WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

Did you have any special ways to include family members who traveled long distances to attend, so that they could feel more part of the wedding?

Dalynda Marie from SteampunkWedding

My bridesmaids were all friends & now living in different states. We were all so excited to see each other again, we wound up eating almost all of our meals together. Even a late-night trip to Denny’s is vivid in my memory 21 years later!

Luckily we had enough money budgeted to pay for all our families’ accommodations, in fact the hotel put all the rooms near each other so cousins and grandparents could see each other more. They all seemed to have a great time! Our wedding was outdoors in a gorgeous botanical garden. After the ceremony friends and family could stroll and catch up!

Kitty Kanzashi from KittyKanzashi

I had a couple of friends who drove 2 hours to my wedding on a weekday which I felt very honoured! It was great seeing them and I spent most of the time talking to them because I wanted them to know that I appreciate their efforts. If they stayed the night, I would have taken them out to dinner but alas they had to get home for work the following day.

Carrie and Stephanie from CarolinesBoutique

It’s been a while since I got married, but for my daughters wedding we invited all of our out of town relatives to the rehearsal dinner. That way we could catch up and let them know we were so glad them could come.

My mother in law held a brunch, the day after the wedding, for all the family members who were still in town. I think everyone really enjoyed getting together and talking about the fun we all had!

  Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop 

We needed lots of help setting up the rooms for the ceremony and reception, so many (20+) of our friends and immediate family came to the venue Friday afternoon. After some drama (there is always a little bit of drama), we finally got everything done, and did our quick rehearsal. Then, about 2 hours later than scheduled, we headed out for the rehearsal dinner…with everyone in tow. Much fun was had, and my husband and his friends (including the groomsmen) stayed afterwards to enjoy the bar. (I had to finish a few things that night…including my veil. : )

I wish we had invited those who traveled to attend our wedding to the rehearsal dinner (mainly my extended family), but between our tight budget and not knowing who would come (only half of my family ended up attending), we decided not to as we couldn’t afford it. (It was also an hour away from their hotel, as we got married in the middle of nowhere, which helped solidify the decision at the time…and the 2 hour delay confirmed our decision afterwards.)

Kristin Ames from BagSecrets

Both my husband and I were born and raised on the San Francisco Peninsula and most of our family remained locally. We did ask for help from a few of our family members. One of my Aunts was put in charge of our “guest book” which was actually 3×5 cards that people could leave us a message on (I later made a scrapbook with the cards and added a photo of the person from the wedding next to their card.) I had another Aunt who was a florist and she did all of our bouquets and table flowers (which saved us a TON of money.) I then had two members of each side of  our family coordinate all the family members for a large family group photo after the ceremony. My husband and I gave them all framed photos of that pictures for Christmas!

How do you plan on including family members and friends who traveled a long distance for your wedding?

 

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

How did you (or would you) personally prioritize the following aspects of the wedding on where to put most of your budget: reception venue, your dress, the flowers, the photographer, honeymoon locale, and food?

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dalynda marie from SteampunkWedding 

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Looking back over twenty years, I still have my photographs, so the photographer is #1!
#2 Food is a close second – a good meal with family & friends makes the memories and photographs worth remembering and treasuring!
#3 Honeymoon – We didn’t get to go on a honeymoon. 😦  Be sure to do this.  Your family will understand!
#4 The Wedding Dress is often a large percentage of the budget, however, I was lucky and found a vintage Victorian dress with a cathedral length veil for about $400.  It barely needed any alterations!  Since then, I’ve helped many friends find great deals.  The latest great find is a brand new dress, but it is the floor sample so it’s $350!
#5 Reception Venues are a great place to minimize the budget.  We were married in a gorgeous botanical garden, which was free!  However, we did rent white tents, tables, and chairs for our reception.  This location gave our guests the time to stole around together after the ceremony and catch up.  Lots of great casual pictures and memories were made there!
#6 Flowers are great, but many brides are DYI geniuses and creating great alternatives from vintage papers, like music or book pages.  The venue can really determine the need for flowers, again our wedding was in a garden, so all I needed were wedding party corsages.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets 

