How to find a wedding photographer

In this issue of our wedding blog series we have asked the very talented Sheera of Sheera Gordon Photography for some tips on how to find a wedding photographer ...

1. Research

I guess the first step to finding a Wedding Photographer is research. The most obvious and usually the first port of call is the Internet. Most brides to be like to look at wedding blogs, Facebook pages and sites like Pinterest for inspiration and through that you will find lots of great Wedding Photographers.  Another great way is to ask friends, family or colleagues.  You can’t beat a word of mouth recommendation.

2. Style

Once you've started researching online or in magazines you will be drawn to a certain “style” of wedding photography.  Whether it’s soft and ethereal, dramatic, formal or candid.  Once you know what kind of style appeals to you it makes your search easier, you can then narrow down a list of possible photographers and start the ball rolling on getting in touch.

3. Contact/Meet Up

Personally I like to meet potential clients face to face, usually over a coffee.   It’s a chance to discuss what you, as the client wants and what you can expect from your Wedding Photographer. It’s also a great opportunity as a client to see if you feel comfortable with the photographer and you hit it off, this is very important, as you will be spending a lot of time together on your big day. You will look stunning on your big day and you want that reflected in your photographs so you need to be relaxed and trust your Photographer.

4. Finally….

Once you've made a decision, book, book, book!  Wedding photographers book up quickly each season so make sure you don’t miss out on your first choice.  Once you're all booked you can relax as one more thing has been crossed of the list of thing to do.

To see some of Sheera's fabulous portfolio including weddings, food, lifestyle, portrait and beauty please check out her website: www.sheeragordon.co.nz

Make Your Wedding a Colourful Day To Treasure Always

Following on from the great post last week by Bronwyn, personal image consultant from Look Great on choosing the perfect style of wedding dress here's some great tips about colour ...

Along with the style of your dress, wearing the right colour will ensure your skin glows, your eyes sparkle and you look and feel gorgeous and vibrant.  

{source: http://thevintageswallow.co.uk/}

If you decide to wear white, knowing whether your skin tone suits a crisp white, a slightly softer white, or an oyster or cream that complements and harmonises with your complexion, hair and eyes will ensure you look radiant.  If you decide on something more colourful, knowing whether your skin  undertone is blue or yellow, will make choosing your fabric shade and intensity that much easier.

{source: http://www.myitalianwedding.co.uk/}

Dresses for your Bridesmaids should complement the colour of your dress.  Turquoise and Melon are two universal colours that suit most skin tones and will add a lovely pop of vibrant colour to the wedding party.  

{source: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/}

Choosing different dress styles for each Bridesmaid is something to consider as it can be hard to find a style that suits everyone and you want your Bridesmaids to look and feel fabulous too.

{source: http://southernweddings.com/}

Have fun discovering the colour that looks best on you and enjoy many years of love and laughter. 

For more great tips & ideas or to find out more about Bronwyn's personal image consultant services please pop over the Look Great website. You might also like to follow Look Great on Facebook.

Discover Your Perfect Wedding Dress

In this issue of our wedding blog series Bronwyn, personal image consultant from Look Great shares her tips to help you find the perfect wedding dress ...

Your wedding day is one of the most special days in your life and you deserve to look and feel fabulous whether it’s a formal or more relaxed wedding.  Your wedding dress can be one of the most important decisions you will make which should be an exciting experience and not leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed.  Here are some style tips to help you discover your perfect dress.

Your dress should fit you perfectly whether you buy off the rack, hire or get it made.  Spend time looking and trying on lots of different styles as what you see in a magazine or in a shop doesn't always flatter your body shape and proportions.  Create a ‘Mood Board’ with pictures, fabrics, colours and textures you love to help you discover your dress.

Understanding your body shape and proportions will help you find a style that flatters you and makes you look and feel absolutely gorgeous on your wedding day.

If you have broad shoulders and a fuller bust, a halter neck or V neckline with wider straps will be most flattering.  The style for the bottom half can be either fitted or fuller depending on what you prefer.

{image source: www.astrabridal.co.nz}

For those who are petite or have a smaller bust and narrower shoulders, consider a strapless style with some rouching or beading or a higher neckline.  Slim waists should be emphasised with a cinched waistline. 

{image source: www.vinkadesign.co.nz}

If you are heavier on your bottom half, styles with a fuller skirt or an A-Line style will be most flattering.  If you decide on a shorter hemline, just below your knee always looks stylish and will make your legs look longer.  If your hemline is full length, shoes with a good heel height will make you look taller.  

{image source: www.herabridal.co.nz}

You may prefer a dress with sleeves that covers your arms and if it’s a Winter wedding, a gorgeous bolero style jacket or a silk pashmina or shrug will look gorgeous, stylish and also keep you warm.

{image source: www.annahstretton.co.nz}

Look out for my next post which will be on choosing the colour of your dress that will make you look and feel fabulous.

