If you have looked at my wedding packages recently, you will have noticed that I am giving a 10% discount to all wedding packages booked before the end of March.  I am doing this to help both my customers and myself.  I am aware that many people are struggling today, and that includes my business.  Yes, people are still going to get married, but I understand that when they start cutting out services, the wedding video is on that list of maybe things they don’t need.  This of course hurts myself, and others that record weddings.  In an effort to make it affordable for people to still have a wedding video, and for me to still have my business thrive during hard economic times, I am offering these discounts.  

And to end on a positive note, I want to share what my boss at my other job said in a meeting yesterday.  Many people are preparing for the worst, but it is those that prepare for the best that will succeed when this crisis is over.  Negative thoughts bring negative results, and positive thoughts bring positive results.  Your wedding is one of the best things to ever happen in your life, always think positive about it and plan for the absolute best.

It’s all over the news, and for many of us it is either affecting us directly or someone close to us.  I have friends that have been laid off, and at work we have a buying freeze.  But you aren’t going to let the hard economy stop you from getting married.  Of course, you may need to make cut backs.  And yes, part of what I am going to say is to help promote my own business, but it is also to help.  When making your cut backs, do not cut out your photographer and videographer.

Now, I know it may seem like the video is the easy thing to cut, but I would like to point out other things that you can cut back on that no one will notice.  First of all, flowers.  Yes they look nice and smell pretty, but they only last a couple of days.  And from experience people do comment on your flowers if they are there, but don’t really notice if they are gone or scaled back.  Don’t break the bank on flowers.  Yes, your bridal party needs them, but does every table need a six foot center piece (which just gets in the way anyways)?  So consider cutting back on the flowers.

Transportation is another area where you can either cut back, or get rid of.  Maybe you don’t need two limos, maybe people can car pool.  And if you have the ceremony and reception in the same place, then you don’t even need them at all.

Extra food is something easy to cut out.  I love having choices at weddings, but if times are tough, people won’t complain, or even notice, if you only have a couple of choices.  As long as the food is good quality you will still have a good reception.

Now for a reason why you shouldn’t get rid of the video.  Everything that I have already listed only lasts for that day.  You rent limos for 3 hours, flowers die in a couple of days, and the food is eaten in minutes.  Twenty years from now, none of these things will be around (unless you have preserved your flowers).  The only things that you will have twenty, thirty, sixty years from now are each other, your memories, your photos and your video.  These are the things that will last, that will let you relive your wedding day.  Remember, today is tough for all of us, but thirty years from now you don’t want to look back and think if only we had spent a little more, we could be watching our wedding video right now.  And if you think the prices are too high for you, don’t be afraid to talk with a company like mine.  There are always ways to modify packages and pricing so that you will still have your cake and eat it too.

There are a lot of wedding vendors out there, and a lot of choice for you based on style and price range.  After you’ve considered all of those, there is one more thing to think about.  Do your vendors get along?  This may sound silly, or like it doesn’t really matter, but there are three (or at least two) vendors that need to work together.  The three are your DJ/Band, Photographer, and Videographer.  For the most part, the DJ or Band works well with anyone, but I have heard cases of some companies not liking to work with others, and will turn down a job because of this.  The two important ones are your photographer and your videographer.  Now if you happen to book a company that does both, then you are in luck and don’t really need to read the rest of this.  But for everyone else, here is why I stress the importance of vendors that like each other.

My first experiance with a Photographer that I didn’t like was back in October.  I would gladly tell you the name save the fact that she never told me her name.  She didn’t seem interested in anything else aside from taking her photos.  In fact, through out the reception, she would walk in front of my video camera.  Not to sound like I am more important, but I am taking video, and I can’t stop.  At the beginning of a reception, I have the camera rolling for 25 straight minutes from the introductions, first dance, toast and blessing.  If someone walks in front of me, then my shot is now bad, no second chance.  A good photographer knows this, and will either duck under or go behind someone who is taking video.  This photographer also got upset when wedding guests were snapping photos of shots that she set up.

