Digital wedding photography is quickly becoming the most popular choice of wedding photography across the globe. Primarily due to the ever expanding resources, increasing amount of applications and uses for digital photography, and by far superior technology than the traditional 35 mm camera and video.

We are a society fixed on creating original snapshots, breathtaking creativity, and individual keepsakes that are special and make for lifetime memories. What better way to capture all this than the digital photography? Involve a bride and a groom and you have digital wedding photography unsurpassed by even the most expensive 35 mm camera.

With digital wedding photography, you can create a multitude of photographs highlighting any marriage ceremony and guest reception afterwards. With one digital picture, you can crop the image, change red-eye, focus the image more, soften the image, add special effects, change the colors or sharpen the colors, turn color images into black & white dramatic effects, change the background to the subjects in the picture, take out any unwanted appearances of hands or objects, shrink the images to tiny sizes or enlarge to the images capability of depth and focus, obtain pictures as clear and resemble 35 mm quality, create collages of many images, include them in a product or online venue such as an eBook or website, and even email them to those who could not make it to the wedding!

An amateur can shoot with ease with a 5 mega-pixel or higher camera and create great photographs for use on the web, while a 12 mega-pixel will capture more of the natural essence and is more similar to the 35 mm professional quality you expect in a photograph. Faster shutter speeds mean shorter delays in between exposures and that means a digital camera is able to keep pace with the 35 mm.

Digital wedding photography can be inspirational and does not involve the price of the traditional 35 mm film as there isn’t any additional processing charges or lengthy times for your packages. A photographer is free to take more pictures and unique wedding poses with cameras possessing capabilities of capturing virtually up to literally thousands of pictures. The old 35 mm cameras now are becoming defunct and extinct due to several reasons, one such as lugging around and setting up all that extra equipment and limitations to what film type and maximum picture storage on film.

When creating digital wedding photography, a photographer can choose various backdrops and natural scenery to bring about the beauty of the bride and groom. Whether indoors or outdoors, lighting still can be an issue and a professional digital photographer will know how to use existing lighting to their best advantage. However, sometimes it is necessary to use additional external lighting to rid the area of shadows or soften the subjects, sometimes the flash will do just fine.

When selecting a digital wedding photographer, keep in mind these top tips to help you choose someone reliable and trustworthy to capture your most precious moments:

Ask for references in writing.

• Ask to see examples of various weddings and the types of pictures that the photographer consistently shoots well.
• Discuss your ideas and specific wants and needs you might have. Will this photographer shoot what you want or will he/she wing it?
• Ask what other products and services that this photographer might have to accompany the photographs. Items such as wedding albums, trinkets, ebooks, special gifts, additional packages, and even special effects such as wedding collages, blemish removal, or image softening.
• Get back in touch with the photographer on a regular basis, a great photographer will set up pre-wedding shoots, attend the ceremony and reception, return phone calls, and will arrive early and stay late.
• Be sure of what you will be getting for your money. Have a contract in writing and if necessary spend a little money as a deposit to reserve your professional photographer on the day of your wedding and/or photography shoots.
• Check your photographer out with the Better Business Bureau and local Chamber of Commerce to see if this person is legit and professional.

Not every wedding will have the perfect weather or the perfect guests, but a professional digital wedding photographer can still create some of the best images for your special day and future enjoyment.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Digital Wedding Photography

Stars and celebrities model fabulous designer wedding dresses on their big days and often wear not one, but two designer wedding dresses. Usually, a bride will wear one fabulous dress when she walks down the aisle and change into a different dress for her reception. This is often the case when the dress the bride wears down the aisle has a long train that is not removable and the brides wants a gown with more movement for dancing at the reception.

So, how much do designer wedding dresses run these days? Well, of course, it all depends on exactly how the dress is constructed, who designed it and in some cases, who the bride happens to be. It is reputed that the dress Donald Trump’s bride walked down the aisle in during their recent nuptials cost anywhere in the neighborhood of $100,000 to $2000,000; a mere pittance to the groom. The dress was a strapless Christian Dior concoction featuring a 13 foot train and the bride, a former model, showed off the stunning gown on the cover of Vogue magazine. The gown contained more than 300 feet of fabric and reportedly weighed some 50 pounds. The second gown worn by the bride was designed by Vera Wang and was a much slimmer design, created from tulle. Vera Wang, of course, has earned a well known reputation in her creation of designer wedding dresses. She has designed wedding dresses, as well as special occasion dresses, for some of the most well known stars and celebrities.

