I’ve been reading a lot of Meg Keene’s A Practical Wedding, and in general just thinking about how to better marry my business and core beliefs, so in the next few weeks I’d like to offer some recommendations, of my own, on wedding planning. In no way will this be a comprehensive guide, or do you need to take it all to heart, but I hope it helps. Most of my advice will be based on Victoria weddings, as that is the primary market I serve, but I hope that some of the advice is universal.

This week I will start by re-posting what I wrote for Home for the Honeymoon:

Although I really don’t consider myself an expert on weddings or marriage, I have been married a year-and-a-half now, and in the last three years I have attended over 40 weddings, so I do have some experience.

As a wedding photographer, I’ve seen a range of weddings…. From the simple and frugal to the all out GLAM, and I love the variety in seeing what people do for their big day.  I think it is great that couples haven’t lost sight of the fact that you really can do whatever you want.

If you are a bit of a traditionalist, you are free to go to the chapel and get married.  However, if you want to break out of the box and walk barefoot on a beach somewhere far away from home, then you should be able to do that too – guilt-free!

All weddings are going to follow a general format:  Get married, take some photos, eat something and have a party.  That said, there is a lot you can do to make your wedding feel personal.  The important thing is to show off who you are as a couple.  You really can do whatever you want!  Truly!

The only legal requirement at your wedding is signing your marriage license. (And you can even do that beforehand or after the fact!)  You have absolute free reign for the rest of it!  However, you should never feel like being different means you have to break the bank planning a ton of details.

One of the things that makes a wedding stick out from the rest is when a couple approaches a traditional aspect in a fresh new way.  This doesn’t mean a ton of DIY details or vintage-style décor, it can be as simple as having a custom drink that reflects something special about you as a couple.

At one wedding I recently shot, the couple served beer-geritas (I’ll let you figure that one out – I’d never heard of them before either, but they were delicious)!  Another wedding I photographed was an afternoon picnic in the park.  And at one wedding, in a church no less, the bride walked down the aisle barefoot… In fact, she didn’t wear shoes the entire day!

A dear friend of mine got married this past summer and I had the honor of photographing it. One of the things that I loved about Anita’s wedding was that every part of it was a reflection of her and her husband.  In some ways, her wedding was similar to other modern weddings, but she found unique ways to do her own thing as well.

My favorite deviation from the norm was instead of eating cake, my friend and her husband made an ice cream sundae together instead.  Why not?  If you don’t like wedding cake, or you are part of the growing population of people who find themselves skipping flour due to gluten intolerance, maybe ice cream is a good substitute.

With so many wedding blogs out there, it can get really overwhelming to make decision.   But just because you see everyone else utilizing mason jars, burlap and ribbons in trees, it doesn’t mean you have to follow their lead….

One of the weddings that I am most looking forward to next summer is inZionNational Park. The couple is hiking up theNarrowsbut will spend zero dollars on ceremony décor because Mother Nature is taking care of it for them.  Sometimes Mother Nature really does know best!  If the weather is permitting at your ceremony location, why stress out and try to improve on something that is 4.5 billion years in the making?

In the same way that it is important to find a photographer that suits your style – and let’s be honest, your budget as well – my advice is to not feel pressured into doing something at your wedding that doesn’t reflect who you are.

I know it seems like there are a lot of wedding photographers who spend a lot their time ooohing and ahhhing over how great the details are at a wedding, but it really comes down to this: you, your spouse and the people you love and value and want to share your special moments with.

As a photographer, I am with you on your wedding day to chronicle the two of you in one of the most intimate and memorable moments you will ever experience.  Hopefully, when you look back on your wedding photos, you will remember that amazing feeling of being surrounded by all those people who love you and who want to be witnesses to a milestone in your life.

It really should be about the people you love, and not about stuff that dressed it all up.

