Wedding Guest Book - Turquoise Floral

The Design Process

I appologize for being absent these past few days.  Sometimes one must just go off and renew their creative thinking. Like attending a craft show as a shopper instead of a vendor.

This past weekend was the spring craft fair at a local high school. I can't say I can home empty handed, but was delighted to see all the new ideas and talents of others. I wish I had taken my camera just to give you all a glimpse of the show.

When I came home, I've been working on some custom order request. Pictured above is a design I've been working on the past day and a half of a customer. It wasn't until I stepped away from this for a while, that I was able to come back and combined the colors and theme.

Green, yellow, and red.

Butterflies and florish

Formal Wedding Style

Most designers have trays or boards they used when putting together elements of a design. I just lay them out on the table and like a puzzle it all comes together. Like this one.

What you see above will soon become a 8" x 8" hardback wedding guest book album with pale yellow fabric binding and yellow photo pages. The cover will be the green florish paper you see, and the pages will be white with a stamped design.

In the meantime, I've got other hardback covers in the press that will soon need binding, and another custom order to finish up by the end of the week.

I just love custom orders. It's all in the design process, don't you think?

Wedding Chocolate Rose Bud Guest Book Album

While I'm working on the red and black floral guest book album, I thought I would show you the chocolate rose bud guest book album I finished a few days ago. Pink roses are one of my favorite kinds of flowers.

I used a more fancier stitch down the binding called "Hemp Leaf Binding". I choose the green to go with the stems of the roses and give it a more settle appearance. As you can tell, I decided to cover the entire book cover with the same print fabric. I don't always do this, but when I have a print like this it works out pretty well, don't you think?

Keeping with the single stem rose from the front print, I stamped the bottom of each signature page.  I thought it more romantic on the bottom of the page, like a rose laying on a table, then to place at the top or side of the pages.

The inside pages are cream and the photo pages are ivory.

A perfect "chocolate" treat for your wedding!

Made Especially For You

First, I just want to thank Tonya Wilhelm for her presence and great tips on finding the best wedding photographer these past three days.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

It's been busy around here and I've been working on a special custom order guest book album.

Here's a little sneak peak...

This is the front cover and beneath it is the back cover, identical, with wax paper inbetween. These have been pressed the last few days while they've been drying. I'll be moving on to stamping the pages and photo pages. I'm thinking black or red for the photo card stock, what do you think?

How To Find the Best Wedding Photographer - Part 1

I am very pleased to be able to guest blog for MRsCHADT today.  In fact, she has invited me to be here for three days, and I am very happy to oblige. 

If you are like me, I am sure you appreciate the one-of-a-kind personal touches in treasured items for special occasions. That is probably why you’ve been checking out the beautifully crafted books on this site. As a photographer, I know there are two important ways to preserve memories of a special occasion—guest books and photographs.  There is no more important time to consider these things than when planning your wedding. 

Since you are already in the right place to find the perfect guest book, MRsCHADT has asked me to give you some pointers to find the best photographer for your wedding.  I am tempted to just give you my web address—http://www.wilhelm-photography.com/.  Oops, where’d that come from? But instead, I’d like to arm you with all the necessary information you should consider when choosing the photographer for your big day.  I have organized my tips into the Three P’s of choosing a wedding photographer. I’ll tell you about one each day that I am here.

Being a wedding photographer myself, I hope to unveil some of the mysteries of the business so you don’t have to wade through endless websites and wedding shows trying to find a good match for you.  So, without further self-promotion, here is the first of my Three P’s for choosing the best wedding photographer.

P #1:  Professionalism

A camera does not a wedding photographer make.

I know, this is not the fun place to start.  You’d like to skip this and go right to looking at photos, but today everybody and their uncle thinks they are a photographer and I want you to be sure your wedding is in good hands.

Now, everybody has to start somewhere, but you may not want to put the fate of your wedding album into the hands of the aspiring artist in your family or circle of friends.  Sure, they might promise to have all of your photos on a CD by the time you get back from your honeymoon, but will they really be able to deliver the storybook beauty of the fairytale day you have been planning for…well, since you were clomping around in your mom’s high heels and slip playing dress-up.

Experience is worth its weight in gold when it comes to a wedding photographer!  A seasoned photographer will be prepared for the rush of the day and will anticipate the events to capture the truly precious memories. Don’t be afraid to ask, “How long have you been doing this?”

Say, “How do you do and shake hands.”

You wouldn’t choose your wedding location without going to see the venue yourself.  Meeting your photographer is equally important.  Photographers are part of your day just like the flowers, bridesmaids dresses, and triple tiered cake.  Your guests see and interact with them.  It is important that you approve of the way they dress and carry themselves.  I think most photographers who have successful businesses have a fairly good handle on this-hence they are successful, but it is always good to be sure. 

Maybe you will meet a photographer at a wedding show, or see them working at a friend’s wedding.  These are great times to take notice to how they dress and act in professional situations.  If you found your photographer through the internet, schedule a time to meet with them to ask about their work.  If you plan to have engagement photos taken, by all means, schedule them with the same photographer.  This is the perfect way to get see their personality and quality of work.

A great wedding photographer helps to keep things moving, especially during the allotted time for portraits so look for someone whose personality is both confident and friendly.  A timid photographer might have a tough time lining up and rearranging all twenty three family members including Granny who is four feet tall and can’t stand long because of her bunions, the texting, too-cool-for-a-tie teenage brother, and a nephew who keeps giving everyone bunny ears.  It takes a charismatic person to get that group in place and smiling at the camera.

  

What’s in their bag of tricks?

When you meet with a perspective photographer you will get a feel for whom they are, but there are a few questions you should also ask regarding their professional approach to photographing.  You don’t want to have guest showing up with better gear than your photographer—bad sign!  Ask what equipment they are using.  Do they have back-up cameras?  Can they provide additional lighting sources (unless you like the color of your church’s florescent lights?)  Will there be one photographer or two?  That last one is important if you love candids. I’ll come back to that point in a minute,

A professional photographer’s quality work doesn’t end with the gear they bring to the wedding.  One thing you often forfeit when you use an amateur photographer is print quality.  Will your photographs be retouched?  Do they have software and professional labs that will handle your images with care and perfection, or are they going to take your images to the local drug store?

Now, going back to the importance of having two photographers… The main photographer is going to be very busy focusing on the major events of the day.  I only shoot weddings with a second photographer for this reason.  I am in charge of what I call the “bread-and-butter” shots.  These are images my couple expects to see in their proofs. 

That means when I am securing the tear-jerking toast, I am unavailable to snap a photo of the adorable ring-bearer stealing a taste of icing form the cake.  I bring a second photographer to be on the lookout for priceless moments that are un-planned.  You have to decide if candids are an important part of what you expect in your album, but that brings me to point number two... and that will have to wait until tomorrow.

I hope this helps you see the advantages of hiring a professional wedding photographer.  If you have any questions about my first “P” please post them below.  Or post your experience.  Have you learned the hard way about how important it is to hire a professional, or did picking the right photographer save your day?  I’d love to hear about it! 

I hope you will be back tomorrow.  And if you stick with me all three days, I will give-away a free engagement session to my one of my commenters!  Stay tuned to enter.