Vera Wang’s designer wedding dresses are some of the most beautiful out there. A simple and elegant Vera Wang dress with a petal or mermaid skirt will cost about $3,200 to $3,700. Vera Wang designer wedding dresses with more detail and fuller skirts will, of course, come with a higher price tag. A sculpted Vera Wang ball gown style wedding dress comes with a price tag of $5,700. Carolina Herrera is also well known for her bridal collection. Carolina Herrera wedding dresses, at retail, typically cost between $4,600 to $5,800.

A great way to find out what is happening in the fashion world of designer wedding dresses is to browse through any bridal magazine or book yourself a seat at a bridal fashion show. While designer wedding dresses typically do cost well into the thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars if they are custom made; some retail chains do offer deeply discounted designer wedding dresses. Online auctions and consignment shops may also be a great way to obtain designer wedding dresses at a fraction of the original cost.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Designer Wedding Dresses

The pleasure of your company is requested

At the marriage of

Elizabeth Anne Murray

And

Timothy Jacob Garrett

On Saturday, January 7 th

Two Thousand and Six

At Six O’clock in the Evening

At St. Anthony’s Cathedral

1245 Main Street

Fort Lauderdale , Florida

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Tracy

Would be delighted to have you join them

In celebrating the marriage of their daughter (son)

Michaela Rose

To

Mr. Joel Hamilton

On Saturday, June Third

Two Thousand and Six

At Two O’clock in the Afternoon

At St. Mark’s Cathedral

1452 Main Street

Santa Barbara , California

Nora Alcott and Ephraim Golden

Invite you to join them in the celebration of their marriage

Bethany Bradley and Stuart Gordon

Take great pleasure in inviting you to attend their marriage

On Saturday, the Third of December

Two Thousand and Six

At Six O’clock in the Evening

At First Baptist Church

2365 Main Street

Denver , Colorado

The pleasure of your company is requested

At the marriage of

Susan Marie

Daughter of Corbin Patrick and the late Fiona Patrick

On Saturday, May 26th

Two Thousand and Six

At Seven O’clock in the Evening

At First Episcopal Church

6786 Main Street

Topeka , Kansas

Together with their parents

Lorelei Sanders

And

Kyle Taylor

Request the honor of your presence

As they exchange marriage vows

On Saturday, January 7 th

Two Thousand and Six

At Six O’clock in the

First Methodist Church

5656 Main Street

Wilmington , Deleware

We wish for you, our friends,

To share with us the tender moment of joy,

As we

Samantha Hannah

And

Roy William

Exchange marriage vows

On Saturday, July 15th

Two Thousand and Six

At Three O’clock in the afternoon

Grace Community Church

4562 Main Street

Newark , New Jersey

With joy in our hearts

We ask you to be present as we

Nicole Elise

And

Jonathon Phillip

Exchange marriage vows

On Saturday, June 17th

Two Thousand and Six

At Seven O’clock in the Evening

At the home of Marjorie Smith

4698 Lilac Boulevard

Ruston , Louisiana

Our joy will be more complete

If you can share in the marriage of our daughter

Margaret Anne

To

Mr. Anthony Robert Simmons

On Saturday, February 18th

Two Thousand and Six

At Five O’clock in the Evening

At The Clarendon

The Versailles Ballroom

4569 Main Street

Miami , Florida

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Howard

Request the pleasure of your presence

At the marriage of their daughters

Trisha Ann

And

Patsy Diane

To

Mr. Jordan King

And

Mr. Elias Nolan

On Saturday, January 7 th

Two Thousand and Six

At Six O’clock in the Evening

At St. Anthony’s Cathedral

1245 Main Street

Fort Lauderdale , Florida

In a double wedding situation it is generally accepted that the older bride is listed first; however if the brides are twins or if you simply prefer to do it a little differently it is also acceptable to list the brides alphabetically according to their first name.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Creative Wording for Wedding Invitations

