below is a selection of my favourite images from the event please enjoy. Thanks to Lynn Fletcher Weddings for their planning skills and to the Christelle and Elie for their love for one and other.

Every story has a beginning, middle and an end. Your day is no different you can create a complete story if you consider these elements. This is the reason we photographers like to shoot the bride getting ready, the dress etc. This can be one possible beginning. You may want to do a couples/ engagement shoot to create a beginning to your story. The middle; could be the ceremony, but what parts are specifically important to you? The end; maybe the last dance and a shot of you driving away in the car with the just married sign? Your story has many intricacies and is uniquely yours if you plan it well you will be happy with the results.

What do you want from your story? What elements are important to you? Do you want the entire day captured from getting ready to driving away? Are all these aspects of equal importance? Each part of your story has a level of importance to you and consideration should be given to this when planning. You want all the images that make up your day but which ones mean the most to you? How do you see your images being displayed or distributed as final product?

Product, what’s the role product plays in your decisions. What do I mean by product? Albums, prints, books, social media images electronic displays etc. You need to consider what your dream wedding will look like to you. Is it a beautiful arrangement of prints on your wall? Maybe it is a beautiful album or photo-book. What about the parents or the family and all those friends on facebook? Each of these “audiences” deserves consideration not only in the image type but the medium also. Books or smaller albums are great for the parents with images that showcase the groom for the grooms side and bride for her parents. Images appropriately sized for email and other electronic sharing are what we like to call “social media images” and are perfect for sharing with all your friends.

When working with a photographer you need to consider all these aspects when creating your story. If you leave this to chance and simply ask for the disc at the end you’re setting yourself up for failure. Think about it talk to your partner and friends decide what you want and proceed with a plan. Create a rough draft, an outline for your story. If you want an album and large prints include this. Together you and our photographer can create the images that you will capture on your day.

1) You have an opinion let’s hear it. We’re not talking about the usual rant about politics and taxes. This is going to be your day also so express your opinions. There are a lot of decisions that have to be made for the day and you can help here. Music, food choices, photography are some areas where you can put in your two cents. You can steer clear of the lilies or roses debates and the bridesmaid’s bouquets, still maintaining your manhood.

2) Let’s talk about the registry, picking out china and the like not your thing? Maybe you need to look at in a different way.  You get to go to the store and choose things you want that someone else will buy for you! Tools may not be the best choice. How about a cappuccino machine or stainless steel BBQ tools? If you think about it you can come up with some ideas. This is helping, really you’re taking some of the responsibility of your bride to be. You may even be able to convince a group of your friends to collaborate and buy you that new plasma you have had your eyes on!

3) Don’t be uninvolved and don’t be a pushover. You don’t want to feel like a fool in baby blue just because she thought it would go well with the flowers. If you don’t have any input you could end up with flowers and or rose coloured bedding that you will want to hide when the buddies come over. Step up or take what you get, like a man!

4) Wedding planning is stressful, your bride to be is likely to need a break once in a while. You don’t want her to develop an ulcer or worse a grudge before she walks down the aisle.  Cook her dinner, or take her out for dinner. Take her to the movies or rent her that new chick flick she has wanted to see. Yes chick flick, you need to remind her why she is going through all this stress in the first place. Have some fun together, relax and remember why you got engaged in the first place.

5) Be a buffer, if your mother is calling too often, you can avoid the family feud if you act as a buffer. It is likely to cause less stress on the relationship if you kindly tell your mother to back off. Let her know that you appreciate her excitement and input but it is your wedding and you need to fly from the nest yourselves. You get to keep the peace and live in it, a win win situation.

6) You may need professional help. If your bride to be hits the wall you may need to hire a professional wedding planner to take the reins. Don’t think about the cost think about the value, your bride won’t be needing that straight jacket on your honeymoon.

7) Listen, be supportive but avoid family bashing! If your bride to be is lambasting her mother’s meddling ways DON’T take this opportunity to add your insults onto fire! This will only open up a proverbial Pandora’s Box, something you want to avoid. This is one place where cost outweighs value. Although you might value expressing yourself the cost in one you cannot bear. Listen, nod, hug and shut up!

8 ) Manage your men. You choose your men of honour for their honour right? These are your friends and you know them. If the best man has your back but loses his keys at least once a night then making him solely responsible for the rings may not be the best idea. Know their weaknesses and how that my affect the day then manage them. If they’re always late then have them be a ½ hr early etc. This will relieve both you and your bride to be of stress.

