Richmond Weddings Blog, Wedding Blog for Richmond Virginia, Richmond VA Bridal Blog

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

Tell us a little about your business – what does the company do and who are your customers?

We are a full service bridal salon, servicing brides and their parties for over 15 years. We have brides that have come from not only the Richmond area, but Charlottesville, Tidewater and Northern Virginia/Washington DC as well!

TELL US ABOUT YOU

Tell us why and how you became involved the business.

I have been in sales for over 20 years. At the end of the day, it’s all about forming relationships and providing good customer service. I have always been a believer in both and decided to do something on my own.

What’s your favorite part of a typical day?

The moment that you realize that you have helped the bride find the true “dress of her dreams”. Being part of that “Aha!” moment with the bride is a great feeling.

Who gives you the best advice about your work?

We get the best info from other wedding vendors (our close associates) and bridal representatives that we work so closely with.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I would say being voted one of Richmond’s Best Bridal Salons every year by Richmond Magazine and Style Weekly.

What part of your job would you gladly give up?

The alterations – although a very important aspect of the wedding day – it can be a bit challenging when the bride decides to lose 20+ pounds after her gown has been ordered. Brides should embrace themselves for who they are. Bridal designers and today’s society are to blame for this.

What do you do to relax/unwind?

I love to spend time with friends having cookouts or at the beach. Reading is also a passion, mostly fiction.

What is your favorite thing about Richmond?

Its close proximity to so many different geographics – mountains, beaches and larger cities. I also enjoy the great variety of restaurants.

What would we be surprised to learn about you?

I’m not a very surprising person!

Thank you Ellen for spending some time with us. To learn more about Ellen and Jingles, visit their page on RichmondWeddings.com or go to www.JinglesBridal.com.

by Susan & Robby Bolling Photography

You’re engaged! Congratulations and best wishes! How fabulous is it to look at your coffee table and see that massive stack of wedding magazines?

So much to do, thank GOODNESS for that super cute organizer you scored online – interview planners, book the venue, find THE dress…on down the list you go until…

“Hire a wedding photographer.”
{pause} “Hmmm…”

Possible next thoughts include:
“I don’t know anything about photography…”

Wait a second – yes you do!  In fact, you’re immersed in it more than you probably realize.  Magazines, billboards…FACEBOOK!  Not to mention the fact that, more than likely, there’s a camera on your phone.

While you may not be able to articulate what you love, YOU KNOW what you love.  When it comes to wedding photography, two of the most important factors in finding the right photographer are style and personality.

~ STYLE  101 ~
As you start looking around online or in bridal magazines, you’ll likely see a few terms used repeatedly to describe different styles of wedding photography.  Some consider these terms and definitions highly subjective, but for the most part they are self-explanatory – here’s a crash course:

Traditional wedding photography
Read – my parents’ wedding album:  a modest collection of posed portraits, either of groups of family and friends or staged illustrations of key moments.  Traditional wedding photography is very straightforward with little room for creativity or capturing spontaneous moments and emotion throughout the day.  It also pays little if any attention to details, like handmade embellishments, décor, shoes, jewelry, etc.

Fine art wedding photography
Quite possibly at the opposite end of the spectrum from traditional, fine art photography takes a bit of liberty with reality when it comes to capturing a wedding.  The photographer isn’t just thinking about documenting the day, but rather composing each image so that the interest extends beyond the people or things in the photograph.  {Which is often done by taking advantage of elements that might otherwise be overlooked, like natural light, textures, and shapes.}  It may also depend heavily on the photographer’s personal style, which can range from vintage and nostalgic to modern and abstract.

Wedding photojournalism
Probably the most popular style of wedding photography today, wedding photojournalism is an unobtrusive, documentary approach to capturing your wedding.  Photographers who specialize in photojournalism are just as {if not more} concerned with how you felt on your wedding day as how you looked.
Couture and/or fashion photography
Relatively new to the scene, couture and/or fashion photography is choreographed to showcase the couple’s individual style.  The end result is a collection of staged and/or posed/still images that illustrate the wedding in a way that’s similar to an editorial magazine spread.

Some suggest that this style emerged from the evolving world of wedding blogs and magazines, which, in addition to the moments and emotion of the day, demands that photographers capture the details – flowers, shoes, dresses, place cards, programs, center pieces…any and everything that collectively equals the style and or theme of a wedding.  The intensity of this style, {like blogs and magazines,} varies from photographer to photographer.

