By Kristal Johnson (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Wedding Planning): Event Source Northwest: http://www.eventsourcenw.com/kristal.html

Marriage is a complicated relationship.  I’ve only been married 5 months and I’ve already managed to figure that out…  That’s why much to my surprise, my Father announcing his engagement to his girlfriend of only a few months on Christmas morning came as such a shock to me.  For most people getting engaged is a time of celebration, but in this case it was more confusion.  My parents split over 10 years ago and my father had never showed any signs of wanting to remarry.  He hadn’t even held a girlfriend longer than a couple of months!  That’s what makes me a little skeptical of the idea, but I’m happy that he’s happy, and am going to support them the whole way through.

The one thing that makes me most concerned is that they live 3,000 miles apart! Each of them have successful businesses in their home states, and have multiple teenagers, not to mention ex-spouses who are still very much involved in their lives.

Being apart physically makes a marriage even more challenging, that’s why I’ve come up with some tips for them and anyone else who is facing a long distance marriage.

1. COMMUNICATION is key!  In all relationships communication is #1 to keeping it alive.  Talk everyday!
2. TRUST: Long distance marriages will fail if there is lack of trust between partners.
3. MAKE TIME FOR ONE ANOTHER! Do this by sending an email, a letter, a phone call, writing in a journal, or instant messaging.
4. EXPECTATIONS: Share your feelings about being apart from one another, and your expectations for when you are together again.
5. BE HONEST: Don’t hold back your fears or concerns about your separation.  Talk it out.
6. KEEP IT FRESH: Since you’re apart most of the time it shouldn’t be hard to keep your relationship fun and fresh.  Try new places, see new attractions, cuddle, have FUN together!

I’m by far not an expert on relationships, but I’m hoping for my Father, and others that this information is useful.  All you need is Communication, Trust, Patience, and a good sense of humor and everything should work out just fine!

By Daniel Sheehan (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Photography): A Beautiful Day Photography, http://www.abeautifuldayphotography.com

 Are All the Photographs from the Same Wedding?

I’d be concerned if they were all from the same wedding. If they are, it shows a lack of experience. Experienced professional photographers have shot many different brides and that should show in their work. At the other extreme, I would be concerned if they only show one photograph from each wedding. That makes me think the photographer only gets one good picture from the whole day. You should be looking for some consistency over a range of photographs from many different weddings with at least three or four different pictures from each wedding in their sample online gallery or album.

Do You Actually Like This Person?

If you select him you will be spending the most important day of your life with him or her so be sure you are comfortable and like being around them. If the photographer’s personality clashes with yours, you could be in for an unhappy day - or at least an awkward one. Do not risk being unhappy on the most important day of your life. Reading the photographer’s personality is just as important as looking through their portfolio. When you talk with a prospective photographer, get a feel for them and see if they were someone you’d want to hang out with.  Does he listen to you? A photographer that talks all the time about how great they are someone you should stay away from. How can the photographer know what you are looking for if they do not take the time to listen to you?

How to Be Sure You Are Dealing With a Professional Photographer

Ask them if they do photography as a full time career? If yes that is a good sign. If they say no, they aren’t a professional photographer, and will have nothing to lose if they mess up your wedding photographs.

How long have they been in business?  Anything under a year is suspect, mainly because they will probably not have enough experience. Two to three years is not bad since they photographer has probably had enough wedding experience to know what to expect and how to deal with most situations that may arise. Anything over three years is best since it is proof they are doing pretty well and probably having a decent reputation.

Ask Them How Many Weddings They have Photographed?

If they give you a figure under twenty then be on your guard and take all of the other answers into account when finally deciding on whether to book them or not, especially take into account how many years they have been in business. If they have only done twenty weddings in two years you shouldn’t book them. Twenty is a very low number of weddings for two years; you can expect an expert photographer on average to photograph a minimum of twenty weddings per year. If they give you a figure over 200 and they’ve been in business for only a couple of years then they are less than honest. It would be impossible for them to have covered so many weddings in two years. For a business that has been operating for two to three years, a reasonable figure for weddings covered is around fifth to sixty. 

If the Price Offered Sounds Too Good To Be True – It Probably Is!

