Dishing Out Our Pics (the preliminary plan)

Lately, despite there being 94 (eek!) days til the wedding and my wedding to do list has taken to doubling in size daily, I've been thinking about our wedding photos. Yes, the ones that are neither paid for nor exist yet - lol. I love love love pictures and the idea of having lots more, taken by our fab photographer Chelsey, makes me giddy.

I haven't finalized the list completely, but this is what I'm thinking so far:

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For our guests, a photo collage to place on our Thank You notes, kinda like the one pictured above. The plan is to use Mrs. Daffodil's instructions, and have the photo be detachable so that our guests can have an additional souvenir from our special day. Right now, the plan is to send Thank Yous to everyone that attended (not sure if I told you about that part), so hopefully between the PHI and I, we'll be able to accomplish that.

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For the parents, I'm hooking up with my good friend Blurb to make them Photobook Albums. Both MamaP and MamaD love our photo guest book, so I think they'd really enjoy having their own to enjoy (and show off). Some of the pictures will be the same in both albums, and we'll include some family specific ones to each album.

Also for the parents, grandparents and other relatives, we'll do framed prints. Hopefully we'll have them just in time for the holiday season. The PHI and I did something similar this past Christmas, and gave MamaP, my grandparents and my aunt and uncle framed prints of our engagement pics. We (I) selected photos that we thought they'd enjoy and we were right. So we'll be doing that again for parents, grandparents, godparents and probably aunts and uncles.

Last but not least, I want to do something like this for our home:
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I love big wall groupings of photographs. Our new apartment has an empty wall thats just begging for some photos to go up on it. Although the central print is a very large 24x36, I think the whole idea can be scaled down nicely. I'd love to have them printed on canvas, but I'm afraid its going to be super expensive, so we'll have to play that part by ear. Either way, this has our name on it, and I'm going to start mapping it out as soon as we get our proofs.

So whatcha think? Any other ideas for ways to dish out the wedding pics? I can't wait to see them!

♥

The Photo Sharing Experiment

Today I want to show you the results of a project that was a pain in my arse, but that I hope will yield some interesting results. In this day and age, most of the people I know have a digital camera surgically attached to their hand when they attend events. And I don't assume that my showers or the wedding will be any different. As such, I got this idea (probably off TheKnot or WeddingBee) to give guests the opportunity to share their digital photos with us. Lets call this "The Photo Sharing Experiment." And I'm going to use my wedding shower guests as my sample (sans informed consent, thank you!)

I designed these cute and instructional cards in PowerPoint (surprise surprise). Initially, I wanted to do business cards, but I was having a hard time uploading a business card size image to Vistaprint. So I made postcards instead. And found a coupon code to get 100 postcards for free. Postcards are significantly larger than a business card, but still small enough to slide in a purse. Maybe this larger size will mean they'll be less likely to end up in the deep recesses of a handbag (cause I assume everyone's handbag is as deep as mine - lol).

With postcards, you can never quite call which side you're going to see first. But technically, this is the side I expect people to see first:


Naturally, I used the wedding fonts, and for good measure I included our wedding website url. If I'm able to collect any good photos from my showers, I'll make a slideshow for the website. According to Vistaprint, this is the back. Black and white text was included for the back(I did have to pay to upload my image), so I made it black and white. The additional charge to print in color was not worth it.

This is the side I expect everyone to see second:


According to Vistaprint, this the front. So the color printing was included, but I still had to pay to upload my image. Here is where I outlined (hopefully) very simple instructions on how to upload photos to our Flickr site. I chose Flickr for this project for a couple of reasons. First, brides speak very highly of it for this particular purpose. Second, I used Flickr when I designed our Blurb guestbook, and could easily see making an additional photobooks using images guests uploaded. Flickr and Blurb are BFFs, so importing photos into the Blurb software is seamless and stress free.

Ya'll already know this experiment did not cost me very much. About $18, including the uploading fees and shipping. I really hope that the ladies at my shower will pick up a card and upload their photos. I'm not entirely sure this will work, but if people use them, I'm definitely going to order more for the wedding. Probably business card sized this time.

I'll let you know how my little experiment turns out, k.

♥

Our Images Have Arrived!

Yesterday we got the CD with all of our engagement pics on it! The images are HUGE! Like, so huge I cant copy them all on to my laptop huge. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to print copies of all of them, or just some. I guess that would depend on what kind of album I put them in, right?

I already know that some of them are wall-worthy (lol). How they'll go on the wall? Who knows. Maybe I'll just take my little DVD to Target to start working out how to show them off.

Oh, and before I forget here are a few more e-pics - all black and white this time.

(Believe it or not, this pic was the PHIs idea)
(So typical: me grinning at the PHI over my glasses)
(Totally wall-worthy)
All images courtesy Nikki @ TSM. ♥

Wanna See?

