Download pdf - Couples brochure 2014

Transcript

Yay! You’re getting married! Thank you so much for choosing me to capture your wedding. I’m so excited to be with you along the way, to help pin those button holes, to witness your vows, to laugh and cry and dance with you and capture it all on camera!

Now the fun begins. This brochure contains a few little helpful hints, tips and tricks which I’ve picked up both as a bride and from years of experience as a professional wedding go-er. All these ideas are just ways to help us get the very best record of your day we possibly can, and help keep things running smoothly all day and I’ve thrown in a few recommendations for wedding suppliers to help make your day even more awesome!

Before the big day...

People often ask, but believe me, I never get bored talking weddings and I’m always around in the run up to chat about the flowers or dress, offer advice from my years of experience and generally get excited with you! I have loads of wedding supplier friends and if you’re searching for an awesome band, the perfect rustic style florist or a vintage ice cream van I can usually point you in the right direction! As a first port of call check my little black book at the back of this brochure. (Psst....as one of my brides my friends at The Couture Co. will even offer you 10% off a beautiful, bespoke dress! Just ask for the discount code!)

Once a booking has been confirmed, you want to might opt for an engagement shoot, which will take place a couple of months before the big day. This will be a great chance for us to get to know each other better and for you to get comfortable in front of the camera, as well as creating some beautiful images. Whether you’re super chilled out or more camera shy, everyone looks better when they feel relaxed around the camera, and an engagement shoot allows you to experience first hand what shooting is like which will help you feel like a pro in front of the camera when the big day arrives. They can take place somewhere pretty or special to you both, or at your venue to scout some locations for the wedding day photos, but where ever they take place engagement shoots are followed up by a pint or a cuppa and a bit of cake to catch up about how the plans are going. The photos are ready for you to download around two weeks after your shoot, some people opt to use their engagement shoot images for invitations or save the dates or just to enjoy and pop in a frame. Around a month before your wedding we’ll set up a meeting or a Skype session, so I can find out more about the exact timings and all the crucial details of the day. I’m happy to give you advice or guidance on timings based on my experience too. From this chat I’ll provide you with a detailed breakdown of how I’ll be covering the day so you know what to expect and to help everything run smoothly.

The Wedding Morning When the big day arrives I’ll be with you for around two hours before the ceremony, capturing all the beautiful details like the dress, the flowers and any special jewellery, and I always seem to end up with loads of photos of the shoes! Most of the time I’ll be a fly on the wall, getting gorgeous documentary shots of everyone getting ready and once your dressed I like to factor in fifteen minutes for a few relaxed portraits of you and your friends and family enjoying the calm before the storm!

Top Tips: 1) Have all your trinkets ready to go and gathered together in one

place so I can just come in and get going with the photos without interrupting you every five minutes.

2) Choose a large light, bright room where possible, and minimize clutter as it really shows up on film.

3) Think carefully about what to wear during bridal prep as you’ll want to share the images with friends and family as part of your album, a pretty dressing down is ideal as it will unwrap without needing to be pulled over the head, so it wont disturb your hair and make up.

4) Choose a good hanger for your dress- this will just finish off the photograph of the dress beautifully. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful dress hanging on a wire hanger! Where possible, also put your bridesmaids dresses on matching hangers.

5) Eat something before you get dressed. Trust me, if you have butterflies you may not feel like eating, but it will help settle your stomach. You’ll also be drinking a fair bit of fizz, and eating later than usual so make sure you have something to eat mid morning.

The Ceremony At the ceremony venue I’ll capture the groomsmen and guests arriving, and I’ll double check any photographic guidelines with the officiant before the ceremony takes place. The rules do vary and can range from no photos at all, to photos from the back only, to my preference, which is to stand at the front to capture all the emotion on your gorgeous faces. As you know, I work in an unobtrusive way, and during the ceremony I will move as little as possible, and I never use flash. Also, you may want to ask your guests not to take photos during the ceremony, or opt for an ‘unplugged ceremony.’ Often my shots of the the happy couple walking down the aisle, or the first kiss are obscured by ipads, cameras and camera phones. You’ll want to enjoy that moment and see your friends and families beaming faces in the moment and when your look back on the official photos. In the past some of my couples have included this in the order of service: “Our ceremony will be short and sweet, and we have an excellent photographer (Lydia Stamps- do say hello) who will be capturing it. We love you all very much and cannot wait for the moment we turn around as husband and wife to see all your smiling faces! So please, no photos or filming during the ceremony*. We want to be able to look at you, not your cameras!