9) Manage you men’s attire. Make the fittings pick up etc, clear and simple. Make all the arrangements yourself and send clear concise emails to all the parties’ even the sales person at the formal shop. Give as much detail as you can include fitting times, directions to the shop etc. Make sure to remind the boys to return their rentals the day after so as to avoid late charges.  CC your bride to be, this way you accomplish two things. You show her you are taking responsibility and you add accountability to your groomsmen because she now knows what they have been told!

10) The wedding day.  Make sure you let the bride to be knows you are thinking of her. Get her a little gift something only you would get for her. Nothing big just something that will make her smile. Get a bit sentimental here, write her a note that lets her know you cannot wait to spend the rest of your life with her and how stunning she is going to look today. If you get a little choked up writing it your on the right track.

This is good relationship advice not just wedding day advice, I follow these rules and have been happily married for 14 years and together for 20. Got some more advice we would love to hear it.

Story # 1: two people got married. Your story: You and the people you love shared an amazing day full of emotion and life. The setting was beautiful the details perfect and everyone could feel your love. They are the same story one just lacks some creativity. Which one do you want?

What is creativity anyways? First let’s discover what it is not: Creativity is not B&W photography, in this digital age there is any number of immediate ways to get B&W. Neither is it creative to have a B&W shot with one colour aspect (unless that colour aspect is a constant and says something about the photo). Is it brides, grooms and their bridal party jumping in the air . . . nope not creative (maybe the first time but not anymore). How about sepia toned images . . . nope it takes some skill in Photoshop to do it properly but it isn’t creative. How about a shot of the rings in a champagne flute? Well that may be a bit overdone but it has potential.

Creative is a process a way of looking at things and doing things, it isn’t the result but the process that got the result. Every photographer searches for inspiration a starting point. But when you simply do something because it worked for some other photographer then the creativity is gone it’s lost. Einstein said that doing the same process over again expecting a different result is insane. Trying to copy what you have seen out there and expecting to call it creative is also insane. It isn’t the “what” that makes it creative it’s the “how”.  That doesn’t mean you don’t do the ring shot or B&W or sepia . . . just bring more to the table in the “how”. Bring more creativity.  

Creativity is not something you should fear but embrace.  Fairytale weddings are the desire of many brides.  The sad truth is this doesn’t happen that often. But the feelings and emotions are there and can be brought out.  The fairytale is created but not faked! These emotions are real, the connections and the people involved all real. They just need a chance to be let out, created, and captured in the lens. You put on your best clothes went to the salon etc, why? So you could be shot in bad light with bad posture not smiling? Posing, setting the scene, positioning etc isn’t fake it is just taking reality to the salon. Embrace the creative let your true self out don’t hide in your comfort zone flourish in the limelight.

What is the real value of creativity and what do you get out of it? The images that tell your story become more: more real, more emotive, more  connected, more personal and more uniquely you. Creativity adds to the final product, you end up with a more desirable photographic story. The story of your day told through your images compiled in a beautiful album. An album that you can relate to that tells your story not just a wedding day but yours. The timing, compositions, lighting, angles and techniques combine with you and your surroundings to “create” a visual story. The visual story of your day not just a record it happening. It’s your choice which story will you choose?

What does creative mean to you? We would love to hear from you.

Brides: Get a good sleep the night before. You need to make time for you in your planning. On your day you need to plan for time. Have a nice soothing bath maybe even a bubble bath in the morning. Leave time to just relax and slowly wake up. Maybe have a massage (just not a deep tissue). Spend some time on your own . . . breath. 

Have your bridesmaids meet you for a coffee before hair and makeup. If you can get your hair and makeup done in one room with your bridesmaids, that way you can visit and laugh while having it done. Invite a few close friends to come spend some time with you before the ceremony. Pre wedding pampering is the focus for you, your bridesmaids and a few close friends or family. Laugh, cry then laugh some more! Choose something comfortable but pretty to have your hair and makeup done in. You not only want to feel good but you’re likely to have some photos taken while you’re having this done.

Choose a bff that isn’t in the bridal party to be your gofer, let them take care of problems that may arise, if the flowers don’t show up etc. Provide them with a master list so they can call whoever they need. Make sure to include them in the pampering and give them a gift that shows your appreciation.

Arrive at the venue with time to spare and find a comfortable place to relax with your bridesmaids for a few minutes. Time to laugh again! Now take some quiet time with your bridesmaids relax and breath, you could hold hands and feed on your strength together . . . breath.

