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Home > guest post > Page 5

5 brilliant tips to help you choose your wedding photographer

14/07/2014 by Karen

how-to-choose-wedding-photographer
Today’s post is written by the super talented  contemporary wedding photographer, Emmie Scott.  Emmie lets us in on  5 tips from the top on what to look out  for when choosing your wedding photographer.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOU

It is not uncommon at a wedding to have a guest walk up to me and ask me “can you Photoshop my wedding images? My photographer got drunk at my wedding and all my pictures are blurry”. Or something to that affect.

As a wedding photographer who takes their profession very seriously, there is nothing more frustrating and upsetting.

There is a lot of advice out there for engaged couples on how to choose a wedding photographer but I feel that much of it is misguided.

Don’t take the following advice for granted. Your photographs will continue to live on once the memories have long since faded. All the guests have left, the marque has been brought down, the food has been eaten, paper details have been thrown in the bin: your photography will last and continue to bring you joy forever more.

I am going to let you in on not only how to choose your wedding photographer but how to choose the right one for you and what to expect so that you can avoid any rogue traders.

how to choose a wedding photographer

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How to get the most out of your wedding photography

15/04/2014 by Karen

HOW-TO-GET-THE-MOST-OUR-OF-YOUR-WEDDING-PHOTGRAPHY
Your wedding album will  most likely become your most treasured souvenir from the most spectacular  day of your life. With that in mind I asked one of the UK’s finest  wedding photographers, David Pullum, to write a guest post on getting the most  out of your wedding photography. Over to you, David!…

IF YOU CAN… CHILLAX

The best  way to get great wedding photos  couldn’t be more  straightforward –  just relax and enjoy your day!  There really is very little else that I ask for from my Bride and Grooms  –  its that simple. Of course the lead up to a wedding, and the planning of it all, can be stressful, but the day itself is a time to try to forget all those stresses and strains and just enjoy the excitement  of two  families coming together as one.

David Pullum wedding photographer
LOVE YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

As a wedding photographer it’s really important that my clients like me. That sounds strange, I know, but I’m spending upwards of 8 hours in their company so it’s vitally important that they are fans of, not only  my work and photographic  style, but of me too!

Personally I choose to use very little direction when I’m shooting a wedding.  I’m happy to observe and listen and I don’t want to dictate and be the centre of attention.  There are times however when I have to take the lead as  family formals and couple shots are really important at any wedding, and this is when I have to take control, organise the shots and tell my couple how and where to stand.

David Pullum wedding photographer
WORK OUT A DEFINITIVE LIST OF FAMILY FORMALS  IN ADVANCE

Family formals are one of the most important sets of images that I  take during the day so it’s vital  for me to liaise with the couple  before their  wedding to formulate a definitive list.

The formals are a record of who was there on the day, and the most important members of the family and close friends, I will never limit those and I have been known to take upwards of 50 formal shots at a wedding. If I limit them to say five,  that for me is just a barrier I am placing in front of the client which says “don’t book me”!

If I do have a long list it’s really important that I have as much co-operation as possible from Best Men, Ushers and members of the families. All of the aforementioned will have the same list as me and as I start to photograph, those assigned to helping me are always three    groups ahead of me, getting people ready and in position. I do this at every wedding and I struggle to remember a wedding where it’s taken me longer than 40 minutes to complete all of the family requests.

David Pullum wedding photographer
ALLOW TIME FOR YOUR COUPLE SHOTS

I normally allocate  at least 30 minutes for couple shots – I’d love more but the reality is that at a lot of weddings I will be lucky to get even 30 minutes, so I work with whatever I am given. The shortest time I was given was 38 seconds, the longest 1.5 hours, so Ive learnt to get what I need within the timeframe I am given.

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The diary of a Jewish bride who married out

25/11/2013 by Smashing The Glass

Marrying-out
Today’s post is written by the wonderful Sara Gibbs of Darling Lovely Life, the vintage-inspired lifestyle blog (and one of my favourite daily reads).Today she shares her personal story of marrying out. Or as she puts it, “her husband marrying in”.


