like other photographers you've scouted, walk away because your photos are going to look exactly like their other clients' pictures.
Lots of photographers tend to copy each other's styles. You deserve a fresh, raw outlook on your wedding;
not the cookie cutter treatment.
Lastly, style is something that you should able to spot from the very get go. It's just that visually tangible something that makes their work stand out to the point where your jaw just drops and you're unable to describe how you feel about the work as a whole. You have to be able to appreciate their style, color scheme, framing, otherwise, there's a sea of photographers out there waiting to cater to your hopes, memories, and wedding dreams!

Now, onto our GIVEAWAY!
Bliss Imagery is giving one lucky couple a free engagement session! Wow your guests with great photos for your Save the Dates, invitations or photos at your reception. Also, these would be precious images to keep for years to come!

 

 * All photos by Bliss Imagery

ELIGIBILITY
This contest is open to US and International residents. If the winner lives outside of the Los Angeles/Orange County area, winner must pay travel and/or lodging expenses for the photographer. Contestants must not have already booked a photographer for their wedding. Session can not be scheduled on a day Don is already booked. Session must be scheduled no later than Janurary 2011.

CONTEST RULES
OK, I said this is going to be different!

1) To enter, follow me on Google Friend Connect. Then grab a camera or anything with a video recording device and tell us why you and your fiance would make a great engagement shoot. You can tell us anything you want -- how you and your fiance met, how you got engaged, your favorite hobbies, your favorite places...anything! The most creative, interesting or compelling video (really, the video with major "awwwwww" factor) wins!

2) If you don't already have one, set up a Youtube account. Upload your video to your Youtube channel.

3) Come back to this post and comment with a link to your youtube video. You must comment back on this page with a link to your video or your entry will not count!

4) I will favorite the video and you can view all the videos entered into the contest in the My Favorites section of my channel

5) You must complete steps 1-4 or your entry will not count!

This contest will close 11:59 PM, Thursday, June 24, 2010.

Remember, have fun with it! You and your fiance are the directors and stars! Good luck!!!

* I received no monetary compensation or product for this review or giveaway. The views expressed in this feature are truly my own observations.

Up and away!

Source

For those who've seen the film Up!, this one's for you! And if you haven't, rent it now! Worth it for the tear-jerking beginning scenes!

Our Snapfish photo guest book!

One item crossed off my To-Do list, our photo guestbook is finished! I had been searching for a cost-efficient yet classy way to keep all of our guests' well wishes together. While I had hoped to for a custom guestbook frame, the nicer ones were well out of our budget (sometimes those 60% off custom frame coupons at Michaels aren't much of a deal!) So I decided we would go with a photo guestbook -- a perfect way to spotlight our engagement photos. I ordered ours through Snapfish.com and we saved ourselves 30% off the original price!

It's a white, leather cover 8 1/2 X 11 book with 10 pages of photos and 10 blank pages for our guests' notes. Putting the book together online was a cinch!

 

But I'm not here just to show off our guestbook, I just wanted to let you know that you can save 25% off your Snapfish photobook order when you order online. Just type in the coupon code:"WEBBOOK25" (Thank you Retailmenot! ) Not only that, but you can save an extra 7.5% off by shopping through http://www.ebates.com/. For a book that could have cost me nearly $40, it comes out (with the Ebates savings) to about $26, including tax and shipping. Sweet! I can't wait until the book arrives!

Vendor Spotlight: Richelle Dante

I’m very excited to share with you my first Q&A feature on this blog. I started this blog merely as a personal journal for my own amusement, but as I discover talented people throughout the wedding blogosphere, I decided, shoot, why not give them their props? My first feature comes from the very talented Orange County photographer Richelle Dante. You might recognize her name and work from the ultra fab Broke Ass Bride. Richelle offers some great advice for couples out there from a photographer’s viewpoint. Her price range is $2000-$4500, although she does offer the opportunity to tailor her packages to work within a couple’s budget.

Without further delay, meet Richelle!

How did you get involved in photography?

I've always had a love for photography and when my church offered a photography class, I jumped at the opportunity. It was taught by Dane Sanders, Jessica Claire and Mike Colon. At the time I had no idea they were some of the top photographers in the wedding industry but I did know I wanted my photos to have the same quality. I am based in Orange County but travel to LA and San Diego for many weddings and shoots.

When did you start shooting weddings?

Last year was my first wedding season and I absolutely loved every minute of it!

What is your photography style?

I love to feel like I am a fly on the wall capturing real moments. I would say my style is definitely more of a photo journalistic style.

What would you say would be the most interesting wedding you ever shot? What was it that made it so good?

