This is how your wedding should end

I just love this picture that Michelle Reed captured of Clint & Lauren last month. In this one single picture you see the excitement, joy, and fun.
What a great memory this photo will evoke for each of the guests that experienced that evening. A few key things I'd like to point out that you might consider to get the same kind of picture for your wedding day:

1. Lauren changed into a "getaway dress" or "going away outfit" 20 minutes before the reception ended.
2. The photographer was scheduled to stay until the end of the reception.
3. Confetti was given to all the guests as they were ushered to the porte-cochere.
4. A "getaway" car was rented for the wedding day to use for all the arrival and departures. In this case we rented a white convertible; but an antique car is also a great idea.

A Most Gorgeous Wedding: The Martha Paltrow Series

We nick-named Alison the most appropriate name ever: Martha Paltrow. Why? Because she is the complete personification of a blended Martha Stewart and Gwenyth Paltrow and so was her amazingingly stunning destination wedding on Captiva Island.
We were so fortunate to have Impressions Photography on board for the weekend to capture what was one of the highlights of the year. Because there were just so many insanely beautiful images, I'm going to share this wedding over several posts. So be sure to check back regularly, or even better- go ahead and subscribe (right sidebar) to ensure you don't miss out!
The wedding weekend officially started with the bridal party enjoying a spa day and the grooms party having a great day of golf. Then, just before the sunset, all 96 guests were invited to a welcome cocktail reception at Palm Tree Landing of Sunset Beach located on the South Seas Island Resort.
The Rehearsal Dinner
The rehearsal dinner was held right on the beach. The tables were covered with natural adobe linens keeping the soft beach feel alive.
For center pieces they had frosted votive candles with Phalaenopsis Orchids designed by Floral Artistry on each table surrounded by natural plants that the bride designed herself, which included a small local plant in a small glass vase with natural rocks on the bottom. The wine bar was decorated with Italian Ruscus garlands.
After having a few cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres of Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and Raw Spring Rolls (Rice paper wrapped crab, carrots, lettuce, asian noodles, and carrot ginger sauce) the guests enjoyed a selection of fresh grilled bbq favorites along with a chopped salad of Manchego, peppers, tomatoes, and olives.

Also on the menu was grilled corn on the cob, oven roasted baby potatoes, sliced watermelon, and cornbread & biscuits. And of course, it wouldn't be an island dinner without some Key Lime Pie!
Before the night ended, all the guests laughed and cried while watching a highlights video montage of Alison & Andrews lives including their dearest family and friends.

Wedding Photography you might not have known about (but you should)

Your wedding, although its one of the biggest events in your life, literally life changing, passes by in just a matter of hours. There are so many ways to capture more of everything that your wedding means to you through photography. So I called up one of our Wise Bride experts, Audrey Snow to explain all the different wedding photography options that there are. Audrey and her photography partner & fiance Michael are based out of Sarasota.
Looking back, I very much wish I'd had the opportunity to do a few of these, especially the Bridal Portrait. And even more so, I wish I had some of these of my parents. So often we forget to think of the future.
Here are all the various types of wedding photography we could list. The descriptions are all Audreys words- thank you so much Audrey! Check out more of Audreys words and images on her blog

Engagement: The engagement session is a more casual reflection of the bride and groom. While sometimes dressy, it's usually not as formal as the wedding day look. More often the engaged couple will be in jeans or other more casual looks. Another great chance to play around with different locations and styles. With these images, many couples will make fantastic guest books for the wedding, or submit one to the local paper for the engagement announcement. We love engagement sessions so much we include them in all our packages. It gives us a chance to get to know our couples before the big day and all work together.
Pre-wedding Celebration coverage: How much thought and planning goes into the events leading up to the wedding? Engagement parties, showers, rehearsal dinners? Why not round out your wedding image collection by including your pre-wedding events in your coverage? Tell the whole story! This image is from an engagement party/ceremony that took place months before the wedding. Images from this day will likely be included in their wedding album along with images from other events surrounding their wedding.