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For us we wanted a venue that would provide the food as well. So I would lump those two together as our number one. Luckily we found the Cliff House in San Francisco that was not only a venue with an amazing view and history but also an amazing restaurant.
I would say number two on the budget was the photographer, they are not cheap! These are photos you are going to keep forever so be sure to choose someone you really want.
Third on the budget list was my dress. I did end up spending a little more budgeted but I saved in other places.
Honeymoon budget was number four. My husband and I had racked up a bunch of frequent flyer miles so our flights were free! All we had to pay for was the actual cruise, and sure we splurged and got a balcony suite. You only get married once!
Last on the budget list were the flowers. My aunt was a florist for many years so did all our flower arrangements for free. We just had to pay for the actual flowers which saved us LOTS of money.

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Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi 

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Coming from a Chinese family the most important thing was the reception and food!  I think half of the money spent went to reception and food which looking back is a lot but the food was amazing!
Then it was the dress and suits because my husband and I had to look our best.
After that the photographer, table decoration and other miscellaneous stuff gets lumped together as third.

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from  ClayBouquetShop  

Our wedding was a DIY project to stay on budget…so the biggest part of our budget went towards food and the few fees from the reception venue for the ceremony and services. Next was the honeymoon (a week in Hawaii : ) We found our photographer on Craigslist and loved his work (included a CD of images instead of a photobook on our 1k budget.) And my dress and our flowers ended up costing about the same…mainly since I bought the dress used from another bride and had it altered to fit…and made our own bouquets and bouts out of clay, and bought silks from Michaels on sale for the centerpieces. : )

(My husband and I talk about renewing our vows occasionally (we have only been married 3.5 years)…and then it’ll switch up…destination wedding+2nd honeymoon (1), if a small group of family and friends attend, then a small reception/dinner (2), and lastly, my attire and DIYing my own bouquet again (3). We’ll probably find a local photographer to get some pics for us there. : )

How did you (or would you) prioritize your wedding budget?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

What helped you decide on rings? (For female team members:) Did you go with your fiance to pick out the ring, or did he choose on his own?

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dalynda marie from SteampunkWedding 

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My fiance designed my engagement ring and our wedding bands.  Then he had them custom made!  My engagement ring was his birthstone, so it was very affordable & our wedding bands incorporated small diamonds from other family heirlooms.  It was important for us to have ‘conflict-free’ diamonds, so this was a nice plan.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets 

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My fiance actually picked out my engagement ring on his own. I always thought that I would want to be there and pick it out together but honestly it meant more to me that he choose this ring for me. I don’t think I could have made the decision even if I did go, there are too many! We did shop for our engagement bands together which was perfect.

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Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi   

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When we were both looking at engagement rings we were actually living apart so we had to use the internet to look for rings.  In the end, we both found the same jeweller in London who sold victorian style rings!  It appears we had the same taste in rings so bingo!
As for wedding band, we originally wanted some sort of silver coloured ring like platinum or white gold to match with the engagement ring but after a quick look online and in the shops we found that they were so expensive!   I know how can you be cheap with something like a wedding band?  Simple, the both of us are very clumsy and are prone to losing things so it would be heartbreaking if our rings got damaged.  In the end Etsy came to the rescue and we brought a couple of tungsten carbide ring which have survived everything that we have both thrown at it.  Even my mother who is a bit of a snob when it comes to jewellery loved the ring because it had a lovely shine to it.

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from  ClayBouquetShop  

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I was concerned about getting a conflict-free diamond, and my Mom offered the diamond from her engagement ring, as she no longer wore it with her wedding ring. My husband wasn’t sure about using it in the engagement ring, but after I showed him a ring design that I liked, he agreed to include it in the ring, which we had made locally…and to safeguard the diamond until he proposed.  🙂

I wanted recycled metal wedding rings, and found a local jeweler who created them for us. Ironically enough, he lost his wedding ring in the house (we blame the cats…perhaps playing with it and “losing” it somewhere), and he now wears his Father’s wedding ring instead. So it ends up that we both wear something from our parents to signify our marriage. : )

What helped you decide on rings? Did you go with your fiance to pick out the ring, or did he choose on his own?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

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How did you opt to fit in the honeymoon? Mini honeymoon now and ‘real’ honeymoon later? Or, did you wait to get married in order to more conveniently take the time off for an immediate honeymoon? Was your choice of location limited more by budget or by proximity?

