Lazy Bride's Blog

MIM(E) - Mustache on a Stick

Now here is something you don't see everyday or at every wedding - mustaches-on-a-stick! How fun are these?! Instant laffs for your photo booth. Imagine Great Aunt Eugenia sporting one of these numbers in a family portrait. Ah, the stuff memories are made of...

Made of cast urethane from a hand carved original, these mustaches from somethings hiding here on etsy are sure to bring a smile to every face, no matter how stoic. After all, weddings are supposed to be fun, aren't they?

Lazy 'n Frugal Guide - Photos on Clothesline

Looking for a creative and fun way to display photos of you and your beloved? Consider stringing them up on a line with clothespins. Super easy and makes a great impact. For the rehearsal dinner above, we strung twine between bamboo posts planted into the sand and strung small, naked bulbs overhead to illuminate once the sun went down (we use 25 watt bulbs). Since people could walk around both sides, we put photos back to back and pinned them. Huge hit and guests were able to get to know the couple, their families and friends by taking a walk down a pictorial memory lane.

 Beaucoup has adorable mini-clothespins in different colours  while California Paper Goods has cute natural wooden ones as well. Twine or coloured yarn works well and all you need is something to tie the two ends of the string to. Trees, posts, even pinned to a wall. Just be sure that people have easy access to them and they have proper lighting. Ideal for cocktail hour/photo session, as it gives guests something to do.

Easy on the pocketbook and easy to set up. Perfect! 

Photo by Richard May Photography

Wow from Sao Paulo!

I stumbled up this photo from a wedding in Brazil (I don't know if it's in Sao Paulo) and had to share. Isn't it gorgeous?! I LOVE the red curtains, the candles and the huge arrangements. And the lighting is perfect. 

I had the honour of working with a Brazilian bride recently and she brought me a truckload of wedding magazines from her homeland. Wow!! They really go all out in the land of 'carnivale'. I think it's wonderful to see what's going on in other countries and I'll be sharing inspiring photos from weddings around the world as I find them.

Enjoy today's eye candy!

Photos by La Foto

Lazy 'n Frugal Guide - Videography

I fully believe in 'you get what you pay for' and while getting a bargain is always reason to do a happy dance, there are certain things that scream 'bargain basement' all the way up to 11 (that's a This Is Spinal Tap reference for you young 'uns). And one area is videography. Although anyone and a trained monkey can pick up a Camcorder, what you do with it separates the pros from the amateurs.

I'm always surprised by the number of people who say 'oh, we'll just have a few friends with their video cameras take the footage' as I'm pretty sure they will not be happy with the final outcome. They are friends, afterall, and are there to enjoy the wedding first and foremost. They are not concerned with getting shots of everyone or making sure they're not blocking the photographer or being positioned correctly for 'the' moments. And how quickly will you receive copies afterwards?

If you want professional results, you need to hire a professional. 

Note the word 'professional'. Hiring a film student will get you just that - a student with little experience (if any) filming a wedding. And do you really want the 'next Bunuel' shooting your wedding, all artsy close-ups/weird angles/etc.?

Here, then, are my suggestions for hiring a great videographer without breaking the bank:

Look and compare - Check out at least three videographers in similar price points. What do their packages offer? Do you like the final edit? Would you feel comfortable with them at your wedding?

How many cameras? Are you paying for one camera or more? Each additional camera not only means more money up front but an additional vendor meal as well.

Schedule Wisely - Instead of paying for eight hours, have the videographer arrive for the ceremony and then schedule the cake cutting, first dances and speeches at the beginning of the reception, thus cutting his shooting time down a few hours. And yes, you have to pay for his time regardless if you want him shooting or not. Videographers (like photographers and musicians) are paid by blocks of time. So asking the videographer to be on-site for six hours but only shoot during four of those is not an option. If they are there, they are working and shooting. 

Skip the Special Effects - This isn't Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. There is a cost for all those creative doohickeys. Unless you're giving this to the Academy 'for their consideration', save your pennies and forego the effects.

Play DJ - If you're including music for the soundtrack, give the songs you want to the videographer on a CD or as an MP3 file to save the editor from having to search for the music himself (and time = $$).

