Why you should choose your wedding photographer carefully!

You can plan your day down to the finest detail, having checked and double-checked that everything is in order. You can delegate or pay someone on the day to control the running order of events. You can pretty much plan for everything, except for the weather, which is left to a higher power.

So, assuming everything runs smoothly and according to plan, you want to be able to look back at your photos and soak up the beauty and enjoy the memory of the day.

This is the point at which you hope you've made the right decision. Knowing whether the person you have hired to take your photos, is actually capable of taking the quality of photos you're expecting, is going to make or break the last vestiges of your wedding day.

Tips on choosing your photographer:

1. Shop Around
Dont just sign up to the first one, who's work impresses you.

2. Ask Around
Ask friends, families and other wedding suppliers if they can recommend anyone.

3. Ask for testimonials
Get copies of testimonials or even go so far as to ask the photographer to put you in touch with past clients.

4. Trust your instincts
It's not just about being impressed by the quality of work. You need to be comfortable with the person behind the camera. They are going to be a part of your wedding day forever. What kind of mark are they going to imprint on the memory of your day?

5. Choose a photographer who offers a pre-wedding shoot.
This is the easiest way to determine whether the photographer knows what they are doing.
It gives you first-hand insight into what they are capable of. If you have doubts after a pre-wedding shoot, then at least the most you will have lost is your deposit. You still have time to find another photographer.

6. Increase your budget for your photographer
When you are back from your honeymoon, you've opened your presents and your tan begins to fade, what will you be left with, except for a dress hanging in the back of a cupboard?
The photos, however, are a constant reminder. If budget is an issue, rather cut back on the things that will easily be forgotten, and spend more on your photographer. In this industry, you definitely get what you pay for.

Are you a Bride-To-Be in Bristol getting married this year?

Where will you be finding your wedding service suppliers? Take this quick poll to find out what other brides are doing...

Are you getting married in Bristol this year? How will you find your wedding suppliers? Take this online poll...
http://ping.fm/jX6Vf

Has just created a new group on LinkedIn. Bristol Wedding Network. Join if you're in the industry and the area! Let's chat and share info!

Wedding Industry Networking

I am always looking to network and partner with other businesses in the wedding industry throughout Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucester. It’s important to able to refer my clients to businesses that I know personally and have established relationships with.
As part of my Social Media Marketing Strategy, I have a few online marketing ideas that could benefit fellow wedding industry product and service providers. With the meriad of directories, PPC (pay per click) and other paid-for online advertising options, I have found that the cost involved with registering on all these site, near enough wipes out most profits, without a guarantee of return on investment.
As we wake up in this ever-involving digital world, the traditional methods of marketing are fast becoming obsolete. You need to be where your clients are looking for you. That new marketplace is online, but more specifically - Social Networks. Perhaps social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and You-Tube will even go so far as to surpass the validity of television advertising.
My propsed online marketing campaigns could lead to cross referral of clients and mutually beneficial business relationships.

Contact me if your business is based in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucester, if you are interested in networking and are an expert in:
• Wedding Cakes
• Wedding Dresses
• Wedding Venues
• Wedding Hair
• Wedding Make-up
• Wedding Cars
• Wedding Planning
• Wedding Flowers
• Wedding Decor
• Wedding Stationery
• Wedding Invitations
• Wedding Accessories
• Wedding Music
• Wedding Videography
Or anything else related to weddings...

Here's to a prosperous start to the wedding season in 2010!

Now that the snow has gone...I miss it already!

The novelty of snow hasn't worn off yet, and I feel almost privileged to
have been in the UK during it's reported coldest winters in over 30 years.
Areas in the South West have never seen so much snow!

It's beautiful when it falls and brings out the little child in me, wanting
to go outside and play. We did that. It didn't last very long. Through all
the layers of clothing, I was still shivering and wondering if the loss of
sensation around my nose area meant that I could possibly be springing a
leak, without realising it.

But from inside a cosy flat, watching the snow fall is like sitting around
staring into a fire. You know you should be doing something constructive,
but you just can't pull your eyes away from it.

The next morning, we ran outside with the dog, who incidentally, also seems
to enjoy the novelty of snow. It reminds me of some children's story, winter
wonderland. The way winter should be. Like a scene from The Lion, The Witch
and The Wardrobe.