So that time came quicker than I anticipated...our e-pic photographer Nikki posted some of our e-pics on her blog last night! And the ones she picked were some of my favorites too. So, without further ado, here's a tasting of our engagement pics, taken by the fab Nikki at The Sweetest Memory.




(All photos by Nikki @ TSM)
If you'd like to see more of our pics on her blog or see some of her other work, click here. By the way, today is November 3rd...11 months to go!

♥

Important Announcement

Here ye here ye:

Our engagement pics have been posted in our online gallery! And I ♥ them.

Granted, we are our own worst critics - I think I look fat in some of them and the PHI thinks he looks fat in some of them, so we break even - I absolutely love them. Nikki was so much fun to work with and I think she was really able to capture who the PHI and I are as a couple. As soon as I have some shareable (is that a word?) images, I'll be sure to show you some. In the meantime, you'll have to be excited by proxy.

♥

Happy Weekend!

P.S. No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you...were outside and yes, thats the porch light on. I promise it was for a good/fun reason. We just looked so cute and I had to share. I'll show you what we were doing next week, k. ♥

High (enough) Pressure Dressing Situations - Update

I have good news on the engagement pictures front.

Today I went to the mall to unwind a bit and try on some stuff I had on hold at Lane Bryant. My thoughts were that something I had already selected to wear at some non-predermined future date could possibly pair nicely with my jeans for our e-pics. Not the case. While both items are very cute, they just werent quite the look I was going for.

So I decided to wander over across the way to New York and Company. I needed some new studs (i ♥ studs) and thats one of my favorite places to snag some inexpensive ones. I also found something to wear for our e-pics!

Picture this sweater:


...in this color:


...paired with dark jeans and black ballet flats.

Interestingly, when I first started brainstorming e-pic ensemble ideas (before the outfit I created last weekend), I was going to wear a cotton summer dress that was the same color as the sweater I purchased today! Mom suggested I look for a top that color and that's precisely what I found. Seriously, you gotta love the woman...she rocks.

I think the sweater will not only be a good color for me (which color isnt, really) and very season appropriate. It cost a little more than I wanted to spend, but I think I'll get good (enough) wear out of it.

E-pic ensemble? Check!
♥

High (enough) Pressure Dressing Situations

This is weather forecast for Athens on Saturday November 1st. Whats going on that day you say? The PHI and I have an appointment to take engagement photos with Nikki from The Sweetest Memory that day....outside. I know, I never do things outside. But I love the natural light and the built in backgrounds that taking pics outside affords. Were planning to take some on UGA's campus and some downtown Athens I believe. Thankfully there isn't rain in the forecast yet, so one crisis averted. But now I have another slightly more problematic one: I don't know what to wear.

See, last weekend the PHI and I went to the mall (he hemmed and hawed the WHOLE time, seriously) and I picked up what I thought would be a super cute e-pic outfit: this dress + this cardigan + my favorite pair of NineWest black ballerina flats. If you bothered to click thru, you'll see that while adorably very me, it may not fly on a day where the HI temp is slated to be 69.

What is a girl to do? If I don't wear the dress, I'll find some other use for it. I could easily see dressing it up with some cute black sandals for a bridal shower, the wedding rehearsal, or the rehearsal dinner. I'm thinking some kind of cute white/ivory dress for the after-party (LOL). So no worries there, I'll find some use for the dress (and the sweater).

But for our e-pics, now I'm thinking jeans. I have a new pair of deliciously dark jeans that I could pair with some top. Probably something with at least a 3/4 sleeve (I just ♥ those) and some cute flats. I wouldn't want to have to wear a jacket, but maybe have the option to put one on for some variety...or even a scarf. Idunno, just thinking aloud here. The PHI is planning to wear a sweater vest and some jeans. He's pretty flexible about the whole thing..its me that's the variable.

And I only have about 8 days to figure it out...the pressure! Although these are by no means our wedding photos, they are costing us money and I want them to look good. I plan to pass these out to friends and family, put them on our website, and have them featured on our save the dates. The plan is for them to have a mix of posed and us being our cute couple selves. In other words, fabulously us.

And I only have about 8 days to figure it out...the pressure!
I'll keep you posted.

♥

We know I love her...now you can love her too!

Yes yes, another photography post.

I promise I'll chill out about this soon. But it occured to me that you probably hadn't seen any of her work! You need a visual, so I'm going to stop chattering so we can get to the goods. These pics are of Jamel and Marissa's wedding in DelrayBeach earlier this year. If you remember, I previously posted about doing my due-dilligence on selecting this photog...this couple was one of the references, and if you read that post, they obviously loved her. Now you'll see why.

Ohmigosh, this pic makes me want to wear a veil. I hear that this bride&groom under the veil pic is very popular...I hadnt seen it before and I love it. PHI also seems to be very into the idea of "revealing me after I'm pronounced as his wife" <-- his wording.