If you don’t have time to enroll in a cake decorating for weddings course, or you simply prefer to learn on your own in a private setting you can also find plenty of tips in a number of wedding related books. Martha Stewart wrote a great book that will have you decorating your own wedding cake in no time at all. The book not only features several different wedding cake recipes but gives step by step instructions on how to perfectly decorate your wedding cake. The book runs about $45 dollars brand new at bookstores, but you might also be able to find one you can check out at your local library or even look for a used copy online.

When you begin studying cake decorating for weddings you’ll learn how important it is to have the proper equipment. This will make the difference in the success of your cake. Proper baking equipment is more expensive, but the results are definitely worth it. You can find proper baking equipment at most craft stores, however you might look into purchasing used equipment. This can sometimes save you a bundle.

One of the most important factors in cake decorating is learning how to stabilize the cake so that it can be easily transported and so that it doesn’t fall apart, especially if it is a tiered wedding cake. Pillars are commonly used for this purpose.

The size of the cake you bake for your wedding will depend on the number of people you need to serve. Most cake decorating for wedding books feature a cutting guide as well as a guide to let you know what size cake is needed for specific numbers of guests.

Cake decorating for weddings is not only a great way to save money on your own wedding but it’s also a fun hobby and can create a great second income stream.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Cake Decorating for Weddings

The best way to make sure you are on top of everything is to create a wedding book.  Although you can buy a wedding planning book, creating your own book will help you start thinking about everything and will allow you to only make the sections that are relevant to your wedding.  Whether you purchase a wedding planning book, or create one yourself, you need to have one!  The book will include everything from ideas of things that you like to your vendor contracts and budget.

If you want to create your own wedding book, get a large binder and divide it into the sections that you need.  The sections should include sections for all of the following that will apply to your wedding, Budget, Reception, Ceremony, Entertainment, Transportation, Rehearsal, Photography, Jewelry, Clothes and Accessories, Decorations, Flowers, Gifts, Invitations, Accommodations, and Honeymoon.  You will also need a miscellaneous section for the other little things that come up.

Once you have divided the sections accordingly, design a simple template that you can print off blanks from, one that will do each category. An easy template for your wedding planning book, for example, would be one that has five columns running down, with lines across every five lines.

From there, you should subdivide each section.  I would recommend the following sections or areas:

The Basics: In this section I would include a description of exactly what you need for your wedding.  For example, in the Flower section I would identify each person that will get a corsage or each area where I want flowers.

Ideas: In this area, I would put in clippings or pictures of things that I’ve seen that I really like from magazines or the Internet, etc.

Budget: Although you have an overall budget section, you should have a budget section for each item where you identify in more detail what things cost.  For example, in the flower section, I would indicate a budget for each of the flower arrangements (ie. Centre Pieces, Corsages, Bridal Bouquet, etc).  If you have a detailed budget and need to cut costs down the road, you can easily identify things that can be cut with minimal impact.

Shopping Around: In this section, I would include your quotes or notes from discussions with all of your vendors.  Having everything in one place will make comparing a bit easier.

The Plan: Once you’ve made a decision, I would use this section to outline the plan.  You should also identify deadlines or items that are outstanding so that you don’t miss anything.  If you do this, it will then be easy to go through each week to check what appointments you have and what needs to be done that week.

Documents: Here I would put in your contract, deposit receipts, etc.

Besides being extremely useful, creating a wedding book can also be a great wedding souvenir!

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

The Book – The Best Way to Stay Sane while Planning your Wedding

Professional time costs a lot of money so if you are trying to save money and not hire professionals, be prepared to put in a lot of your own time.  If you are serious, however, your time can be used effectively to create the wedding of your dreams.  You know the kind of wedding that you are looking for, which is a step in the right direction.  From there, you can take a look at your budget and see what will work for your wedding.