Final Thought
As I mentioned before, the above terms and definitions are subjective.  It’s more important that you connect with a photographer’s work – the way he or she sees and captures a wedding – than it is for you to know what style or styles are his/her specialty.  More often than not a photographer will incorporate more than one style in to the overall body of work.

~ CHEMISTRY 101 ~
Chances are, at one point or another, you’ve heard at least one story about a wedding vendor whose personality made for an awkward or difficult day – and quite often these stories are about photographers.  We hear at least one story like this every time we meet with a newly engaged couple that has been in or attended other weddings.

People come up with lots of excuses as to why this behavior is common – like, “photographers are artists, and artists are always a little eccentric.”  Or, “if they weren’t a little crazy they couldn’t be creative.”

Here’s the deal – your level of comfort depends on your tolerance for different personality types (introvert, extrovert, outspoken, quiet, relaxed, type A…the list goes on), which is how you decide who you associate with socially.  The same consideration should be given to deciding on your wedding photographer – after all, this is the person (or persons) who will be with you from beginning to end on one of the most important day of your lives.

Unfortunately, there’s no method or formula for finding the right fit – it’s really a “gut feeling”  - similar to the one you feel when you meet someone who you either look forward to seeing again OR from whom you would hide behind a tower of canned goods in Kroger to avoid another encounter.

That’s why it’s IMPERATIVE that you meet with your wedding photographer – it’s not just about nailing down the package and details – it’s about getting to know someone.

“One bride I knew exclusively through the wedding coordinator who recommended me,” explains photographer Bob Schnell. “This was some time ago and I was never able to really meet with the couple much before the wedding.  As such, we were pretty much strangers on her wedding day – which meant it took a bit of time for them to relax. Things went fine, but it could have been smoother from the start of the day if we really had a sense of each other beforehand. [A meeting] is now a prerequisite with my clients.”

That said – destination brides fear not.  With technology like Skype and Face Time, a meeting online is both possible and effective.

Final Thought
If you feel awkward and uncomfortable on your wedding day, you’ll look awkward and uncomfortable in your wedding photographs.
Next Steps
A great place to start is with the photographers featured in this magazine – check out their websites.  If you love their work, schedule an appointment to meet them and discuss what they have to offer.

Most importantly – take the time to do what it takes to feel good about your decision.  Your wedding is an experience – be sure you have a collection of images that will help you relive that experience for years to come.

- – -

Susan & Robby Bolling are wedding, portrait and editorial photographers serving Virginia, the Carolinas and beyond.  For more information go to www.susanandrobbybolling.com.

Many thanks to Bob Schnell (Bob Schnell Photography) for offering his input for this article! 

By Rachel Butler with Blue Steel Lighting Design

By Rachel Butler

Photos courtesy of PW Photography

Professional event lighting companies are setting the new standard for wedding décor. Gone are the days when you would order fancy centerpieces that would be lost in a dark room with little impact on guests. Also gone are dramatic effects seen in photos that aren’t nearly as impressive in real life. Get the most out of your floral and décor work. Choose a superior professional lighting designer to ensure the success of your beautiful event.

In order to choose the best, you should be knowledgeable about event lighting techniques and equipment. A little bit of research before you begin interviewing will help keep you on target and select the right pro for the job.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
What do you need to know about event lighting? There are some common features and effects that really bring an event together, and it’s good to be familiar with the terms that describe them as well as their roles.

Uplighting causes color and light to “wash” a room, accentuating the natural appeal of a space and playing off the wedding’s color scheme. Some venues are already gorgeous and benefit from a little enhancement. Others are more basic, or even challenging, and require transformation. Uplighting helps achieve the desired effect.

One of the most popular theme elements in today’s weddings is the monogram. Featuring your new couple identity graphically is a beautiful way to personalize your event. A lighting professional can project your monogram or a custom “gobo”, which can be your names or an image, on the dance floor. As an extra benefit, the projection will not damage the dance floor and does not require messy application like some decals can.

Pin Spot lighting is strategically hung from the ceiling of a venue and focuses on elements that you want to feature most. They are commonly installed over each table to add drama to already gorgeous centerpieces. Pin Spots are great tools for drawing attention to the best features of a room, which can also serve to distract from your least favorite elements.

