srd_photography

Choosing your Wedding Dress - Tips & Tricks

stef@srdphotography.com.au (Stef Roche Dobb) — Tue, 18 May 2021 12:24:34 GMT

Top Tips for choosing the dress

One of the most exciting days when you get engaged is to go Wedding Dress shopping!!

I spoke with Elizabeth from Oleg Cassini in Alexandria ,who is a wedding stylist, to find out her top tips for choosing a wedding gown.

1. Allow plenty of time. Most people don't allow enough time. Allow at least 9 months to choose the dress and allow for alterations. If you want to have your dress made it can take up to 6 months. The stylists will measure you up and find your size. Some sizes may need alterations or if your size isn't available they may order it in. Some dresses are made to order, some are can be bought off the rack.

2. Try on a variety of styles, A-Line, Ballgown, Sheath, Mermaid. Try all of them on even you don't think it may suit you. More often than not, clients choose something totally different to what they have imagined they will choose. Trust your stylist, they know the collection much better than you. Be open to suggestions.

3. Listen to yourself. Everyone wants to give advice. Don't be put off by other people's reactions. Try the dress on with a veil, with jewellery. If it's really the dress you love then, more often than not, in the end everyone sees that and will be happy for you.

4. Enjoy the experience.

Wedding Albums – Why get one?

Mon, 17 May 2021 23:53:00 GMT

Wedding Albums – Why get one?

Many engaged couples book their photographer and only order the digital images. Usually, this is because they are on a budget. Once the wedding is over what do you do with the USB of images? Can you frame the USB? Can you place it on the coffee table to look at? In other words, getting a wedding album is something tangible to keep from the day. Many people spend more on the wedding cake than the photographer and the cake gets eaten! Half the time some of the cake is thrown out. What about the expense of alcohol? The guests drink it and it’s gone.

The bride and groom need to prioritise what is important when they are budgeting for a wedding. Above all, the only enduring thing after the wedding is the photos. Everyone waits in anticipation for the photos so they can relive the special day.

Wedding albums are expensive but they are a great investment. A friend of mine had a wedding album created 4 months before she divorced. She wanted it for her children.

Historical Record

Not only does a wedding album allow you to relive the beautiful moments but it is a historical record that you can hand down to your children. My Grandmother’s wedding album is beginning to fall apart but what cherished memories are in that book. I grew up looking at this album with my sisters. We would look for all the people we knew. As time passed we would look for the people who were no longer with us. As a result, it was a record of our family history. For instance, my great uncle that had died 20 years after the war having never recovered from a sniper’s bullet, a great aunt who had died in childbirth. All these memories are recorded in Nanna’s wedding album. Don’t let your wedding day go undocumented. This is your history.

Today’s wedding albums are created on archival paper and guaranteed to last for a minimum of 75 years (make sure you choose a wedding photographer that is offering these quality albums!)

If you are struggling with your photography wedding budget try Album Registry How does it work? Family and friends can lovingly gift you an album by contributing towards it. This therefore allows you to purchase the wedding album of your choice and have beautifully photographed memories forever. Gift giving at its best!!!

This is your wedding day. Cherish the memories by recording them in a wedding album.

Seldex Artistic Albums – Australia’s leading manufacturer of professional wedding albums and photographic packaging products. Beautiful handcrafted layflat albums printed on Canson ^® Infinity Photo Lustre paper 310gsm. This exceptional photographic paper has been designed to comply with the highest lifespan requirements.

Creating a Wedding Budget

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 20:43:00 GMT

A Bride’s Guide to Creating a Wedding Budget

Creating a wedding budget – When you first get engaged, it’s all about the beautiful dress, the hunt for the perfect venue and deciding on your wedding party. The last thing you want to do is have to think about a budget but, unfortunately, it’s an important part of the wedding planning process.

A wedding budget will ensure that you’re spending wisely and that you and your fiancé don’t need to have any awkward conversations about money later on. Plus, the more you can save, the more money you’ll have for an amazing honeymoon.