Edit the editor - For each hour of raw footage, it's at least two hours in the editing suite and that is where the bulk of the cost comes. If your videographer is up for it, see if you can get just the 'raw footage', that is all the video they've shot the entire day without any editing. Some people prefer to have it in 'real time' anyways. And maybe, down the road (ie as an anniversary gift) you can get the footage edited.

Forego the Fancy Case - Do you really need a hand-crafted DVD case out of rare cocobolo wood, harvested from a Costa Rican rainforest and carved by tribal elder using his great-great-great grandfather's ceremonial blade? Didn't think so. Go for the standard plastic case and stick a photo in from your wedding. Afterall, are you really going to have this sitting out on your coffee table?

Take your Time - Rush charges usually run a couple of hundred dollars. Can you live without your video for an additional two or three weeks? If so, relax and save some dough.

My advice? Hire the best videographer you can afford and use the above tips to get the best bang for your buck. If video is important to you (and it is nice to have it as a momento for years to come), it's better to have quality than to save a few dollars and be disappointed.

Real Wedding Blogged

A big thanks out to Brenda over at Best Wedding Sites for featuring one of our recent weddings on her site and her blog. This was a really lovely couple to work with - the bride was Costa Rican and the groom English. Although neither spoke the other's language when they first met, true love prevailed and four years later, two families from other sides of the world and different religions came together. Magic.

The wedding was at the Marriott Los Suenos in Costa Rica, a first-class resort near the funky surfing beach town of Jaco. Lots of great little details at this wedding, such as the hand-painted personalized coffee bags by a Costa Rican artist. 

We'd hung chains of rose petals from the chandeliers, had Siamese Fighting Fish in the vases of the table decorations (only one per vase though - no fights at this celebration!), lots of orchids and roses, mariachis and great food.

The ballroom at the hotel is big and fairly devoid of ambiance (like most hotel ballrooms) so we opted for large, tall centrepieces to try to minimize the space. Hanging chains of flowers from the lights also helped make the space feel more 'cozy'. But the biggest help of all was lighting. It's always amazing how a few lights can totally transform a space. I love love LOVE lighting and highly recommend it if your budget can afford it (in the USA, lighting designers start around $3000 and up). If you have a large space, it would cost a lot more to start bringing in flowers, potted plants, furniture, screens, fabric, etc. to 'fill' the room and create a look. Lighting can change throughout the course of the night (which decor cannot) thus creating a different ambiance. And a few lights can make a room look like there is a lot more decor going on than there is. Take a look at these photos - the one at the top right hand side shows the room with the regular hotel lighting. What a difference once the lighting designers have done their stuff!! Presto chango - it's a totally different space.

 L

Lindsay & AJ's Wedding

Just got the photos from Lindsay and AJ's wedding at the Zephyr Palace in Villa Caletas last weekend - WOW (if I do say so myself). Lindsay was great to work with as she had a clear idea of what she wanted yet gave me lots of creative freedom. The result as a chic mix of modern elegance with a touch of over the top spectacularness (is that a word?). What a fun fun bunch of people! Check out the goods courtesy of Mark and Joi at Pennington Photography

Congratulations again, Linday and AJ, and thanks for letting us be party of your wonderful day!

Wedding Portrait Ideas

So, you've spent the equivalent of the GNP of Borneo on your dress, worked your *ss off getting buff and have religiously been having manicures/pedicures/facials/hair highlights so you look like a movie star. All for one day. A day where you likely will spill a few tears of joy (waterproof mascara- buy it now), be kissed a gazillion times by wellwishers and be rushing through the day to keep to the jam-packed timeline. Pity.

Why not consider a bridal portrait session a couple of weeks or days before the wedding? It's a great way to test-drive your dress/hair/makeup before the big day and allows you to relax and take your time in front of the camera (without your mother-in-law dragging you off to meet your new Cousin Harold and his six kids). It's also a great way to ease into the whole wedding day itself by 'rehearsing' being a bride (and the centre of attention) and to spend time working with your photographer so you get a 'feel' for each other.

And if you think 'bridal portrait' means 'boring and cheesy', think again my friends. Check out lovely Andrea who shot her wedding portrait two months before the wedding (see how relaxed she is). Photos courtesy of Dan Power Photography.