Personality Matters!

Personality Matters!

We hope you enjoyed last month’s Newsletter all about your Wedding Colours – and what they mean.  If you missed this Newsletter, then please click here to read whether your choice of colour reflects the true you!

This month we are showcasing some of our Wedding and Portrait Albums – we like to call them our “Albums with Personality”.

All of our Wedding and Portrait Albums are designed in-house.   After spending time with you, either covering your Wedding or during your portrait photo shoot, we tend to get to know what’s important to you and learn quite a bit about your personality and what makes you tick.

The Albums we design reflect this, not only for the colour scheme you have chosen, but for yourselves – the emotions, the funny moments and the memories.

All of our Wedding and Portrait Albums come designed with you specifically in mind.  We do not use set templates, or set designs.  Instead, every page is designed from scratch, in-house, to tell YOUR  STORY of the day.

You can see below a couple of pages from Debbi and Paul’s Wedding Album.  Their wedding took place at Dudley Registry Office and The Priory and, as you might have guessed, their colour theme was Royal Blue:

Not only can we incorporate your colour into your Album, we also have a choice of Album covers to choose from– hence you end up with your very own “Album with Personality”:

Click here to read more about our Wedding Albums:

What's in a wedding colour?

What’s in a colour?

When planning your wedding one of the first things to consider is the colour scheme.  The wedding colours you choose can reveal more about you than you may think. Colours reflect your personality and your inner most thoughts.

As  wedding photographers covering the whole of the West Midlands, we have seen many beautiful colour schemes and no two are ever exactly the same. So often on the day the chosen colours reflect the mood of the day, so pick wisely!

Whether you pick your colour scheme to reflect the season or because it just feels right for the venue, it always says something about you.

So what’s in a colour?

White/ivory – reflecting simplicity, comfort, innocence and perfection.    It is the colour of new beginnings, possibly reflecting a very relaxed and calm wedding.    It will create a sense of peace, calm and comfort.  If white – and shades of white – is your main colour theme you are probably a perfectionist, wanting everything to be neat and tidy.

Orange – a very warm, positive and optimistic colour.  The colour orange oozes warmth and friendliness and if this is your chosen colour, then you are probably a social animal, but don’t crave being THE centre of attention.   You probably have a very good circle of friends.

Yellow – cheerful, happy and uplifting.  Yellow will brighten everyone’s mood.  The bride who chooses yellow as her main colour theme could well be a little impulsive, but a very joyous person.  Again, she probably has a very good circle of true friends and could be well the one to lift someone’s spirits when they are feeling a little down. 

Red – the colour of passion, desire and excitement.   If red is your main wedding colour, you are usually not afraid of being centre of attention.  More likely you are confident, energetic and can’t wait for the big day!  

Green – a very calm, restful colour.   This is usually chosen by the well-balanced bride –a very kind and considerate person with the need to love and to be loved.    You will be thinking of your guests during the whole of your wedding plans and you will probably want to look after them on the day so don’t forget this is YOUR day!  

Blue – a very honest, truthful colour which will create a relaxed and peaceful mood for your wedding day.  If your chosen colour is blue, you are probably a very honest person and are looking for tranquillity.  You like order and will manage your wedding plans meticulously.

Pink – the colour of unconditional love and understanding, warmth, thoughtfulness and sensitivity.  The bride who chooses pink for their main colour is sensitive to others, a very warm and generous person with a tenderness which people love.   A darker pink will mean there are signs of passion and energy, whilst a light pink will reflect a more softer, open person.

Purple – an imaginative and creative colour.  If purple is your chosen colour, you may well want your wedding to be unique – your creativity will shine through and you are likely to have some new ideas people haven’t seen before.  Purple is the colour of sensitivity and compassion and you may find you start thinking of your guests’ expectations rather than your own.  Remember this is YOUR wedding.

So, how did we do?   We would love some feedback on whether your chosen wedding colour reflects your plans and personality – or does the wedding date and season determine your colour more?   Let us know by posting on our Facebook page or Tweeting us!

