Tips for wedding decisions when working on a budget

With the times being what they are it is difficult for a couple to decide which aspects of their wedding to scale back or leave out all together and what should not be. The first thing that you should decide is what is most important to you. Is it important that everyone you know is able to come and celebrate with you, or is it most important that those closest to you attend. Just a year ago having 100 guests was considered to be a small wedding, but recently 100 guests in attendance is large. Consider, for your guests you need a chair for the ceremony, chair and table for the reception, appetizers, food, drink, and if your serving it, alcohol.

Flowers are important, the overall ambiance of your wedding can make or break the party, but think about how many flowers you have and what kind. Not all flowers are priced the same, going with fewer flowers but choosing a great florist can go a long way to creating a lovely event. A creative florist can create small interesting flower arrangements that look just as amazing as a large arrangement. Understatement can be a good thing, but the key is choosing the right florist. If it is at all possible, try not to do the flowers yourself, the amount of time it takes can be overwhelming, and it is one of those things that has to be done at the last minute so they look good for your important day.

Food is another area that trips up couples when planning their wedding. Three course meal, four course meal, or do you do a buffet. The more creative the meal the more expensive it can be, but think about the weddings you have attended, do you remember what you ate, did it make a big impression on you? Good food is good food weather it is brought to you by a server or you had to stand in line for a bit to get it. If you have a good DJ they can make the whole experience of going through a buffet fun and entertaining, so consider an excellent buffet over an expensive four course meal.

Photography is another area you can save on but be very careful about how you do it. When the day is done and everyone has gone home all you have left is a dress, a spouse, maybe a piece of your wedding cake, and the photographs of the day. Weddings go by so fast most couples can barely remember who was there and what happened, having a great photographer who knows how to photograph a wedding is very important. A great photographer puts themselves where the action is, they know how to compose an emotionally impacting photograph, and they don't have to take hundreds of photographs of one moment to get a great shot.

So how do you cut back your budget? Do you need to have the photographer there the whole time, does he need to stay all the way to the end? Think about what is important to you; moments with your parents, photographs of you and your spouse, the ceremony, your first dance, cutting the cake. Do you want 1,000's of ok photographs, or 100's of great photographs. Remember, when its all over, your photographs are all you really have from your day, choose wisely with a thought to the future.

Another important player for your wedding is the DJ. I know that might sound weird, but at your reception the DJ is the one who can make or break the event. A great DJ knows how to handle large groups of people, they motivate people to dance, they interact with your guests, and they keep the flow of the night moving forward. Once your reception starts going your dance floor should always be full, a great DJ makes that happen. How do you scale back a great DJ? Your first step is to contact a great DJ, tell them your budget for music and entertainment and let them help you to put together something that fits with your personality and budget. They will be willing to help if they are not willing, perhaps they are not for you.

Everyone rich or poor is working on a budget, its just that some budgets are bigger than others. Don't be afraid to tell your vendor what you have budgeted for their particular service, and ask them to help you keep to it. Some will not be able to provide a service that stays within your budget and that is ok, keep looking and don't settle just because it fits in your budget, choose what makes you feel the most secure and the most happy.

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Kelli and Robbie's wedding at Castle Green

New slide show from a wedding I photographed recently. Kelli and Robbie were amazing to work with and it was such a great day.

See the full size slide show here.

Expo Bridal Show at the Universal City Hilton

Hello all, we had a booth set up at the Expo Bridal show at the Universal City Hilton this weekend. This is our second time attending and we are hoping it will be as successful as it was for us last year. Kate and I had a wonderful time, met many excited bride and grooms, and a few parents who were investigating possible vendors for their children weddings. Once set of parents was a mother for the bride and father for the groom, both are stationed in Iraq right now. The parents were an absolute delight to talk to.

Vicki D's work in Thousand Oaks

Yesterday Vicki of Defina Interior Designs and I went to Thousand Oaks and photographed some of the work she has done recently. We both had a lot of fun trying to get it to look just right. She does amazing work, colors on the walls and coordinating the rest of the objects in the room so it all comes together. She styles these rooms quite nicely. One of the cool things she does is go into homes that people are trying to sell and styles them up so that they are more appealing to potential buyers. Send her an email if you could use her services, vicki@definainteriordesigns.com. We will be doing more in the near future, I for one am looking forward to it.