You may be lucky and find a talented photographer for under $1500 for whole day coverage. Like most things in life you get what you pay for. You will most likely end up with nothing like you asked for, poor quality, badly composed photographs at best.

If you can increase your budget from the bottom range and to the next level say, $2000 to $3000, you will expand your choices greatly and you will end up with beautiful photographs that last a lifetime. If you move to the next level say, $4,000 - $6,000, your choices expand exponentially, because you’re not limited to local photographers, you can get photographers from across the nation. The price is obviously important to you, as you have probably already spent thousands on the wedding itself, but there is no point trying to save money on photography. Everything else gets eaten, forgotten or put into storage, and the photography and the ring are the only things you will have from your day to show everyone. Try your best to stretch that budget and book a professional photographer for as long as you can get them, you won’t regret it.

By Jimmy Horner, WedNet Specialist Blogger on Groom Issues, The Man Registry, http://www.themanregistry.com

Writing your own vows adds a unique touch to your wedding ceremony. However, vow writing isn’t a simple process. So instead of starting at a blank sheet of paper for hours on end, check out our sample vows and vow writing tips below. Vows typically have a defined beginning, middle and end.

First (start slow and establish the tempo): State your name, her name and your intentions for marriage.

Example — I, Romeo, stand here ready to take you, Juliet, to be my wife, best friend and lifelong partner in marriage.

Next (the meat and potatoes): State why you intend to marry and what marriage means to you. This would be the time to use any poetic skills you may have. It might also be an appropriate time to include a story that illustrates your love for the bride.

Example — As husband and wife, I know we’ll be able to accomplish anything and overcome any challenges that stand in our way. From the moment I met you in college, I knew you were the one I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. As we began to date and get to know each other even better, these thoughts were confirmed. I have never doubted my love for you; in fact, it has grown stronger every day.

Finally (finish strong): Pledge yourself to your bride. This is where you’ll want to make the promises that will last a lifetime. This is the portion of the vows that you’d probably recognize by the words “in sickness and in health.”

Example — From this moment on, with you at my side, I promise to always live by the vows I make today. I promise to give you the best future I can and to be the best father I can when we welcome children into the world. I will love you whether we’re rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or old. I pledge to hold these promises dear to my heart for the rest of my life.

The Bottom Line: Remember, size doesn’t matter. Your vows don’t have to be long. It’s what you say that counts.

By Kristal Johnson (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Wedding Planning): Event Source Northwest: http://www.eventsourcenw.com/kristal.html

With these economic times couples are tightening up their wedding budgets and downsizing their celebrations…

You can still have an amazing wedding on a tight budget as long as you know how to prioritize what’s most important to you and allocate your budget based on that. 

One way couples think that they can save money is by forgoing a DJ and using an I-Pod for their wedding music.  If the object or goal of your wedding is to get your guests to leave early and not dance than an I-Pod will do the trick.  Music and interaction is KEY to any successful event.  Without a DJ and a good MC your event will quickly fizzle out.  Creating an ambiance with good entertainment will set the mood for the entire celebration.  

From my experience, I can tell you that no one will care if you have the best decor, flowers, linens, chair covers, or a full bar.  They will notice though if there is no energy, interaction, or good entertainment, which will cause them to eat and run.  So, when you’re analyzing your budget, think about what’s most important to you, and spend your money where you’re going to get the most bang for your buck, but try not to use an I-pod in place of a DJ if you can help it.

By Jimmy Horner, WedNet Specialist Blogger on Groom Issues, The Man Registry, http://www.themanregistry.com

They’ve been with you every step of the way — through good times and bad. And now they’re ready to stand beside you on the day you say “I do.” As your groomsmen, they’ll be renting tuxes, planning your bachelor party, making toasts and helping out on the big day. How to repay them? Here are a few ways to say “thanks.”