Look out for our next blog when we will be telling you about our “Wedding Albums with (Colour) Personality!”

Why it's OK for our brides to be a little selfish

Is it ever right to be a selfish bride?  Why would you need to be a little bossy and maybe even a bit selfish?  Haven’t you dreamt about your wedding for months, years even?  Won’t everyone be on board with your plans?

The great news is YES!  Everyone will be behind you.  The bad news is you need to be a bit selfish to get things to run as you imagine them.

We have shot many weddings and every one is different.  Some similar things do seem to happen quite often though:

Things get pretty hectic when the bridesmaids have to get ready in a room that seemed quite big the night before.  Although they all want to do their best for you, often we see our bride being neglected in the mayhem!

Make sure that everyone has a job and that they know what time they need to be doing their job.  You may need to be strict with everyone regarding what time they have to be dressed for: they can’t help you if they are still putting the finishing touches to their make up. 

If you are having bridal prep, or shots of you and the girls before the ceremony, chat with us about the timing. We always aim to capture everything you ask for BUT………when you have to leave for the ceremony you have to leave for the ceremony!  These are the very last photographs of you as a single girl so let’s take the time to get some great shots.

Whilst pinning everyone down to their job on the day, don’t forget the children, if you have them. Many times we see the bride having to run around trying to find out who is supposed to be looking after who!  Try to share the babysitting between a few people so that they can enjoy the day too. Finally, be a little selfish and give yourself permission to have a few hours just for you and your new husband.  You deserve it.

Wedding Photography - More than just images

Having been in this business for over 15 years, Ian has photographed many weddings.

Since we married - some 6 years ago now - I have worked with him and we both agree that what we love most about this job is the people we meet, and we feel very honoured to be part of their very special day.

All our weddings are different, and our brides, grooms and guests have given us a whole range of experiences - and challenges - to remember!  We have helped capture some fantastic memories, laughed and shared jokes with guests, emotions with the bride and groom, and nerves with the clergy!

Of course, every wedding we cover is special but occasionally we are reminded of how precious life is, how important family are, and what marriage and sharing your life with someone is really about.

We were recently invited to photograph Janet and Lloyd's wedding in Walsall, West Midlands.  Janet and Lloyd now live in London with their beautiful daughter, Hope.  Their wedding was arranged with the help of their friends and family living locally in Walsall, who were a great support to them.  

We first met Janet and Lloyd in January 2014 and during the following few weeks we learned that Janet's father, Harold, was extremely ill and they weren't sure whether he would be able to make it to the wedding.

On April 12th Janet and Lloyd were married at St. John's Church, Pleck, Walsall.  The church was full with friends and family, but unfortunately Harold was too poorly to get there to see his daughter marry.  Harold's brother, Danny, was vising from Jamaica and gave Janet away, an experience which Danny said he was extremely honoured to be asked.  He had come to England to visit his brother, and didn’t expect for one moment to be asked to give away the bride!

The ceremony was beautiful, with the bridesmaids and groomsmen all looking stunning, and beautiful Hope as flower girl.  Hope gave a reading in Church and was an absolute star -  any mom and dad would be extremely proud.

Two stretched limousines and a classic car took the wedding party to the Walsall Aboretum for some photographs and the sun peeked through when it could.  The wedding party and guests were fantastic - even though it was, I have to agree, a little on the chilly side (to say the least).  They were all up for half an hour or so of photographs before leaving the bride and groom to have some time on their own with us, whilst the guests all took off to the Murad Banqueting Suite for the reception.

I don't think Janet will mind us saying that her happiness was tinged with a little sadness that her father was not at her side.  But there was a solution - we scooped Janet, Lloyd and Uncle Danny off to see her father who lived not too far away, before continuing onto the reception.  Now, Ian doesn't often get emotional at weddings - it wouldn't really do for a wedding photographer to be filling up all the time - but this experience was extremely humbling. 