Keri O’Hara  from DelaneyPhotoJewelry 

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When I got married there hadn’t been a wedding in my family in many years, so there was a fair amount of pressure to do everything the “right” way. I come from a family of very proper women (at least they make sure it appears that way). Everything was a big deal, including my honeymoon. My family travels a lot, so anything on this continent was too ordinary. And 25 years ago only a handful of us had been to the Caribbean. But in order for me to get the cruise that I wanted I needed time to save for it. My engagement was a little over a year long, and I saved every penny. Thank goodness for tax returns. We spent some time with out of town guests after our big day, and then flew to Florida to board the Norway from the Norwegian Cruise Line. Our room was stocked with gifts from our families like champagne and sexy lingerie. To this day, it was the best food I’ve ever had; and the only cruise I’ve been on. It was worth every penny. 4 kids later, I’m lucky to leave the state on a trip. I think a honeymoon needs to be very special; a place you really want to go, even if it’s local.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets 

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My husband and I choose to take our honeymoon right after the wedding. We got on a plan the very next morning and spent a week cruising. It was so nice to have that time to unwind and relax from all the craziness and hype over the wedding. We knew we wanted to do a cruise (as it forces us to relax) so the location was based on what cruises were leaving around the time we were getting married.

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Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi 

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There was no honeymoon for us as we both don’t particular like travelling and also for the last 10 years we have been jumping around the UK because of my partner’s career.  Quite frankly it was a joy when we realised that for the first time in 10 years we could actually settle down!

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop 

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We wanted to keep our honeymoon on a budget, but allowed enough to spend a week in Hawaii with a little bit of help. : )

Our parents provided credit card points to cover the hotel for a few days, and researched flights to find an uber cheap one ($1000 from NJ to HI if you leave at 6  am!) Hawaii wasn’t a “big deal” for me, as I spent part of my childhood there, but it was a big deal for my husband. So I didn’t press for more extravagant locales like New Zealand or Fiji…which would have been quite a bit more, even with Groupon deals. And we had an absolute blast spending the week after our wedding there.  🙂

How are you planning your honeymoon? Mini honeymoon or ‘real’ honeymoon after your wedding? Have you scheduled your wedding date to make it easier to take the time off for an immediate honeymoon? Is your choice of location limited more by budget or by proximity?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

 

(Only a few answers this week…must be due to the busy wedding season! : )

 

Did you have any bridesmaids (or groomsmen, or family members) who claimed they really wanted to be a part of things, but weren’t willing to help out in the ways needed? How did you handle it?

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Tracey N Audrey from SeamstressbytheSea 

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I had to include every family member from both sides as a bridesmaid or flower girl, etc…Since many were out of State it was not possible to help much. I bought the fabric for four of the flower girls and just mailed it to my future sister in law to have the girls dresses made for them. She got the hint! Later when one of her girls got married, she did the same thing right back to me and we had a laugh.

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop 

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I expected to be a DIY Bride from the start, as I am fairly crafty, and we were on a tight budget. My sister lives in New Orleans (we are in NJ), so there really wasn’t a way to include her in projects other than emails asking for opinions, and one of my friends is a very busy veterinarian who lives over 2.5 hours away. My matron of honor is a very busy Mom and teacher, but volunteered to collect the submissions for our shower substitution (a friends and family recipe book…which I have yet to finish, 3 years after our wedding! LOL)

My dear Mother-in-Law came to the rescue in the weeks before our wedding, asking what she could do. She helped to arrange some of our cafe table décor to match my hand-drawn designs, and took care of some other miscellaneous items.

