Hair and Make Up styles

One thing that I get very excited about is hair and make up styles.  Your wedding day can put a great pressure on you to look your best. You should dedicate some time into considering various hair and make up styles. Your hair style and make up that you choose will be recorded forever in photos and videos, so make sure you do plenty of research as to what you want with your style for the day.

You may choose to research on the Internet, in magazines or you could do your research on Pinterest (Check out my blog about planning your day with Pinterest here). A lot of brides choose to trial the styling before the big day. A certain style may look great in a photo, however it may not be suited to your strengths. Similarly you may find that once trialed, it does not suit your bridesmaid’s style and may not look cohesive. There would be nothing worse than on the day not being happy with the way that your hair and make up  have been done. If you decide not to have a trail endeavour to ensure that someone you trust has seen the stylist’s work. Sometimes it is not practical to have a trial; if you are having a destination wedding or for some reason, you will not be arriving where you are having your wedding until very close to the date.

I think that you hair and makeup should match with the style of your dress, but make sure that you still feel comfortable in your own skin – you don’t want to look in the mirror and not recognize yourself. If you don’t normally wear much make up be mindful of that on the day, you don’t want to have too much on, (you probably still need to wear enough for photography purposes), and don’t forget that you also deserve some pampering after everything you have organized. Some people enjoy being styled and feel quite pampered after a hair or make up trial, if it isn’t something that you really like, maybe treat yourself to a massage or a spa treatment instead.

Obviously you want to feel beautiful, feeling comfortable will come across in your photos. The most important thing is that you feel amazing, it is one day that you will have countless photos taken and a day that you will remember for the rest of your life.

Thanks to Corey from Vision House Photography for the stunning images. Check out the Vision House Photography website here.

Wedding Day Photography

Wedding Day Photography can be a daunting thing to consider, which photographer, what Package, a digital or printed album? The options are endless. I think it is one of the most important parts of the wedding day, besides the ceremony. Photographs are an essential part of preserving the special memories of your wedding. It will without a doubt be a day that you never forget, therefore having a great selection of images, that years down the track will help you reminisce on the special memories is important.

Guests may forget with time what they ate, what they had to drink, what flowers you had and what hairstyle you had. Photographs preserve the little things that would otherwise be lost with time. People spend thousands and thousands of dollars on the prefect dress, which don’t get me wrong, look lovely (and I myself love a great wedding dress, I could look at them for hours on end) but at the end of the day, after the dry cleaning they go into a box and rarely come out again – unless you do a trash the dress photo shoot (check out the blog about it here). As much as we all would like to think that your daughter/or sons partner ect. might want to wear the dress on a separate occasion, it is more likely not going to happen. It isn’t often that people try and get the cheapest dress they can find, however, more likely than not people choose their photographer based on price.  I think it is beneficial for you to choose a competent photographer and invest time to research your options. Look at a photographer as a future investment – unless you are lucky enough to be friends or related to a wedding photographer, in which case you may end up saving some money on your photography costs.

A good photographer is not necessarily a great wedding photographer. I know a lot of great photographers and not all of them are competent when it comes to wedding photography. A wedding photographer differs from just a good technician when it comes to taking photos. They need to love what they do, be good with people and make you feel comfortable in front of the camera. You need to establish a connection with them and make sure you feel relaxed in their company, as you will be spending quite a bit of time with them on your wedding day. They need to be able to direct you, your family and friends. I have read a few wedding sites that recommend you to make sure that the photographer has shot other weddings at your chosen location – REALLY? Who cares, if they take great photos and they make you feel comfortable, they will make it work. Choose a photographer that understands lighting and knows what they are doing – most good photographers will check out the venue before the day anyway.

I know sometimes it can seem like a lot of money that they are charging, but you have to think of the time that it has taken them to develop their craft, and to gain the experience and knowledge. They have to organise a large range of equipment and often an assistant and they will work long hours before and after the wedding. Great photographs of great memories are something you will have FOREVER.

Thanks again to Vision House Photography for letting me use these lovely photos. Check out their website here.

Melissa and Luke’s fairytale wedding

Melissa and Luke met each other in Primary School, Mel was in Grade 5 and Luke in Grade 6. He picked on her about her white hair and she had a big crush on him. She invited him to her birthday party that year, the party was at the Pizza Hut and they watched the babysitters club. They remained friends for the rest of the year and when he left to go to high school. Mel thought that she would never see him again.

But fate had other ideas, and in  2008, when Mel was at a bar with her best friend, she met up with Luke again. The next night Luke tagged along on a night out and stayed near Mel the whole time, but barley  said two words to her the whole night.  About 2 weeks later Luke asked for Mel’s number and they started talking, and as they say the rest is history.

Their wedding was on a lovely day in July, the wedding ceremony was held at a beautiful little chapel at Ballara Receptions in Eltham. It was truly a Melbourne winters day, it was raining and cold, but this did not change the romantic and beautiful feel of the day.  They venue matched perfectly with the classic feel that I knew that Mel and Luke were striving for, the cars and even the rain on the day all added to the ambience.

Melissa and Luke a included rose and a candle ceremony into their wedding ceremony.  I especially like the candle ceremony as it is a fantastic way to include people from both sides of the family. They shared some funny and heartfelt vows. This was a particularly nerve racking wedding for me, being a wedding of a friend, and I had worked with her and also her dad, also a lot of close friends were in attendance. I just wanted it to be great for Mel and Luke, knowing how much work they put into preparing the day and how much Melissa wanted it to be just perfect and knowing that not everything had been smooth sailing for them leading up to the wedding day.  Having  my friends  see me do what I love to do, made me quite nervous, I really wanted to make everyone proud.

Melissa’s sister Catherine, who was her maid of honour, did an absolutely fantastic job of making the cake. The reception was lovely and we were treated to one of the best father of the bride speeches that I have heard, funny, witty and truly heartfelt. Ballara Receptions was a stunning  place for a wedding, check out their website here.  I was lucky enough to be working on this wedding with Blueberry Studio again. Check out the great work on the Blueberry Studio’s site here. As you can see from the photos, Melissa looked amazing her beautiful dress matched with the whole romantic theme of the day, the bridesmaids looked simply stunning and the flower girls were just so cute, (they danced the night away too) the boys looked alright too.

What a beautiful fairytale wedding, to begin the next chapter in their lives together.