Growing up, I always assumed I would meet a nice Jewish boy (maybe a doctor) and spend the rest of my life kvetching at him. OK, so I didn’t really see myself as such an awful stereotype, but growing up in a Jewish / Israeli household that was relatively observant (in a reform kind of way) and going on to be president of my JSoc at university, it was a natural assumption that my future life partner would be Jewish.

So imagine my great surprise when the love of my life showed up when I was just twenty two — and he wasn’t Jewish at all. Not only was he not Jewish, but he’d grown up all over the Middle East (gasp) and not my neck of the woods either (double gasp) because of his dad’s job and while my views on the conflict are hardly controversial or right wing, we actually first got to know each other because of our amusingly divergent views on the obvious.
Interfaith-Jewish-wedding
We worked together in my first job. We became adversaries, then friends, then more. The job was a short-term contract and didn’t last, but I took a souvenir home with me and no, it wasn’t the stapler.

It didn’t take long for John to embrace Jewish culture. The first time I took him home to meet my parents was Rosh Hashanah, throwing him right in the deep end. After three months together, I went to work in Israel for a month and he visited me out there.

He returned home, proudly telling everyone who’d listen how he’d been searched five times by El Al security and even had his wine gift wrapped by the security officer. I flew home and moved in — he was hooked and starting to look and sound more Jewish than I am.

Then, just six months into our relationship, on a freezing cold Brighton beach, John proposed. I said yes, and we started planning our interfaith wedding. I was lucky. My family, already in love with John, took no exception to my “marrying out”. They saw it the way John did. I wasn’t marrying out, he was marrying in.

Converting seemed irrelevant. I wasn’t religious, so I didn’t expect John to be. Judaism is so many things to so many people and to me it’s culture — it’s home. John was happy to have a Jewish home and I was happy to build it with him.
Sara Gibbs Darling Lovely Life
Living in England, interfaith marriages are easy enough. Finding someone to perform a Jewish-style ceremony for an interfaith couple? Not so easy. We went through a sparse list of rabbis who would do it, and again with the awful stereotypes but it seems that you pay a dear price for marrying out. Literally. I mean no disrespect when I say that some even had the chutzpah to charge per blessing.

We approached a dear friend who had been the Jewish chaplain at my university and was the president of my old shul there. While he isn’t a rabbi, he leads services and it wouldn’t be a legally binding ceremony. He knew both John and I incredibly well and we couldn’t think of anyone more perfect to send us off into married life.

As it wasn’t an official, legally binding ceremony (we had a legal ceremony minutes before), we took some liberties that probably had some of the older generations scratching their heads and wondering if they missed something. For a start, I made a Cath Kidston-style chuppah out of table legs, lace tablecloth and floral fabric, we wrote and designed our own Ketubah and I didn’t wear my veil but we did use it during the blessings as it had belonged to my great grandmother.
jewish-vintage-wedding-3
At the end of the day, though, we married under a chuppah, I circled my groom seven times (because I loved the symbolism), we said blessings, we drank Palwins (awful as ever) and he smashed the glass. My secular groom was about as Jewish as you can get without actually being Jewish.

A year and a half on and we are very happily married. We have a Jewish household, we celebrate the holidays, John is insistent on being observant even when I’m being lazy, he’s attempting to learn Hebrew, there is a mezuzah at our door.

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Hands in marriage: how to get the perfect manicure for your big day

27/09/2013 by Karen

Today’s post is written by the lovely Lauren Shalson from Spa By Car. I’m a big fan of Spa By Car and have been using them for all my beauty treatments for about 7 years now. Apart from anything else they do the *best* manicures in town, so who better to advise you on how to get your hands looking gorgeous for your W-day!