*Just during the ceremony, photograph as much as you like afterwards!”

Of course this is personal preference and you don’t have to include this, it’s just a suggestion to help us get the very best record of the wedding. If you do include it it’s also worth mentioning in advance.

Top tips: 1) Walk up the aisle slowly- you might be nervous and tempted to run, but

especially in smaller venues go slow & enjoy the moment

2) Check any rules about photography in advance, especially if you’re having a church wedding.

3) Check if you’re allowed to throw confetti afterwards- I whole heartedly recommend you do if it’s allowed. The general rule is you can’t have too much!

Your Couples Shoot After the ceremony we’ll whisk you away for some time alone & a couple’s shoot in a beautiful spot at or near your venue (in the past it’s included beaches, walks into the woods, corn fields, and grafitti-ed urban streets!). I don’t want to keep you from the party too long, so this usually lasts for half an hour or so.

It’s really important that this shoot takes place somewhere away from prying eyes of friends and family, who will probably be distracting and take the piss a bit! I want to get you as relaxed as possible to get the very best results so taking time out just the two of you is important for getting that perfect portrait. Rest assured I’m not going to make you do anything posy or awkward, we’ll just have a laugh together to create some beautiful natural images. If you’re having a winter wedding when it gets dark earlier, it might also be worth considering a ‘First Look’, when you have a special meeting & your couples shoot before the ceremony, or have your ceremony earlier to ensure we can still get gorgeous portraits in natural light. If you want to know more about first looks just ask!

Top Tips: 1) Get away from the guests to help you relax.

2) Go with it, and trust me- if I have a creative idea it’s because I know the resulting photos will be epic. In the past my couples have sat on hay bayles, and laid in fields to get the perfect shot. It’s only a moment now, and you’ll enjoy the results forever!

3) Light- if it’s winter think about the timings in advance, the earlier the ceremony the better! At sunset the golden light is like magic for portraits. Sometimes I might ask you to put your dessert spoon down for five minutes to get a beautiful sunset shot, or depending on the time of year we might do this after dinner. Popping out again for five minutes at sunset (once you’ve had a drink and are more relaxed) is often when the best shots happen.

The Party

At your reception after the couples shots I’ll spend time taking natural, candid shots of the guests laughing and enjoying the day, as well as capturing the details that you’ve been planning.

And we’ll also arrange a time to do your group shots which I aim to keep as quick and painless as possible with no cattle herding from me! Bear in mind that each group shot takes about five minutes once people are gathered and in place. So I recommend having up to five, which will take 25 minutes out of the day. When planning your timings for dinner please consider this, as well as time for your couples shots and the relaxed photos & details. An hour and a half is the ideal amount of time, but please factor in any necessary travel time too!

If you’d like me to stay for the evening after the meal I love capturing the tears and the laughter throughout the speeches before the cutting of the cake, and the first dance. I have been known to get onto the dance floor myself to throw a few shapes camera in hand to pap that Dad dancing!! Finally, weather permitting I might sneak you outside for one final moment in the sunset before you party the night away!

Top tips: 1) Keep the groups to a maximum of 5/6 & also give your bridal party or key family members a copy

of the shot list, I’ll need them on hand to help gather people as I won’t know your guests. Make sure you choose people who will get the job done, rather than getting drawn into chatting while they’re on the hunt!

2) Don’t forget to make time for the relaxed, natural shots to happen. The more the better, but at least 15-20 minutes, or consider a second photographer add on.

3) Don’t just think about your first dance, plan what song comes on afterwards to get people onto the dance floor and get that party started for awesome party shots!