My first wedding was a very cool wedding. They were on a tight budget but the wedding was so them. They had a friend with a home in the Hollywood hills that offered their beautiful backyard. Since they met in elementary school they had kind of a shabby chic school theme to the day. They were the sweetest couple and so in love that my second shooter at the end of the night said, "they make me believe in true love." Besides riding a tandem bike during their formal shots, my favorite moment was when the wedding party jumped in the pool. The bride jumped in with her dress on... it was awesome!

As a wedding photographer, what are the components you look for that make a great wedding shoot?

The biggest technical component is light! The best light is right before sunset. That is when you can get the beautiful back lit shots! Other than that, I think having a relaxed bride and a fun wedding party make the event much more fun!

What advice would you give to couples out there as they pick their photographer?

Definitely meet with your photographer in person or at least talk on the phone. I think the most important thing is that you’re comfortable with your photographer. They will be there pretty much every moment of your day so if you can't be yourself around them, you will have a bunch of awkward photos. Trust is also important. The last thing you would want to worry about on your wedding day is if the photographer is getting the shot. If you really click with someone but their prices don't quite fit in your budget, you might want to consider shifting things around. Remember that the photos last forever and you want to be able to enjoy them!

All images by Richelle Dante

Our E-shoot

Who doesn't love e-shoots, those precious moments of ultimate PDA? I enjoy admiring over them, but the thought of actually having to go through one? Uh, not so much. Why? It's kind of weird to get all close and snuggly to my guy with someone's huge lenses poking in on our makeout session. I just couldn't see myself feeling natural with the whole thing.

But we didn't think we would have an e-shoot, because we thought it was an added expense we couldn't afford. Besides, an e-shoot fell in our nice-to-have-but-not-all-that-important category. So a friend of ours borrowed a camera and we headed down to San Clemente where the fiance proposed. We had a blast playing around at the beach and hanging out. My fiance and I wore Samoan beaded necklaces--the same necklaces his parents wore on their wedding day. I also wore a flower on the left--a Polynesian tradition to signify me being "taken"-- and an old white sun dress I've had for a couple years.

So, in the end, it wasn't a stiff photo shoot, but a chance to just have fun at the beach with friends...and get some neat pics out of it, too. They weren't professional photos, but I think they came out nicely. Not only were the photos free, but my friend--an amazing graphic designer--offered to retouch them and give us all the photos. So we can use them for whatever we wanted, like the Save the Dates (which she also designed), a photo guestbook and our Web site. We'll print a few photos and display them at our reception, as well.

If you really want a professional photographer capturing your prenuptial love session, then go for it! But, if you're strapped for cash, and would rather save the professional services for the wedding day, then ask a friend with a good camera and a good eye to be your e-shoot extraordinaire!

Eye Candy: Le Love

*Sigh*

From Le Love

Real Wedding: Flights of Fancy

*Sigh* Oh, how I try not to be so envious. But it's hard after seeing weddings like this -- Brian and Ngoc in Nebraska. It's a wedding that seems to have it all -- style, class, creativity, gorgeous details, incorporation of culture and, well, love. The bride's not wearing all white, but she's looking too cute with that baby blue bolero! Who needs conventionality when you're looking this hot?

Ngoc's whole ensemble is beautiful, but daaayum, those Badgley Mischka shoes and her baby blue bolero...perfect!

I love the "Bird/Asian" theme goes seemlessly together with the soft blue and green color schene. Perfect! The lanterns and the origami paper cranes are a very nice touch.

All photos by Ling Photography

Wedding photo of the Day

This was one of those photos where I literally stopped, stared and thought, "how fricken clever!" As a wannabe photographer without any real training or equipment to speak of, I was jealous I never thought of that angle/shot/idea before. But I would put the page to Song of Songs -- I think the most romantic and sensual (yes, sensual) book in the Bible. Beautiful!

From Burns Wedding Photography

Say yes to videography

OK, we give in! We want videography. Or at least some sort of video at our wedding. But let me assure you, photography is our main concern. We would gladly skip video for photos we're proud of. So, why reconsider video when we're on a tight budget? Well...our photographers do videography as well, and while a full 40-minute video of the wedding day might still be out of our budget, they offered to shoot key highlights for free! Well, we do have to pay a $250 editing fee. Still, the entire photography/videography package keeps us within our under-$1000-photography budget. The video will look something like this, but a little longer:


Video from Bliss Imagery

After watching this clip, I feel like I was actually there! In the end, we figured, it is our wedding day. A video isn't something we'll watch every day, and sure, it'll likely collect dust in our collection, but it's one other way to preserve and relive memories. Unlike photography, video captures the movement of those memories. Maybe, once in awhile, we will watch the video, and we'll remember what it was like as I walked down the aisle with my father, or our first kiss as husband and wife, or how much fun everyone had. In the future, any ways you preserved those moments and memories will be things you were glad you did.