Engraving something with the groomsmen’s initials is a nice way to personalize your groomsmen gift. Try engraving or monogramming one of these gift options:

. Pocket knife or pocket multi-tool
. Flasks or beer steins
. Shot glass set
. Corkscrews/bottle openers
. Wristwatches
. Cuff links
. Money clip
. Lighters
. Pens
. Business card holders
. Wallets

Avid sports fans will appreciate a gift that relates to their love of the game or the great outdoors, such as:

. Golf equipment
. Fishing gear
. Camping equipment
. Game tickets
. Gifts featuring logos of their favorite sports team. Browse our MLB groomsman gifts, NFL groomsman gifts, NHL groomsman gifts, and NCAA groomsman gifts
. Personalized Baseball Bat

Another option is to organize a group outing for you and the boys (on you of course). Popular ideas are:

. Casino night (or a Vegas trip if it's in the budget)
. Camping or fishing excursion
. Sporting event
. Concert
. Golfing

Finally, if your groomsmen support any major causes - a donation in their name is a very unique and meaningful gift.

The Bottom Line: No matter what type of groomsman gift you choose, the name of the game is to find a gift that will make your groomsmen feel appreciated (and help ease the pain of a pricey tux rental). Think of your gift as a memento of your wedding that your groomsmen will remember for years to come. Cheers!

By Daniel Sheehan (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Photography): A Beautiful Day Photography, http://www.abeautifuldayphotography.com

At a number of weddings this past year I had several people came up to me during the receptions and mention that they had been watching me work over the course of the day. I was flattered and had not noticed. They had been married recently but complained that their wedding photographers did not take both as many pictures and the variety of interesting photos I was making. When I asked them who had photographed their wedding, they responded a family member or friend of the family was the photographer, but they wished that they had hired me. In times like these, people are often tempted to save time money on an expensive wedding by accepting the services of a family member or friend when they come to the wedding photography. This often results in a case of unintended consequences as the friend or family member delivers less than acceptable results due to the lack of prior experience, and both of you feel regrets that it turned out to be a disaster. Despite the cost, there are a number of benefits to hiring a professional wedding photographer. The combination of years of experience, artistic approach, and choice of equipment insure that the professional wedding photographer’s work will stand the test of time.

A professional photographer’s cameras and lenses make a big difference on the fundamental level coupled with extensive experience with the equipment they use. Their equipment will be professional quality gear that is able to withstand extremes of temperature or humidity, they will have access to a wider variety of lenses, lights, and accessories than an amateur would, and they will have backup equipment in case of failure or damage. They are routinely more comfortable working with their equipment. This translates into a stronger stylistic expression on the part of the experienced professional. The experienced photographer is then not limited by his equipment and is able to pick from a variety of lenses to obtain a specific look or feel to the photographs. More than just getting some good pictures, the best way to remember the day is to have it told in a picture story. The narrative or photo-journalistic approach to wedding photography is a lot more than just a bunch of pictures and requires someone who has learned the skills of telling a story with a camera. If you are not familiar with the style, check out the work of a wedding photojournalist.

Perhaps the most important reason to hire an experienced professional photographer is their experience in dealing with all the possibilities of a wedding day. Even though a non-professional who photographs weddings may be quite a capable photographer, the experienced professional wedding photographer has the ability to deliver work of a higher standard in a wide variety of situations. Despite the many months brides and grooms spend planning the day, a wedding will always be an uncontrolled and spontaneous event. An experienced photographer can improvise and adapt when the timeline changes on the spur of the moment as quite frequently happens. Professional photographers know the flow and timing of a wedding day, which gives them the edge to capture images that highlight the most important moments throughout the day—the emotions, laughter, and spontaneity.

Weddings are also the time when family members reunite from distant places. Formal and candid portraits become a timeless keepsake of friendships and relationships. An experienced wedding photographer will be able to create these important family photographs, even under the pressure of a tight schedule when things run slower than expected. Experienced wedding photographers, who once worked as photojournalists, thrive in such anxiety producing conditions. After covering breaking news for a number of years, a wedding, no matter how hectic, is never quite as stressful as having to photograph a war or protest demonstration. The very nature of the work tends to lead professional wedding photographers to love working with people, and be warm and personable so that often the bride and groom will feel as if they are having an old friend photograph the wedding. Avoid the regrets and hire a professional to have the best possible photographs of the day to treasure and preserve your memories of the wedding day.

By Kristal Johnson (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Wedding Planning): Event Source Northwest: http://www.eventsourcenw.com/kristal.html 

I’m noticing lately that couples and their parents have totally different ideas and thoughts when it comes to planning a wedding and all the politics that go along with it.  I know when I was planning my wedding my Mom wanted to invite the whole town!  Here are a couple of tips to let your parents and/or fiancé know what you expect out of your wedding day and who you want there.