Melinda and Tommy in Oxnard

What a beautiful day it was. Southern California has some of the best weather in the world and it came out in spades for us on Melinda and Tom's wedding day. The ceremony was held in a small park in the Oxnard/Channel Islands area, by the Marina. Tons of guests, family and well wishers came to see them join together under a nearly clear blue sky, they couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. After the ceremony we rushed down to the beach which was only about 5 blocks away, just as the sun was setting. They both love the ocean so it was a perfect setting to capture these moments between the two of them. It was easy to see that Tom is a surfer, we walked out onto the sand, and he just stood there for a few seconds watching the waves break, probably wishing he could run out and catch a few before the reception. Good Luck to both of you!

Trace and Ryan's Wedding at Spanish Hills

This was a beautiful wedding, the bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and everyone had a wonderful time. Spanish Hills is a wonderful place to photograph. They have a huge pool, lots of grass, huge trees, and a really cool looking building. Because its up on a hill, Spanish Hills, the sun sets a little later than it does in the surrounding area. This gave us a few minutes more to photograph in the setting sun. It is always fun to photograph a bride and groom and they were no exception. We all had such a wonderful time, to bad I only get to do it once.

Susan and John's Engagment session in Malibu and Ventura

Engagement or pre wedding photo sessions are so much fun, it gives me an opportunity to work with the bride and groom to build a relationship and find out what they really like about photography. This also gives them a sense of who I am and what they can expect from me on their wedding day. We had an awesome day, we started off in a beautiful area of Oxnard, then went to downtown Ventura to photograph on the streets, then down to El Matador beach in Malibu. Downtown was fun, everyone that passed us was excited and interested to see what was going on, and the future bride and groom loved the attention. We got to El Matador beach about an hour or so before the sun went down, the sky was beautiful, the sea was blue, and the rocks on the beach just glowed such wonderful colors under the setting sun. Its funny, I am from Florida so I am used to the ocean being to the east, the sun always rises out over the ocean, here in California so many of the beaches face south, so the sun sets over land, very disconcerting for me, but makes for amazing lighting. Susan and John had a wonderful time, I can't wait for the wedding.

Tina and Brians Wedding in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Tina and Brian Got Married,... in Arkansas. It was amazing, just a day and a half before this was taken there was a hurricane blasting its way through here, just a few days later another one hit. I think it was meant to be. Hot Springs is a tourist town. Downtown there are 8 or more spas that feature baths, pools, and treatments with hot spring water from right under the city. If you ever have an opportunity to go its worth the trip. Tina and Brian got married overlooking Lake Hamilton. It was a wonderful day and everyone who attended had a great time. After the wedding we went into town to a local restaurant and had amazing food, dancing, and fun.

Luana and Jeff's Wedding day

Meet Luana and Jeff. We had a wonderful time doing their Pre wedding photography but it was more fun photographing their wedding. They were married at the beautiful and historic Ventura Mission on a beautifully warm day, surrounded by family and friends who were excited to share their day with them. She was beautiful and he was handsome, you couldn't ask for a nicer couple to photograph.

Pre wedding Photography with Karyn and John

Karyn and John like adventure and the outdoors, and for their shoot we had an adventure. One minute we were on the beach in Malibu and the next we were standing on the top of a hill in the mountains. We started our shoot at 7:00am and ended when the sun went down that evening, and we had a blast. The two of them are getting married in Hawaii but they wanted to have photographs done that reflected their interests and showed off the area of the country they now call home. If anyone is looking for beautiful vistas or amazing beaches, the Malibu area is the place to go, just don't try to do all of it in one day, it will wear you out. :) It was totally worth it.

Overlooking the corridor where 101 runs between Malibu and the Calabasas Woodland Hills area

Mark and Richards Wedding

I had the honor of photographing Richard and Mark's wedding on the 17th of June, a glorious day in the state of California. The ceremony was held at the house of some close friends who were just as excited as they were to see them get married. Though the ceremony was short it was moving and very emotional. Congratulations to Richard and Mark on their wedding day and many wishes for their future together.

Lily and Mykal's Fairy Wedding

Fairy wings on the bride, fairy wings on the groom, fairy wings on the guests, fairy wings on the children and fairy wings on the photographer and his assistant. What a good time was had by all. Lily and Mykal wanted to have a wedding that was different and fun and they got one. The ceremony was magical and fun and so were the people in attendance. We drank naturally made power drinks and ate sushi for dinner, Lily and Mykal pulled out all the stops for their ceremony and reception. Each pair of wings was individually made, named and displayed with loving care so that each guest would have something unique to take home with them from the wedding. Everyone had a blast and came away from the day with a wedding memory that will be tough to duplicate.