Boudoir: A sexy photo shoot of the bride done just for her groom (she's likely to be in gorgeous lingerie), the boudoir session is typically done anytime in the months leading up to the wedding, sometimes even on the day of. Smaller coffee table books and fine art prints are wonderful finished products for presentation. Could there be a better gift? Nope, but the truth is it ends up being just as much a gift for a woman to herself. Playing supermodel and having amazing images of yourself to show for it is so much fun.
Bridal Portrait: A bridal session is all about just the bride alone in her dress. Somewhat like the boudoir shoot, the bridal session takes place in the months before the wedding or at the very least, earlier the day of. If the session is planned for an earlier day it can be a fun opportunity to get images in a different location than the wedding/reception location. Some of a woman's most beautiful moments are in her wedding dress, she deserves a little extra press in it! As a photographer I could photograph just the bride all day long. Many of my favorite images are brides alone where they can really shine and take the attention solo for a bit.
Day before/Day after: Concerned about not having enough time to get all your favorite wedding images on your wedding day? A shoot in your wedding clothes the day before or after the wedding can be the perfect solution. This couple did most of their wedding photos the day before to be able to spend more time with their guests they day of rather than spending the time on photos. They were relaxed and had a great time shooting all over town. Important note: If you choose to do the pictures the day after, I still recommend shooting on the actual wedding day everything you would if you didn't have the extra shoot planned. Just to be on the safe side. Think of the day after shoot as bonus images rather than replacement images. And consider changing up your look just a little. Had a tough time deciding on the veil, or his tie, etc? Try this shoot with the runner up goods and enjoy some variety in your images.

Wedding Day:Wedding day coverage usually begins with getting ready moments, and continues to include ceremony coverage, formal photo sessions of family, bridal party, and of course just the bride and groom (all of which may actually happen before the wedding ceremony rather than after), as well as reception coverage. It is likely anywhere from 6 to 12 hours of coverage on the day of the wedding and is combination of true photojournalistic moments and more loosely posed, stylized shots as well as lots of images of the details that make your day unique to you. These are the images to remind you exactly how your wedding day looked and felt for years to come.Trash the dress: A session done sometime after the wedding where you don't worry about getting a little wet or dirty or messing up the dress. Locations might include in the water at the beach or in a swamp. Activities might include anything you wouldn't expect to see someone dressed up participating in. Painting, auto repair... you get the idea. It's about creating fun, daring, unexpected, dramatic images. You don't even have to use your actual wedding dress. Check out a local bridal shop's clearance rack. This gem came from the off the rack sale from a local bridal boutique. We spiced it up a bit with a corset and accessories and had a ball!

Quite a list isn't it? You can catch Audrey and Mike on twitter for more wedding photography tips and tidbits
Quick Tip: Many of these images taken prior to the wedding can be used in your wedding videos and slideshows. Check with your videographer on how you can incorporate them.

Wow ceremony decor without blowing the bank

This is absolutely my favorite way to dress up an outdoor ceremony site. Everyone always decorates the aisle. Sure. It's great. And it's also anything but unique. Still, I think some attention should be placed there. however what is almost always missed is the back row of chairs. Note that I said back row- not all rows. Sure you can do every seat, but really, you can get away with just the back row and make quite the impression.
There will be so many photos from behind your guests, and it is the first thing your guests will see as they arrive- so why not take advantage of the design opportunity?

Things you can do:

• Chair Covers
• Chair Sleeves/drapes
• Garland (Flowers, shells, greenery- like Italian Ruscus, ribbon)
• Paper Lanterns
  
• Paper Mache Letters
• Bows or sashes (ok, not my favorite- but they can look nice if done properly)

Wedding Pictures you ask for vs. the pictures ultimately purchased

As I was helping one of my clients find a photographer this past week, I asked as usual,

"What kinds of pictures are the ones you are drawn to? What pictures are you most looking forward to having?"

If I am lucky enough to have the client in our planning studio and brides library I will sit down with the client and we'll go through some of the wedding albums photographers have given us and some wedding photography books. I have to go through this process because narrowing down the enormous list of talented photographers isn't a task I take lightly and it is incredibly time consuming.

Anyway, more often than not, the response to my question is:

"I don't like the posed pictures, I want candid (or photojournalistic), and I absolutely have to have sunset photos, and I don't want to see the sweaty dance photos."

I wondered if this is what actually ends up being the case though. So I asked some photographers who follow me on twitter,

"What are the 2 most REQUESTED pictures (before wedding day) & the 2 most PURCHASED after?"

Here is what some of them had to say:

"I get a lot of formal requests and a lot of group photos are often purchased." Alicia Williams of Cordele Photography

"Most requested: formal poses, most purchased: guests buying posed & candid photos of themselves (not bride&groom)" Anne Ruthmann of Anne Ruthmann photography

"Requested: "lots of details" & "don't want to pose" Purchased: Posed couple and posed family." Kara hudson of Solais Photography

"2 most REQUESTED pictures: candid + romantic shots. Most PURCHASED: I agree with Anne, guests buying pix of themselves + formal" Shari Bare of Shari Bare Photography

"Requested: candids, photojournalism style shots. Purchased: posed groups, posed couple shots" Christine Tremoulet of Christine Tremoulet Photography

How about that? Looks like there are some differences. What does this mean? It means you should be looking very closely at everything your photographer shoots. Ask to see at least 2 recent complete weddings. Why two? Because every wedding is different, and different lighting, venues, and people make all the difference when you're "browsing". Ask yourself if all of the above mentioned requested and purchased photos are done well, and are there enough of them.