Many brides also tend to think that creating a budget means you’re never going to be able to have the wedding of your dreams but in actual fact, having a budget forces you to think out the box, get more creative and stay on track at the same time, something that every couple is thankful for after their big day.

Below are a few tips that you can use to stay on track financially as you create the budget for your wedding.

Before you can start putting a budget together, you and your fiancé will need to chat about your vision for the day. Start making a note of all the expenses that you know you’ll need to factor in based on the type of wedding you’re looking to create. This includes everything from the cake and outfits to your transport and the venue.

Once you have everything in a spreadsheet you can start deciding who is going to pay for what. Remember to include any contributions that your parents might be making too. Now that you know what your budget is, tick off the items that are a priority and mark the items that might need to take a backseat or be removed completely. Make sure that you use this spreadsheet to keep track of all of your expenses so that you can stick to your budget.

As you start researching and enquiring with various venues and vendors, chat to them about your budget and what options they have that would fit in with what you can afford. Ask as many questions as you need to so that you’re not signing up for something that might come with added expenses later on.

Working with a buffer is one of the best ways for you to stay on track. Try and work with a buffer of at least 5% so that you still have some budget left over for any last-minute expenses and splurges. For example, if your wedding budget is $50 000, work on a budget of $47 500.

The sooner you can start paying venues and vendors, the better. Knowing what expenses are already taken care of can really relieve some of the planning pressure. Remember to use your spreadsheet to keep track of all payments that you’ve already made so that you know how much you’re still able to spend.

Before you start making payments towards your wedding, try and find out about any credit card reward offers that you might be able to take advantage of. Many credit card companies offer clients points that can be exchanged for cash or vacation miles, something that will really come in handy when planning your honeymoon.

6. Make a list of your top three

Help prioritize what is important to you on your wedding day. Deciding what you value the most will help you decide what to spend the most on. What are the top 3 things you place the most importance on? For example, are cars or photography more important? If hiring cars cost $3000 and the photographer $4000, decide which you value the most to invest in, do you value the cars more than the photography? Start making that list!

Finally, good luck!!

Choosing a Venue

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 04:59:13 GMT

T op Tips for choosing a Wedding Venue

Things to Consider When Selecting a Wedding Venue

Finding the right wedding venue takes a lot of time and research and can often be one of the hardest parts of planning a wedding. You need to make sure that your venue ticks all the right boxes before you make a final decision.

Your venue will influence your budget as well as the atmosphere on the day so before you sign on the dotted line, below are three important things to consider before you decide on your wedding venue.

1. Venue size. Look at how many people you’re planning to invite to your wedding verse the number of people the venue can comfortably cater for. A crowded reception can be quite uncomfortable and if a venue is too large, it can affect the atmosphere and the overall look and feel. Put an initial guest list together before you start venue shopping so that you can make a better decision.

2. What about the drinks? Alcohol and drinks are a big part of your wedding so it’s important to find out whether you can bring your own alcohol and what the costs are or if the venue will supply the drinks. Since you will also need a licensed bartender to serve alcohol, find out whether the venue can assist with this so that you can factor those costs into your final budget. To keep the cost down, some Bride and Grooms pay for wine and beer but if their guests drink spirits they allow them to purchase those separately from the bar.

3. Preferred vendors. You’re going to be working with several different vendors in the time leading up to and on your wedding day. Many venues require you to use their vendors so find out about this before you make a booking. If they do work with specific vendors, make sure that you’re happy with their experience, style, personality, and pricing. When a venue works with preferred vendors, you don't have to choose them, it’s more important for you to choose vendors that fit in with your budget and overall preferences.

There are many different factors to consider when choosing the perfect wedding venue but make sure that it’s a space that speaks to your personalities and style as a couple.

Cutting Down Your Wedding Guest List

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 23:59:00 GMT

Cutting Down Your Wedding Guest List ?

Cutting Down Your Wedding Guest List is difficult. When I got married I remember thinking, “I wish I didn’t have to invite those people”. They were friends or colleagues that I didn’t really want to come but I didn’t know how to not invite them. How ridiculous!!!!!!

