This week I have a guest blogger my friend Cassandre form “Cassandre Snyder Events”. Cassandre is not just a wedding planner she could be a life saver from many brides until I got to know Cassandre I had no idea exactly what a planner did. So please welcome Cassandre Snyder and her post “Why should I hire a wedding planner”

A common thing that we hear in the wedding industry is that there are a million reasons why you should NOT hire a wedding planner… And I am sure you’ve heard them all.

“You can do that yourself!”
“Don’t waste the money!”
“Your mom can do it.” or “Your maid of honor can help!”

The reality is you CAN plan your own wedding. You can choose a venue, you can pick your wedding professionals, you can figure out what works and what doesn’t. But can you manage and execute it all? How would it look for you, on the day of or the day before your wedding to be setting up a venue, or to have to manage all of your wedding professionals. If the photographer is late, what will you do? Flip out? Do you really need to know that the DJ is stuck in traffic RIGHT before you have to say your wedding vows? It’s 100 degrees outside and you are having an outdoor ceremony and you are 45 minutes late – what do you do? What can you do? Your planner would probably be handing out bottles of water and those fans you didn’t want, but she made you purchase, just in case! The purpose of the wedding planner/coordinator is to relieve the stress and the burden from you. There are a million little details that you can and will forget, and there are another million little details that you will NOT want to have to deal with when you should be in the joy of the moment that is the greatest day of your life. Trying to manage and execute on the day of your wedding shouldn’t be on a brides to-do-list. Sipping mimosa’s, chatting with the girls while getting hair and make-up should be a priority!

The next thing you will hear is that it’s a waste of money. A qualified wedding planner/coordinator will know how to SAVE you money. A good planner will have the negotiation skills you need to work with your venue and all your other wedding professionals. They will know the cheaper tricks and tips to keep you on budget. They will not allow you to make mistakes of purchasing or buying things you will not need. Yes, a qualified wedding planner can be costly, but think of it like wedding insurance. IF something goes wrong, you are covered. If you are scheduled to have an outdoor ceremony and reception and Hurricane Tammy rolls in, what will you do while you are getting dressed? PANIC? Most likely. With a wedding planner, while you will panic for a few minutes, she will be on top of it. Watching the weather all day, and making sure you have a contingency plan. THEN, all the money you spent on flowers, DJ, dresses, linens and lighting won’t go to waste.

Oh, the infamous: “My Mom is going to help me with everything cause she is retired and she loves all this wedding planning stuff!” Is your mom a negotiator? Has your mom ever planned a wedding? Does your mom have dozens and dozens of contacts? Does she already have a list of preferred vendors that she knows and trusts will do a good job and she will not have to worry about them on your special day? And again, do you really think that your mom is going to want to run around and manage and execute everything she plans on the day of your wedding? The answer to all of those is probably NO! How is Mom going to manage watching you get dressed, getting her make-up done and spending time with you, while managing the venue, photographer, DJ, florist and rental companies to name a few? She’s not going to be able to, and this will upset you. Hiring a planner alleviates that stress.

I can go on and on all day about why you should hire a planner. Not because I am a planner, but because I was once a bride too. I didn’t manage my own wedding. I woke up late, hung out with my bridal party and Mom, had a nice breakfast and sipped champagne while I got ready. I knew what I wanted and how I wanted it to look. I, along with my wedding planner, met with all my wedding professionals and made sure they all knew what I wanted and then I left all the details in the capable hands of my planner. THAT is what a wedding day should be like.
My twitter friend Antonia Christianson of Antonia Christianson Events had a blog series appropriately titled “Your _____ (fill in the blank) is not a….” and it is basically about hiring wedding professionals versus allowing your family to handle; please take the time to read them… Her blog is http://antoniachristiansonevents.blogspot.com and you can read part 1 of the series here! She goes on with “Your Mom is not a planner”, “Your Mom is not a florist”, “Your Uncle is Not a Stationer” and “Your Dad is not a Photographer”. It’s a MUST READ series for any couple seriously considering allowing their family members to handle the details on their wedding day!

Congratulations and Happy Planning!!

I have had a University spree this past month with portraits taken at Princeton University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Georgian Court University & Lehigh University. I love walking the grounds of the campus with the couples and hearing stories of how they met while going to school and how some even proposed while on campus. Here are some images from Alyssa & Leon’s Ceremony at Fairleigh Dickinson in Florham Park, NJ.