The largest expenses will likely be the venues for your ceremony and reception.  As a result, these are extremely important decisions in the planning of your wedding.  One way to reduce some of the costs is to consider having both the wedding and the reception at the same venue.  This will depend on availability, weather conditions, religious beliefs, and other desires.  Many hotels, halls, and inns have ideal locations for your ceremony, but you will need to visit them and consider everything before making a decision.

Another tip is to have your venue provide as many things as possible.  For instance, many venues will provide some decorations, flowers, music services, etc for little to no extra cost.  Having one vendor for as many services as possible will likely be cheaper but will also make your life easier.  Coordinating a wedding with fewer vendors can be much easier and may reduce the risk of miscommunications.  In many cases, your best bet will be a small locally owned and operated venue.  If you know a sweet little place nearby, go in and suggest it to them, they might just be able to provide you with what you are looking for.

By far, the most useful wedding planning tool is the Internet.  The Internet can provide you with ideas, tips, and is a great place to shop for your wedding.  Set aside a few hours, don’t answer the door, put on the answering machine, and go to your computer. Consider yourself working because you are about to source some wedding items and save yourself thousands of dollars.  The first place has to be Ebay. Yes, Ebay. Ebay shops sell stunning wedding gowns, tiaras, and jewelry. These shops also have chocolates for favors, favor boxes, or the favors themselves.  Finally, you can purchase many of your wedding decorations including, pew bows, garlands and candles from Ebay sites.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Wedding Planning Tips That You Must Know

Most have complete packages that often include finding a venue that suits your numbers, dates, and budget, and they can source suppliers for you. Some even offer to mail your invitations and gift lists as part of their wedding planning services.

It’s wise to attend a few, carefully selected, free consultations before you commit to making a choice, ensuring that whoever is going to help plan your wedding will meet all of the expectations you have for your special wedding day. After all, this is one of the most important days of your life. Consulting friends and family is also a good idea, to see if they have any recommendations. Another port of call in your search for the right type of help should be the Internet, where you will discover a range of web sites that offer wedding planning services. Some web sites can recommend a variety of wedding planners and coordinators.

A good starting point is WeddingBells.ca.  This site provide numerous helpful tips, will help you find services in your area, and has a very useful forum where you can talk to other brides in your area.

You may have to pay from $75 to $150 an hour to some wedding consultants, other charge anything from 10% up to 20% above the cost of all vendors, but if you can afford it, hiring wedding planning services will take a tremendous weight from your shoulders, and let’s face it, everyone deserves the best wedding that they can afford.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Wedding Planning Services – Where Can You Find Them?

When others see that you’ve got good control over all of the elements that make up a successful wedding day you will find that planning your wedding becomes easier. Begin with a good budget planner before any of the other plans are laid down.  The more time you have for planning, the better because you will have more time to look for deals and because often the cheaper but good vendors are booked early.  This will allow you time to save and to search for the best offers.  Allowing for a good amount of time for wedding planning will help to reduce stress, which will help make the whole process a positive experience.

Another way to make sure you enjoy planning your wedding is to find things about the wedding planning that you enjoy.  For example, if you love to do crafts, but hate to organize then do a lot of DIY decorations and favors and spend some money on a professional wedding planner.  By finding things that you enjoy, you can have fun and save money in those areas and spend a little more money to get people to do the things that you don’t enjoy as much.

The most important thing is to keep your eye on the prize!  You are going to get married!  If you take the whole planning thing too seriously, you will get too caught up in the details and lose track of what is most important.  If your soon to be spouse is helping with the planning, make sure to set aside non-wedding related time.  You don’t want everything you talk about to be wedding related, so set aside time for wedding planning and time just to do other things.

Almost every bride will tell you that the whole wedding experience is one of the best times of your life, so have fun and enjoy the whole experience!

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Having Fun with the Planning Process!

First, get organized! Take some time to look around the Internet, talk to some friends, and your family to find out the feel of your wedding.  You can find pictures of almost everything that you want for your wedding, flowers, cake, etc.  I don’t mean that you have to follow the pictures exactly or that you will be able to afford everything that you want, but this will give you a starting point to work from.  Having this kind of feel for the wedding can save you time because when you do have vendor meetings, they will know right from the start the types of things that you may like.

