An overcast day on your wedding....

Many brides wish for a wedding outside in bright a bright ray of sunshine for their backdrop. Though many say that they don't want it to rain on their wedding day, some people and cultures believe it is good luck.

Many people don't know that as a wedding DJ, I also do some photography.

For a photographer, rain wouldn't be ideal, but sunshine isn't either. I actually really like a bit of overcast with interesting rain clouds approaching. Here are a few shots I have taken to help illustrate what I mean. The first two with the dock is from a wedding at Crystal Cove, just this past weekend.





This second photography set is from a shoot I did in Fonda, NY about a year ago for a different couple. Both shoots have a soft natural lighting that is difficult to duplicate artificially.

Seraching For A Wedding Photograher

Cover photo Marielle Hayes Photography

Searching For A Wedding Photographer

Settle planning details is the first step to finding the right photographer.

• Before you start searching for a photographer, work out basic wedding planning details. You'll need a photographer who's both available on your wedding day and able to provide you with the type of photos that you desire for a reasonable price. Start your search as soon as possible.

1. Set the wedding date: You must know your wedding date to book a photographer.
2. Book your wedding venues: Choose your wedding ceremony and reception locations.
3. Set your budget:
   • Make up your wedding budget.
   • Plan to dedicate approximately ten percent for you photography and videography budget.
4. Learn about photo styles: Think about what style of photographs you would like to have for your wedding. Don't waste time considering photographers who don't or can't shoot photos in the style that you want. The three styles of photography coverage are:
   1. Traditional: Formal, posed portraits of the bride and groom, wedding party and families.
   2. Photojournalistic:Candid photos that capture natural actions during important moments with the aim of telling the story of your wedding day.
   3. Editorial: A mixture of traditional and photojournalist coverage, the featuring both posed portraiture and the moment-to-moment shots that show the wedding day unfold.
   • Look through real wedding photo galleries to get ideas for how you want your wedding to be shot. Check out other galleries of couple shots that will surely help you understand what photography style you prefer.

Cover photo Marielle Hayes Photography

Top 10 Wedding Trends For 2010

Happy New Year!
Time to look forward to the top 10 wedding trends for 2010!

1. Back to Basics

Events will focus on the attention to the details, the foundation of the event, not the drama or grandeur of the evening. Consider spending more on the lasting memories than the showmanship of the event. Spend a bit more than the average budget allotment on photography mediums rather than abundant floral. Or consider a bit of a longer stay on your honeymoon and a little less of a party at the reception and you’ll be grateful for your decision in the end.

2. Home Weddings Hit Home
Intimate and personal affairs in the backyard are bigger than ever. Going home incorporates the continued trend of personalizing the wedding day experience.
Smaller size guest lists, more intimate settings, grass roots weddings, elegant and detail driven, but in no way small on what counts.

3. Buttercream on the Big Day
Fondant is falling behind, buttercream corners the market.
Tools and techniques now allow for buttercream to look as smooth as fondant when applied by a skilled artist. You have the option of better flavor, more natural ingredients, and less costly cakes that no longer suffer or lack in design.

4. Favor Comeback
Personalized appreciation is back. The effect that an event has on the guests is more noticeable than ever before so the importance of a favor is felt more than ever. Be sure to appreciate to those in attendance - it’s not just an afterthought, omission, or generic item. Think local artisans, locally grown products, personal mementos, and on-the-spot print outs.

5. Nearby Destinations
Nearby destination weddings are taking flight over the exotic and far off locales. The ever popular destination wedding will remain but guests will get out of town by car (within driving distance) so couples can create a weekend, guests get an escape, but no one breaks the bank. Enjoying the US destination locations, spend within your own local economies, create a greener effect, experience undiscovered backyards, and stay sensible about cost while you’re at away.

6. Colors
Monochromatic palettes - this doesn’t mean muted colors, just single color bunches. Vibrant Colors: Orange, green, yellow, and pink. Metal Colors: Gold, silver, copper, and pewter. And black is definitely the new black. Break the rules and show off the darker side of your event.

7. Greener Conscience
Emerging will be the newest phase of eco-conscience: A better understanding of the gray shades of green. You will see more emphasis on the smaller changes that are less recognizable to the guest (i.e. cleaning green, composting, solar and LED lighting, no more oasis in floral arrangements, less catering waste). It’s no longer about making the event appear “organic” – it’s about understanding how things are made, disposed of, and where/when events take place. Learning to make better choices that are unseen by the guest are just as important as those tree-free invitations everyone is talking about.

8. Video Integration into Events
We’ve all seen the photo montages of your childhoods during dinner but the next phase in video at your event comes in several different forms. Video DJ’s are emerging, allowing your dance party to dance to the visuals of the music videos; ceremonies are being broadcast on screens for better viewing from the back; and time lapse photography is being shot and integrated into video for current day montages of you and your fiancé. Love to party? Set up crane camera and project the event as it unfolds on screens around the dance floor (budget permitting of course).

9. HD Video
Videographers have already gone hi-def. But next year all or most will make such a transition, making HD and even Blu Ray the norm in wedding videography. Upgrade now and appreciate the quality later. This also means smaller cameras on site and less intrusion into your event, all around a better (though more costly) option on the big day.

10. Visual Combinations
Professional grade still photo cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II DSLR are being released with HD video capabilities included. It is recommended to have both a videographer and a photographer at your wedding to capture every moment of the big day. Tech-savvy brides looking for a new experience, may like to experiment with a visual professional (videographer or photographer) who has this technology. In the future, you will begin to see an emergence of two-in-one companies. Companies like Engaging Films and Video Keepsakes of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles will shoot video and take stills, but use only one piece of technology.

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