1. Communicate! Talk with your fiancé and your parents about how you want to keep it a smaller wedding and let them down gently when you say that your 3^rd grade bus driver who you haven’t seen since then is not invited.

2. Explain how a wedding with too many guests, or people you barely know will totally throw off the intimate feeling you’re going for, not to mention inflate the cost!

3. Make a rule: If you haven’t seen or heard from a particular guest in years and they aren’t family don’t invite them. Chances are that they are not expecting and invitation anyway

4. Don’t feel obligated.  Just because your dad’s friends sisters cousin invited you to her wedding doesn’t mean that you have to invite them.  Make sure that the guests you choose to invite are there to support your marriage and not just looking for a free meal!

By Jimmy Horner, WedNet Specialist Blogger on Groom Issues, The Man Registry, http://www.themanregistry.com

Looking for a wedding shower that both the groom and bride can get excited about? Look no further than the bar shower. Whether the engaged couple already has a bar in their home, plan to have one or simply enjoy entertaining guests, a bar shower is a great way to include the groom and other guys in the pre-wedding festivities. 

This is a great shower for groomsmen or friends of the groom to organize. First, think about the types of gifts the shower should include. For example, is the shower being thrown to help stock the couple’s bar with barware (such as wine, beer, martini, margarita, brandy or champagne glasses), utensils and accessories (such as wine and beer bottle openers, wine racks, jiggers, martini shakers or drink recipe books) or liquor only? We recommend including all of the above. 

Next, think about the invitations. Make sure to include the theme of the shower someplace on the invitation, so guests will know what kind of gifts are appropriate. If guests will be bringing liquor, you may even want to call the guests that have accepted ahead of time to let them know what type of liquor to bring. Otherwise, the couple may end up with seven bottles of scotch. While this may not be a problem for some couples, others may prefer a slightly more diversified bar. If the gifts will include other bar items, it’s helpful if the couple has already registered for some options.

What about guests? This type of shower easily lends itself to the wedding party and friends of the couple, but can also include close family members and extended relatives. This type of shower is usually held during evening hours, so refreshments can include drinks and hors d’oeuvres rather than a full meal.

The Bottom Line: What could be better than a shower that brings together friends, good liquor and plenty of bar gifts? Not only is this a great way to stock the couple’s bar, it’s also a great opportunity for some of the couple’s friends who don’t already know each other to meet in a fun, relaxed atmosphere before the wedding. 

By Jimmy Horner, WedNet Specialist Blogger on Groom Issues, The Man Registry, http://www.themanregistry.com

Choosing friends or family to be in your wedding party is a very important decision. Asking someone to stand next to you on your wedding day is an honor that is hard to equal. Typically, you want to make your decisions nine to 10 months before the wedding. First, you’ll want to decide with your fiancé the size of your ideal wedding party. However, as with most wedding planning decisions, it isn’t always an easy. For most men, the question often becomes "Who should I ask?"

BROTHERS
Without question, if you have a brother, asking him to be a part of the wedding party is a given. It’s often expected that your brother will serve as Best Man. If you have more than one brother, it’s also very common to have two or more Best Men.

YOUR FIANCE’S BROTHERS
Including your fiancé’s brothers in the wedding party is also a very popular choice. It’s also widely accepted as standard practice. You’ll be joining their family on your wedding day, and asking them to be groomsmen is a great way to welcome them into yours.

FRIENDS
The tough decisions start when it comes to choosing which friends to ask. It’s usually wisest to start with any life-long friends you’ve had. You can also think about close friends from high school and college. A very popular groomsman choice is the college roommate.

Remember, if you reach your maximum number of groomsmen, you can also add ushers. The number of ushers typically ranges from two to four — a ratio of one usher to every 50 guests is a good rule of thumb. But if you want to keep your wedding party small, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask your groomsmen to also usher in guests.

FAMILY
Cousins and nephews are also popular choices to add to your wedding party. Even if they’re young, you always the option of having a junior groomsman or usher. Other extended family members are also commonly asked to be readers, greeters or ring bearers.

The Bottom Line: Definitely include your brothers and fiancé’s brothers in the wedding party, and remember that going with a junior usher will always get rave reviews from your guests.

