Why 2017 will be different for wedding planning

Keeping up with many different people in the wedding industry, all have said 2015 has been a relatively show year for weddings. We're really not sure what it is, but it's most likely the economy. We have all had fewer weddings than usual, and we've come to terms with that. We all still hadn't had that many inquiries for 2016 yet. We were worried, but we came to terms with that.

The last couple of weeks have blown my mind. I still don't have many bookings for 2016 yet, September came and all of a sudden my 2017 inquiries are blowing off the roof!!! It's looking like if you are planning your wedding, people are starting to contact potential vendors almost a year and a half in advance!!

So if you have a couple of wedding pros you really wanted for your wedding, you may want to get an email in their inbox sooner than you may have originally thought you needed to. In the next couple of weeks, I have consultations for couples getting married June through October of 2017!!

Many couples are confused when they go looking for wedding vendors 6-8 months before their wedding, and everyone is booked for their date. I mean, you've never planned a wedding before, I don't blame anyone for not knowing how things work! I always say that to clients at consults, it's okay, I don't expect you to know questions or wedding quantities!

Most couple book their wedding vendors 9-12 months out. It's seeming more like it's turning into 12-18 months out now. If this trend keeps up, I'll have a lot of long-term business planning ahead of me!! So if you're planing on a 2016 wedding and haven't booked all of your vendors yet, I'd recommend getting a head start on that now!

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Why Invest In A Wedding Album

We live in a complete digital world right now. It's both a blessing and a curse. Since I was young, I've always been online. Ask my friends in high school, I was voted the Facebook queen every year for those superlative awards. It's really been great to me in advertising and getting my name out there, but lately I've been trying to sit back a little and embrace life in the real world.

Being able to deliver my photos to clients within a few weeks of their wedding is my favourite thing in the world. I hear about couples waiting months to get their photos back, and that doesn't even make sense to me in this era. Especially with PASS too; the moment I'm done, they have them. No waiting for a CD or USB to come in the mail.

The thing I've noticed in the era of digital photos, is that they often never turn into something tangible! Ever since I started taking over from my mom being the photographer in the family, our family photo albums have stopped. Everything is on the computer and never gets looked at again. The way we share and use photos online is satisfying, but it won't stand the test of time. Every few years, and by that usually it's at least five, my mom forces me to go through my computer and put in a couple hundred dollar print order.

 

When you want to relive your wedding day, you're not going to walk around with your laptop and go through a Facebook gallery. When your grandchildren want to see pictures of you at your wedding, they don't pull out a dusty hard drive to view them on an old outdated computer. Because who says that hard drive will even work on the computers that are out in 2073.

Computer photos won't let you open it at ease after a fight and make you fall in love all over again. You're investing so much in your photography itself. Those photos deserve to be preserved in a medium that is easily accessible and does your photos justice. It's a big decision and investment, so get the most out of it.

I completely understand that a quality wedding album, like that most professional photographers offer, is QUITE the investment, often being at least $1,000. But I can tell you that it is nothing like it anywhere else. I have made books through Blurb myself before, and although I love them for holiday snapshots, it's not what I want holding my wedding photos. Companies with lifetime manufacture warranty often only accept orders from professional photographers and can't compare to anything that you can order on the consumer level.

Keep in mind these albums are such an investment simply because they are worth that much in their quality as opposed to photographers ridiculously marking them up for profit. I price my albums because I want every couple to be able to have one, not for profit. I know it's easier said than done, but I try to tell my couples not to consider this as part of their wedding budget. It's not part of your wedding day, it's a family heirloom.

Even if it seems like investing in an album is still something you can't do right now. consider saving up so that you can come back and invest later. Even if your wedding day has come and gone, it's always something that you can come back to.

Here's a little taste of that these gorgeous heirloom pieces look like. Here's a couple shots from a recent sample of mine. If you're a wedding photographer and have never looked at KISS Books, I HIGHLY recommend doing so now.

 

 

 

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Top 10 Tips for Best Wedding Day Photography Results

While wedding planning, brides have SO MUCH to think about how the actual day is going to run. Sometimes they miss the little things, and that's OKAY! But your photography is what is going to help you remember all these things that you put so much effort into. SO here are some times that I have found helpful to educate my brides on. 5 of them are excellent points made by my girl, Katelyn James.