Our New Website is Live!

Check it out! We are so excited. Let us know what you think: The Weddings by Socialites Website
Oh my gosh- so excited.
A few more changes to come (fun pictures of us), but couldn't wait any longer to share.
Many thanks to all the photographers who contributed their stunning images of our weddings:


Ashley Brockinton
Impact UK
Jason P Smith
Impressions Photography
Michelle Reed
Hillary Hopkins
Shari Bare
Julie Goodacre
Gigi Hamlett

So shoot me. I like pictures.

I know the pictures make the blog load slower. But I like pictures and I like this one alot. This is a photo by Susan Stripling. It's Lucky bride dancing with her dad. Look at that sweet smile on his face. Doesn't it just make you want to hug your dad?
Yes, I was crying then too. I should have made this weekends posts a series on crying huh?

A Beautiful Rainy Wedding Day at the Ritz Naples

Last month we had a stunning formal wedding weekend at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples Beach. I'm not going to say, "Unfortunately, it rained" because while the rain did come, it was still an amazing evening. There was nothing unfortunate about it! We had back up plans in place and had called for all the events to take place indoors several hours in advance (this is crucial!) so that everything would seem as it had been planned that way all along. The key is to make certain it does not appear to be a last minute move.
All photos on this post were taken by me, so yeah, they aren't so good because I am not a photographer who knows everything about lighting, angles, speed and all that stuff I find unfathomable to remember all at one time. But you get the point. To see better photos- always check out the photographers websites & blogs!
Location: Ritz Carlton Naples Beach
Photographer: Michelle Reed
Flowers: Ritz Carlton
Cake: Ritz Carlton
Band: Vox Blu
The band was unreal. We had Vox Blu at a wedding last year and I was immediately a fan. I was so excited when Kim picked them out for her wedding. They have the best Michael Jackson compilation of any band I have ever heard. There was not a single soul in a seat. Honestly, the dance floor was packed the entire night. Well, until the fire alarm went off. But that's another story. Anyway, the Hora was off the charts! Kim and Steve were up in the chairs many times until Steve was ultimately dropped. Oops. No worries though, he landed on both feet.

Real Wedding: Valerie & Ryan

Somehow I managed to miss blogging about this wedding! It was in February, and I just came across the photo CD from Gigi Hamlett Photography while doing a little more moving today. As you can see, Valerie loved pink!
Val & Ryans initials hung on the doors leading to the ceremony site on the terrace.
Now this is a happy wedding party!
Looks like we needed bouncers at this wedding. Kidding! These are 2 groomsmen holding the basket for the money dance (a southern wedding tradition)
So sweet. Lots of flowers petals for these cute little flower girls.
At the escort card table we used one of our votive trees and "pink'd it up" with some rose and feather hearts.

Val left a very special card for her mom at her seat. She wanted her to read it during the ceremony, but emotions got the best of her.
Val looked amazing that day. Nikol from Fresh Beauty Studio had her looking flawless!
We made cones of flower petals for guests to toss at Val & Ryan when they were announced husband & wife.
This is one of my favorite pictures from that day. So Estee Lauder isn't it?
Hands down the biggest trend of the year and absolutely one of my favorite "if you can fit it in the budget do it" things: The Photobooth. Everyone loves it.

Fun in the photobooth

Photobooths are all the craze at weddings these days. And I can honestly see why now. They are ridiculously fun. There are several companies that you can rent them from, but they offer different things, so make sure to do your homework. Some come with operators, some don't. Some upload all the photos to the web to view and purchase additional prints. And some record all the images onto a dvd for the bride & groom to keep.
The one we are using at several of the weddings we're planning at the moment- www.PartyBooths.com, allows for a custom message at the bottom of the print, various background colors, different sized booths, choice of print(color/sepia/black&white), and even 2 printers (keep one/give one). As you can see, I had fun doing quality control.

It was 70 degrees. I was freezing. I am a true Floridian. Stop laughing.

Your mom will sob like a baby

And your dad might too. I gotta say, this is one of those parents gifts that will go a long long way. I absolutely adore digital photo frames and the price has come down on these over the last year and now they are finally affordable enough for you to buy a couple to give as parents gifts.