Grooms: You too need your beauty sleep! Dark circles under your eyes will not cut it, nor will drifting off at the altar.  Make sure all your plans are arranged well in advance, travel plans, honeymoon plans etc. Have a good friend or brother that can be your gofer (someone outside of the wedding party) same rule applies here provide them with a gift that expresses your appreciation. Do something . . . men usually find activity to be relaxing, go for a jog shoot some hoops etc, invite your groomsmen also. Don’t go overboard here, a round of golf may be what you would like but it is likely to add to your fiancée’s stress! Maybe settle for a bucket of balls. Go ahead and throw the football around but don’t play full tackle! Have fun just chill with some buds.

 If you are having some photos done while getting dressed make sure you’re wearing something that you feel good in not just an old pair of sweats! Jeans and a T-shirt works great and is really masculine. Have some friends and the groomsmen with you and have fun. Remember this is your day too enjoy it.

Arrive with time to spare, this gives you some time to spend horsing around with your buds. Not only will this relax you but it makes for some great photographs. Do something manly, have a shot of whiskey or smoke a cigar, but don’t get out of hand. Laugh, breath, laugh some more . . . relax.

If you have planned well and you take time to give yourself some pampering and some laughs your day will run much more smoothly if it starts out relaxed.

A beautiful bride relaxes before the big day.

Got any other tips? We would love to hear them.

Winter spring summer or fall: Every season has a myriad of possible weather challenges that can creep up on you.

What if the weather takes a turn for the worst? Rain, snow, and worse can happen. Have a backup plan! Have an indoor or covered venue picked out or ready to go just in case. Also consider the temperature, if it drops suddenly (here in Calgary this is quite possible) be prepared with either layers or heaters. You don’t need to “have” all this but at least consider it and know what it will take to source it in a hurry! A good rental company can be your best friend. For an outdoor wedding, find a rental company with a rain policy; this agreement will get you a tent at the last minute.

Mud: Have a plan for dealing with mud not rain but mud. Even the warmest blue sky day can be ruined by mud. Heavy rain or a late spring (this never happens in Calgary) can leave you wallowing in mud. Plastic bags are your friends just slip them over your shoes. Or just go with boots and have fun with it. If your venue has multiple spots choose if you can one that is higher ground or be prepared to move to the higher ground if necessary.

Wind: even the nicest weather can get a bit breezy, are your decorations going to survive a sudden gust? Don’t opt for skipping the guy lines on your event tent because the sky is blue! Be practical if the worst happens you’re prepared. Fully set up and secure the event tent, if the weather is perfect it is a lot easier to open up the walls than try to put them up in a panic!

Know the temperature: What . . .  didn’t I just tell you to plan for the unexpected? Yes but you must pay attention, or seek knowledge about the “normal” temperature. Specifically you need to plan for the time of day you want to be outside. A sunset ceremony in May might be a bit cold for a light taffeta strapless number! Consider your guests too, by making them aware of the typical weather to expect.  Have some water available for guests in case the heat spikes.  You can even post weather updates on your wedding site.

Know the light: Which way does the sun shine at that time of day/year? Plan to have your guests with their backs to the sun not the sun in their eyes.  Keep in mind that you will don’t want the sun directly in your eyes either, most of the time you will be facing each other. This changes slightly from season to season and time of day so do some research.  As a photographer I am always aware of the light and will take care of that aspect for your photographs.

Food: There are a couple of pitfalls to avoid here but most of the guess work can be solved by asking your caterer the right questions: Do they have experience providing food for outdoor weddings? Can they recommend what would taste good in the typical weather? Some hot foods will taste better in the fall and vice versa cool foods for the summer.  

Bugs: Every season has its nuisances often the winged variety can be lured into traps or other areas with citronella candles etc. Have some good bug repellent that really works on hand and use it! Make sure to consider the guests also a few cans between tables and you’re covered for less than the cost of one plate of food.

Allergies: Spring flowers and autumn foliage can wreak havoc on allergies, yours and your guests. Red, puffy, watery eyes just won’t cut it in your wedding photos. Watch the pollen levels for the area and be weary of the natural surroundings. In your emergency kit (I have talked about this one before) keep some allergy medicine and eye drops even if you don’t usually need them.

Conclusion: Make several trips to your venue at different times of day to see what how things change, consider all the aspects, all the possibilities and you will be covered.  Remember to consider you and your guests in your decisions.  A little common sense will go a long way to ensuring your day goes well. It’s your day plan for the worst and you’ll have the best day of your life.

Have you encountered any wedding pitfalls that you can share we would love to hear from you.  

