If your dress has button hooks/loops the best way to attach them is a crochet hook, but in a pinch a bobby pin will work almost as well.
At my own wedding in September, my wife and I decided to make it an adults only affair. I'm seeing this at more and more weddings. We were worried that our guests who were parents would be upset...in fact it, was exactly the opposite. Everyone LOVED the idea and treated it like a romantic date night away from the kids. It allowed them to let loose and enjoy themselves without having to worry about the kids. Now, if you do decide to have no kids at your wedding I'd advise you try and secure some sort of child care for them at or near the event to try and make it easier for parents...but that's totally up to you.
If you're planning on spending any time outdoors in heels the day of your wedding get a set of Soulmates. They're clear rubber/plastic caps to go on the end of your heels so you don't sink into the grass.
Bring extra black socks. At least one of the groomsmen will undoubtedly forget theirs! I always carry an extra pair in my emergency kit.
"Styled Wedding" This is a term in our industry where a group of wedding vendors will get together and do a photoshoot with professional models. Basically it's a fake wedding for a photoshoot. Vendors do these to increase their portfolio's and get stunning images. Be careful when selecting vendors and ask to see examples from REAL weddings as "styled weddings" couldn't be further from that...this will help give you realistic expectations. You'll notice that most magazines, pinterest and blogs feature a lot of these. I do very few of these if any...I like to make sure my images are from real weddings I've shot.
All wedding dresses with a train will have thumb hook to help you carry the train as you walk. It's always located on the underside of the train in the center about a foot from the edge (usually a 6 inch satin ribbon loop). Some brides never notice it, and others try to cut it off thinking it's just a hanger hook (which it can be used for that as well). It's a great way to easily get around in your dress without having to fully bustle it. www.daxphotography.com
Try on your dress at least 5 times before your wedding day. Not just in the store, or the alterations shop. Make sure you try on your dress at home, preferably with the people who are actually going to lace/zip you into it. Practice getting into your dress! Know if you need to step into it or have it go over your head. Make sure the people lacing it up know how to lace it (not just watched it on youtube). Make sure they know how to tie it off and tuck the laces correctly so you don't have a tail. Make sure they know how to hook the buttons, how the vanity panel attaches, etc, etc. And most of all...bustle it at least 5 times too! I can't even begin to tell you how many dresses I have personally had to lace up or bustle over the years because I'm the only one there who knows how! PRACTICE ALL OF IT AT LEAST 5 TIMES BEFORE YOUR WEDDING! Trust me on this one :) www.daxphotography.com
Powdered Sunscreen...yeah it's a thing! Those outdoor weddings can be brutal on a bridal party's skin. With pictures and the actual ceremony/reception all outdoors it's no wonder so many people get sunburned at weddings (on their shoulders and especially face if their makeup isn't SPF or they missed a spot). To make sure your bridal party isn't miserable after a few hours in the sun and your photographer will thank you for not having him shoot lobsters by the end of the day :). I've used it on myself and my brides for a few years now...LOVE IT! Check it out here...it's SPF50, waterproof and has a built in brush so it's easy to apply (it's not greasy like other sunscreens so it won't ruin photos or dresses). http://www.shopskinchic.com/product_p/col005800.htm www.daxphotography.com
Face each other during the ceremony as much as possible, if not ALL of the ceremony. A lot pastors/officiants will have you face them during the ceremony...especially the important parts...DON'T DO IT! Here's why...1) facing each other will calm each other's nerves, and don't you want to look in each other's eyes during the ceremony!?!? 2) Guests want to see your faces...not your backs! 3) The photos will be infinitely better if you're facing each other. (I have a hard rule that I don't go behind the couple during the ceremony to get pics...I want to capture your ceremony, not be a part of it!). It's your wedding ceremony...do what YOU want to do!
If you're looking to save money, try not having a stacked wedding cake. Usually you see a stacked 3 tiered cake at a wedding. If you ask the bakery to not stack them...ie 3 separate round/square cakes it's usually half the price! You can then present them in all sorts of creative ways. Same beautiful cakes, but they'll taste even sweeter at half the price!
If you accidentally lean up against a tire the day of your wedding and get that black stuff on your dress (it happens more often than you think). Don't try to clean it or wipe it at all! Rather, use masking tape or a lint roller to remove it...works like a charm! www.daxphotography.com
Bring a few pieces of chalk on your wedding day. If you get anything on your dress it's the best way to cover it up until you can get it professionally cleaned. It works great to blend in almost any dress color and won't hurt your dress at all...no one will ever know!
Register at Bed Bath and Beyond...it's still the only major store that allows cash back on returns. It's a tactful way to ask guests for cash to help pay for the wedding. Plus, I don't know about you, but when my wife and I got that price gun in our hands we went crazy and didn't need a lot of the stuff we registered for.
Northwest Model and Talent Competition
Senior Portrait in Missoula Montana-Casey
Family Portrait in Missoula Montana-Bowen
Missoula Montana Engagement Portrait-Ashley and Chris
Missoula Montana Portrait-Cech Family
I've been a vendor at the Missoula Wedding Fair for over 5 years now and have seen it progressively go downhill. This is the Cherry Creek Wedding Fair held every year at the Holiday Inn Downtown. It has suffered from poor management and utter greed by the host radio station. This year I finally decided NOT to attend...believe it or not, I found out I'm not the only one! In fact, far from it! I've heard from over a dozen of the best wedding vendors in the region that they share my same concerns regarding the event and won't be there this year. So if you're a new bride and were hoping to attend this years event...DON'T! There will be very few vendors there and the ones that are may not be a good representation of the quality of wedding professionals in the Missoula valley.
Please allow me to explain why so many vendors are deciding to no longer attend this wedding fair:
1) It has, and continues to be BY FAR the most expensive wedding fair in the region for vendors to be a part of. This includes Spokane, Seattle, Bozeman, etc. In fact, it's more than double the cost of Bozeman's 2 day event. Bear in mind Cherry Creeks' wedding fair is only 5 hours on a single Sunday in January.
2) They require vendors to have a prize giveaway valued at $150 or more! This in no way benefits the vendor as everyone has a giveaway, it's purely a draw to make the radio station look better.
3) Cherry Creek used to match the entrance fee for the wedding fair in radio ad credit...which is the ONLY reason so many vendors have still attended in the past. This year they did away with that program.
4) They blatantly lie about the attendance of the event. Saying they get 400+ brides in attendance. Each year, after the event when the email list of the brides who attended is distributed there is usually only 150 "brides" on it. I put brides in quotation marks because there are a large percentage of women at the event pretending to be brides just to get freebies!
5) Because it's still free to the public and they require giveaways from all the vendors this event is littered with women who are simply pretending to be brides.
6) Most vendors just attend the event for marketing exposure. But as far as marketing is concerned, it does very little to get your business' name out there. It is very rare that anything is actually booked the day of the event. And those that do book usually would have booked with that vendor regardless. Every year I see new vendors show up at the event counting on booking brides, only to not be seen again the next year.
7) Bottom line it simply doesn't ROI for most vendors to be a part of this event. After the entrance fee, designing and printing marketing materials, employee payroll costs, set up and tear down time, giveaways, etc, etc. The event really doesn't make financial sense for vendors.
Don't get me wrong in the past this event has been much better, but I would highly recommend you don't attend this year...just like myself and many of the other wedding vendors in the region.
Family Portrait Photography-The Edens Family