I think the photographs speak for themselves.

Lloyd was a tower of strength for Janet and his love for her shone through, just as Janet's love for him, her father and her family did.

We continued onto the venue where the guests were awaiting the arrival of the new Mr and Mrs Moriah.  Food was served, the DJ was set up and the speeches commenced. 

 

Uncle Danny said how honoured he was to have been asked to give Janet away.  

Philip, the Best Man and one of Lloyd’s oldest friends, gave a few secrets away from years gone by …..

… and Lloyd's father spoke about the two families becoming one.  It was very clear that these two families will do just that.  The love and support between them was evident and it really struck home that this was what marriage was about.  Supporting each other, and each other's families, and really becoming one unit.   It was an absolute honour and pleasure to experience such warmth and love from such lovely families.

And then the party began ...

Thank you so much, Janet and Lloyd, for asking us to share your day.

You can see more images from this very special day here:

The real value of wedding photography

Attending many Wedding Fayres throughout the year and speaking to prospective brides and grooms, we often hear people say "but it's only a few hours during the day, why so much?"

Whilst others will say "Wow, all that for that price, that's really good value."

The value of photography is different to many people.  If you are getting married and wondering whether to book a professional photographer or not, then here are a few questions you need to ask yourselves:

1. How important are your family and friends to you and the memories you share?
2. Do you enjoy, or have your been fortunate enough, to look through old family photographs of relatives years ago, some of whom you never met - and got a real sense of belonging and pride?
3. Would you want your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to be able to see you and your relatives as they are now, and share your Wedding Day with you in years to come?
4. Do you want a family record which is guaranteed to be around to pass down to generations to come?
5. Does it really make sense to spend the whole of your wedding budget on a beautiful dress, attire, venue, cakes, favors and decorations and not be able to record the actual meaning of the day for ever?

If you have read the above and are still not convinced that any of it is that important, then save your money and get a few images from friends and family - there's nothing wrong with this if other things are more important to you.

However, if you have read the above and realised that keeping the memories of your Wedding Day and recording your story for generations to come is important to you, then please, please do not cut back on a professional wedding photographer - they really are worth their weight in gold.

So, where does your money actually go.

Let's discuss our Paphos Wedding Package as an example, just £1,500 gives you:

• Full day wedding photography coverage, including Bridal Preparation, Wedding Ceremony, arrival at Reception, Speeches and First Dance - approximately 14 hours of our time on the actual Wedding Day
• High Level re-touching/processing of images - approximately 14 hours of our time
• High Resolution of all wedding images from your on-line gallery, supplied on a Jewelled Memory Heart USB in a black presentation box - cost of Heart USB
• High Definition, beautiful animated slideshow of your favourite images to music (up to 20 minutes long) - approximately 2 hours design time
• Superior De-Lux Italian Digitally printed Album (16"x12"), 40 pages -up to 140 images - cost of Album plus approximately 8 hours design time 

So far, we have between 5 and 6 days work, plus costs for the Album and USB presentation of images. We also have our fixed costs of :

• Insurance - all professional wedding photographers should be insured for both professional indemnity and public liability insurance
• Back up equipment - we wouldn't dream of covering a wedding without 2 back up cameras, flashes, lenses, lighting, battery packs to name but a few
• Website hosting - your images will be available on a password protected gallery, so you can easily choose the images for your album and order extra prints
• IT equipment - PC and Software licences - we can't process your images, or supply you with HD animated slide show of your images, without reliable - and expensive - equipment.
• Tax and accountancy fees - yep, we have to pay it too

So, do we do this job hoping to get rich?  Absolutely not - the reality is that the hourly rate we earn covering a wedding is nowhere near what most people envisage.  We do it because of the people we meet, the emotions we share - and learn from - and the great joy we have when we can recreate your Special Day in your beautiful Wedding Album, to share with your loved ones for years to come.

That's the real value of wedding photography.

Here are a few memories of ours .....