1. Have the bouquets need to be delivered to your getting ready location.

If you have your bouquets delivered to where you are getting ready, you’ll be able to have detail shots with your florals incorporated! Even if you’re not sharing a first look, we still need your bouquets for bridesmaids portraits! Same for the boutonnieres! TIP: For the optimal getting ready photos, make sure you have a large window in the room with lots of natural light pouring in,

2. Don't run away with the rings! Have them in your getting ready location too!
Every planning book says to give the best man the rings to hold onto before the ceremony but that actually isn’t ideal for your pictures! You’ll have more variety and natural light if I shoot them during your details in the morning! They can be incorporated very well into shoe and invite shots. The maid of honour can bring them to the ceremony and hand them over to the best man then.

3. Speaking of wedding details...
Here's the full list of everything you could possibly have at your getting ready location to provide for the most variety of detail shots. Not saying you have to have all of them, just what suits you! I like to say if you're going to have any of these items anyway, may as well get details shots of it. After I arrive and give the bride a big “It’s your WEDDING DAY!” hug, I begin to get settled and these are the items I start looking for! I realize not EVERY bride is going to have ALL of these details…. these are just the most common items I shoot:
- Dress (TIP: make sure you have a nice hanger for your beautiful gown. Having a classy wooden hanger makes a HUGE difference in your images.)
- Rings (all THREE!!)
- Veil & hairpieces
- Shoes
- Earrings, necklace (don't put them on until you have your dress on so I can shoot you putting them on)
- Other jewellery
- Keepsakes (handkerchiefs, heirloom pins, something blue, etc)
- Perfume
- Invitations
- Bouquets & bouts
- Gifts (bride's gift to groom, groom's gift to bride, if you wait for me it makes for great emotional shots if you wait for me to shoot you opening them for the first time)
- Clutch/purse

I ADORE this golden hour shot of Nicole + Tom

4. Sit down in your dress before the wedding so you’re aware of how hard that may be!
I can tell you, I should have done this with my prom dress! The last thing you want is not being able to sit for dinner because your dress is too tight! Try your dress on beforehand and try sitting to make sure it’s possible! This is especially important if you’re having a sit down dinner!

5. Good portraits usually require grass, and your heels are going to sink in the grass!
Let's go take some amazing portraits under some gorgeous trees… but your precious heels are going to SINK on their walk out to the their portrait location. Having a spare pair of flats or some HEEL STOPPERS will save the day!

6. You can’t see that little smudge on your dress!
I don't know how many times during the day that my brides freak out because there is a small dirt stain after doing their first look. Maybe you can see it, your guests probably won't, but I'll tell you your photos most definitely will not. It is never noticeable so don't fret the small stuff. If there's ever something crazy, I won't leave you hanging, I can fix it, girl.

7. Slow down and enjoy your day.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I have gotten an email from every one of my brides saying to tell my future brides to slow down and enjoy the day. You hear it all of the time, but it seriously goes by so fast. Your wedding day is going to go how it goes, and you can't change it. Take it for how it is and enjoy every minute of it. If you're a worrier like me, hire a day of planner, or a friend to keep everything in check for you.

8. Make sure you leave time for me to get the untouched shots.

You put so much time and money into your beautiful ceremony location and reception space. I'd love if there is some padding in the timeline for me to get some great wide editorial space shots of both locations before any guests see or touch anything (especially the reception location because a lot of guests like to try to leave their jackets at their seat). Often the bride & groom don't even get to see either space without guests in it as they arrive later!!! It's super important for publication and it's part of your "wedding experience story" in your album. I also like to share these shots with the vendors who put so much work into it as well.you.

9. Professional lighting goes a long way.

I don't mean my flash, I mean decor lighting such as uplights. A lot of couples think this is frivolous and unnecessary but they actually improve the ambiance a lot as well as make your photos look fantastic. It's another dimension for me & your guests. It's a little something that does a whole heck of a lot.

10. Ponder a first look.

Even if you are completely against it. Sit down, and ponder it for at least a couple of minutes. It's the happening thing right now, and I'll tell you not because it's just a "trend." It actually benefits a lot of things on your wedding day. Yes, it's not "traditional" but what's him seeing you before the ceremony going to harm if you're meant to be together forever?

- In a day full of craziness and being apart for most of the day, you actually get to spend time together on your wedding day. If you don't do a first look, you may not see your hubby to be until your 1pm ceremony, or I've had ceremonies as late as 6:30pm!!

- You cut the nerves in half (well a lot more than half). There are brides who are against the first look and the reasoning is usually because they don't want to "ruin" him not crying while you're walking down the aisle. Well, here's a surprise. You'll actually get BOTH! TWO reactions!! And often the walking down the aisle cry is MORE than what it would have been AFTER a first look!! If your man isn't a crier, I'll tell you, don't have your hopes up. But I have seen the groom cry during the first look in an, "OMG you're so beautiful" sense. Then he cries AGAIN when you walk down the aisle, because he's seen you, let his guard down, not concerned about the guests staring at him, then has an, "OMG it's happening right NOW" cry.

