From color washes, spot lights, lanterns, to personalized graphics and monograms, lights transform a venue and allow the bride and groom to set the mood and tone of their event. When proper lighting is achieved, one feels like they are entering into a different world. Not only does this affect the wedding film from a cinematography standpoint, but everyone entering into this “world” picks up on the tone and the “wow factor” is accomplished.

Another advantage of lighting is that it allows the important elements of the event to stand out. Without proper illumination, even the most beautiful flowers and delicious cake will fade into the background. Lighting provides a third dimension to those special details that most couples work so hard to make part of their big day.

Take your wedding to the next level. Let the lights of your event reflect the radiance in your hearts!

source: intimateweddings.com

The groom’s speech is usually the second speech of the reception; it traditionally follows the father of the bride’s speech. Most grooms dread getting up in front of all their family and friends and saying something. However, this is a great opportunity to thank everyone for coming and give special recognition to those who deserve it.

That being said there are some key things that the groom need to know before he gets up to give his toast. First off, short is sweet. You need to remember that there are a lot of toast going on, so the toast really shouldn’t be more than 5 min. Secondly, there are some key people you need to thank you in your toast. First are the parents of both the bride and groom. Make sure you thank them separately, and thank them for raising both and your wife to the people you are today. Secondly you need to thank the groomsmen and the bridesmaids. Remember that they put a lot of time and energy into being a part of you wedding day. Thirdly is your best man and lastly but most importantly is your bride. These are the people you must include in your speech however you can add anyone else you would like to honor as well.

You definitely will want to add a little bit of humor but make sure that you keep everything appropriate for all of the guest who are attending. Some things you should try to stay clear of would be politics, religion, or anything about your wild night in Vegas!

Editors Note: Help avoid fainting at the alter by getting a good nights rest the night before the wedding, eating before the wedding, not locking your knees. . .and remembering to breath while at the alter!

“For as long as I can remember, getting married in June seemed to be the right thing to do. That is why when an aunt of mine got married in December, I couldn’t quite understand why. Come to think of it, I never understood why people wanted to get married in June either. So where did tradition stem from? Remember that cliché all roads lead to Rome? Well, June weddings can also be traced back to the Ancient Roman times.
For one, the Romans placed special attention to June weddings because that month was the time when they paid special obeisance to Juno, the goddess of marriage. As such, getting married in June was deemed lucky. We all know how the gods of the ancient times were very much involved in day to day living. On the other hand, it was not all luck and superstition that had it going for June weddings. It also had a practical aspect to it. If a couple got married in June, it meant that if the wife conceived, she would give birth before harvest time. This translated to the fact that she would be well enough to work the fields come harvest time.
There you are – the nitty gritty stuff about June weddings. With time, however, these reasons faded into the background. People of the modern times merely held on to the tradition that June is a good time to get married and that there is no other more romantic month than this. I have been trying to come up with modern reasons for June being the wedding month. I have done research and racked my brains but to no avail. Unfortunately, I think it is all based on the age old tradition which many do not know about now.
No matter what the reason may be though, June weddings are still quite popular today (though probably not as much as before). With the month of June just peeking around the corner, countless couples are probably getting ready for their own wedding. Their reasons may vary but the fact remains that June is still the prime month for weddings. Though it may be a bit late to plan your own wedding for this June, it will only be a matter of time till the next June comes around.”

Here’s some advice from TrashTheDress.com: Go ahead, you know you want to. Trash it. Get it dirty. Get it wet. Roll around in the mud. Drench it in the ocean. Totally trash it. Why? … Why not? You’ve made a commitment to your husband. He’s your one and only true love, right? Then you’ll never need the dress again. And no, your daughter won’t wear it in 20-30 years.

So you have two choices:

1) Suffocate it in plastic and throw it in a closet

2) Show your husband how committed you are by trashing the dress, and get some great fun pictures while you do it!

SO ARE YOU READY TO TRASH YOUR DRESS? (leave me a comment and let me know what you think)

A reader recently asked us how soon she should send her save-the-dates for her October 2010 wedding. The standard answer to that question is “six months ahead,” so, May 2010. But I’ve been seeing an alarming trend with problems that brides and grooms encounter with the save-the-dates that I think is directly tied to how early they are sent.

A couple of readers have sent them to a large group of people—and then discovered that they needed to cut their guest list. (Yes, that would be rude, in case you are wondering.)

Another reader sent them to all the members of a group she belonged to—and a couple of people left the group and now she doesn’t know them well.

And one reader sent them to her friend’s sweetheart, since he’d be invited along with the friend—and they broke up.

Other readers have sent them to relatives who responded that they weren’t going to be able to attend—and then the couple is left wondering if they should send an invitation after all, and worrying that if they do, it’ll look like a gift grab. (Yes, they should send the invite anyway, in case you are wondering.)

There are lots of solutions:

image source: zazzle.com

-Don’t send them at all (they’re not required, and families have been alerting one another to upcoming weddings by normal and noncommittal means for years)

-Don’t send them to everyone (but this may unnecessarily hurt the feelings of people who don’t get them but are accurately expecting a wedding invitation)

-Don’t send them until you are completely and totally committed to your guest list—its makeup and its size (though this may mean you send them later than the outside recommendation)

What do you think about save-the-dates? Are you going to send them? And what’s your plan for avoiding guest-list drama?