By Daniel Sheehan (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Photography): A Beautiful Day Photography, http://www.abeautifuldayphotography.com

The people you invite to your wedding are important to you since you have asked them to come and witness your exchange of marriage vows and share in the festivities of the day.

Honoring them is a decent and respectable thing to do. They have taken time out of their own lives to share in the most memorable day of your life. Some may have traveled from distant parts of the globe to be there with you. It makes sense to honor them in a significant manner by having a photograph to remember their presence and generosity in the years to come. One solution may be to have a photo made with everyone at each table.

At first this might seem like a good approach. You could ask your photographer to follow you and your wedding partner around to every table and shoot pictures of each guest or the whole table. But consider the setting with plates half full of food and the clutter of glasses and bottles and a beautiful centerpiece blocking out faces. Consider the amount of time it will take to go around the room to each and every table and the intrusion of getting everyone to stop their meal to pose with the bride and groom. Often some of the guests are missing as they are off visiting other tables too.

From my experience, the photographs taken in such a setting do not come out looking very interesting. It is hard to arrange a group of people around a table without all the stuff on it distracting attention away from the people.
Repeating this process at each and every table, to be sure everyone is photographed, results in a collection of photos displaying what everyone has also eaten and drunk or not eaten and drunk as well. If you decide this is still what you really want, then in selecting a wedding photographer, look for a traditional studio-wedding photographer who is most comfortable with the traditional poses around the table.

Wedding photojournalists are best know for capturing the real moments and emotions of the day. Documenting events naturally to tell a story as it unfolds. They therefore tend to hate making these stiff posed table shots. Making posed table photos mean that your photographer will be missing real unscripted moments of you and your guests enjoying the reception since it will take away a lot of time. There are ways to accomplish the goal of getting everyone photographed without resorting to table shots.

The solution I recommend is to consider honoring everyone at your wedding in one large group-wedding photograph. I use a large format camera to capture these large groups. I have shot wedding groups of as few as a dozen up to more than 450 people. I include a large print of this group shot with every package and everyone in the picture comes out crystal clear. It is usually the one photo from the wedding my clients get framed to hang on their wall.

Instead of the many smaller prints of each guest at their table, everyone is there in one big picture. Usually, I find the best time to do make it is right after the ceremony and just before the reception begins. Everyone is present and it is easy to arrange them all together with the bride and groom in front. It is a lot quicker making one photo than all of the individual table shots. After it is shot, you and all of your guests can go on and enjoy the reception. The rest of the photos will then be of real candid moments of everyone having a blast. That is the whole point of the reception in the first place.

By Kristal Johnson (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Wedding Planning): Event Source Northwest: http://www.eventsourcenw.com/kristal.html 

For many people planning a wedding is a once in a lifetime chance to dedicate an entire day to each other and celebrate your joining together.  If you haven’t planned a wedding before it’s often overwhelming and you don’t know where to start. When starting to plan, it’s important to know that you and your sweetheart are on the same page. Avoid disagreements by taking the time to rate the following in order of importance:

• Food/Beverage
• Apparel
• Aesthetics/Appearance (flowers, decorations, ambiance)
• Music/Entertainment
• Convenience
• Spirituality
• Photography
• Family & Friends

When you look back on your wedding, what do you want to remember most:

• How romantic it was
• How exciting everything was
• How beautiful it was
• How smoothly and easily everything went
• How happy my parents and family were

Even though you may not have put together a budget yet, select how much you think your wedding should cost:

• $5,000 – $10,000
• $10,000 - $20,000
• $20,000 – $30,00
• $30,000 - $50,000
• $50,000 - $75,000
• more than $75,000

You want to get married:

• in the spring
• in the summer
• in the fall
• in the winter
• on our anniversary
• on a holiday (Valentine’s Day, New Years, Etc.)

Now, with this information, you should be able to figure out what’s most important to each other and be able to allocate your budget appropriately and create a day that fits both of your wishes. 

Happy Planning!

By Daniel Sheehan (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Photography): A Beautiful Day Photography, http://www.abeautifuldayphotography.com

In the beginning, wedding photography was in black and white and the cameras were big and bulky so most wedding photographs were carefully posed. Then came color photography and smaller lighter 35mm cameras and more photographers began to try and shoot candid pictures. Over time, different styles have developed and you may find yourself attracted to one style over another. All of them can be in black and white or color. With the coming of digital, all photos are made in color but can be converted to black and white without any degradation, so it is just a matter of your taste and the style you find yourself attracted to.

