This blog is written by the team at perfect bridal, with periodic contributions by close friends, covering trends in wedding, bridesmaid and other special occasion dresses, and any other interesting topics in the wedding industry.
Trying to think of the perfect gift for your bridesmaid’s is such a dilemma and the last thing you need is more stress while planning your wedding! When I got married and was trying to come up with the perfect gift, I thought… why not make their bridesmaid dress their gift. I got all of my girls together for a shopping trip, gave them the guidelines and off we went. The guidelines were that all of the dresses had to be the same color so that they went with the color scheme of my wedding and I wanted them to make sure to choose a dress that they felt comfortable in and would wear again. The color I chose was navy blue which is a timeless color and great for most any occasion. My bridesmaids were very happy that they didn’t have to buy their dresses and that they were gaining a new dress in their closet that they would actually be able to wear again instead of want to toss out like the usual bridesmaids dress! Wouldn’t that make you happy if you were the bridesmaid? I hated the thought of my girlfriends buying their own dresses, wearing them once for my wedding and then wanting to get rid of them. In the end, everyone was happy and I didn’t have to stress out about an extra thing needing to be checked off on my wedding planning to-do list.
After choosing our reception venue, the next most important thing that my fiance’ and I selected was our photographer.Selecting a good photographer was important to us because photos are the only physical memorabilia from our wedding that we can look back and reminisce upon of our big day.Many times the biggest regret I hear friends say was that they wish they had more pictures or selected a better photographer.In many cases, the photographer is the next biggest wedding expense after the reception – so it is a big decision!There are so many photographers out there and it is a hard process deciding which one to go with.Here are some tips that I thought were particularly helpful during our selection process:
Consider photographic style – do you prefer a photojournalistic approach or a posed style or a combination of the two?This is the first step in deciding who to interview.
Make sure you meet and interview the photographer in person before making your final choice - You may like the pictures you see online or in brochures, but meeting the photographer will reveal a lot about him/her.Is he/she pushy?Do you get along with his/her personality?Is the person fun to work with?The photographer will be following you around the whole day, so these are all things that need to be considered.For example, do you prefer a photographer that will direct you where to go/what to do on the big day for pictures, or do you prefer a more laid back approach?
During the meeting, make sure you ask to view the photographer’s albums – There are a huge variety of albums that are available today!For example there are flush mount albums and there are albums where the photos are matted inside the pages.Make sure that the photographer offers the type of album that you like.
Getting the photographer to fit within your budget – many times photographers already have pre-selected packages available.However, if your budget does not allow for these pre-selected packages, you can ask the photographer to work with you and develop a customized package for you. Many times they are more than happy to have your business (especially in today’s economy) and will help you get what you what at the price you need.
Lastly, make sure that you are getting all you want before signing the contract.Are you going to be getting the negatives of the proofs or is that going to be an extra charge?Will you be able to reproduce the images at another store, or will it all have to be done through the photographer?Will the hours you sign for cover your wedding day from start to finish?These may be all be obvious, but it is important not to overlook any of these little details because these extra costs can add up at the end.
You will have one big weight off your shoulders once you select the photographer of your dreams and know that your memories will be captured forever!
It's been a while since our last post, but many exciting things have been happening in the Perfect Bridal family. We just improved our websites and launched our new online store.
Come visit the all new online store. We have a wide collection of wedding, bridesmaid, flower girl, special occasion dresses and accessories that we are certain you will find something you will like. When you're at our online store, you will have access to shop and purchase the growing list of designer's dresses online. There is also a new feature, 'My Favorites'. which allows you to save a list of your favorite dresses. Dresses can be viewed, added or deleted at anytime. You can also tell a friend about a dress by clicking on ''E-Mail a Friend'' button.
We have already heard from many brides who think this is a great addition to the site, and think that will make dress shopping even easier.
In addition to the designers available at our online store, you can also order from a long list of designers via telephone. In the coming weeks, there will be more designer styles added to our online store. Stay tuned!
Since 1965, we have helped brides and bridal parties in selecting their perfect dress. We specialize in discount designer wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses and excellent customer service. Our designers include Watters and Watters, Jim Hjelm, Vera Wang, Bari Jay, Bill levkoff, Maggie Sottero, Jasmine, Forever Yours, Mori Lee, Us Angels and many more.
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