And a posse of our friends and family arrived early for our rehearsal to set up the rooms…complete with chair covers and bows, arranging the stone and silk centerpieces, and entry area with the place card sand/salt box, as well as our ceremony room and arbor. They were a godsend in our hour of need!

(Of course, there was a bit of stress, as the chair covers weren’t pressed when my fiancé went to pick them up that day, so the cleaner had to finish them quickly while they were standing there, waiting…and it was the same day as the NY Yankees parade for winning the World Series, which held a number of them up in traffic. So we started about 2.5 hours late! Expect the unexpected…and roll with the punches. : )

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dalynda marie from SteampunkWedding 

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Yes, indeed!  As the popular saying goes, “Stay Calm and Carry On”.
I wound up doing everything myself, during my senior year of college, while working and training in an internship.  My bridesmaids even mentioned to me that I seemed “stressed out”; no really?  😉
Believe it or not, it was my mother, aunt & grandmother who came to my rescue.  They saw what I hadn’t.  They bought, fixed, cleaned, etc.  I’ll never actually know all that they did, since they were smiling the entire time.  Albeit grins with a little “I told you so” mixed in.  I love them dearly and will never forget how much they helped.

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Did you / Do you plan to ask your wedding party or family members to help? Were/Are any eager to do so, but did not follow though? How did you handle it (or plan to)?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

If there was one splurge you could have done for your wedding (or plan to do for your wedding), what is it? (Be as detailed as possible.) Why aren’t you including it in your wedding? Are you including anything “inspired by” it instead?                   

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Tracey N Audrey from SeamstressbytheSea  

I got married 30 years ago when a Wedding was not such a big event but have always wished we had hired a better photographer instead of using a family friend. I had a list of shots I really wanted and did not get ! I still feel upset when I remember it. No matter who you hire, create a list of shots that you want with specific guests, Bridal Party, etc….Type it up and make the photographer sign an agreement to take these for you so that you have those wonderful memories to look back on later.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets  

I really wanted to have a photo booth at our wedding, but the venue was too small to include all the guests we wanted to invite and a photo booth. In the end I don’t regret not having one. Our photographers were so great in getting photos of everyone at the wedding anyway.

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Melissa Jebril from Dibrel 

My wedding was in 2011 and I only discovered photo booths a month before our wedding.  I wish I would have known and got one, although I probably wouldn’t have because I was very strict about my budget – I wanted my husband and I to start off on the right foot not with lots of “party debt”.  We attended a wedding one month before ours and they had a photo booth, we took pictures and had a really good time.  At the time it didn’t seem that special, but two years later our print out of our four goofy prints is still on the refrigerator. When we are having a meaningless argument and I walk by the kitchen and see that picture – our faces, how happy we were in that moment being so silly with all of the props – I realize that is what marriage is all about – having fun and enjoying each other – and the argument seems to be so small and I get over it right away.  We had our first child just two months ago and just the other day I was holding him in the kitchen and pointing the pictures of different family members on the refrigerator and telling him who they were, then I came to the photo booth picture and I told him – that’s mommy and daddy before we got married!  It was a special moment for me, who would have known two years ago.

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Karen from BlingForTheTable 

My dress!  Polyester quiana was the big thing in 1980 as far as fabric went.  Here I  go dating myself again!  I thought once I had the dress I was done.   Never thought about the slip or crinoline.  I wanted a drape of fabric to create a slimming silhouette.  Then on the day of my wedding I realized my dress was a  little shear!  A last minute trip to the store solved the problem.  However if I had it to do again, I would pay more attention to the dress and accept advice from the experts.  Comfort, style and class are a must.

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Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi 

I am not sure what I would have splurge on if I could because my wedding was very family orientated so there was a list of do’s and don’ts.
Given a choice, I think I would have loved to invite more of my friends to my wedding and had a huge stock of decent cider and cake!