Have fun discovering your unique style for your magical day

For more great tips & ideas or to find out more about Bronwyn's personal image consultant services please pop over the Look Great website. You might also like to follow Look Great on Facebook.

The Modern Wedding Gift

In this issue of our wedding blog series we have asked Angela from RAPT to share a few of her tips for finding the perfect wedding gift ...

Back in the old days when you thought of Wedding Gifts it was things to set up house, like toasters, kettles and pot sets.  After all the young couple would probably just be moving out of home and starting their life ‘alone’ for the first time and their wages wouldn't generally stretch to covering the necessities of married life.

Later on things like toasters and pot sets went out the window and in came the Age of Luxuries.  This was no longer a time where couples needed the basics of home life but more the things they couldn't afford as they’d been living together a while and had all the things they ‘needed’.  The Age of Luxuries was all about fine Crystal, Collectible Ornaments and Silverware.  My mother still has a giggle about the fact that they received 3 cutlery sets on their wedding day from various family members but hey they all matched and I remember having that same cutlery set right through my childhood!  In fact I think it was only in the last 5 years that Mum finally upgraded to a new set and I’m 33 so not a bad lifetime on those babies huh.

Check out the Royal Selangor range here: www.raptonline.co.nz

So what is the Age now?  Well it’s a bit of a funny time really as not only do couples now set up home well before marriage and have everything they need but often times they also have alot of the luxury items as well however Crystal, Silver and Branded Homeware and Ornaments will never go out of fashion as long as you do it right.  And a new trend to consider is Quirky/Trendy Homeware, this is a trend that is extremely well received.  This trend is that of word art, clocks, vases and frames.

Check out www.raptonline.co.nz for lots of great gift ideas

Today is the Age of Money.  Like it or loathe it many couples these days are opting to go for a Wishing Well option where they ask Wedding Guests to gift a denomination of money and this often times goes towards the Honeymoon, the House or even to help pay off the wedding itself.

For some guests this is the perfect solution as they are happy to give money and not have to worry about buying something the couple will not enjoy and therefore feel their money has been wasted.  For other guests however who enjoy the art of gift buying it’s a shame they don’t get to find that perfect gift and take joy in the giving of that gift.  For me whilst the Wishing Well is hugely practical as the couple can use the money as they see fit,  the gift has then lost the personal touch that a non monetary gift has.  Whether you love what gifts you get on your wedding day or not you will always remember ‘Aunty Vera gave us that’ or ‘That’s from Kevin & Judy from round the corner’ and this sentimentality is gone with the monetary Wishing Well approach.

About 2 summers ago I was inundated with invitations to Weddings with all my friends tying the knot all of a sudden and every single one of them had the Wishing Well option.  I talked to alot of friends and customers about this and they agreed with me that whilst the Wishing Well was practical, it’s not as personal or significant as a well thought out gift.  I pondered it a while and came to the conclusion I couldn't ignore the idea of a Wishing Well so I could do both and give Money and a Gift I’d enjoy choosing just for them.  In each instance I purchased a thoughtful gift they’d always cherish and remember as well as gave money to the Wishing Well.  To avoid overspending I simply took the budget in mind and halved it – 50% money and 50% gift.

Some of the Gifts I purchased and always recommend to people were:

Product links: Promise and Together

Willow Tree – Promise or Together Figurine
This is absolutely one of our top selling Wedding Gifts.  This range is just huge and exceeded all expectations of it having grown since 2000 in leaps and bounds.  With the range always changing and adding and retiring pieces this gorgeous sentiment can be the start of a lovely collection for the couple or the addition to one they already have and marks life moments beautifully.

Check out all the lovely wedding frames & albums here

Wedding Albums
It is really hard to get a special album that is not overpriced and these stunning albums are just brilliant to pop a few of your favourite snaps in and leave on or around the coffee table for people to peruse your big day without finger marking a special album you want to keep safe.  At $69.90 they are great to wrap up, add a card and add $30-$50 cash with for a brilliant gift.

Obviously dependent on your relationship to the couple you will need to assess the amount you want to spend but I think to be realistic gifting would generally start at about $40 and go right through to  the $100’s.
In my experience if you are a friend of the couple most people would want to spend around the $80-$100 mark so if you want to contribute to the Wishing Well and gift then split in half giving $40 or $50 cash and a $40 or $50 gift.

Here are some top ideas for that price range:

Check out www.raptonline.co.nz for lots of great gift ideas

And if you’re family or really close with the couple and want to spoil them then these classics are always well received:

Check out www.raptonline.co.nz for lots of great gift ideas

Weddings are such lovely occasions to be a part of and a day the couple will remember for the rest of their lives so my best advice is to think about the couple and what you think would make their day.  Buy not on price or discount or sale but on what speaks the couple.  If there is a Wishing Well in place which often times there is consider a Gift and Money so you and the couple get the best of both worlds.  And when selecting your gift think about their tastes:  Are they modern or prefer more vintage style?  Are they practical people or enjoy the finer things in life and you can indulge them with beautiful homeware?  What are their plans with the array of Wedding Photos they’ll have?  Do they require anything such as cake servers, toasting flutes etc to use on the big day itself? (in this case I’d recommend gifting this to the couple early – I did this with friends of mine and they loved it, I even had the servers engraved with their names and the date of the wedding for that personal touch)

At the end of the day they’ll love anything you give – its their Wedding Day!! Have fun with it and for some inspiration definitely check out the RAPT website.