Styling by Marion at Ma-Luxe :: Makeup by Carly Flint :: Video by Charlotte Wood :: Flowers by Tina at Platinum Floral Designs

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• January – CLOSED – this shouldn’t be surprising
• February – One spot available
• March - Two spots available
• April – One spot available
• May - Two spots available
• June – Three spots available – did you know there are FIVE Saturdays this year in June!
• July - Two spots available
• August - Two spots available (maybe only one)
• September - Three spots available (maybe only two)
• October – Two spots available
• November – One spot available
• December – CLOSED

Also, to anyone planning a wedding please check out these awesome (and totally FREE) spreadsheets that the awesome ladies at Lowe House Creative and A Practical Wedding have put together. Also, if you are looking for sane wedding advice you should check out A Practical Weddings site in general. They have some great vendor recommendations and Meg, who runs the blog, also just published a book (which I have ordered). She just released these shareable ads today, which I found highly amusing. This one was my fave:

And if you are getting married in California and really want to stay super sane on your wedding day hire Elizabeth from Lowe House Creative. She is a no nonsense gal who knows how to throw a killer party (I worked with her at Anita and Wayne’s wedding last summer).

One last note, I do have a separate calendar for non-wedding shoots, so please get in touch if you are interested.

Six weeks ago, I had the joy of working with five fabulous women and one dapper looking dude. The ladies over at Home for the Honeymoon asked me to help them shoot some promotional photos for their website and blog. It was a packed day full of laughs and a lot of fun. This shoot couldn’t have happened without a number of people, so big thanks to Carly Flint for helping with the makeup, Marion at ma-luxe studios for all her expertise in hair, make up and styling,  Tina from Platinum Floral Designs for the flowers, Tyler and Paige from Coultish Management,  Sheri from Victoria Bridal Boutique for letting us use a great tea length dress, and Chris Gill over at the Condo Group for allowing us use of an amazing condo. Here are a few out takes from the day, and even more can be found over on the Home for the Honeymoon blog.

If you were a guest at the wedding you can check out all of Jenn and Eric’s photos here.

For all the guests at the wedding please check back in the next couple of weeks for a link to the full gallery.

If you know the man (feet really) in this photo you will understand the importance of this photo. It’s pretty impressive. Why take a cab when you can take a white limo?

Vendors: Venue : Hillsborough Racquet Club // Day of Coordinator Elizabeth Clayton, Principal at Lowe House Creative // Anita’s dress by Augusta Jones // Anita’s shoes by Badgley Mischka // Hair by Trio // Makeup by Katie Feo Kelly // Wayne’s Suit by J.Crew // Bow Ties from Sam Malouf in Burlingame // Wayne’s shoes by Hugo Boss // Primary Caterer: Picante Catering, also served was Sneaky’s BBQ // Flowers by Clementine  // Ice Cream (in lieu of a cake) by Rick’s Ice Cream // Photobooth by The Magnolia Photo Booth // Cellist: Beth Welch Snelling // Yellow schoolbus by Michael’s Transportation

Guests from the wedding can view all of the photos here. And Part Two of the wedding is here.

I would also like to tell anyone getting married in the Bay Area that you should have already hired Elizabeth from Lowe House Creative to be your day of co-ordinator. Elizabeth (and her clip board) did an amazing job making sure everyone was were they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be there and put together one of the best laid out rooms I’ve seen. This woman knows how to throw a party people!

Also, huge thanks to my amazing husband, who is not only a great Chiropractor, but knows how to compose a well thought out photo.

Vendors: Venue : Hillsborough Racquet Club // Day of Coordinator Elizabeth Clayton, Principal at Lowe House Creative // Anita’s dress by Augusta Jones // Anita’s shoes by Badgley Mischka // Hair by Trio // Makeup by Katie Feo Kelly // Wayne’s Suit by J.Crew // Bow Ties from Sam Malouf in Burlingame // Wayne’s shoes by Hugo Boss // Primary Caterer: Picante Catering, also served was Sneaky’s BBQ // Flowers by Clementine  // Ice Cream (in lieu of a cake) by Rick’s Ice Cream // Photobooth by The Magnolia Photo Booth // Cellist: Beth Welch Snelling // Yellow schoolbus by Michael’s Transportation