At my work, everyone said that our boss had been invited to every staff members’ wedding. So naturally, I felt I had to have him and his wife even though I didn’t want too.

Often you want to invite only some of your friends that belong to a larger friendship group but don’t know how to leave out the others. Weddings are too expensive to invite just anyone (and you would know since you are in the same wedding planning boat and reading this post!).

I had one friend I didn’t invite who came to my shower tea and was so happy for me despite not getting an invitation. I had another friend whose boyfriend I didn’t invite as I had only met him once. She came to the ceremony but declined the reception. The first friend I ended up inviting when another guest was unable to come at the last minute. Interestingly the first friend is now one of my besties and the second friend I lost touch with.

If someone is a true friend they will support you and understand the difficult decisions you have to make.

Having now spent many years shooting weddings, my number 1 tip for cutting down your wedding guest list is:

Invite the people who you see a future with.

Many people live in the “now” and rarely think about the long term.

Although it is still difficult to cut down the guest list, it is much easier narrowing it down to the people who you see a future with .

A smaller wedding means you get to spend more time with every single one of your friends and family.

These people would feel oh-so-grateful that they have been specially chosen by the two of you.

One of the biggest regrets I had was not getting a chance to spend more time with important guests at my wedding. We invited too many people and there were a lot of relatives I hadn’t even met.

With a smaller and more intimate wedding, you have the luxury of spending quality time celebrating with the most important people.

Something you should know before you go…

In the process of choosing the “right” people for your guest list, some people may feel left out. However, at the end of the day, you have to follow your gut and do what is right for the both of you .

The truth is that not everyone is meant to stay in your life, some are only here for a season. Although it doesn’t mean you just kick them out of your life now, instead you learn to know when to let them go!

Seasons change, people move on. It’s as simple as that.

On the other hand, there are some people who stand out a bit more and they are forever friends that are worth fighting for!

Wedding planning can be stressful at times but don’t ever let a wedding come between you and your friends/family.

I love this quote from Hp Lyrikz ,

“You have to let people go. Everyone who’s in your life are meant to be in your journey, but not all of them are meant to stay till the end.”

So I hope this little but profound tip helps you when putting your guest list together!

That surely helps cut down your guest list by A LOT. Invite the people you really value in life.

Do You Value Wedding Photography?

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 23:33:00 GMT

Do You Value Wedding Photography? Finding a wedding photographer can be exhausting. It amazes me at the number of people who don’t value their wedding photography.

Of all the money spent on your big day statistics show that only 10% of your budget pays for photography. At the end of your wedding day, there are only your memories left. The flowers wilt, the music fades and everyone goes home. The one thing that doesn’t are your wedding photos. I still have my grandparent’s wedding photos. They were married in 1913. It is a record of the times, of what they wore, of who they were as people, their age. My children love looking at them. Your wedding photos are your history. They don’t just capture your day but they capture your story which gets handed down to your children.

I once heard a wedding photographer say that she paid for a wedding album 6 months before she got divorced. Why? Because she wanted it for her children so they could witness the love their parents did experience for each other.

Wedding photography is an art and as such we are trained to photograph your day, to work alongside you to ensure that we record your best memories.

It is interesting that so many brides price shop for their photography just to get the cheapest. When you are booking your photographer ask yourself are their photos any good?

You might save $300 but do you like their work? Yes, it is important to work within your budget and weddings are very expensive. Just remember these photos will last at least 100 years with a good photographer who will have them printed on Archival fine stock photography paper. Digital negatives printed at your favourite outlet will fade and need colour correction.

So my question to you is, ‘how much do you value the recording of your memories?’ If not much, then get a friend to take the photos. If you value documenting your day, then invest in someone who knows what they are doing. I don’t take all clients because I believe that you have to be a good fit. You need to be able to work together and establish a positive working relationship. When meeting your photographer ask to see their portfolio and see if they are a good fit for you.

When choosing a wedding photographer I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of good photographs.

Good photos last a lifetime. Don’t let life go undocumented.

My Grandmother, 1913.

Let your photographer print your photos so they last a lifetime.