Re-bridals!

A few pics before and when the photog was around... enjoy!

A present from my grandfather - how cute. And fitting since my mother has a Swarovski collection (consequently now I have a mini one!).



Got some delicious personalized Georgetown Cupcakes (from the show DC Cupcake on TLC!)

Our rings

Made some cameos



Going to swap out the ribbon for gold and hang these in my apartment! Those frames are from TJ Maxx (I wanted oval but settled for circle... so hard to find!)

Awesome Etsy buy

Our "our last name is Languasco, let's take a mafia-style family portrait and I'll turn it black and white so when our family finds it in 50 years we look super legit"

The setting - my backyard

Macaroons from a cafe in NYC... oh yum

Wedding Advice: The Photographer

Planning timeline
This should be one of your first priorities. Photographers tend to book up fast, the best ones a year out. I would recommend anywhere from six-12 months beforehand.

Suggestions
-Find a photographer that you wouldn't mind having at your wedding! An engagement session is a great way to get aquainted with your photographer's style. I did not do this personally so either way you can't go wrong.

-Look at their portfolio and make sure you like their style. Photojournalistic, traditional wedding style... each photographer will put their own spin on the images and again with post-processing. I love attention to detail shots and my photographer takes absolutely beautiful macro images (ex. super up close crystal clear shots of engagement ring) so that is why I chose him.

-Make a list of what package items you want and find a photographer to match them. Do you want the album included in the price, or not? Do you want an engagement session included, or not? What about a photographer that works with an assistant or alone, or one that operates on a time schedule (8 hours max, 7 hours max, unlimited time). I wanted an album included, an engagement session included (we did re-bridals instead later in the summer though), an assistant photographer (for multiple angles!), and an unlimited time allotment. Turns out the time isn't necessarily important; my venue timeline was from 5:30-10:30 so I met up with my photographer at 2:30 so that was only 8 hours anyways!

-Know that most photographers will not release the full collection of high resolution images until 1 year after the wedding (pretty standard). This is because they want you to print through them! It sounds annoying and restrictive -- but understand that their prints will be soooo much better than those you would send to CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart. My photographer also includes 6 8x10 prints in my package which is nice, because then I can send one to 3 sets of grandparents, both our parents, and then keep one (plus order more prints! :).

Professional Pictures -- In!!

Yay my pics are in! Now I'm looking through and seeing if there were any specific poses/shots I missed and we will do those during our re-bridals at the end of July! A few favorites...

Wedding Albums 101: Matted vs. Flush-mount

Wedding albums can come in all different shapes and sizes, with different types of cover material. The bigger the album, the higher the price. Likewise, you'll pay a premium for a leather-covered album. 

However, the inside is the most important! There are two distinct types of album layouts, matted and flush-mount. 

Matted

In a matted album, photographs are printed and hand-mounted to a matte (or border) on the page. The borders can be a variety of colors but are usually metallic gold, silver, pewter, copper, and sometimes black or white. Pictures can be in full or half panorama and are each their own separate picture. This is the more traditional type of album.

Flush-mount

With flush-mount, the entire photo-layouts are mounted to cardstock (so pictures are not printed individually). Photos can be overlayed, and many more can fit on a page. This opens up the opportunity for interesting designs and collages. The pictures stretch to the end of the "board" or page, and thus don't have any borders or edges. If you want to optimize the number of pictures in your album, this is your album!

What are Jon and I doing?

A hybrid! I prefer matted, because a lot of times I think the collages (that are the heart and soul of flush-mount) can get a little busy. I like simple elegance, and I want each picture to be distinct and noticeable. BUT, that being said -- flush-mount gives you the opportunity to mount a picture the whole length of two pages, which really makes it pop (they also make these seamless, so no dark crease in the middle cutting the picture in half -- see above). The center page of my album will be flush-mount; I want to have a huge panorama shot of the entire bridal/groom party with Jon and I. I think it will look gorgeous and really show off our colors and the essence of the day. I am still considering doing flush-mount pages at the front and back of the book -- but as for the rest of the flush-mount incorporation, I will be relying on advice from my photographer.

An example of a full 2-page spread in the center of the album.

I want this but a bridal party picture -- it would look stunning!

This is an example of a flush-mount page that I like. 

The ones I showed above are far too busy for me,

but this one was still done very cleanly (I guess I'm not into overlays).

Engagement photoshoot... finally!

After practically a year after he popped the question, Jon and I are FINALLY doing our engagement photos on Friday, October 22nd! They will be done in Northern Virginia and I think I have an idea where I want to have them done, but it is a secret for now! ;) BUT the timing should be perfect for the fall leaves!

Caroline & Jon Update: Rings and a Photographer

So last weekend Jon and I bought our wedding bands! Jon has always wanted a simple gold band, and because of my matchy-matchy nature, I went with the same. I am still trying to decide what to have written on the inside. Probably "Love forever - 6.18.2011" ... love forever is engraved on the inside of all the jewelry Jon has given me, so I think we'll continue the trend :) although I might decide to incorporate our initials (if there is room).

We have also chosen a photographer! I have been extremely picky throughout the photographer choosing process, in terms of skill, packages, and price. I am not going to say who I am using -- it's my standard not to give away the fine details of my own wedding :). That is a picture he has taken up top, though! These are the main things I was looking for in a package, and get with my photographer!

• Unlimited time on the wedding day
• Two photographers
• Engagement photoshoot included
• 60 image leather-bound album -- 60 is on the lower side, but it works out fine for me since I am doing a primarily matted album (my next post will be on album styles!)
• CDs with all the negatives (full files) a year after the marriage (pretty standard)
• Six 8 x 10s included

My photographer has great attention to detail, superb editing skills, and his photos have amazing clarity. Look out for my engagement pictures once the leaves get pretty!!! :) :) Any suggestions for cool places in the DC area are welcome!

Other pictures by my photographer:

Must have Wedding Day photos I

Capture the Moment

As most of you know, I am an amateur photographer so photography is one of the most important aspects of my wedding day. That being said, there are just some shots that must be taken... the getting ready pictures, the KISS, cake cutting, etc.

Photographs before the Ceremony? A do or don't

An increasing number of brides are opting for this, albeit some believe it's bad luck to see each other before the ceremony. For someone like me with a nighttime ceremony and reception, doing family/wedding party pictures before the ceremony and newlywed pictures during the reception is a good option. That way, the attendants and family can enjoy the reception and Jon and I can revel in what just happened. Although, Jon hasn't quite agreed to this yet, and insists on bribing me that he'll only do it if I take his last name. Sigh. We'll see. For afternoon weddings with later receptions, however, this isn't as necessary as there are multiple hours between the ceremony and reception, while I will only have one hour between.

Quintessential Photos

A shot list is a great way to ensure that your photographer knows just want you want!

Pre-Ceremony

Getting ready: Doing the Bride's Make-up

Getting ready: Tying the Groom's Tie

The Groom's "Tie-Suit-Bout" (as I'll call it!) Picture

The Dress - before you put it on

The Shoes

The Hairstyle - before the heat gets to it!

A Magazine-worthy shot

The Rings - go for something other than the traditional pillow shot!

Family Moments