Traditional and Photojournalistic are the two primary approaches to wedding photography that the majority of wedding photographers practice today. Classically posed images and a great deal of photographer direction and interaction on the day of the wedding are the hallmarks of the approach of the Traditional Wedding Photographer. The poses dictated by the photographer have been practiced since the days of the big bulky cameras by traditional wedding photography studios and have served them well over the years. Your parent’s wedding was most likely photographed in this style.

Editorial photography style with an emphasis on telling a story of the day with unposed candid pictures, with little photographer direction and interaction best describes the Photojournalistic Wedding Photographer approach. The emphasis in photojournalism is on capturing the story, atmosphere, details and emotion of the day, so the viewer has an appreciation of what the wedding was like, rather than a series of pre-determined poses.

Photojournalism is easier to define, as the term infers the photography is by its nature similar to journalism, where the emphasis is upon reporting and recording events in a newsworthy manner and the photos are more about you than a predetermined pose.

There is now a new approach that sprung up in the last couple of years. This third style of wedding photography, which has lately been gaining popularity, is a contemporary fashion magazine approach. This approach blends elements of the editorial photojournalistic approach with the kind of highly styled posed fashion pictures that find their inspiration in magazines like Vogue or Elle or Vanity Fair. Most of the photographers who follow this approach rely heavily on post-production processing in Photoshop to give their images an over saturated romantic look, sometime layering texture patterns over the picture. Just as the fashion magazines use Photoshop to digitally enhance all of their pictures, this style leans in the direction of fantasy, depicting the bride and groom as glamorous models in an exotic location. Contemporary fashion wedding photography may include an element of photojournalism but is not exclusively that style of photography. The digital manipulations create a more artistic and dreamy look than straight, non enhanced photojournalism alone conveys.

As a matter of course, some photographers blend elements of all these styles in their practice of wedding photography. In fact, due of the rise in popularity of the photojournalistic approach which has been considered hot the last five or six years, many traditional wedding photographers have adapted to the times by creating poses that mimic the look of candid photojournalistic pictures. The poses often look stiff compared to true to life candid pictures, but they offer a different look from their older poses. A number of straight photojournalistic photographers are adopting elements of the fashion magazine approach to some of their photographs.

Consider all three approaches when you look through the online portfolios of wedding photographers before you find the one who you think will best convey the elements your own style.

By Daniel Sheehan (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Photography): A Beautiful Day Photography, http://www.abeautifuldayphotography.com 

Part of the fun in planning a wedding is discovering a whole world of details from finding the right dress to the perfect bouquet. Most people planning a wedding are learning as they go and one of the things they discover in the process is that really great photography seems to be very expensive. The point to keep in mind though is after every thing else is long gone, years later the only two things you will have are the rings and the photographs to remind you of all the special moments of the day.

Because of this, wedding photography is one of the most important decisions you will make in planning your wedding. If you scrimp on the photography you will most certainly regret it in years to come. Depending on the area you are in, the minimum you should expect to pay an experienced professional photographer is $1,000-2,500. For someone who is really good it is more likely to be in the range of $2,500- $4,000, and this is just for the photography. Add on custom designed leather albums and additional prints and hours and the budget should and will easily shoot past $6,000.

There are ways to save on the photography without sacrificing the quality of the pictures if you take your time and use it to plan well in advance. One smart way is to select a day that is not a prime wedding date. In Seattle, Saturdays in July, August and September are usually booked 6-8 months in advance. By selecting a Friday a Sunday for your wedding, or picking a date outside of prime wedding season, you can often get a significant discount on not just the photography but on the venue too. For more savings plan your wedding on a Wednesday or Thursday.

Look around your area to see how many different photographers there are offering their services. Go online and go through their websites and really look at the photographs they display there. Check out their packages and see what they offer in each package and how much they are priced at.

You will most likely find a bunch of photographers of similar experience levels and packages but at a different price point. Compare and contrast the ones you are drawn to and narrow them down to a handful. Then set up meetings with them to find the ones you would want to invite to your wedding. Their photos might be outstanding but if their personalities do not fit with yours, you will not want them there on your wedding day. Next, examine the details of the package.

