Hiring a friend

With the tough economic times, many couples are trying to figure out ways to cut corners and save a few dollars.  Keep in mind, if considering asking a friend to do something major for the wedding you might be sadly disappointed and possibly adding extra stress to your life.

I really believe that photography is a key component to any wedding.  After all is said and done, that's what you will have left to remember each and every moment.  Hiring a professionals photographer is tremendously important for stunning visual memories for years to come.  Some of my favorites are: Jamie Collins Photography, Alissa Dinneen Photography, Candace Jeffrey Photography, No Eye Has Seen Photography, Steve Depino and Justin & Mary Marantz.  Though you really need to interview them yourself, in person to see if you connect with them and how their pricing structure fits your needs.  Most of those photographers will go out of their way to accommodate you in every way, creating custom packages that fit your style and budget.

This is a wedding that Alissa Dinneen captured last summer at Jonathan Edwards Winery.  Such a gorgeous location!  She's an amazing artist capturing every detail in such perfect grace.

We recently worked with Jamie Collins Photography on the most fun photo shoot (although, to be honest I was really sick and had lots of great friends to help out that day)

After hearing other couple's experiences with friends saying they'll do something major for the wedding.  I would recommend using some caution.  You might have a friend that owns a bakery shop and they bake cakes for a living.  That might work out perfectly fine.  Many times, unfortunately things just don't work out and feelings end up hurt or you end up with an end result you are simply not pleased with.  Your wedding is probably one of the biggest events you will ever plan (or pay for) and it needs to be an event to remember. (no regrets)

You might think, oh I can do my own flowers.  But, where do you order the flowers from?  Who's going to help you put together bouquets on the morning of the wedding?  Where will you store the flowers?  Who's going to deliver them to the reception venue?? and so on.....Do you really want to stress over something like this?  You should relax and savor every little moment of your wedding day.  Leave the stress and the hours of putting together the flowers to us!  Planning such a big event requires organization and lots of man hours coordinating everything. 

Now, this is not to say I don't encourage some DIY elements to a wedding.  If you can take a few days off before the wedding to make last minute favors (like my chocolate caramel apples covered in toasted coconut)... I say do it!  I love adding personality to a wedding with DIY projects.  Create your own menu cards.  Things like this.  But, remember to plan ahead of time and don't overload yourself with a ton of projects that completely stress you out!  For my own wedding, I purchased a bunch of lanterns to line the sidewalks of our reception venue.  I dropped them off a few days prior to the wedding and left detailed instructions of what I wanted to do with them.