A Yacht Wedding in Orange County

Just wanted to share a wedding shot by our photographers at Bliss Imagery. I love the soft, almost dreamlike quality of the photos. Peggy and Alee chose shades of pink as their colors and I think the photos brought out those colors very well. Gorgeous! I'm very excited to have the guys at Bliss Imagery shoot our wedding!

All photos by Bliss Imagery

Photographer booked!

I'm happy to report that we have booked our photographer! Our budget for a photographer is quite paltry and we knew they would have to be under $1000. We interviewed and researched dozens of photographers, but they were either too expensive or just not the right style we were looking for.

I love photography and the things that stand out to me are color, lighting, composition, texture and angles. I want someone with a true concept of photojournalism and art. Every photographer we came across claimed they did photojournalism work, but as someone with a journalism background, I know what photojournalism looks like. Having a group of people stand in front of a camera while frozen in a pose is not photojournalism. I love looking at the unique ways photographers can tell a story and relive a moment through their camerawork. We found a photographer at our last expo who was offering the main things we wanted--unlimited hours and all copies of unedited raw images--for $900. But I just wasn't excited about his work: boring front-on angles and stiff poses. No personality, no spontaneity, no fun.

Then I remembered someone I had worked with before -- a photographer whose work I thought captured the kind of photos I was looking for. He is relatively new to the wedding photography world and was able to offer me an affordable rate for all the things we wanted-- unlimited hours, 2 photographers, copies of raw images and 20 edited photos. And because he knew me, we were able to negotiate the price down. I can't really say exactly how much we agreed on (it was mostly a friend discount and I can't say if he'll do it for anyone else at that price) but I will say it was well within our range (actually much better than I expected).

So how was I able to find a quality photographer below $1000? Well, networking and connections was definitely key. But the main thing was the art of haggling. When our photographer first quoted a price it was still a tad over our budget. Then, at the risk of total rejection, we told him what we could afford. I was afraid to look at his reaction when we named the price, but he was willing to work with us. That's when he reworked the package down to a very affordable price, taking out the items that weren't our priority (videography, coffee table book, etc) and reached the price we could afford. Not only did we score a photographer in our budget range, but someone whose work is very quality. YAY!!!!

So I'll quit yapping and introduce our photographer - Don Le

Jump for wedded joy!

 From Beach Bum Photography

Love it.

Fierce

This is what I call an unconventional wedding with attitude, style and sophistication. Very beautiful!

One of the most beautiful photos of a wedding dress!

Check out more photos at snippet & ink

Wedding photography tips

While browsing through local wedding photography sites, I discovered Sweet Monday Photography. Their site boasts dozens of vibrant shots capturing a wide range of emotions on a wedding day--the kind of photography I adore. Sure, we got to have a few of the traditional portrait shots, but who wants to see the same posey photos all the time? They also offer some pretty helpful tips when planning your wedding photo session. Good stuff!

To trash or not to trash?

So what do you do with your wedding dress after its one day of glory? Other than let it sit in your closet for all eternity in hopes that future offspring will realize grandma had great taste? Some brides are opting to trash their wedding dress for that spectacular shot. I have to admit, some of these photos are pretty amazing, but a little morbid. I love the floating-in-the-water look, but it kind of looks like Ophelia in Hamlet. "Drowned Bride" is not the photo I want at the end of my wedding album. Got to admire the guts some of these brides had to completely ruin an obviously expensive dress, though. But the covered-in-flames shot? Way too gutsy and very disturbing!

On one hand, such acts can be a symbol of rebellion against materialism. It is after all just a dress. Who cares if it's covered in mud or drenched in pouring rain? On the other hand, that dress is money. I was raised to understand that materialistic things aren't everything, but we ought to take care of the things we do have. If you are blessed to come into posession of something that does cost a lot of money, take care of it, appreciate it. Ruining items that most people can't afford to buy can come off as quite arrogant.

No, I don't think I would trash the gown--even if I came away with a really amazing Vogue-esque shot. But really, what am I going to do with a photo like that? I'm not trying out for America's Top Model anytime soon. I think I like one of Credit Crunch Brides's ideas of donating the dress to charity such as Oxfam. At least the money you put into that dress will go toward causes that can really use it.

*Photos are courtesy of Michael Cooper