For the ultimate entrance, consider a Dance Floor Wash. Imagine the entire ballroom going completely dark until a spotlight illuminates the newlyweds as they approach and take the first steps into their first dance. A wash manned by an experienced technician can infinitely increase the drama and create the kind of magical, memorable moment you deserve.

WHAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR
In addition to understanding the mechanics of event lighting, you’ll want to be aware of what distinguishes a great lighting company from adequate or even poor competitors. During your consultation, ask to see samples of their work. Make sure the samples are diverse, and not simply of one well-produced and well-photographed event. Request referrals from brides and other vendors, and do follow up with them.

Find out if the company has any positive relationships that they can cite with venues. Particularly look for venues that are complicated, high end or historical. These sites generally have extremely high standards for their operations, and a recommendation from them can be significant.

Ask the lighting company how familiar they are with your venue. If they have not yet worked there, ask how they will go about familiarizing themselves with the site and the policies that govern it.

Finally, ask how many staff members stay on the wedding day. What if there is a power issue; or a transition that you want to be certain happens without flaw? A great company has a technician stay during the entire event, and may even send a representative during your event for quality control.

The best lighting companies demonstrate knowledge, experience, and dedication to the event and to their clients. They are attentive and responsive and desire to give more than promised. You deserve to see your vision for your wedding realized. Seek out and contract with the best, and you’ll be certain to enjoy the benefits of superior event lighting.

- – -

With offices in Richmond and Virginia Beach, Blue Steel Lighting Design offers state of the art technology with years of wedding experience to bring about the most spectacular events. For more information, visit us at www.bluesteellightingdesign.com.

by: the Rev. Dr. Gay Lee Einstein and Paige Einstein

I am a wedding officiant.  I know that brides and grooms often arrive at the church, or the winery, or wherever they have decided to say their nups, in a state of malnutrition.  I know this for a fact.

One groom almost didn’t make it to his wedding, he was so malnourished.  It happened like this.  He was sick at the rehearsal. He wheezed and sneezed his way through our practice, bravely responding to our concerns with a glib,   “It’s just a bad cold.  I’ll be fine.”  Alas, he felt bad enough that he didn’t eat anything at the rehearsal dinner following.   But, he DID take some over-the-counter flu product and washed that down with a fair amount of the bubbly.  So much bubbly, in fact, that when he returned to his hotel room he proceeded to throw up—for three hours straight.

Concerned family members drove him to the hospital where he received IV infusions which returned him to a state of fluid equilibrium.  He DID make it to his own wedding, but looked yellow and frail. He was a killjoy at the wedding reception, and the honeymoon had to be postponed.

Remembering that dramatic scenario, I recently asked a certified nutritionist, who just happens to be my daughter, “What should brides and grooms consume the day of AND the day before their wedding?”  Well, it turns out that too much liquor at the rehearsal dinner is NOT a good thing.  No, really?

Below are her point by point suggestions on How to Survive the Big Day:

• Go easy on the carbs. When you consume a meal high in carbohydrates (think pasta, bread, rice, cereal, potatoes and sugary foods), your body will store the extra carbs it doesn’t use for immediate energy. This causes your body to retain excess water, giving you a bloated feeling and look..

• Focus on lean protein. Protein takes a long time to digest, meaning it will stick around in your stomach and leave you feeling full and satisfied for a long period of time. Good choices of low-fat protein include egg whites, chicken or turkey breast, fish, low-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, and legumes.

•  Hydrate. Make sure you drink 6-8 glasses of water on the day of the wedding to prevent dehydration.

And, here are my daughter’s wedding day meal ideas:

Breakfast:
Egg white omelet with mixed veggies and low-fat cheddar cheese, 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 cup sliced strawberries

Lunch:
Salad topped with grilled chicken breast, mixed vegetables, feta cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Snack:
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt mixed with 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup of berries

With that in your stomach, you are ready to Celebrate.  It’s your big day after all!  Eat if you can, drink moderately and definitely be merry!

P.S.  Since you probably won’t be enjoying your reception MEAL, be it hors d’oeuvres or a five course meal, you might want to ask your caterer to prepare a basket of goodies you and your new spouse can take with you for a late night, early morning snack!

- – -

The Reverend Dr. Gay Lee Einstein is a wedding officiant and pastor who has been marrying couples for over fourteen years. Paige Einstein is a Registered Dietitian. For more information visit www.weddingpreacherforhire.com.