Wedding Planning: The Ultimate Bridal Show 2015, Mississauga, Ontario

The end of March weekend was busy - busy - busy. In addition to multiple client meetings, I attended my very first bridal show, not as a vendor though. I was more of a photojournalistic fly on the wall of the Ultimate Bridal Show that took place at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. I was kindly invited by lovely Jessica, owner & lead planner at Bisous Events  to take some photographs of her very Parisian, chic and overall the cutest wedding planner booth. I was and still am in awe with her setup! 

Yours truly could not help it but mingled a little, met some very talented and simply awesome photographers, more wedding planners & coordinators and decor rental vendors. Here are some of them:

Mosaic Rentals - Event rental & event advising company who is simply in love with Tiffany blue.

The Designed Dream - Wedding Planning Team with the cutest little macarons!  

Peppermint Weddings - Floral & Event Design, I knew this amazing vendor long before the bridal show, we collaborated on a styled bridal portrait shoot last summer. Peppermint generously provided two gorgeous bridal bouquet for the shoot. As always Peppermint's setup was impeccable. 

Love,

Eva.

Wedding Planning: Photography Timeframes

This particular blog post will likely become part of my F.A.Q. section someday, so let’s get the ball rolling with this extremely important subject – Wedding Day Photography Timeframes. This is my general recommendation based on my modest wedding photography experience and observations, so please do not take it as gospel – every wedding is unique and every couple is like no other, so your coverage may vary.

 Bridal Preparation: 1.5 – 2 hours

 This amount of time is required to cover the actual preparation when everybody is fairly ready and to photograph the details, which include but not limited to dress, shoes, garter, rings, jewelry, bridal bouquet, objects with a sentimental value, etc.

I do not usually spend too much time on posed portraits during preparations and photograph impromptu moments as they unfold, so there is no particular need to have a specific time slot for wedding photography at this point. Nonetheless, I may ask a bride and people involved in the prep to prepare in a certain light if necessary or slightly adjust a pose.

 If I cover both bride and groom preparations at different locations, putting-on-the-dress coverage gets tricky and there are two options:

 - I photograph a bride putting on a dress and make a bridal portrait in the dress before leaving to photograph a groom and groomsmen. Pro: Fuller groom prep coverage. Con: A dress will have to be put on quite early.

- If a dress gets put on at the ceremony location, I will need to arrive there ASAP. Pro: No need to rush with the dress, a bride puts it on when she wishes. Con: Shorter groom prep coverage, possibility of delayed arrival 

Groom Preparation: 30 – 45 minutes

 This gives me enough time to cover the most important aspects of preparation, details and to take a couple of formal portraits.

Before Ceremony: 10-15 minutes to photograph undisturbed ceremony décor and overall set-up.

Family, Wedding Party and Couple Formal Portraits: 30 minutes – 1 hour – 1.5 hours

 The time we spend on formals really depends on number of desired pairings and couple’s personal preferences. On average it takes 3-5 minutes per pairing; large groups take a little longer.

Before Reception: 10-15 minutes

While reception coverage is very photojournalistic by its nature and does not require a special wedding photography dedicated time slot, it is crucial to have some time reserved for reception venue photographs to document an undisturbed décor and table set-ups. 10-15 minutes before guests arrival usually do the trick.

Hope this helps. Have an awesome St. Patrick's Day! 

Love,

-Eva.