Importance of a Wedding Day Timeline

Everyone's hope for a wedding day is that everything goes smoothly: all the flowers arrive on time, pictures turn out great, family / guest are happy, with the ultimate goal of marrying the love of your life and have a fantastic day while doing it!!
A simple timeline can achieve these goals. Every wedding I shoot in always make myself a day time line by the hour. This helps me keep track of how we are doing and stay as close to a plan as we can.

One of the biggest things about completing a timeline before hand is it helps keep people staying on the same page.  It can be handed out to all the vendors, family, and wedding party.
Instead of everyone bothering the bride asking what's next, they will be able to refer to that timeline throughout the day with no surprises as where they are supposed be. As everyone is already having their phones and selfie sticks at the ready, they can check the schedule at anytime and see if they have more time for group selfies or need to be outside for formal photos.

Having a reference point for everybody on the wedding day makes it so you can in joy your day to the fullest, without all the confusion of not knowing what's next!

Next week I will be talking on making a successful timeline to help by breaking it down step by step for the Wedding day. Happy Monday! Next week I will be talking on making a successful timeline to help by breaking it down step by step for the Wedding day. Happy Monday! 

Adventure To Affordable Bridesmaid Dresses | Wedding Tips | For the Bride

When I got married I was coming right out of college with little money and a piece of paper proving I survived the last four years. When I started hunting for bridesmaids dresses I knew what I wanted but I just had to find it for an affordable price,knowing that my lovely ladies where just as poor as me. I knew I didn't want my bridesmaids to pay for a dress I wouldn't spend my money on, so I looked for sites to help stay within my budget and theirs.

These are some of the sites I would suggest to take a look at that are budget friendly for everyone but not giving up on looking amazing!
6pm.com
The first time I was ever a bridesmaid was for my friend's Michigan wedding. She found cute Jessica Simpson teal dress for under $ 40 dollars for each dress. They have all kinds of dresses to choose from , from all different high end designers. I have used it several times for shoes as well ( I purchased my wedding shoes from Betsy Johnson's something blue collection). Pros: budget friendly, great customer service, variety, designer Cons: limited number, constantly changing products.
Etsy.com
With etsy you can find some truly beautiful pieces that can make details on your bridesmaids dress that you won't find in retail stores. This gives a more homemade feel where you can ask for exactly how you pictures it without giving up in small ways.
Pros: custom made, variety, unique details Cons: false advertising (check the reviews before purchasing)
Renttherunway.com
One of the issues with bridesmaids dresses is asking yourself when will i every wear this again;with your dress being a renting option, you dont have to worry about making extra closet space! The site rents beautiful designer dresses affordable to the public and the dresses have a red carpet feel. When looking at the reviews you can see photo reviews that allows you to see how the dress fits real people, not just the model in the photo. One of the more glamorous of the few , the renttherunway.com also gives you a free extra size just in case. This site will also have you looking for your dress for your engagement photos! 
Pros: high-end dresses, Renting, free shipping for return, stylist option Cons: Price little higher for just renting.

These sights are worth checking out to help out your bridesmaids save while still looking fabulous on the wedding day!

3 Tips to ROCK Your Engagement Shoot!

I am going to share with you a recipe that if done correctly your engagement session will go off without a hitch for both you and your photographer.

Be Comfortable : When you are uncomfortable in front of the camera, it shows BEHIND the camera. To help your session be pleasant, here are a couple of things that I promise will help. Choose your location of the E-session. If it is someplace that is familiar it will help you feel right at home. In some cases that may be your home, back yard, park nearby. If you both enjoy that location as a couple it will make it that much more special looking back at your photos. Choose clothing you know won’t make you self-conscious. We all have those pair of jeans that are not as forgiving around the midsection or you are constantly pulling up with every new pose. During your session, the last thing you want to be doing is constantly adjusting to feel more comfortable. On the same thought as clothing, let’s also address shoes. If you love your heels (a common love affair I share) make sure to pack a pair of flats to help walk from spot to spot. Know what works in your location! Heels are horrible in grassy fields, but in pictures you will work it! If you come prepared your feet won’t be killing you be the end of your session.

Be Confident: The best way to be confident is to be yourself. An Engagement session is all about you and your fiance, there is no one that has the same love story  as you two. Know that when worse comes to worse you will have each other! If all else fails have confidence in your love.

Have Fun: Stepping into a session can be a little awkward at first when you’re letting a stranger take over. Take a deep breath and give the reigns over to the photographer. The moment this is done you will be able to fully enjoy your time with your fiancé. For a lifestyle photographer, it is so important to capture a couple’s natural reactions. Another way to achieve a good time is going into your session with a good attitude and determination of having fun as a couple. Now, I know this sounds really obvious, but when you purpose in your heart to have a fun time, you will! This goes for your fiancé too.

One last tip to help your session run more smoothly, arrive on time. Being respecctful of your photographer's time is important and will help you both to start off on the right foot.

I hope that even in a small way this helps you to get ready for your photos!