It has been sold to you, the client as a benefit, as freedom and as savings. Really? Okay so you get to make the decisions, and the prints, and the colour corrections, and the image sizing and the . . . you get the picture. Never mind the true cost . . . time and energy spent running around sourcing printing and albums etc. Do you know where to get the best quality albums? Isn’t it from www.printmybook.com? Did you know that the colour on your monitor is not the colour your printer outputs? How do you get rid of that green cast from the fluorescent lights? But this is what you the client paid for, this is what you wanted, the shoot and burn. But you get crash and burn! 

Why? You have been sold a lie! They have told you to demand all the unedited digital files to help you save money. This isn’t a whole truth. You will save some money, but at what cost? Your images are at risk of never being printed or even worse printed on that $5 stack of 20lb plain paper sitting in your home printer. There is a whole generation of brides out there the “orphan brides” who will never have an album printed. Out of site out of mind, perpetually stuck on the revolving slideshow on their desktop screensaver their images never make the transition from file to print. Hard drives crash, digital media fails, files can become corrupted . . . it just happens. Once your digital files are gone so are your images forever and the money you saved will no longer be important.

What are you going to do with those discs anyways? Load them onto your computer so you can share them via email and or your preferred social media, most likely. What influenced you to choose a photographer? Was it their art? Was it their imagery?  Post processing is the digital equivalent of the darkroom and the best of an image can be massaged out with well actuated mouse clicks and key strokes. Each and every photographer has a style a process that cannot be replicated without their touch. You’re setting yourself up for failure if you find a photographer whose work you love then demand shoot and burn service! You will be disappointed, likely blame the photographer for not giving you what they advertised. But that isn’t what you paid for . . . it was what you bought and the two are not mutually exclusive.

Misguided or new photographers will often fall into the trap of shoot and burn, I know I did. When starting out you’re glad not to have to deal with it. What could be easier you shoot, burn and deliver done!  The client wanted it and you gave it to them. Or did they . . . time goes buy and that bride who raved about your service, and the experience she had etc hasn’t referred any new brides to you. A quick call reveals that she is disappointed in the quality of your work! You lied to her; your images don’t look like the ones she saw in your portfolio! You decide to make things right and meet her at her home to talk about her disappointment.

To your horror there pasted all over the fridge is your “art” printed on plain paper with plain inks and no colour corrections! Yuck, who would be happy with those images!  You decide on a simple solution have the client pick a handful of their favourite images and you’ll print them out for them. A few days later you present your client with your original vision of your art, their day through your eyes. Tears . . . this is what you get in response tears of joy because their dreams of fairytale imagery has been resurrected. Then the whys start. Why? Why didn’t you offer this service before? Why didn’t you explain the perils to them? Because they wanted this service they wanted to save money and it was easy, right?  Were they happy . . . not even close! Turns out it wasn’t easy and they didn’t want what they were sold they wanted what they bought! They bought you, your service, your creativity, your style and your uniqueness. They were told to get “shoot and burn” but that isn’t what they really wanted. If only you had the guts to tell them they were lied to! Well things are different now and guts you have plenty of.  They’re now a convert willing to tell anyone who will listen about the perils of shoot and burn! And your new formula is shoot, create, reproduce and share digitally without getting burnt.

Yes . . . absolutely yes get a digital copy of your wedding day but get the appropriate copies! How are you going to use these images really? Let’s recap: likely in email, social media sites etc. This is a perfectly acceptable way to use and store your images in the virtual world. New products such as digital photo frames and DVD players that can play digital slideshows also open up the options available. Have you ever emailed a 15-20 megapixel image? Each file can be between 5 and 20 megabytes! This is not a user friendly size! However a disc full of “social media” appropriate images is a welcome choice. Images appropriately resized for web and email will display beautifully and can be emailed or uploaded easily. Not to mention take up far less room on your valuable hard drive.

Hiring a photographer to shoot and burn is like hiring a painter to do the sketches so you can paint yourself! Go the distance, get the original “art”, then get the digital copies to share with your social network.

I would love to hear your thoughts on “shoot and burn”.   

 Please have a look at this post from a friend of mine, I hope the community here is big enough to find this womans final wish.

Break in your shoes! There are two considerations here. Although it might make Americas funniest home videos a slip while walking down the aisle in brand new shoes will likely not be the highlight of your day. And just think how enjoyable those blisters from your new shoes will feel during the first dance. Solution scuff up the bottoms, wear the shoes around the house enough to break them in but not break them down!

