We’ve written a lot of wedding tips on this blog, and we decided it was time to create our ultimate wedding tips guide. We’re hoping that bringing all of these things together in one spot will be super helpful to all of you. (And we’d love for you to share this with others as a starting point in their planning.)
Basic wedding tips
Ways to save money on your wedding
Weddings keep getting more expensive. Expectations around the parts of weddings keep growing… exponentially. And that’s not even considering how many weddings are now destination weddings, turning the whole thing into a multi-day event where most guests expect constant entertainment and activities. PHEW! We’re here to help with ways to save money on your wedding.
How to make your wedding budget look bigger
Just because your budget is on the smaller end, that doesn’t mean your wedding has to be or look small. So let’s look at how to make your wedding budget look bigger.
Elegance is not something that is defined by money, first of all. Taste can’t be bought. And your wedding (we sound like a broken record but this is that important) should reflect you. What is your idea of elegance? What is your taste as a couple? Wedding planning starts with questions like that.
We’re certainly not here to turn your wedding into a brown paper bag affair with no flair or fun. We’re all for big and maximalist approaches and we also love small and minimalist. But no matter what kind of wedding you’re having, there are so many earth friendly wedding tips out there that won’t take from your vision at all. And really? This approach might bring some uniqueness to your wedding in ways you couldn’t imagine.
The why and how of wedding websites
If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to put in the time necessary to build a wedding website, we’ve got you. In the why and how of wedding websites, we’ll cover the reasons for having one and then clue you in to what you should make sure to include. Plus we’ll cover the extras… things that aren’t totally necessary but would add to the experience for you and your guests.
Common wedding planning mistakes
No matter the size of your wedding in terms of number of guests invited or number of bridal party members, all weddings are a big deal with a ton of moving parts. So many details! …stay loose and try to chill. Stuff happens. Let’s just try to avoid the big stuff and so let’s take a look at common wedding planning mistakes.
The most challenging parts of wedding planning
Until you start to plan a wedding, you really have no idea how many tiny little decisions you have to make. And that is regardless of the size of the wedding. Even if you’re eloping, there are still so. many. decisions. And eloping often means a big party later to celebrate with friends and family and this means even. more. decisions.
Tips for choosing wedding vendors
We’re people who have worked with a lot of wedding vendors, being one of those ourselves. But uniquely, as wedding photographers, we are standing at the edges of your big day, and we are able to observe what’s working and what’s not. We’re like flies on the wall… but not gross or annoying like flies and with cameras in hand. ((ha))
Common things brides forget on their wedding day
On average, it takes a couple six to twelve months to plan their wedding. Some take even longer (and this typically has nothing to do with the size of your wedding. Even a small, intimate wedding has a million little details attached to it). So by the time your wedding day comes, you might even feel a little tiredness (of the decision making variety) mixed in with all of the excitement and nerves. This is totally normal, but it can mean, in the swirl of all of that energy, you forget some things. It happens.
Wedding tips: aesthetics
Choosing your wedding color scheme
Your wedding aesthetic affects everything. From the font on your invites to your grooms tie to the cake and on and on. This is a big set of decisions but there are some guidelines you can follow and some questions you can ask to create a wedding that reflects you, your spouse-to-be, the time of year, and the venue.
Ultimate guide to wedding dress codes
Whether you’re planning your wedding or are a recipient of a wedding invitation, some of the language around clothing expectations can be hard to decipher. So ever your faithful helpers, we’re here with a guide to wedding dress codes.
Deciding whether you want a small or big wedding is one of those first decisions that can already bring up a lot of… stuff. Many of you have been thinking about your weddings for a long time. You come into your engagement assuming which type you’ll have, but then you realize quickly that there are a lot of people invested in this wedding and they all have opinions. They also tend to, well, come at you with guest lists pretty fast.
There’s definitely no right or wrong when it comes to kids in weddings. That includes the idea that you don’t have to have kids in your wedding or even at your wedding. That’s totally a valid choice. Adults only weddings are fun in their own unique way. And they come with their own challenges, just like any wedding.
We were going to title this piece “dogs at weddings.” But after a super quick look around on the google machine, it turns out that people have all kinds of animals at their wedding, so “animals at weddings” it is.
Fun favors and gifts — for guests and members of your wedding party — don’t have to be predictable or boring or even something that’s going to make people think, “What the heck do I do with this!?”
Seasonal wedding inspiration
July and August are still in the top six months for most weddings. And in Erie, with our big beautiful lake, is summer not a fantastic time to get married? Summer in Erie is a shorter-than-we’d-prefer season with so much to offer. (We’re wondering if summer might not be more popular in Erie than in national stats.)
Not everyone wants to be a spring or summer bride. And according to statistics, a lot of people really do prefer being fall brides. More than 40% of weddings take place between September and November, and October is getting increasingly popular over the last few years. So we’re here with some fall wedding inspiration.
Wedding traditions…and not
Something borrowed, something blue… do you even know where that stuff comes from? Or do we just do it, because it’s what’s been done? Or what about the idea of rings even? Why rings and why on that particular finger? Classic wedding traditions are so embedded culturally that we barely think about them, but today we’re going to dive in and share a bit about where all of this started and how.
To be clear, it’s not just wedding days that are steeped in superstitions. If you look around, our whole lives are affected by them. So much so that we stop noticing anything…strange.
Not everyone wants the white dress or the church wedding. So what’s out there for unique wedding ceremonies?
Wedding tips: other parties and events
Sometimes there is more than one different bridal showers representing different aspects of the bride’s life. For example, perhaps your mother-in-law wants to do something more traditional with games and a present theme to help you, say, build a well-stocked kitchen. And then maybe your best friend since high school wants to do something a little different.
Like it’s not enough that you have to plan a wedding! Then add on to that with the planning of a honeymoon (which is fun but it still entails planning). And finally add on yet another big, formal occasion. Or does it have to be? We’re here with all things rehearsal dinner.
Number one tip for planning your honeymoon? Don’t forget to take your photographer to get great photos and because they deserve it! (Teasing!)
Erie activities for out of town guests
No matter the season of your wedding, there’s always plenty to do around here. Whether your guests are active or enjoy spectator sports or theatre or would rather taste wines while staring at a beautiful view, we’ve got your covered.
Wedding photography
If your wedding photographer does their job right on the wedding day, they kinda disappear into the background. Except when they’re bossing you around for formal shots, of course. Otherwise? Invisible! Even when making sure all the vendors are doing what needs to be done or conducting the timing of it all like some camera-equipment-laden maestro. And because of this cloaking sort of superpower, there are a lot of wedding photography myths out there and we’re here to clear some stuff up.
Once the wedding is over, life kinda takes off at full speed. If you’re not careful, pretty soon a decade has gone by and you realize the last great photos you had of the two of you were… from your wedding. Enter anniversary photo sessions!
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