Calling all brides-to-be! Escape for a weekend of wedding planning bliss for you and a guest to the Wedding Show of the NC Mountains, November 18 - 20, 2011 at the Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock. Enjoy three days of pampering, parties and planning where the wedding possibilities are limitless! Tickets include five meals, a spa treatment, signature cocktails, live music, fashion shows and all the trimmings of an actual wedding! www.WeddingShowOfTheNCMtns.com / 800.GoRomance. Respond to our post with your name, phone number and email address to be included in the drawing! Winner to be announced November 15th.

Rainy -overcast - day in Asheville... So many clients to visit... If I miss you today, I'll see you at the show!

Coming up in the Spring 2012 issue of the Bride's Book

We are so excited about our Spring issue! With a revamp of the magazine and a big focus on regional spotlights the Spring issue available March 2012 will feature Asheville, NC Complete with things to do, places to go, accommodations, and more! The perfect planning piece for your wedding! Be sure to sign up online to get a copy as soon as it is available! go to http://raleigh.thebridesbook.com/maillist.php?link=subscribe and guess what?! You will also be signed up for various contests and additional info!

The Wedding Photographer

Carolyn Scott Photography

Robin Lin Photography

Rumor has it that the wedding photographer is the most overpaid wedding vendor out there, so they say. I mean the camera's expensive but everything is digital so where is the expense? Okay so you do have to buy those fancy photo albums to slip your photos in but what else? Why do photographers cost soooo much? Couldn't Cousin Billy Bob take some pretty good photos and we could save that money for something else, right?! You know what I think? I think "they" are wrong. A successful photographer doesn't just point and shoot. They spend time getting to know their surroundings and framing the photo. The more they do it the faster they are at putting it all together and capturing the gorgeous photo that makes you FEEL what the couple is feeling at that very moment in time. Its part gift, part talent and part experience and it's a big part of what you pay for when you hire your photographer. But what else? Why is it that Billy Bob even with a good camera has a tough time capturing these moments that you want to relive day after day?

Beth Gillikin Photography

No matter how hard Billy Bob tries he will rarely think of the composition. He doesn't walk into the room or location and begin envisioning the art that he will be creating. Billy Bob (or Sally Mae for that matter) walks in and starts chatting with his buddy or distant relative and talking about old times and "how's your mama? It's been so long..." well you get the point. When you ask your _____(fill in the blank)____ cousin/buddy/aunt to photograph your wedding they have more on their mind than their new job. So they become distracted and the opportunity to breathe in the environment and plan the photos is lost.

Bella Rose Photography

And that is just the beginning of the process. What happens when the party gets started? The music is kicking and everyone is out on the dance floor laughing and having a wonderful time. You know Billy Bob is a guest too, I mean he has a job but he wants to have a good time too and you want that as well, right? So who could blame him when he puts the camera down to shake a leg for a few songs? Well unfortunately he missed this shot. Even if he decided to pick up the camera at the right time his position would be on the floor looking straight on or maybe up and the feeling would be lost.

The professional has spent the entire time since he stepped out of his (or her) car planning what shots to take and where. He may have even photographed a wedding at this particular location and knows where and how to get the best shots. But while your buddy is doing his thing the professional is capturing every piece of your wedding. The stationery, the entrance, the bouquets, the table settings all the little details that make your wedding yours. You don’t know this now but the day after your wedding or maybe a few weeks later you’ll find yourself wondering hmmm, what did the little flowers I so painstakingly chose, end up looking like?  Those detail shots the pro will take will be priceless later on.

Vesic Photography

So now we know some of the downfalls of hiring a friend or relative to take your photos to help document the best day of your life. But what else separates the professional from the amateur photographer?

The amateur when completed will then upload the images at shutterfly, picasa or some like location so when you want you can order your photos. He, or she, is done. They did their job. Ta Da!!! The professional on the other hand will go back to their studio and spend hours and hours editing the images. Perfecting colors, removing flaws, all sorts of things that make them the wonderful pieces of art that we see here. And those couples that bite the bullet and spend the money on a talented photographer are rewarded each and every time they look at the art created by a professional. 

The Wedding Planner

J. Lo did a great job in the movie, “The Wedding Planner”. She’s one of those actresses that we love to watch on the big screen. But she did nothing to describe what a wedding planner really does. Most people think of a Wedding Planner as an accessory to the rich and famous and that regular folks handle all the details and what they can’t handle they ask a relative or friend to handle. That works great for some folks. Some folks have planned their wedding since they were 10 years old. Most of us however, are new to this wedding thing and plan on doing it only once. So for that reason alone you should investigate what a wedding planner can do for you and how much she costs. What’s the worst thing that could happen? That’s right, you end up making a well thought out educated decision and that’s the best decision and approach you should take when you plan anything!

Bella Rose Photography

So let’s go over the pros of hiring a wedding planner. First, she is well educated on the reputation of the wedding professionals out there and well versed in what is a fair price to charge and who she can negotiate with in order to keep things within your budget. Second, this isn’t the only wedding she’s planned nor it be the last that he or she plans so no doubt she is full of ideas based upon your budget of how to create your vision at a variety of locations. Third , remember the last time you hosted a dinner party? You cooked the food, you cleaned the house, you sent the invitations (or made the calls), you shopped, you set the table, you answered the phone and door bell when it rang, you chose the music, you played the music , you thought up the ice breaker oh and you had about 5 minutes to get cleaned up and dressed before everyone arrived. THEN, you mingled, you thought of about half a dozen things that you should have done, some you tried to do while your guests were there as discreetly as possible. By the end of the night you had about 25 conversations interrupted and never completed, you barely had a chance to eat your dinner and enjoy your guests before it was time to serve dessert and then after your guests left it was time to clean up. That was a dinner party for only 4 or 5 couples! Imagine an event at a separate location or multiple locations with a guest list of about 125 or more?! Sure Mom can help but remember this is the only wedding her daughter will have…she should enjoy it just as much as you without all of the stress.

Diane McKinney Photography

So, now you are thinking…maybe it isn’t such a bad idea but I just don’t think I could afford it…Really?! In most cases you can. Remember you set your budget. If your budget is $5000 or $155,000 that is your budget. A wedding planner knows that her fees must ALSO come from this budget. Many (not all )are willing to negotiate their fees if possible in order to stay within your budget , assuming they want the job. They may also be able to tailor fit their services to accommodate you so that it makes it more affordable. They are organizational gurus, and depending on how many services they render as well as their popularity, they can cost a few hundred dollars or several thousand. In the Southeast for a full service wedding planner he or she will generally charge about $2600 while nationwide the average is about $3200.

Now you have the tools to decide if a wedding planner is for you..go out and begin meeting and interviewing and talking price to find the one that works best for you. Not sure where to start? Go to www.TheBridesBook.com and choose your city. Then check out our Marketplace where we list all the best local wedding pros in your city.

www.bellarosephoto.com