Photographers that I like to work with communicate well, and we discuss positioning before the ceremony to make sure that we are not in each others way.  This not only makes both of our days easier, but will result in better pictures and video of your wedding day.

Here are a couple of ways to figure out if you have a good match of video and photo.  When you are first looking around and you are their web site, look to see if they have a list of recommended vendors.  For example, I just started a list that you can see on the left to both vendor listings and vendors that I have worked with.  If someone, like myself, lists another vendor then chances are they have worked together and they work well together.  This is a good place to start.  Say you found a great photographer, then look at their list videographers that they have worked with, and pick the one that is right for you.  The other thing is in your first meeting with a vendor.  One of my questions is always who your other vendors are.  I want to know if I have worked with them or not.  I have never turned down a job based on who your other vendors are, but I know that some people do, so these are all things that you should know about ahead of time.

With Wedding Season just around the corner I thought I would take this time to share some thoughts on how to make it to your wedding date without going crazy.  This year I can share the pain the my clients are going through since I am doing the same thing.  I have just over 2 months until my wedding, and I know how much there is to do.

First, I think it is a good idea to step back and create a list about once a week.  This will likely be one of many lists you have already created, but I find it helpful since every week it seems like that there is something else that I thought of today and that I didn’t think of yesterday.  Take that list and post it next to your computer screen at work since you will most likely be looking at it all day.  When you get the chance to call that Church, and book a meeting with the DJ, that is one less thing that you have to do, and you check it off the list.  With only a couple of months to go is the nitty gritty stuff.  Paying all the vendors, and double checking with the limos to make sure they know where to be when.  Even though you aren’t supposed to do these things at work, when people know you are getting married, they let these little five minute breaks slide.

Second, you need a place to live if you aren’t living together already.  I am finding out that this just ads a little more complication.  On top of paying your vendors and making sure everything is ready, now you need to find a place to live, come up with the security, move in, and so on.  For anyone that has moved before, you know there are a lot of things that need to be done.  My advice is to try and have a new place ready a month before the wedding, even if you aren’t going to live there yet.  Have a place where you can start moving your furniture and such.  You want to have this out of the way before the wedding, because once you get to that week, you won’t be wanting to move.

Lastly, relax.  Just because there is a lot to do, does not mean it is time to freak out.  Maybe this should the first point.  But, the point is, that this is going to be one of the best days of your lives, don’t let the little stuff ruin it.  Once your rehearsal dinner day is here, you should not have a bad moment until long after you get back from the honey moon.

Planning your wedding (or event) takes a lot of time, and there is nothing worse than feeling rushed by vendors.  When you stop to look around, there are a lot of different vendors that you need to be meeting with and booking for your wedding.  You have the photographer, the videographer, florist, reception hall, and the list goes on.  And I know as well as anyone about this right since I too am going through the process of getting ready for my wedding in June.  My goal in this post is to give some advice about dealing with vendors as far as meeting with them, and how long you should take to get back to them.

First of all, NEVER sign on the dotted line right away.  Even if you end up going with the first person you meet with, you should always shop around.  You may feel like you wasted your time, but if you went with the first person you met, you will never know what else is out there.  My fiance will tell you that I am bad at that, because I always want to book someone soon or right away.  Then again, guys aren’t that good at shopping around.  And not only should you shop around, all of us vendors know that you are shopping around.  The first time I ever met with a client, I brought a blank contract with me and everything hoping to book them that night.  I was excited about getting my business started, however it was a bad idea.  Although, they did book with me, filling out the contract form right then and there isn’t always the best idea for someone like me who happens to be a small shop.  When you do meet with a vendor, ask all the questions you need to, get a quote and let them know you are still looking around.  Trust me, if they are a good vendor they will not be insulted that you looking around at other vendors, that is just part of the business.  However, I have noticed that some vendors play a little more hard ball.  When my fiance and I were shopping around for out photographer, we met with one who was only going to give us the weekend to decide, and after that, he could not hold the date any longer.  In most cases, this shouldn’t happen to you, but if it does, don’t fall victim to this and think you need to book that photographer or else you will be stuck with no one.  Tell them that you still need to shop around, and meet with other vendors.  As the couple getting married, you have the upper hand, because with out you, we would have no jobs.