I had the pleasure of photographing Nina & Marco’s New Years wedding about two years ago. Nina & I bonded and always kept in touch and when she called me to tell me she and Marco were expecting a baby boy I jumped at the chance to take photos of Nina’s growing tummy. I also included some pictures from the wedding day!

Marcia, the assistant to my landlord asked if I would do some family portraits last year her children were spread all over and they would all be in the same place for one week to celebrate the graduation of her oldest grandson and to celebrate Father’s Day.

Joanna & Pete had a fun wedding at the Twin Brooks.

Sandy has an eye for detail and planned an amazing elegant country wedding celebration at the Perryville Inn. She really kept with the feeling of the county restaurant by including mason jars and seasonal fall flowers for her October nuptials.

One of the most fun and overwhelming locations to photograph weddings is in NYC it’s easy to go into overload with all the photo opportunities. I met with a future bride Lisa and we talked about her wedding that would be taking place in NY this year and after the meeting I got to thinking abut the weddings I have done in the past in NY and decided that I wanted to share some of my fav images from over the past few years.

Stephanie and Keith used the images from their engagement sitting to design custom wedding day stationary. They made amazing and simple wedding day programs that were handed to the guests as they arrived to let the everyone know how the elegant and relaxed day would flow. They chose a scene setting shot walking down Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia rather then your traditional image looking into the camera. This a a simple way to personalize those blah wedding ceremony programs. Stephanie & Keith planned an amazing purple themed wedding at the Glen Foerd Mansion in Philadelphia the Georgian style mansion was a nod to Keith’s Southern roots. To get more info about Glen Foerd check out http://www.glenfoerd.org/

Of all the questions people ask me the most asked ones are about the engagement sitting so I thought it would be helpful to address them.  An “engagement sitting” is simply a thirty minute portrait session of the future bride and groom and can be done either indoors or outdoors.

These photos are then used for a few different things, like a newspaper announcement of the engagement, a framed portrait to display at the engagement party or wedding reception, a guest book or signature board, save the date cards, wedding programs and wedding invitations or, you may just want to have some photos to display in your home that capture the love and excitement you felt during the engagement.  Once you decide if you want to do one the next thing you should decide is what are you going to do with these photos and be sure to tell the photographer what they are for as this will effect the poses taken during the session.  Many newspapers will reject photos if they do not meet a certain criteria so be sure your photographer knows what they are looking for.

As for the hot button issue of location most people choose an outdoor session at the Shore with the two leading spots being the beaches of Sandy Hook or the Boardwalk of Point Pleasant Beach the first being classic and romantic while the latter is quirky and fun.  Not everyone is a beach person and some choose to go to a local park or a special spot like the college campus they met at for photos but be sure to call the parks department/land owner to be sure you can take photos there.  Some parks require you to get written permission or pay a small fee in order to take photos there and if you don’t have one the park ranger will escort you back to your car (I speak from first hand experience on this).

As for the question of “what do I wear” you should always take into account a few things, like, the weather, the location, and what the images will be used for.  If you are doing a sitting at the beach you may want to wear your hair pulled away from your face as it will more then likely be a bit breezy and a cocktail dress is not recommended nor is a suit and tie as it doesn’t fit with the surroundings but a swim suit is not appropriate either.  Consider wearing clothing that have similar tones and fabrics, avoiding patterns, and keeping in mind your surroundings when choosing strong colors.  A red dress at the beach is not the best idea but a red dress for you and a red tie for him and a large Christmas tree in the background is GREAT! Also, keep the sunglasses, purses and cellphones in the car and heavy coats are never recommended try a cute scarf and gloves for a great fall/winter look.  Below is a list of ideas but when in doubt just ask your photographer for recommendations.  That is why you hired them to give you their opinions as professionals.

Keep in Mind
coordinate your clothing but don’t match, your engaged not twins
avoid strong patterns
dress appropriately for the location and look you are trying to achieve
ladies get a manicure your hand and amazing ring will appear in most of the photos
make sure you have permission to take photos at the location

Some Cute Ideas
khakis and a polo are always a great choice
jeans are great when paired with a blazer for men and a cute top for ladies
a scarf and gloves add a splash of color and keep you warm while taking photos
a more formal look of suit and tie for men and a cocktail dress for ladies works best for studio portrait sessions

Hi I am reworking the blog…again but it will be up and AMAZING by June 15th.