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop 

I have two…my attire and a candy buffet.
I wanted a sparkly lace wedding gown (fell in love with a few $3k+ gowns along the way to finding my used $500 gown…which I really liked after all of the drama of finding a gown) and tried to justify purchasing a $600 necklace and earrings set, but bought much cheaper rhinestone pieces on Ebay instead. Sigh.
And I *so* wanted to have a candy buffet at our wedding, but after pricing that, even as a DIY project, had to drop it. My aunts made some of the family recipe cookies instead to be served with the wedding cake, which I really appreciated. : ) (That’s the reason I picked up a few candy buffet sets and rent them out at an affordable price…to let others have them at their weddings/events within their budget.)

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Karen Grace Hornsten from GracelinePaperStudio 

I was young, we were broke, and it was quick. My dress was beautiful, no invitations, just verbal, small party at my mom’s and dad’s house. If I had my druthers i would have waited until I was older, i would have been wiser, i would have been richer……but, and here is the big but, without all of the above we would not be where we are today, almost 13 grandkids richer, still poor in $ but rich in the places where it counts. Today I am helping brides make their weddings just perfect. Seems paper flowers are the thing. Lucky me!

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What one splurge do you wish you could do for your wedding?

Why aren’t you including it in your wedding?

Are you including anything “inspired by” it instead?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

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What offbeat idea(s) did you include (or want to include) in your wedding? Did you do it/them? What reactions did you receive to your ideas, and was it / were they received differently at your wedding?

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Tracey N Audrey from SeamstressbytheSea  

We used three different pastel colors for the flower girls ( we had 7! ) and bridesmaids. The pale pink, lavender and jonquil yellow looked very pretty together and no one had to wear a shade that did not look good on her.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets         

My husband and I had one goal for our wedding, we wanted it to be FUN for everyone! My husband is older than me and for our first dance we decided to go with Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. We made up a whole routine and even had the bridal party join us half way through. Most people thought it was funny (and I am sure even some stupid) but we had so much fun and to this day every time I hear that song I laugh.

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Karen from BlingForTheTable 

32 years ago I totally broke with tradition and had my mother and father walk me down the isle.  That was a real breach from tradition but I wanted to credit my mother as well as my father for having raised me!

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Amanda from artisanmaskers 

(Kristin–I LOVE that you guys did that!  So fantastic!  And Karen, that’s the kind of tradition-breaking that brings people closer, so good on you for taking the initiative!)
I didn’t have bridesmaids at all, and we didn’t set the bridal party apart (by specific dress/clothing).  I also didn’t have a bouquet.  I did my own flowers, so it wouldn’t have cost much to create a bouquet along with the corsages, etc., but I didn’t want to waste the time on something that I was just going to have to carry around all night.
We incorporated some of the traditions from my husband’s country of origin (Argentina), such as a ribbon-charm pull in the cake and crazy/silly hats and other accessories which we brought out during the dancing for people to dress up in.  It was a little wild, a little silly, but people still compliment us on how much fun our reception was, so I’m glad we chose to be different!

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Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi 

 I had a Chinese tea ceremony after my wedding ceremony!  I suppose for half of the guest this was not unusual but for my husband side it was a sight to be seen.  None of them have ever seen it and for me it was paying respect to my family tradition.
Oh and for wedding presents, I asked for “lucky money” which is the polite way of saying “we want cash as present”.  I know it was cheeky but in Chinese tradition, lucky money is the gift you present to the bride and groom and since my partner and I didn’t need anything like household goods, it seem the perfect solution.  My mother-in-law wasn’t too happy with the gift suggestion but once I exampled to her that it was traditional she seemed happy enough and for the guests, I think it made their life easier.  No need to spend ages wondering what to get the happy couple!