After your wedding Shortly after your wedding I’ll post one or two ‘sneak peek’ images on my Facebook page for you to see before you head off on honeymoon. Please feel free to tag yourselves, share them with friends, or use them as your profile picture! I love giving you a little momento to enjoy and something to whet your appetite while I’m editing the full collection!

The full set of images is typically ready within four to six weeks when I’ll post out your photographs on a lovely USB, as well as providing you with your viewing gallery link and password. The viewing gallery is a great way to share the photos with friends and family by just simply sharing the link. They can order which images they’d like in print directly without you worrying about emailing half the family the large high resolution files or remembering who wanted what!

Once you’ve had a look through the full collection (I’d recommend having a little viewing party for two on the sofa with some champers!) you can choose your favourite photos of the day for your personalised thank you cards and album if you’re having them. Thank you cards can be proofed by you, and arrive within a week of order. They’re a lovely keepsake for your friends to stick up on the fridge or notice board.

If you’re having an album I’ll need you to select your favourite 30 images within three months. Choose ‘events’ like the first kiss, or the confetti throw, as well as photos you have to have such as the group photos. When choosing groups they need to be all the same orientation, and either be all colour, or all black & white. I’ll then fill in a few extra images around your favourites to help show the detail of the day & tell the story through the album. Remember you have two rounds of design included so things can be changed after the first go. After the design is approved your album will be ready in 6-8 weeks, and where possible I like to hand deliver.

If you’d like to meet up for a cuppa and a catch up to look at the albums and decide which one is right for you the it would be lovely to see you. I also have a little film you can watch if you’re further afield. If you’re not opting for the Heirloom package you can choose to add an album any time after your wedding, or some couples choose to register with me to have their album as a wedding gift, and I can provide lovely gift vouchers for you, and information to include within your invites. Just ask!

Lydia’s Little Black Book I’m often asked for suggestions for a rockin’ band or tasty cake maker, so I hope these recommendations will help make your wedding awesome! I have worked with most of these suppliers and so I’m happy to give them a personal recommendation. If you don’t see what you need here, just ask. I have loads of friends in the industry and can always put the word out!

Caterers Accessories

Petal & Feast petalandfeast.co.uk Madeleine Bride madeleinebride.com

Bird & Carter birdandcarter.co.uk Emmy Shoes emmyshoes.co.uk

Norma Farralley normaspantry.co.uk Victoria Furgusson Accessories victoriafergusson.co.uk

Real Cooking realcooking.co.uk

Pizza on the Hoof pizzaonthehoof.co.uk Hair & Make-Up

Victoria Furgusson victoriafergusson.co.uk

Dresses Lipstick & Curls lipstickandcurls.net

Beautiful Bridal, Bournemouth beautifulbridalboutique.co.uk Anna Davies annadaviesmakeup.com

Exquisite, Winchester exquisitebrides.co.uk Jas Hair jashair.co.uk

Oh My Honey, Brighton ohmyhoney.bigcartel.com

The Couture Company, Birmingham the-couture-company.co.uk Florists

Joanne Fleming Design, Brighton joanneflemingdesign.com Petal & Feast petalandfeast.co.uk

Faith Caton-Barber, London (bespoke/seamstress) faithbarber.com Bramble & Wild, Frome brambleandwild.com

Candy Anthony, London candyanthony.com Paloma Lily, Wilton palomalily.com

D-Js Cakes

Wedding Smashers weddingsmashers.com Baby Cakes bathbabycakes.com

Disco Wed discowed.com Gezabella gezabella.com

Salisbury Chocolate Shop chocolatesandpatisserie.com

Bands Petal & Feast petalandfeast.co.uk

The Deloreons thedeloreons.com

The Jackson 3 jackson3.co.uk

The Indie Killers theindiekillers.com

Fake Tan faketanband.com

Photobooths

Say Fromage sayfromage.co.uk

Mega Booth megabooth.com

Styling/Props

Petal & Feast petalandfeast.co.uk

London Bride london-bride.com

Things by Laura thingsbylaura.co.uk

Doris Loves dorisloves.co.uk