I just love her work and I'm so excited about her capturing our day. Seriously, when I'd found her, I knew....kinda like when I met the PHI.

Happy Wednesday!
♥

Photographer Update

You can see from my last post, I was absolutely into the photographer. I still am. And I loved her work before I contacted her.

Well, I was ready to book her immediately. Right after she told me she had the date available. But after talking to my dear friend Dr. Hunt, I came back down to reality. I realized I had not done any due diligence about her. I had seen her gallery, gone through her blog with a fine tooth comb, and read every bit of text on her site....twice!

Since she and I had started talking about a custom package, I realized I should probably slip in some questions from my Real Simple wedding sheet on "Questions to Ask the Photographer." I was hesistant to ask because I didnt want her to think I wasnt interested. And in hindsight, I should have asked the questions first and expressed my enthusiasm second - lol.

But anyway, one of the questions were about references. I've read in various places that you should definitely check references. But as a graduate student who has written a few letters of recommendation, you wont suggest people who will give you a bad review. Even still, I knew that I wanted to get the references and contact the people.

This is what Dani and I created to send out -the perfect blend of I know I dont know you but I want you to give me some inside info:

Hi Reference,

My name is Patti and I was referred to you by Chelsey Boatwright. I'm writing because I wanted to get your feedback on your photos, the picture taking process, day of issues, and just working with her in general. Any help or input you can provide would be great. Thanks!!

Patti

...and this is what I got back:

Hi Patti,

Chelsea was the photographer for my wedding and she was amazing!!! I did alot of research in choosing the right photographer because in my opinion that was the most important thing. I looked at her work and spoke with her and knew she was the right fit. I personally like her photojounalist style. Anyone can line up people and just snap a picture. But she has the talent to make things more artistic. Here is a link of some of my wedding pics in her blog: http://chelseyboatwright.squarespace.com/journal/?currentPage=3 And in my opinion these are not even the best ones. I don't have the pics saved to this computer so I can't send them. But there are about 5 shots not included in that which are absolutely to die for. I love them sooo much. The whole process of working with her was painless. And I got the pics online from her to view within a week. If you are thinking of working with her I would definitely work with her. I was even pregnant at the time of the wedding and she shot in great angles so you couldn' tell. And I am even using her for the photographer for our baby pictures. If there is any other info you need about my experience with her just let me know.

Regards,

Reference #1

and this:

Hi Patti,

When we had our wedding (this past December), Chelsey was working as an assistant to the photographer we hired. Chelsey had just begun her business and was doing her old boss a favor.

We're glad she did, because my husband and I honestly felt that Chelsey's pictures were far superior than her former boss. They subjects were more centered, had clearer focus and made better use of the avaiable light than the photographer we hired!! Chelsey had no problem taking whatever poses we requested and seemed comfortable improvising.

It took us a month for us to get our photos back, but that's not a reflection on Chelsey. Her pictures were submitted online far before her boss'.

We felt that Chelsey's work was above and beyond what we expected of her and we were thoroughly pleased with her both as a person and wedding photographer.

We hope this helps!!

Reference #2

So there you have it. Two glowing recommendations. Did I expect any less? No. Am thrilled nonetheless? You bet.

Now I'm waiting (on baited breath) for her to email our contract so I can send our deposit. Never been so excited to spend $200. Night!
♥

I'm in love with a....photographer!!

[sung to the tune of Gavin DeGraw's I'm in Love with a Girl: I'm in loooove with a photographer....(I'm.in.love.with)]

Okay not really, but I am very pleased.

See, for the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to nail down our next major expense: photography. Not that I wanted it to be the most expensive, but I wanted to be able to have a bit of flexibility with whomever was chosen, yet not break the bank.

Well, for a while, I was loving my #2 selection: www.rebeccahinsonphotograpy.com. I found her on craisgslist I believe, and her photos were lovely and her prices were totally in our range. Plus, it wasnt until I found her site that I realized we were interested in getting all of our digital images. Getting actual photos was fine too, but I really want to be able to have all the images to do with what we like...think albums, photo collages, slideshows, etc.

Chatting with Krissi confirmed that.

So the night I was contacting her, I was talking generally to Krisitin about selecting a photographer in general, and she told me she popped by our good ol friend theknot.com. It was there that I found my first choice for a photographer: Chelsey. Her work can be found at www.chelseyboatwright.com. There was just something about her pictures. It was kinda like the vibe I got when I saw the photographer whos going to take our engagement pics. I was absolutely smitten.

...and I still am now.

Now all isnt quite peaches and cream, but her package is something we can work with and I saw on her site that there is a possibility for custom packages. Idunno what that entails, but our perfect package would be about 6 hours of coverages, and all of our images on CD - we wouldnt necessarily need to have prints since you can get those anywhere for pretty cheap.

I'll keep you posted, but in the meatime....I'm in loooove with a photographer!

♥