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop 

Oh, I wanted an eclectic wedding…but my oh-so-traditional husband kiboshed most of my ideas. (No red wedding gown, no untraditional wedding site, no informal wedding wear for our wedding party….sigh.)
The one untraditional thing I wanted, – and got -, was alternative flowers (because I flat out refused to have real ones). I created clay flowers for all of the bouquets and bouts, and caught royal hell from most about it. The constant complaining and griping didn’t stop until they saw them…and then encouraged me to keep making them.  : )

The McDonut’s Event Decor and Fine Jewelry from mcdonuts 

My husband and I planned our wedding on a budget, before the days of pinterest, and having a unique wedding venue was important to us.  We had our wedding ceremony in an old spanish mission (in Texas) and our reception was in a natural history museum.  Both were places that reflected our loves of history, science and nature.  Instead of giving wedding favors, we donated to a non-profit organization in the names of our guests and had information about the non-profit (and the donation we made in honor of our guests) at each of the tables.
My husband and I also both have big families and we broke with tradition when we decided NOT to have toasts during the wedding reception.  Instead, we had toasts during the rehearsal dinner in a more personal, informal setting with our closest friends and family.

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What offbeat or alternative ideas would you like to include in your wedding? Have you received any feedback from your ideas, and how are you dealing with it?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

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While looking for services/goods for your wedding, was cost or quality more important to you, and why?

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Tracey N Audrey from SeamstressbytheSea  

At the time, it was cost because we paid for our own Wedding. But quality should not be underestimated. Whether it is the cost of a great photographer, your dress, flowers or a the cake…decide the most important elements to you. Shop around and look at portfolios as reference for each service or ask for a list of former customers for a reference. Hopefully you won’t be doing it all again in a few years so get it all right the first time. Balance the price with what you will be getting. Save some money by DIY on some things to balance your budget.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets  

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For me it was all about quality and doing the wedding exactly the way we wanted it. We did some DIY projects to save some money and my Aunt did our flowers which saved us a TON of money. In the end we splurged on the photographer, DJ, my dress and venue but in my opinion those are the most important elements to a great wedding!

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Karen from BlingForTheTable 

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32 years ago it was all about cost and budget.  At the risk of dating myself, weddings were different.  There was no Etsy or Pinterest to launch our ideas and creativity.  I would love a redo!  Albeit,  with the same man!

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Keri O’Hara from DelaneyPhotoJewelry  

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OMG Karen that’s hilarious! When I got married none of those sites existed for me. Now, most days, I dream of being a wedding planner, but maybe all I need is a redo!!!

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Amanda from artisanmaskers  

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I’m a hardened cheap-skate, so of course cost was an issue.  (Our entire wedding in 2005–reception, dress, flowers, even part of the honeymoon–cost less than $2,000.)  That being said, I have to agree with Tracey: PRIORITIZE!  If you have a small budget, use it where it’s most important to you, and don’t sweat the other stuff.  Photography would have been a big chunk for me, but fortunately I have a couple of friends that are very talented photographers who gave me a giant discount.  I also did some DIY stuff (the flowers and reception centerpieces) and was very fortunate to marry into a family that owned a bakery, so they provided the excellent food.  😀

Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi  

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I suppose it depends on what I was looking for.  Stuff like decoration, I went as cheap as possible because it will only be used once and if it gets destroyed during the day then oh well.
However for my dress, it was a balance of cost .v. quality.  I spent a long time searching etsy for a seller who offered value for money and had good feedback.
My motto for my wedding was if it is worth the money then go for it.

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop 

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We got married in 2009, when the economy was tanking, and paid for it ourselves…so cost was the all-important bottom line. But in order to meet our 10k budget for a traditional Saturday night sit-down dinner wedding-reception for all of our family and friends (in the greater NYC metropolitan area, no less), I decided to take on as much as I could as DIY projects, and buy used whenever possible (my gown, decor basics, etc.)
The only thing we regretted not opting for quality on…our DJ. What a nightmare! An Ipod wedding would have done a better job than our $500 DJ…and my husband apologized for not agreeing to pay 1k to The Pros multiple times…on our wedding night and many times since. LOL

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What is guiding your decisions in planning your wedding, cost or quality?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

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What recommendations would you have in looking for a photographer?

