Photos courtesy of Forever 21

Have a lured you in?! Over the weekend, I stopped into Forever 21 (yes I know, teeny-bop galore) for a couple basic t-shirts. They’re super cheap! Anyway, I found the most amazing twisted strap, white chiffon maxi dress on the 2nd floor of the downtown San Francisco location….AND I can’t find it online anywhere. But it’s still worth chatting about..it was under $30 and super cute!! Lots of us on budgets these days, even more so if you’re planning a wedding. Think out of the box when shopping for that wedding dress….I’m definitely a believer of style but if I could go on a fabulous honeymoon with the money that I used to purchase my dress, I would! The key to an under $50 wedding dress? Research, explore and don’t look for the word ‘wedding’! Go to the sale racks and enter stores you thought you’d never go to. Keep an open mind and think ‘cocktail dress’. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Leigh Miller via The Ritzy Bee Blog

Brides and Grooms!  This is a wonderful read about the search for and what to expect from wedding photographers!  Maria’s sums it up nicely :)  A must read here.

Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart

I can’t count how many times I’ve watched groomsmen try to figure out the diagram of pocket square fold given to them from the rental company!  And eventually, either me or my other photographer fix it for them!  So here are some helpful instructions for ALL occassions of wearing a pocket square - It’s Hip to Wear Squares.

Photo: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Catching up on my blog readings, I just had to share this! Christy of What Junebug Loves blog showcased some fun photo booth opportunities for your wedding guests. Actual photo booths are always a blast but don’t have the budget or access to one? There are plenty of ways to capture incredible memories of your guests being goofy and candid! Advice from a wedding photographer – without a doubt designate an area for the silliness to happen (even ask a friend to help). You want things to stay as organized as possible and make sure you are clear to your guests about the fun opportunity! If they don’t know about it, it won’t happen! Check out Junebug’s two posts (Creative Photo Booth Part 1 & Part 2) and hopefully they will inspire you to get a little crazy!

Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart Crafts

I can’t believe I’m just now sharing this awesome site!  If you’re looking for a little help in the wedding decor and invite department for your wedding, this is the place to shop!  All the great ideas and decor that she has shared (and you thought you’d never be able to recreate) are done for you!!  Many products come in multiples and you just assemble per directions.  Not getting married?  Check out the site for super cute holiday ideas and special occassions!  Everything is adorable – wish I had the brains of Ms. Martha!  Martha Stewart Crafts

Photo: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Wedding etiquette! Lots of different ideas and theories out there on what should happen for various moments of your wedding day, especially regarding your guests. I will try to make this a reoccurring topic! After some research, I found that there are three popular questions asked about guests; how do we divide the guest list, do we invite children, and should we pay for our out of town guests? So here is a wedding photographer’s answers! (more…)

Photo courtesy of Anna Kilbridge Photography & Sasha Souza Events via Snippet & Ink

Greetings from one of Chicago’s airports!! My life has been insane the past few weeks with moving and work that I’m enjoying the extra time to catch up at my local airport before my next wedding, ha! Thanks for your patience again and again. Absolutely had to share this amazing photo opp idea for weddings! While reading one of my go-to blogs - Snippet & Ink, I came across the recent guest blog post from Sasha Souza. I knew it had to be great because she’s done amazing work for some of the weddings I’ve worked in SF. A photo wall constructed of vintage frames for your guests to pop in and out of for photos!!! Genius!! Read the post for detailed info…

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Once again, thanks for being patient with the shortage of posts! This week is moving week for me so they will be even slimmer :( I promise things will go back normal soon…

I can’t stress enough about how important it is to hire a strong and well-rounded photographer for your wedding day. It’s not unusual to ask a bride how her wedding day went and all she can say is how wonderful it was but it’s all a blur! So many details happen on your precious day mixed in with friends and family, it’s only expected that your memory be a little mixed up!

There are three questions you should ask yourself before hiring a wedding photographer: How much do I want to spend, how do I want to remember my wedding, and how comfortable will you feel with your photographer? (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Us – wedding vendors know that when the new year begins the newly engaged brides begin to plan! After reading several discussion and message boards, I’ve come to realize that what seems like the most simple task (hiring a wedding photographer), many couples don’t know what it takes to create their picture perfect wedding. I realize there is a lot of reading material out there, which makes things overwhelming for most but the next few suggestions that I offer might be of great help for the bride and groom to be. (more…)