- You get more portraits in better light. We can get all of your bride and groom portraits, bridal party portraits, and often family formals done before the ceremony. This leaves you time to actually go to your cocktail hour with your guests, OR run off with me again for more portraits ;) Escaping from your reception for a couple of minutes during golden hour also deems for some amazing romantic shots.

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Creating Community | Photos start long before your wedding day

I’ve said it before and I'll forever preach about wedding photography being so much more than just the photos after the wedding day. Your photographer is probably the second vendor that you will book after your venue! Why? Because after the flowers have wilted and the guests go home, you will have memories, and photos to provoke (or recall) memories. My go-to comparison is always that high school photo. Everyone has that one high school photo that everyone says they look fabulous in, but you hate it. Everyone says you shouldn't, but you still do. It's usually because you remember how awkward that exact moment was, the way the photographer spoke to you and asked you to tilt your head and lean in. People remember moments.

It's no different than your wedding photography. Your wedding day could be perfect, with the weather and your colours and your guests, and smiles. But if you feel awkward or the slightest bit uncomfortable with your wedding photographer, it will be the same as that one high school photo. Who wants that with their wedding photos?! I won't LET that happen. If I don't connect with a client, I won't accept their wedding simply because I don't want them to look back at their wedding photos and feel that way. I encourage finding someone with qualities similar to their own friends, you're not speed dating for life long best friends, but at least someone they'd feel comfortable going for coffee with.

So much time goes into the whole experience you have with your wedding photographer. You work with your photographer from the moment you book them (often a year or more out from the wedding!!) until 5-6 months after, maybe longer, while designing the perfect wedding album to hold your memories. You chat numerous emails and text messages back and forth about engagement sessions, planning advice, composing the perfect timeline...throughout a while year of talking, you really get to know someone personally. For a lot of my brides, I become more of a friend than a vendor, helping them do up dresses and helping coax their timeline along schedule. I'm with you ALL DAY! So I want to help you, all day.

I want to get to know your bridesmaids that way and help them out with anything I can do! They often try to help me out all day so the least I can do is help them enjoy the day and pay them attention just as much as the couple. Many photographers overlook the bridal party, but they're in that postal for a reason. I want it to be simple and easy for everyone involved. The guys are usually on my side pretty quick because of that, I'm in and out as quick as I can because I know they don't want the glam photoshoot ;) I want the bride to not only be pleased with the photos, but also be pleased with the entire experience from start to finish!

When I went to Katelyn's workshop in September, she talked a lot about how she attributed her success to her community of brides that had developed over time. They coined the term "KJ Bride" themselves. She grouped them all and they helped each other with wedding advice, vendor recommendations, even selling some of their decor to each other! You're all recently married or about to get married, often among the same age group, geographical area, and of taste styles both visually and personality if you all chose the same photographer! Why NOT help each other?

I am part of many Facebook photography groups where we can ask questions, get advice, and meet other photographers in the area. This has been super beneficial to me and also gives me the feeling of being part of something bigger than just me and my business. I want to give this experience to my brides. Make new friends!

I have made a Facebook group for all my past and future brides to join so they can all meet each other! Not only can they use this group as a way to swap vendor recommendations and planning advice, they can also make new friends and watch each others journey from their engagement to their wedding!  And they can stay in touch long after the wedding! I’m so excited from my brides to get to know each other and develop a sense of community with each other! If you are a past or future Nicole Amanda bride, be on the lookout for an invite!!

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Vendors are like first dates...here's why....

When inquiring to a wedding photographer (or any vendor) for the very first time, it should almost feel like a first date. Why? You like them from afar, it's new, you like who they are, you like what they're about, and you like what they can do. It's a new relationship. I want to thank my girl, Christy Nicole for sparking this post idea. 

It should feel like that for you, and it should feel the same for any vendor; finding new clients is an exciting experience for us too, and it's the perfect comparison. You want to make your vendors feel just as excited for your wedding as you are. And I'm going to say if you're not on cloud 9 about planning your own wedding, you're probably not a Nicole Amanda bride ;) When I meet a new potential client for the first time, it's either a small talk with a stranger, or I have butterflies in my stomach just like I would on a first date.

It IS a first date. You need to be on the same page, have the same excitement & end goal in mind. You have to connect, and if you don't, there's rarely a second date in sight. Share details about your relationship and wedding plans, tell them WHY you feel their work will compliment your vision. They want to hear all of these things to see if your wedding will compliment their vision. It should be one in the same.