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Amanda from artisanmaskers 

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Look for someone you are comfortable with!  If you feel awkward, it WILL show in your pictures.  Also, I’ve seen both brides who like to take charge of the who/what/where aspects of their photos, and brides that want it taken care of for them (usually by the photographer!).  Either way, know if your photographer is one who takes charge or not.  If you don’t, you might be irritated to find that they come across as “pushy” or “bossy”; or, alternately, that they are a “pushover” who wastes pictures on stuff you don’t really care about because someone else told them it would be nice to have a picture of.  So, besides the obvious (that you like their photography–and, yes, you should obviously look at their portfolio before hiring them!), it’s definitely important to get along with them!

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Keri O’Hara from DelaneyPhotoJewelry  

Oh my god! How did I miss this? Well, better late than never I always say :). I would say to definitely hire a professional. But if you are trying to cut costs & you happen to have a connection with someone’s friend who has ” a very expensive camera, has taken up photography, and will make you a great deal”, check out their portfolio first.

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Kristin Ames from BagSecrets  

You should find someone you are comfortable with. I went with a family friend (they are professional photographers) because they knew my family and would know what photos would be really special. My only reflection on my choice was that they aren’t “digital” yet, meaning they printed every photo from the wedding (all 800!) and had me choose from those. I would suggest finding someone that has the ability to digitally send you your wedding photos. They turned out beautiful anyway and I eventually ordered a CD of my favorites – just some food for thought!

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idobliss from idobliss  

I would really communicate the most important poses with them and the overall look you are trying to accomplish. You want to see their portfolio way ahead of time and make sure their photography style matches yours. I believe it is well worth paying the extra to go with a photographer who is truly skilled and has the experience. I would also ask them of their experiences and make sure they have photographed a wedding that mimics yours so there will be no suprises: if he/she has only done small intimate weddings, and you have a huge one…. or if they have only done local weddings, and yours is destination. Also ask about how will you receive your photos and how you can get albums created… apparently things are quite different now in our digital/online world!

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Tina Cooke from Marrymevintageirish   
Speaking from my  own experience last year, I would recommend NOT using a photographer who is a friend or family member.  Your photos are the one thing, apart from memories, that remind you of that special day and by using someone who is included in the wedding party, having drinks, enjoying themselves, tends to let the real reason why they are there skip their mind!! Keep it professional, pay that little extra to get what you want.  Remember it is your day..don’t worry about who you may offend…they will get over it :))))

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Jennifer Ferencz-Barato from ClayBouquetShop  

If you are looking around for an affordable photographer (as we did), talk to them on the phone, and meet them in person to be sure that you are comfortable working with them. Then talk to 3-6 of their past brides and grooms to see how they liked their services and thier photos. If you do that, you will be able to rest assured that you will be happy with your photos! (Our photographer actually edited our pics and sent them so quickly, that they arrived the day after we returned from our honeymoon! : )

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What helped you find your photographer? What services or qualitlies are / were you looking for?

WedEclectic Q&A

We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!

Please reply with your own answer!  : )

 

What recommendations would you have in looking for a wedding planner?

msformaldehyde from msformaldehyde 

I would like to have a wedding planner that has pictures and good references.

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Keri O’Hara from DelaneyPhotoJewelry 

I would like a planner with a ton of energy. One who thinks out of the box. I like one-of-a-kind fun times. He/she will need to be able to travel & work like an interior decorator; customizing my wedding to my style, or lack there of :).

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idobliss from idobliss 

I think you need to meet with them on many occasions and understand their organization and planning strategies. Possibly even attend a wedding they are directly involved with or speak/communicate with a past client. Proof is in the pudding ;0)

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Kitty Kanzashi from kittykanzashi  

I sort of had a wedding planner when I had my wedding at the hotel and I would recommend making sure you get a wedding planner who is willing to work with you and your ideas.  Oh and make sure you are able to contact them easily whether it is by email or phone because you want that reassuring feeling that they are there.  I had a tiny scare when my hotel wedding planner didn’t get back to me for 2 weeks!
Think of your wedding planner as your best friend for that one day.  As well as being professional because you are paying for their service, you must also be comfortable with them so take notes of your first impressions!

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Do you plan to hire a wedding planner, or plan your own wedding? If you had a wedding planner, what recommendations would you offer?