Okay so you have made it this far! Hooray! Whats the next step in making your wedding special? I assume you both have decided on a location, whether local or a destination wedding. Next is the venue and some of the goodies.
How to choose an awesome venue? Well that is a loaded question isn't it? Once you have the city your wedding will occur then you think about specific areas within that city that suit your personalities, budget and your guests' travel. And of course the time of the event. Day or evening? If you are planning a wedding in New Orleans I recommend a three day affair. The first can be a welcome party and the second your ceremony and reception with the third day for some planned or unplanned fun and sightseeing. Of course if you are planning an elopement or very intimate wedding here then one day is sufficient unless you want to split time for a separate location and portrait session.
Alright then, you have the location, venue and budget. Now its time for the fun part! The goodies. Even if its just the two of you there will still be goodies. Its all about the scale of the event. First is the dress.
What can I say about your wedding dress? Well first think outside the box! You do not have to buy into the mass produced, mass marketed wedding gown industry. Your world is open. If you have the budget to spend over $5000 for a dress you can go more unique and get a cool designer gown. Not marketed as a wedding dress but much cooler. And if your budget is under $1000 you can find so many cool dresses or even have one custom made. Something you might want to wear again or don't care if it isn't perfect. Life isn't perfect so why stress over a dress?
You want one that makes you look hot in the future but you are ordering it now setting yourself up for dieting and stress. Don't do that! Be realistic. Don't do that to yourself. Pick a dress that fits if you must buy one a long time out from your wedding day. Choose one that can be altered if you lose weight. Boom. No stress!
Now that the dress dilemma is solved lets move on to something else you need to decide early on. That is color. Traditional weddings depend much on color schemes. If you are doing a traditional wedding you need to decide your wedding colors. How to choose? First what are you and your fiance's favorite colors? Start there and narrow down. Gray is always nice for the guys as it acts as a neutral so any color or combo of colors can be added for accent. Also if flowers are going to be a pretty big investment for you then look at what is in season for your wedding and pick colors from those. It is a little cost savings.
Got the colors decided now so lets move on to table decor. For more formal settings tablecloths will be used and possibly chair covers. They usually are available in several colors with black or white usually being the easiest to work with rather than trying to match everything. Stick with neutrals for your background and use color and texture for your accents. Eye level candles rock your photographs in a dark environment so load up the table with pretty clear vases. A DIY project that is very doable if you need to save a few bucks. To fancy up the table a smaller, glitzy fabric square on top of the base tablecloth is simple and elegant. Another DIY project if you have the time and inclination. Place cards as needed can be DIY or formally printed. Check out Pinterest for ideas but don't get sucked into that blackhole! It can happen without you knowing. Anything additional is up to you and your budget.
So to sum up today's Make Your Wedding Special Part 2 we talked about choosing a city, location and a venue. We also discussed choosing and buying a wedding dress along with your colors and table decor. Next week we will talk specifically about planning a destination wedding with many suggestions for a New Orleans wedding.
Check out some of the photos of details from past weddings and elopements below and here. Give me a call for your wedding, elopement or portrait photography needs here in New Orleans. 504-920-8703.