I took my camera with and got a few shots to remember the occasion.
Sometimes I wonder if it's worth taking the camera out. What if it gets wet?
My hands will get cold. I can't be bothered. Well, I'm glad I did, because
the next day, we woke up and it was gone. If you have to ask yourself
whether there's any point in taking your camera out, the answer should
always be yes. You never know what you might miss, or when you will get to
photograph it again. And although the snow may not last forever, my memories
of it always will, thanks to the photos...

needs a favour. Just finished my website & need to check functionality on different browsers and monitor sizes. Pls look & feedback any bugs www.photogra4.co.uk

Dear Juan and Abigail



To find the best photographer for your big day is always a nightmare until
Mom recommended the two of you. After you took our engagement photos we
knew that we had found the BEST!!



Our wedding day would not have been the same without you. You were so
professional at all times, but also felt like old friends. The quality of
our photos is priceless and you captured our special day in such a special
way. Compliments for our wedding album just stream in and the people who
met you at our wedding just talk with great respect about the way you were
doing your job and naturally ask for your details; it’s not just a job to
you but a love of photography.



Our best wishes accompany you and we highly recommend your services to
anyone.



All our love

Corne and Estie

19 September 2009

Did you go to the Wedding Expo at Cadbury House Hotel this weekend?

As most of you in the UK will agree, yesterday was definitely a snuggle-up-under-the-duvet day! The weather was grim, the weatherman told us, (incorrectly) that the snow was on it's way and it was Sunday afterall, so why wouldn't we all stay in bed.
However, diligently, I printed out the map, got in the car and headed off to the Cadbury House Wedding Expo in Congresbury.
Now in South Africa, where we're from, our expectation of a Wedding Expo is somewhat different to what I experienced yesterday.
There are traffic jams before you even get to the venue, the said venue being a conference centre with a 20 000 odd capacity. Streams of excited brides-to-be's drag their grooms-to-be by the hand through the maze of wedding vendors, squealing at the sight of every wedding dress, invitation sample and table mock-up. Just as the groom's eyes glaze over, it's off to another stand with plenty more of what they'd just seen at the stand before.

Having been to several of these wedding expos myself, both as a bride-to-be and as an exhibitor, it can all be very overwhelming, and doesn't really make the job of deciding on a vendor any easier.

I guess that's what's different about the wedding expo at Cadbury House yesterday. It's small scale, you get to speak to each individual exhibitor, asking the questions you need answers to, and getting a proper feel for the quality of their work and their services.

They are mostly local and are able to advise you on your specific requirements without pushing you to make a decision then and there.

All in all, a very worthwhile wedding expo, lots of excellent vendors and looking forward to seeing who will be at the next one.

Remember, the next one is on Sunday 17th Jan at the Marriott Hotel in Bristol.

See you there!

Before the day ends, I should announce that today is my furry daughter's 4th birthday! She's a big girl now!

Ok, I just visited this website, & you have to take a look! I'm drooling as I type! Thank heavens for chocolate! www.chocolatedelores.co.uk

I've just signed up to ping.fm

30% off your wedding photography on Wedding To Plan

30% off your wedding photography on Wedding To Plan

Wedding Fair Dates for 2010

For the blushing Bristol brides of 2010.
Put these dates in your diary:

• 10 January 2010 - Holiday Inn, Bristol Filton
• 17 January 2010 - Marriott Hotel, Broadmead
• 31st Novotel Bristol Centre (Victoria Street)
• 12 September 2010 - Marriott Hotel Broadmead
• 19 September 2010 - Holiday Inn, Bristol Filton

Admission for each is under a fiver and kids under 16 go free.

This is a great opportunity to shop around, taste, touch, feel and ask questions. The internet is a great place get information all in one place, but often it's only when you get to use your other senses, that you feel you can make a truely informed decision.

Afterall, this is the one day you want to be perfect!

It's the New Year!

Full of energy, full of drive, full of ambition, full of ideas, full of hope, full of dreams...the list goes on!
That's how I feel every New Year.
The main thing that goes through my mind is - this time next year, what would I have experienced? What would have happened? What would I have learnt? How would I have grown?

It sends a chill down my spine!

If I could be that Abigail, fresh faced in the year 2011, and speak to my current self, what would I say to me? What would I advise? What would I tell myself to do or not do?

If I think about it, what would the 2010 Abigail say to the 2009 Abigail? What have I learnt since then? What would I tell myself to do differently?

It was a big year 2009! We got married, we changed career paths, we learnt of new arrivals to the famiily and losses to the family. We packed up and emigrated to the UK. Lots of shoulda, coulda, woulda's - but what's the point?
All we have is now.
Today.
What have I done today to drive me in the direction I want to go?
Hmmm....