12 Tips For Low-Stress Wedding Planning

You just got engaged! You’re excited, you tell everyone. Immediately you’re besieged with questions. Now you’re dreading the wedding planning. If running off and eloping isn’t an option, here are 12 tips to help get you through to the big day without a lot of stress:

1. Set a Long Engagement
The easiest way to fend off the barrage of questions is to tell everyone you’re planning a long engagement. Anything less than 1 year counts as short in wedding terms, and will set off an immediate frenzy of people trying to convince you that you’d better start making decisions right away!

2. Write a 'Must-Invite' List
Every wedding planning decision is based on the number of guests you will have attending. Figuring out your “must invite” list is the first step. No point wasting time researching venues or getting quotes from providers with imaginary guest numbers.

3. Beware of Money with Strings Attached
Large weddings are expensive. If you have 200 guests, all of a sudden that $3 chair cover rental just cost you $600. But if any family members offer to help pay for the wedding, be very careful about what strings may be attached. When someone else pays, they have an interest in seeing their money's well spent. They may use it as a license to demand things are done the way they want. Think carefully about whether you want to deal with their requests before you accept their offer.

4. Marry in the Off-Season
Aren’t weddings on warm spring days lovely? Of course. That’s why everyone plans weddings for the same time. In peak season, everything is more expensive, and everyone from caterers to receptions halls to photographers are booked far in advance. Go for low season instead. There’s less stress, less competition and cheaper prices.

5. Hold the Ceremony & Reception Indoors
Outdoor weddings are absolutely beautiful – if the weather is perfect. In addition to worrying about the elements, you also need to consider the cost and difficulty of sound systems, tents, portable chairs, and maybe even outdoor toilets. If you plan the entire event indoors, you won’t spend the week leading up to your event stressed out over dire weather predictions.

6. Establish Neutral Ground
Everyone arguing over where, when & how you’re getting married? Stand on neutral ground. Your mom is insisting on red roses, his mom is arguing for white roses. Compromise and say you’ll carry a mixed bouquet of both, or sidestep the problem by announcing that you picked purple lilies and invent a romantic story about why they are meaningful to you.

7. A Surprise Wedding
Bypass all the arguing and the opinionating altogether. Invite everyone to an “engagement” party. When they get there – surprise! – it’s actually your wedding. Friends of mine planned a surprise wedding, and it worked out perfectly.

8. Assign Tasks to Meddlers
Anyone driving you nuts with their opinions? Pick a few tasks that aren’t particularly meaningful to you (Coordinating napkin & chair colours? Comparing 10 different limo services?) and let the meddlers know they could really help by taking charge of those tasks. This will keep them happily distracted, and reduce your workload, too.

9. RSVP via E-mail
E-mail RSVPs are faster and easier. They allow you the opportunity to answer guests' questions, and there’s no risk of an RSVP sitting forgotten in the bottom of a purse. Plus, you'll save money on stamps and envelopes! You can always include a phone number for the few guests who do not have computers.

10. Put Off the Seating Chart
It can take hours of agonizing to figure out who should sit where and with whom. But in the last weeks before the wedding, it’s guaranteed several guests will cancel and a few new ones will get added on, which will make a mess of the seating chart you wrote up months ago. Another seating tip: pair each person or couple up with one other person or couple they’ll get along with. Don’t worry about matching the whole table.

11. Charitable Donations for Bombonieres
Bombonieres are the little ‘thank you’ gifts or party favours for wedding guests. Trying to find something nice and meaningful that’s not expensive is tricky. Avoid the problem and do a good deed: Many charitable organizations will give you attractive thank you cards to put on place settings which tell your guests you’ve made a donation in their name.

12. It's Your Day
And above all, remember: Despite what anyone may say, you don’t have to follow any of the traditional wedding customs.

By Beth Young

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Top 10 Wedding Tips for the Groom
Wedding Makeup How-To
Hiring a Wedding Planner

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Dane answered!

I asked dane a question regarding wedding photography and here is his answer!
http://www.blog.danesanders.com

Engagement : Shurie and Havin

About a month or two ago my dear friend Ann came to me and asked if i would be interested in shooting an engagement session for her friends Shurie and Havins. what did i do? i jumped on the opportunity since i have never done an engagement and always wanted to do it because just like wedding photography, it allows you to incorporate fashion, documentary and photojournalistic styles and knew it would be a fun challenge for me. Shurie and havin are policer officers and "no" they didnt issue a warrant for my arrest after the shoot, thank goodness. haha! but they definately were fun and easy couple to work with. Congratulations again guys!

Test shot turned out great!

So i thought i'd try to do some test shots with the camera and lens combo yesterday using Golden Gate bridge and here's the result!

Yes, i got them both.. Nikon D700 and Nikon 14-24mm f2.8AF

Yes, i got them both and here goes my savings! but i think that these toys are essential to jump into the "professional" world as part of my arsenal. until now my NikonD70 has served me well and continue to be useful in my journey ahead so i am very thankful for that.

I did spend alittle under $5000.oo for both of these beautiful equipments and here are some of the neat features......

Nikon D700
1. it is 12.1MP CMOS full frame sensor which is equivalent to 35mm film frame which is "huge" in my opinion.
2. electronic virtual horizion
3. live view in two modes. (tripod and handheld)
4. build in flash as wireless commander for remote flashes
5. ISO starts from 100 to 25,600, WOW!
6. 51 point 3d tracking autofoucus
7. 1/8000 to 30 sec, bulb tested to 150,000 cycles
8. frame rate at 5fps but 8fps with MB-D10 Battery(fps=frame per seconds)
9. 3 inch LCD display and its the biggest
10. ethernet connection to pc with wt-4 wireless connector
11. build in sensor cleaning
12. vignette controls normal to defualt
and many more.

Nikon 14-24mm f2.8
Well, heres what they said about this lens..... "The Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 AF-s sets a new standard in ultra-ultra wide angles lenses. It is the best on the planet, and by a large margin. This 14-24mm is significantly sharper than any fixed or zoom ultrawide from Canon or Nikon that I've ever used, and I've used both Canon Nikon's 14mm, 18mm and ultra-wide zoom lenses extensively." by ken rockwell

you can also check out the whole review at www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/14-24mm.htm

In conclusion, i love both of these beautiful works of art by Nikon. It has been the most money i have ever spent on camera equipment and yet i have no regrets so far, loveeeeeee them . i recommend these to all Nikonians everywhere and even those of you Canon enthusiast such as my dear friend "Rhae". For now, i need to go play with my new toys so "Ciao" everyone for this post and talk to you all soon!

my fav portrait pics

my fist studio portrait pic at CCSF

Aung photography

Hello Everyone?