Eat! Don’t skip breakfast all together, eat something consider easy to digest foods that will give you long lasting energy like yogurt and fruit. If you’re getting married in the am and have a reception in the evening then by all means please eat something for lunch. Just be smart about what. Make sure you drink some water stay hydrated, this helps avoid headaches etc. Keep the coffee to a minimum it could add to your already jittery state and will make you need to pee more often.

Speaking of pee . . . go! Before you get your gown and jewellery on go pee. Consider your day have a pee plan. In all seriousness have a bridesmaid or friend designated to help you out literally! Also know the venue is there one bathroom that is easier to access than another, often times the wheelchair accessible bathrooms are bigger and more private. Depending on the venue you may have to secure a key to use this one. You will be happy you planned ahead if the only bathroom is the port-a-potty on the golf course! Unless you’re planning to win that prise on AMFV.

Pack an emergency bag! Many a would be disaster can be solved with some simple planning. Torn dresses can be pinned back together with a safety pin (a pin is easily removed in photoshop). You’re going to be in unfamiliar territory, don’t take a chance on someone else being able to come to your rescue. The day of my wedding I woke up with a brutal head ache, we were staying with my mom and I went into her medicine cabinet for some relief found the bottle marked Tylenol and promptly took 3 . . . 292’s which have codeine in them. Now I am allergic to codeine. I spent the next few hrs in a confused, nauseated and itchy state, a perfect relaxing start to my wedding day. Fortunately my bride to be was too busy to notice.

Breath, really, not only will this help you to remain standing but you will remember the day better if you take time to breath. Take some personal time just you to look at yourselves in the mirror, take note of all the good things, the jewellery, your hair, your dress or suit if you’re the groom. Take time to breath together throughout your day. There will be so much going on that it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind and miss some of the day. As a photographer I always tell my couples to “just love and enjoy each other for a few moments . . . forget about me” this always makes for great photos, especially when you don’t realize I am shooting.

It’s your day plan for it but most of all enjoy it.

Emergency kit for your wedding day: Throw all your items in a back pack or bag and make keep them in the car or with a trusty family member. Band aids, Tylenol (or other), safety pins, gravol, sewing kit, two sided tape, duct tape, black maker, tide stick (or other brand), Kleenex, water bottles, Umbrellas, stockings, quick snacks like granola bars etc, gum, money, cel-phones(you need these available but not on you!), maps, phone #s of contacts etc, nail polish, etc. Basically it is like an overnight toiletries bag.

So what is Shabby Chic anyways? I have compiled some info below that you can use as a starting point to design your perfect Shabby Chic wedding.

shab·by (shăbē)
adj. shab·bi·er, shab·bi·est.

1. Showing signs of wear and tear; threadbare or worn-out: shabby furniture.
2. Dilapidated or deteriorated in condition, especially through neglect; seedy: a shabby little park.

1. Of mediocre or substandard quality: a shabby performance.

chic (shēk)
adj. chic·er, chic·est.

1.      Conforming to the current fashion; stylish: chic clothes; a chic boutique.

1.      The quality or state of being stylish; fashionableness.

2.      Sophistication in dress and manner; elegance

Embracing the shabby chic aesthetic means embracing casual and dress in the same theme. Beware though don’t equate casual with sloppy! It couldn’t be further from the truth, tailoring is very important.  You’re creating a look that mixes high and low new and old but not sloppy or dirty. Faded blues, charcoals, blacks and browns are the staples of a great shabby chic look. Avoid bright colours and always opt for the best tailoring you can afford.

This trend favours suits over tuxes and loose soft unstructured dresses over more fitted styles. Details are mixed and layered but always complimentary. This is true of table decor and wedding favours also. When designing your Shabby Chic Wedding consider; slip covered furniture, old Furniture painted White (freshly painted or old and chipped), distressed, pastel colours with floral prints or faded stripes, vintage or vintage inspired linens architectural elements, painted metals worn out Looking and sophisticated, casual and fashionably deteriorated while still being stylish. A large part of Shabby Chic’s allure is rooted in nostalgia. Lighter hues and softer colours are the name of the day.

Shabby Chic is greener, softer, rougher, more layered, textured, natural but above all stylish. Combine beautifully natural elements and vintage with touches of glamour and high fashion. Shabby chic is a little bohemian and definitely D.I.Y.  But don’t mistake this for “cheap” or “poor” as with any good trend there is no shortage of store bought items and designers waiting to help you plan the perfect Shabby Chic Wedding.

As usual it’s your day lets have some fun with it, do what you want!

Jeffrey Wilkins ConceptPhotos Calgary Alberta Wedding Photographer

P.S. A great source for some hand painted glassware Perfect for a Shabby Chic wedding.