The amount of time the photographer is present is the most significant component. The longer the time the more expensive it will be. If your budget is constrained you should consider getting a package with the time limited to five or six hours. That is about the minimum for getting some photos of you getting ready, the ceremony, some formal posed shots, and some at the reception. You have control of the timeline now in making your plans. Plan your reception so that the toast, cake cutting and first dance happen early on. Once these events have been captured and the photographer has a few dancing photos he can depart and not miss any crucial moments, and you will still be able to have an album that tells the story of your day.

Another way to stay within your budget is to just get a basic package without prints and an album. Make sure it includes all of the photos on a DVD and a web based photo gallery for you to see the photos. Having an online gallery is a great way to share the photos with all
of your guests, family, and your friends who could not make it to the wedding.

With these digital negatives, you can have proof prints made at a local lab. Or you can go online and put together a book yourself using blurb or mypublisher.com. Or you can just wait a year or so until you have saved enough for the photographer to make you that beautiful custom designed leather album. Many people do just this. In fact it is helpful to spend a year or so, living with the photos before you decide which ones you want to keep in an album.

By Kristal Johnson (WedNet Specialist Blogger for Wedding Planning): Event Source Northwest: http://www.eventsourcenw.com/kristal.html

Weddings are expensive, there’s no doubting that.  Many couples these days are paying for their own weddings which can cause grief and of course debt.  There are many simple ways to cut back on your spending without compromising your spectacular dream wedding.

1. Prioritize your budget from the beginning.  Sit down together and list out the parts of your wedding from the most important to the least, then allocate your budget around that.  If you need help with this consider hiring a wedding coordinator (they end up paying for themselves in the long run with all of their industry hook ups)
2. Shop around.  Don’t pick the first vendor(s) you meet with.  Meet with 3-4 in each category.  Often times you’re so excited that you get caught up in the moment and forget to READ THE SMALL PRINT.   Take time to review their contracts carefully so you know exactly what your being charged for, and don’t be afraid to negotiate!
3. Skip on the specialty linens and upscale décor.  Hiring a prop company to do décor is the quickest way to kill your budget, and your guests most likely won’t remember it.  Try DIY décor and seek out help from crafty family or friends.  It will save you so much money and help other feel involved in your special day.
4. Order your flowers from a local farmers market and create your own centerpieces.  This is so simple and a huge savings!  Call up your local farmers market about a week before your wedding and place your order.  Depending on the season they should be able to get flowers to match your wedding colors and they will arrange them.  All you have to do is drop them in vases!
5. Cut the cake!  If you plan on having a cake at your wedding, order enough for only ½ of your guest count.  Most people don’t eat cake at weddings and it ends up going to waste.

These are just a few small changes you can make to save some big cash! 

By Jimmy Horner, WedNet Specialist Blogger on Groom Issues, The Man Registry, http://www.themanregistry.com

One of the more popular wedding trends has become adding a groom’s cake to the festivities. The groom and his family usually provide this cake. While it isn’t a necessity, a groom’s cake can often be a nice complement to the wedding cake or even serve as a dessert for the rehearsal dinner.

The groom’s cake usually represents an integral part of the groom’s life. If you’re a pilot, your groom’s cake might be an airplane. If you’re into fishing, a cake with your favorite type of fish might be nice. The great thing about the groom’s cake is that it’s all about the groom.

Some popular themes for the groom’s cake include:

???? ????• Sports teams logos or mascots
??? ?????• Hobbies (golf, fishing, hunting, boating)
???? ????• Line of work (police, firefighter, military)
???? ????• College alma mater
??? ?????• Hometown

The groom’s cake is commonly placed at a table near the wedding cake at the reception. However, you want to be careful not to steal the spotlight from the actual wedding cake.

Another option is to have the groom’s cake served as dessert at the rehearsal dinner. This often makes sense to the groom and his family because they’re often already paying for this event. It could even turn out to be a less expensive alternative to your caterer’s dessert options.

The Bottom Line: If it’s in the budget, go for the groom’s cake. If you’re serving it at the wedding reception, use a different flavor than the wedding cake to give your guests another option.