If you can’t make the day then RAPT is your perfect solution as well as we wrap and write cards out and send it all on your behalf for just $5!!  Even if you’re going to be there you can order online or pop instore and have a chat with our staff to get just the right gift!

What about the grooms favourite things?!

While doing some research for our wedding series I came across this fun pic on Pinterest & it got me thinking about how to include the grooms hobbies/interests/favourite things in your wedding celebrations so I've found a few ideas to share in this issue of our wedding series ....

{image source: stylemepretty.com}

How about a bespoke buttonhole? I love these ones from Fritts Rosenow. They're based in the US but they do ship internationally.

{image source: Fritts Rosenow}

Cuff links are another easy way to let the groom include their own style. Superheros seem to be a popular choice. Check out these fab ones I found from London Design on Etsy, they've got lots of different designs so pop over & check them out.

{image source: London Design on Etsy}

Or tie pins. These are another Etsy find, from Visiting Cinderella

{image source: Visiting Cinderella}

And don't forget the photos!

{image source: funsubstance.com}

And here's one from my wedding album (10 years ago this year!), can you tell my hubby is from Dunedin? 

 

If you've got any other ideas we would love to hear from you so feel free to add a comment here or stop by our facebook page.

Tips for finding a great wedding venue

Welcome to our very first post in our wedding blog series. Over the coming weeks we will have lots of guest blog posts from industry experts sharing their tips for your special day.

In this issue of our wedding blog series we have asked Dominique from Functions & Events to share a few of her tips for finding a great wedding venue ...

Find out exactly what is included in the venue hire, or package price – and get it in writing

Some venues do not include charges such as staff and linen costs, and have it hidden in the fine print, which you might not realise until too late. These hidden charges can really add up. If the venue doesn’t include these charges in the price, don’t be scared to ask for a quote for the cost of staff/linen, so you don’t end up with a fright when you get the bill.

Venue: Five Knots

BYO beverage doesn’t always make the overall cost cheaper

Venues that offer BYO beverages will often mark up the cost of the food and/or venue hire, so the final cost might end up being a lot more expensive than a venue that is fully licensed. Plus don’t forget to factor in the risk of having to try and guess how much beverage you will need to buy, and the cost of purchasing this into your venue comparisons.

Venue: The Dominion

Beware the cost of a dance floor!

Dance floors can be really expensive to hire in, so try find a venue that has one already, or has one in-built.

Venue: Five Knots

Don’t assume because it’s in the photo that it’s included in the price

Just like in Real Estate many venues will stage the venue to make it look good. Ask for photos of the room showing only what comes included in the venue hire/package price so you know what the room is really going to look like. Don’t forget to find out how much all the extra decorations cost – they add up quick!

Venue: Five Knots

Find a venue with a team that you trust

Having a venue contact who is friendly to deal with, and has ideas to make your day special, and who you are confident in, will make all the difference on the day.

If you want to know more, or would like help in finding a fabulous reception or function venue contact Dominique from Functions & Events on dominique@functionsandevents.co.nz or 09 528 6463 – her service is free!

Share the love on Valentines Day!

Love hearts, sweet treats, hugs & kisses ....  yes it's nearly Valentines Day so here's a few of our favourite finds:0)

Something simple ... repackage store bought chocolate with a homemade wrapper & include a personalised message inside

{source: www.marthastewart.com}

These chocolate dipped marshmallow cupids arrows look like a cute idea

{source & tutorial: www.rookno17.com}

And a couple of other ideas on the cupids arrow theme ... cupcakes

{source & tutorial: www.bakerella.com}

Or how about cupid crispies

{source & tutorial link: lisastorms.typepad.com

There are heaps of ideas around for decorating heart shaped cookies for Valentines Day but these ones from Cookies with Character are my favourite

{source: www.cookieswithcharacter.net}

How fab do these strawberry flowers look? they would be a lovely addition to all sort of different desserts or use to adorn a breakfast tray.

{source: diy-crafts-tutorials.blogspot.co.nz}

Making breakfast in bed or brunch for two? add a little heart shaped note to the tea bags

{source: www.marthastewart.com}

And our friends at Sweet Event Stationery have very kindly put together some free printables. Here's the link for some cupcake toppers, a cute mini banner and bottle topper: free Valentines printables

We've also got a range of products in stock for Valentines Day including mini milk bottles that look great filled with lollies as a gift or pop in a single flower and add to your breakfast tray. And of course the very popular mini cello treat bags are great for filling with lollies for any occasions. Lots more items too, check out our range here: Valentines Day range