Once you have the feel of your wedding, you should make sure to keep everything in one place and be sure to stay organized.  Whether you use a book, software, or a dry erase board, the important thing is to know where you are at in your planning at all times.

Minimize the running around…use lists! Just like going to the grocery store, the best way to shop for your wedding or meet vendors is with a detailed list.  When going to craft stores, department stores, bridal shops, etc you should bring a list so you know exactly which sections you should be looking in.  It is far too easy to start looking everywhere and start second guessing things you’ve already decided on!  Also, when you go on vendor visits, be prepared.  You should always bring a list of questions with you.  Having a list prepared may reduce you having to visit the vendor again or can help limit the e-mails and phone calls!  Be forewarned, vendors are not only dealing with your wedding so getting in touch with your vendors can be difficult and takes time.

Use the Internet! By far, the best way to save time and money for that matter is to use the Internet.  Before visiting any vendor, use the Internet to talk to people in your area who may already have used this vendor.  There are numerous forums that allow you to get recommendations or opinions on almost every vendor.  So, if someone has had a negative experience you may not want to bother meeting with that vendor.  The only caveat is to make sure that you take what is said with a grain of salt because you may be looking at the review of a total bridezila!

Making the most of your time while planning your wedding will reduce some of the stress and make sure that you still get what you want.  Although I still think it is important to meet face to face with your vendors, you may not need to meet 100 photographers before making a decision.  Instead, you can use other tools to narrow down your list and maybe only meet with the top 3 that fit your criteria.  Believe me, there is enough stress and drama around your wedding day, you don’t need to complicate your life even further!

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

Easy Wedding Planning Tips To Save You Time

• What kind of wedding are you having? If you are having a very simple wedding with only a limited number of guests, you may not need a year or more to plan; however, if you are having a 500 person traditional wedding the planning time will be much higher.
• On what day of the week do you want to be married? If you are looking to have a Saturday wedding, you will need to plan in advance, because there are only so many Saturdays in a year. The general rule is that a lot of popular venues book about a year in advance, depending on the area and the season. If you are having a Friday or Sunday wedding, the venues and vendors may not book up as quickly.
• Is there a day that has special meaning to you?  Maybe there is a day that has some special meaning to you.  If there’s a date that will bring special meaning to you, maybe you’d like to make it your wedding day.
• Are you into easy to remember dates?  If you are looking for dates that are unique or easy to remember like July 7, 2007 (ie. 07/07/07) or August 8, 2008 (ie. 08/08/08), you will need to plan even more in advance.  These dates are extremely popular for weddings, especially if the day falls on a Saturday.
• What type of planner are you?  If you are a procrastinator, you may not want to leave too much time for planning because you’ll just end up doing everything in the last week.  If you are a procrastinator, just make sure that all of the big items are set, the smaller things can wait until the end.  If you are someone who gets overwhelmed quickly, you may want to have lots of planning time because with so much to plan it is easy for almost anyone to feel overwhelmed.
• How willing are you to compromise?  If you are willing to compromise on your date, you may have more  booking options or may be able to work things out even with a shorter timeline.
• Is there a season that you have your mind set on?  Have you always wanted a Christmas wedding, or a fall reception, or spring nuptials?  If so, you may need slightly less time to plan than if you are having a wedding in the summer, as this is generally the wedding “high” season.
• Do you have guests coming from out of town?  If there are people coming from out of town that you really want to be there, you may not want to choose days that are very close to important holidays; however, if there is a long weekend that isn’t say a special holiday, it may be a great time for them to take a small trip.  In addition, if there are important people that are say teachers, or work in jobs where it is difficult to book time off, you may want to consider a holiday weekend or a time when they might be more likely to make it.  You will never be able to plan around everyone’s schedule, but having your “very important people” (ie. your wedding party, very close family members, etc) at your wedding may be extremely important to you.

Many people will tell you that one year is generally enough to plan a wedding, but there are a number of factors to consider.  The important thing is to choose a date that you are comfortable with for planning purposes and to find a date that works for you and your future spouse.

Wedding Planning Ideas and Advice from Hectic Bride!

How do you Choose a Wedding Date?