Here is why I think they're great. 1. You can start working on this way before the wedding, and have it done months in advance. 2. After the wedding you can add on to the gift- give Ma & Pa another memory card with all the wedding photos on it.
I tested it myself of course. It's very easy (technically) to get it set up. Depending on how many photos you load, it'll take you less than 15 minutes. The hard part is picking the photos. That part- took me like 6 hours. Me being the type who is forever taking pictures, I had hundreds and hundreds of photos to go through. I laughed myself to tears looking through some of the pictures, and the memories it brought back- oh my gosh.
I found good selections of the digital photo frames at Target, Best Buy, and Amazon; priced between $60 and $400.

A Baby Shower for Brandi

I was honored to plan Brandi & Julios wedding last summer, and this summer I had the awesome pleasure of co-hosting a baby shower for Brandi. Little Janelle is just the cutest little thing isn't she? Click here to see some of the pictures from the butterfly garden baby shower.

"See this? This is what I like."

Quick tip for those heading to their design consults soon.

What are you talking about Kelly? You have me confused."

You'll have design consults with your florist, cake baker, stationer, hair & makeup stylists, lighting & decor designer, etc. When you go, of course bring all the photos you've been ripping out of the magazines and printing off the websites. Better yet, set up a blog of what you like and send them all the link a couple days prior to your appointment. Your vendors will thank you and your meeting will be totally productive!
Click here for an example: This is what I like blog.
It's a 20 minute investment that could really save you and your potential vendors some frustration!

There is generous, and then there is over doing it.

I met with a potential client yesterday who has fantastic ideas for her wedding. It will be a beach wedding, so she wants to have parasols to shade the guests, program fans to cool the guests, and flip flops to keep their feet cool and comfy. Of course, there will also be welcome bags for all the out of town guests, which will include a custom photo cookie. And at the reception, a photobooth so everyone can take a picture home.Then at the end of the night, while everyone is out on the dancefloor, each place setting will be replaced with a mini wedding cake. I love all these things, every last one. So we talk about all the great things we have planned and then she says,

"So what should we do for the favor?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing is my answer. I understand wanting to give your guests gifts. Me, I'm a big HUGE fan of giving gifts. But there comes a point where enough is enough. So with that said, think before every purchase. You don't want your guests to leave your reception with a shopping bag. Unless of course its a cool monogrammed one from Red Envelope. Just kidding!

Aren't you excited I finally figured out how to make these photo boards? Thank you to some fantabulous direction at Style Me Pretty. Seriously, I love her blog.

Consulting with the floral designer

So you're ready to go to the florist and pick out your wedding flowers! Very exciting. Me, I love the floral consultation. It's the meeting where it all seems to come together. Often, brides go to these consultations with an open mind, and pictures they ripped out of the magazines. If you want to make the most out of your consultation- go prepared! Take the time before your consultation to flip through wedding amagazines and books, browse the wedding websites, and look for things you like and don't like. Take what you can: rip-outs, print outs, swatches, pictures of the sites you'll be marrying in and where the reception will take place, etc. It's not necessarily that you want to duplicate those photos; its so that the floral designer can get a sense of your style. Oh make sure that you bring a picture of your dress- it helps the designer offer his or her best suggestion for bouquet style and size.
And don't hesitate to walk in there with Preston Bailey's Fantasy Weddingsor Colin Cowie's Extraordinary Weddings or Southern Weddings (my personal favorites and I think must reads for the bride who wants it all). Even though you may not have the budgets to pull some of those looks off- your designer might be able to offer suggestions to get you close to that point without breaking the bank.

Some of my favorite spring '07 photos

Picture 1, Amanda. This photo was caught during a moment of outright laughter during the ceremony. The wind was coming at just the wrong direction and Amanda's parachute, ummm, I mean- veil proved to be a constant source of laughter through the ceremony. Fitting, because Amanda was the most hilarious client I have ever had. She really should go on a comedy tour. She had me in stitches for nearly a year. Photo Credit: Impressions Photography

Picture 2, Traci & Steve. Ok, I know everyone does this shot, but there was something about Traci & Steve when they were spinning about. They were totally lost in each other- and it totally came through in this image. Photo Credit: Julie Goodacre Photography

Picture 3, Jim showing off his newly adorned ring finger to friends. Ok, hands down, this is the most memorable shot and it is SO Jim. Jim was one of those grooms who came to his wedding excited to marry his bride and totally ready to celebrate his marriage with his closest family and friends. Susan & Jim's wedding was just down right fun. Photo credit: Gigi Hamlett Photography

Thank you fabo photographers for sending me images!