As a photographer, I understand price is sometimes the only question a couple will feel that matters, but for the most important day of your life, it should be much more, an experience. If you go on an awkward date, even if they're a good person, you're unsure about seeing them again because you don't want to feel like that again. I say it all of the time, there is emotional memory behind everything. If you feel awkward while taking a photo, as beautiful as the image and yourself may be, all you're going to remember is how awkward you felt at that moment.

I never want anyone to feel that way about their wedding photos, ever. If we're not a 100% perfect fit, I'm probably not going to accept your wedding - as much of a compliment as it is, I don't want anyone to possibly get that outcome and I don't believe you deserve any less. You need someone you can laugh with, joke, trust and feel comfortable in front of to be able to look at your photos and feel the same. I'm not going to leave you hanging, I'll help you find someone perfect, but I'm not going to take it on myself.

Price is obviously important, and most need to set a budget. If you can't do it, you can't do it. But don't go in looking for the one that can get you the cheapest deal. Find someone within your range, and then find the one who FITS the best. I also want you to know that vendors are often a lot more flexible than you may think. If you fall in love with someone who is out of your budget, they may be firm on price, but may be able to make you a payment plan to make it a possibility.



And the last thing, those "100 things to ask your wedding vendor" type lists drive us crazy ;) Usually because they're things that any responsible professional would do and are offended when asked. Or things like "what type of equipment do you use?" You're probably not going to get much use out of an answer like, "I shoot with Nikon FX bodies, SB700 speedlights and only fixed G glass lenses" unless you're also a professional photographer. I don't even know what equipment DJs use so I wouldn't get use of their answer either ;)

Any good vendor just wants your best interest. Ask questions that will help make your decision easier. And feel free to email me questions even if you know we're not the right fit!

Ps. This post had much mediation by Max ;)

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What's to come this year (& some wedding planning help for you!)

Melayna & Dan outside Strathmere Lodge

I am BEYOND excited for all the things to come this year! And I feel like I'm learning as much as a bride would while planning her wedding, so I thought I'd share it all with you! I have been blessed with a whole list of amazing couples, vendors, and venues to come this year. Some classics I've worked with before, but always a high class of amazing. Others I'm excited I get my first chance to work with this year. Heck, just had a consultation where the bride RAVED about her venue and bumped the already high wishlist item even higher. THOSE are my brides, so excited about the whole planning process that they just want to scream to the world!

I'm thrilled with my list of returning vendors that I can't wait to work with again. Hair Expectations does beautiful work, ladies!! All of their girls are so personable to talk to, on top of doing amazing hair and makeup. Also on the list are Mastermind Event Rentals, Quality Entertainment - so be on the lookout for some photos in your inbox when these events are done!

Le Belvedere - Photo by AMBphoto

I'm so anxious that my first wedding of the year will start with a first. Le Belvedere is a stunning overhead lookout wedding in Wakefield, QC. I've only ever heard great things about them and can't wait to experience it for myself. Not only do they have a gorgeous view and outdoor ceremony site, but a great ballroom reception hall - and they're constantly growing.

I'm super anticipating all of the live music this year!! Can't wait to see all I've heard of Sax Appeal.

St. Patrick's - Photo by Brittany Lee Photography

I'm proud to say another first for me, although not my first time there, is my childhood church. St. Patrick's Fallowfield is where I grew up every Sunday. I'm a little bias, but I do believe it is one of the prettiest churches in the city.

I'll be heading to Strathmere, which is never disappointing because they always knows how to rock the show no matter what they do. They have several different location choices and can pretty much do anything they set their mind to.

Even somewhere I've never heard of before! There's so many options for wedding venues if you open your mind from the typical ones. I've been introduced to the NDHQ Officers Mess Hall. I've seen some photos of this place dressed up, and it never sieze to amaze me what some planners and decorators can do.

Code's Mill - Photo by Laura Kelly

And what is definitely in the list of contenders for the cutest little town outside Ottawa, I'm headed to Stewart Park & Code's Mill in Perth. Not months before, Max & I had taken a day trip there and were dreaming of how beautiful it would be to photograph a wedding there. Dreams come true.

In sincerely believe, with all of your vendors, find someone who you truly like. Not just because they do pretty, but because they do friendly or helpful. As pretty as your venue, or flowers, or photos may be, if you remember that they were awkward, or rude, or anything of the sort; it's going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Make sure everything you and your fiancé put into your wedding has thought and personality behind it. Make sure its YOU.

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