Hey brides – have you thought about your big day manicure yet? It’s actually a little scary how much your hands are in the spotlight! You’ll want photos of the bouquet, the ring exchange, any candle-lighting or sand ceremonies, signing the register, raising your glass, cutting the cake… no pressure, right?! Luckily, we’ve been keeping tabs on the ultimate wedding day nail trends. If you’re booking a bridal manicure, here’s what we at Spa by Car would recommend.
French Tips
FRENCH TIPS
French tips are a tried and tested bridal style, with a bonus pop of colour or sparkle instead of a Classic white! If you’re trying one of these styles for the first time, our mobile nail technicians recommend a pre-wedding “test run” so you know what you’re getting into. Just because you love a style from a fashion mag doesn’t mean it’s going to be right for your wedding day!

Blue wedding nails SOMETHING BLUE
From duck egg pastels to bold exotic  cobalt,  blue nails are always super stylish. Make a statement on your big day with glossy, flawless gel polish to really show off your something blue! We love Artistic’s gel gloss polish colour Graceful, a gorgeous light blue shade, or sparkly royal blue colour Contempo.

Kate Middleton wedding nails CLASSIC NEUTRALS
Bride of the century Kate Middleton is still our biggest inspiration for the big day! Get her princess-perfect nails with Essie’s Allure polish, one of the colours really worn by the Duchess at her wedding. It’s a classic shade that keeps the attention on your glittering ring finger.  Other Classic neutrals we love from Essie are Ballet slippers, Adorable and Like Linen.

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Thinking of converting to Judaism? 5 questions to ask yourself before making the decision

22/08/2013 by Karen

I am delighted to introduce a fabulous second guest post from Michele Schwartz, editor of The Modern Jewish Wedding, a popular website for Jewish/ interfaith couples and wedding planners.

Charlotte Harry Sex and the City
[image: Sex and the City via HBO.com]

“I know that game. I invented that game. So, they’re Rules Rabbis,”
Charlotte York Goldenblatt from Sex and the City.

It’s true.  When considering conversion to Judaism from another religion, whether for a wedding, or just because, rabbis will traditionally turn you away. Rabbis are known to test your commitment by saying “NO!” three times. Then it is up to you…

If you are considering converting for your ‘beshert’ (your meant to be), here are some questions that will be useful to ask yourself and your intended before taking the plunge.:

1. How do I know if Judaism is right for me?

You’ll know! I hate to sound trite–but, you’ll know. If you are pressured to convert or feel as if you must do so just to be married, then you should stop reading now and read my previous post on incorporating Jewish traditions into your interfaith wedding. However, if you are committed to having a Jewish home, raising your children Jewish and are intellectually curious about Judaism–then read on. The best place is to start is with curiosity.

  • Read, read and then read some more.
  • Attend services at several different local synagogues.
  • Take a class. Most congregations offer a weekly text study you can attend. You can also check out your local Jewish Community Centre or even a local university to find classes or lectures that spark your interest.

Kensington Roof Gardens Jewish Weding
[image: Lee Ann & Andre’s London wedding / Gavin Hart Photography]

2. Even if I don’t convert can I work Judaism into our marriage and home?

Absolutely. Most people begin the road to formal conversion after first experiencing life in a Jewish family, home or community. Jewish rituals don’t negate anything you were raised to believe. You can get married under the chuppah, you can participate in congregational services, learning and holiday celebrations, you can attend or host a Passover seder, you can light candles on Shabbat and enjoy a day of rest on Saturday. If nothing else feels right for you–learn a new recipe or two and eat Jewish soul food.
TUSCANY WEDDING
[image: Daphna & Godwin’s Tuscany wedding ]

3. How “Jewish” do I want to be?

There are lots of different flavours of Judaism. But no one is more Jewish than any other (despite what you might hear or think). You should try them all–and decide for yourself what feels right for you. Do you like traditional music and lots of Hebrew in your worship service? Do you want to belong to a community that keeps strictly kosher? Do you feel more comfortable in a setting where there are same-sex couples and no one frowns at ear piercings or tattoos? Judaism is a big tent–you have to find the most comfortable seat for yourself.

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