I often get asked from our brides, if I have any books that I would  recommend for them in the planning stages of their wedding? And, the answer is Yes, of course. There are some very useful books out there that I often refer to and others that I have purchased for my fiancé, since we are planning our own wedding. I recommend these 5 titles, but feel free to browse through the other titles:

-    The Best Wedding Reception…Ever! | by Peter Merry
-    Jo Gartin’s Weddings : An Inspiring Guide for the Stylish Bride | by Jo Gartin
-    Emotionally Engaged – A Bride’s Guide to Surviving the “Happiest” Time of Her Life | by Allison Moir-Smith
-    1,000 Best Secrets for Your Perfect Wedding | by Sharon Naylor
-    Your Stress Free Wedding Planner – Expert’s Best Secrets to Creating the Wedding of Your Dreams | by Alison Davis
-    BONUS for all my eco-friendly couples (like us) — Organic Weddings | by Michelle Kozin

Professional wedding videography is rapidly becoming a preferred medium for recording and preserving wedding memories, according to a new nationwide survey of brides. The survey, conducted by telephone, revealed that brides in the planning process of the wedding do not immediately realize the impact of a professionally-produced video. Before the wedding, while brides are making plans, over half (54%) rank video as one of the Top 10 most important bridal services. However, that number increases to 79% AFTER the wedding, as brides look back and assess the individual value of each service. Before the wedding, 23% of brides view video as a Top 5 service. After the wedding, that number climbs to 42%. The value of video becomes greater after the wedding.

The survey revealed the value of video is greater with brides who use professional video services compared to those who don’t. One of the most surprising findings of the survey is the second thoughts, even regrets, among brides who decided not to utilize the services of professional videographers.

Among brides who used a friend or family member to videotape their wedding instead of using a professional, nearly half (49%) said they would hire a professional if they had it all to do over again.

As brides look back at their wedding, the survey showed that 79% of brides agree that future brides should at least consider using a professional to videotape their wedding day. Those feelings are even more pronounced among the brides who utilized the services of professional videographer’s, 95% of whom think future brides should consider using a professional videographer.

The survey results reveal professional videography has become very important to today’s brides. Its value is comparable to wedding photography, and even more valuable in some respects, according to brides surveyed. Most importantly, the survey showed that brides feel more emphasis needs to be placed on videography in the wedding planning process.

First question that we often hear, can I make my video private on YouTube or does it have to be public? Well, the quick answer to this is YES, you can make the video private but most brides don’t mind sharing their love story with the world and would prefer it to be public.

Secondly another question that we usually get is, YouTube is great but isn’t the video playback going to be low quality? The answer to this is, it doesn’t have to be…We upload High-Definition Videos on YouTube and people can play these videos back in High Definition or Standard Definition based on their internet speeds. Checkout a sample of a High-Definition Video and the same video in Standard-Definition.

Lastly, once I post this video on YouTube, how do I share this with my friends and family? Well, you can send them a direct link to your video or you can embed the code for the video on your wedding website. Another cool thing about YouTube is that it allows you to share your video on Facebook , MySpace, and other social networking platforms.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, what if I am not Technically savy enough to post my video on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, etc & I need some help. That’s not a problem at all. I highly recommend to ask your videographer to help you through this and if you can’t find any light, just shoot me an email. I would be glad to help. Good Luck with sharing your big day with the world using Social Media.

Shezad, managing partner, third generation producer and 9 year veteran, has production intertwined in his DNA. Shezad’s grandfather was a pioneer in the production industry many years ago. Hence, the family name Hakim. Shezad has been featured in a number of national publications for his insight and trendsetting reputation. Shezad continues to amaze his clients and co-workers with his generosity, kindness and creativity. “Our work comes from a family tradition, so we understand how important family and tradition are for you, especially on this day, your wedding day” says Shezad. Families are a funny thing; whether they comprise of quirky relatives or deeply connected friends, unique customs or a lineage of traditions, we’d like to help capture the essence of your family on your big day. What a difference a day makes…a day when families come together and new bonds are formed; when past lives are molded together all to be captured under a camera lens.

We understand that the stress of wedding planning is quite overbearing, especially if you don’t have a wedding planner. Here is a very simple tip to have a flawless day.

Before your big day, make an emergency bag/kit (or have someone make one up for you).  Include some of these basic items:

a water bottle, small snack, aspirin, shout wipes, a nail file, your fingernail polish, a bottle of clear nail polish, a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, feminine products, safety pins, sewing kit, bobby pins, hair brush or comb, hairspray, mints, travel size perfume. Ask your make-up artist if you can have samples of your foundation, concealer and lip color. Include anything you may think will be necessary to have just in case.

To help you further, here is a printable checklist.

I wish you the best with your wedding planning. Hopefully, you won’t have to use anything from this kit, but in the event that you having a wedding day emergency, you will be prepared!

With the popularity of the iPhones and the iPods as media player devices, more and more interest is generated from our brides to get their wedding film for an iPod or iPhone video file so they can share it with their friends, families, colleagues, and sometimes strangers at the grocery store. We offer wedding film highlights for each segment of the wedding (bridal prep, ceremony, and reception, along with any other traditional/cultural festivities), and can provide our brides and grooms with a trailer/highlight reel that they can share with anyone at anytime on these wonderful iDevices. Let us know if you would like a highlights reel for your iPhone or iPod, and go share your love with the world.