Now taking the time to shop around is recommended, but taking too long can be rude, and can lose your spot with a vendor that you might want to book.  For instance, taking a couple weeks to shop around is okay, but taking a couple of months can be too long.  Even though your wedding is a year or more away, other people are looking for the same vendors for the same days, and in the end, the only thing that books the day with any vendor is your deposit.  For this reason, I suggest trying to schedule vendors in the same time frame.  Try to meet with a couple of DJs within the same time period, and then make that decision.  Then meet with a couple of photographers in a time period and make that decision.  If you do it one type of vendor at a time, you can make a nice time schedule for yourself, and get a lot accomplished. 

Lastly, once you do decide who your vendors are going to be, it is polite to contact the vendors that you are not going with to let them know.  You may feel funny about sending an e-mail or making a phone call to a vendor telling them that you are not going to higher them, but in actuality I prefer to hear from people that they have gone with someone else.  First of all, it means that I can try to book that date with someone else, and second, I don’t have to continue to send e-mails or make phone calls to someone that has already booked another vendor.  Consider it like a R.S.V.P.

I hope that this along with all other advice posts is helpful.  If you have other topics that you would like me to write about, please let me know.

This is the question, and it is different for everyone. Is it necessary to meet with your videographer before your wedding? The answer is no, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I have done it both ways myself where I have met with the couple and where I am meeting them for the first time on the day of their wedding. The problem I find with not meeting before is first, you don’t know anyone. Next weekend I will be going to do a wedding where the only person that I have talked to is the mother of the groom. The groom I have only talked to through e-mail. It’s not that I mind doing business like that, after all it is a job, but it will lead to t he moment where I have to go around and introduce myself to everyone when we get there.

I will always advise meeting with the couple at least once before the wedding. And I really recommend this for all of your vendors except maybe the limosine driver. The first contact is either on the phone or e-mail, and that is where we get some basic stuff out of the way such as if I have the date free, can they afford to actually pay for the service. Now this may seem rude to some people, but it will save a lot of time. Before I meet with anyone in person, I make sure that they have looked at my web page and that they have looked at my prices. This way my time and their time is not wasted for us to meet when they are really looking for a $500 job.

Once the basic stuff is out of the way, it’s time to have a face to face meeting. I prefer to go to the bride’s house. My work can be messy at times, and this way I am doing the driving, making it easier for the couple. I like to start off the meeting by popping in a video and then asking what they are looking for in a video. I have different names for everything, but they may not know what they are. That is why I let them describe what they would like in their own words and then work from there. The meeting is also a time to see if the couple is comfortable around me. I will be video taping 8 - 10 hours of their life, it is important that we can all get along and joke around to a certain extent.

Many times, this one meeting is enough, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be the last. If they want to do something fancy, or they need to give me photos for their montage, there will be a quick meeting here and there. Another important meeting is the rehearsal. I don’t go to all of the rehearsals, but I do like to try and make it there. This gives me a chance to meet the rest of the bridal party and the parents. This way they already know me on wedding day. It is also a nice time to talk with the people in charge. If it is a Church, I can talk to the priest and find out where I can and can’t go. This can always be done the day of, but it’s nice to get it out of the way. It will also give me a chance to think about camera locations so that on the wedding day, I can show up with my assistant and set up quickly.

That is my take on vendor meetings, so please, take the time to meet with them. I know it’s not easy. I’m planning my own wedding and I have trouble finding the time. But if you do it will pay off in the end.