A Wedding Gown Trick You Should Know

 First, an Admission ~! I am NOT the sort of man who is into (big F) Fashion. I'm a bit blokey, really, and if you find a heap of dog-eared Vogue or Marie Claire mags on the back seat of my car, that's research.  Except when it comes to wedding and bridesmaid gowns.... I am constantly amazed by the gowns that brides choose, and the way they wear them; again and again, wedding after wedding, I see  brides turn these lifeless pieces of fabric into Works of Art by the simple process of draping themselves in them.

Of course, putting on wedding dresses is often more complex than "draping" yourself, and it's a wise bride who learns the process from her dressmaker or supplier, and makes sure that her Bridesmaids and her Mother learn how to fit and form the gown to her. Without some practice it takes a long time, and often several tries to get it right. Some brides have an experienced fitter attend their preparations just to ensure this goes without a hitch (so to speak) and it seems to me a good investment. Your seamstress, dress shop or wedding supplier may offer this service.

What has this to do with ruining your wedding day? Not so much - a bit of a delay in getting to the Ceremony is no disaster. The problem is that, simple gowns aside,  a wedding dress is unlike any other gown you are likely to wear.  It tends to be heavy, especially if it has petticoats and underskirts and hoops....Even more if it has a built-in foundation garment, or requires you to wear one. Add a train and you add to the effort of bearing up under the weight of it; not for just an hour or so - Even if your change into a "going away" outfit, you will be carrying that beautiful weight with you for perhaps 10 to 12 hours!


There will be consequences! Even on a cool day, you will feel the heat.  more than just feeling warm, you are likely to perspire;  what that does to your make-up is not the big thing. You can repair that; but the way a dress is draped and worn, the real problem is  going on ~ to be delicate - lower down.

My mother always insisted that animals sweat, men  perspire, but ladies only glow...well this is a case wherethe glow is intense! It takes place between your legs, and it can leave you  with a painful rash that might spoil your first dance and that you really don't want to take on your honeymoon!

So Do This: before  you put on the dress, apply a layer of anti-chafing gel - Lanacane, Monistat or the like - you can get them from most chemists and make-up outlets; if you can't get it  for some reason, talcum powder is a worthwhile substitute - a puff between your thighs will avoid chaffing, If it has an antiperspirant, that's good, too ~ and I promise not to photograph this particular part of your preparations!

When Should You Book Your Wedding Photographer?

I had a phone call this morning from a bride-to-be; she wanted a quote for her wedding photography. Nothing unusual in that; but her wedding day is in the first week of December, and that raises three problems.

First, it is just four months away, and if that seems a long way off, you have to realise that the majority of quality wedding photographers are booked as soon as the wedding day is set - most of my weddings are committed nine to eighteen months ahead, so three months is cutting it very fine;

The second problem is that people want to get married in the warmer months of the year - in Sydney (Australia), that's from September through until the end of March. March is the most popular single month for marriages in this country, but more than half of all marriages take place in the spring - the start of September to the early weeks of December-  so looking for a good photographer at this time of year means looking earlier, not later.

The hectic pace for a wedding photographer during those busy months leads to the last problem a couple might face if they choose to marry in December: many of us take a very-well-earned break in December. With a significant amount of post-processing, album design and other fulfillment tasks to complete from the dozen or so weddings we've just completed, the first weeks of  December are very hectic and we are not going to take on even more clients whose work we need to complete over the Christmas period. The rest of the month, with the holiday season upon us, we devote to family.

Does that mean you'll never get a photographer if you leave the booking this late? Not really - anybody with a half-way decent camera seems happy to call themselves a wedding photographer these days, so websites like Serviceseeking, Gumtree and Craiglist can provide quotes from $50 an hour "photographers" who will be more than happy to offer you their services. THere are some quality photographers booking through these sites too,  but the chance of finding one who is free at such short notice is remote.
Of course, there is always the possibility of finding a photographer with an opening due to a cancellation - they do come up. But really, if you know anyone getting married soon, you should be encouraging them to book their photographer as soon as they can. And if you are tying the knot next year, either choose a  less popular time (June or July) or book your photography now!

Top Wedding Photo Bargains for Brides and Grooms

Discounts are not a very good way to attract brides and grooms who want quality wedding photography. Cheap and good are not really compatible. But there are some complementary services we offer from time to time which add true value to your wedding day and can save you money. If you are impatient to know what we can do, our most popular special offers as chosen by our couples, are listed towards the end of this post...scroll down!


Why do we do this? Wedding Photography is probably the least expensive professional photography to buy - but when you look at a quote for upwards of $3000 it sure doesn't seem that way.
Most of us only ever hire a professional photographer once or twice in a lifetime, and don't have anything much to go by when it comes to choosing our wedding photographer, which makes price one of the few standards we can use to compare them. But it's not a very good way. Low quotes usually mean amateurs making a few bucks on the weekend, or new photographers trying to break into the business. Very high quotes  may mean "famous" photographers capitalising on the fact that they shot Mariah Carey's wedding, or that they advertise in Harpers Bazaar wedding issue, or even that they didn't know how to price their work, so just copied some high-flyer's price list. 
Of course, many photographers do not publish prices. Quite rightly, they want to personalise their quote to your needs, expectations and budget. If you phone up and ask a panel beater how much to fix your car you are not likely to get a price until the workshop gets a good look at your car; same with a wedding quote.
Maybe a better way to think about it to begin with the average costs of wedding photography to see how your photographer lines up then look at what each offers for the money. But only compare quotes of photographers whose work your REALLY like.
What is the average? In Australia last year it was just shy of $4,000. That's about 9% of the total  average wedding spend of $36,000. Remember though - average doesn not mean that's what most people pay!  Many of my clients opt to pay less than $2000, but it takes just one high-end client wanting the Black Label package at $4900 to push the average  well above what most people invest, which is a bit over $2400.
This is the way I would look for a photographer if I was getting married... 12 months in advance of getting married I'd start looking for wedding photographers who regularly work in the area where I want to get married (local knowledge is very valuable). I'd start my search with phone listings like True Local and the Yellow Pages, then add wedding directories like Wedding Wire, Wedding.com.au, Snapknot.
I'd look through the information published on line in these sources and go on to the photographer's web sites of those I liked the look of. Along the way I'd be getting some idea of what the better photographers are charging and I'd begin to work out how to budget to be able to afford the kind of photographers I really want.
Budgeting is one reason I would begin at least 12 month out. The other reason is that if you left it much longer to book me, you would probably be too late. Most of my bookings are taken up in 9 to 18 months before the wedding day. You can improve your odds of getting your photographer by avoiding the busiest months - I always have to turn down half a dozen couples every September, October is even worse and November is always oversubscribed, too.
Most photographers don't try to take advantage of this heavy demand to price gouge; but knowing that these three months account for more than half of all wedding bookings should tell you that if you aren't ready to make a commitment (ie a deposit) you can't expect a photographer to hold the date while you shop around for a cheaper price.
It is frustrating when a couple who seem like a good fit for your style of wedding photography want to shop around; you don't want to seem like a pushy sales type, and you don't want to undermine the value of your work - your art. Different photographers have their own approaches: mine is to offer some valuable incentives. Doing this through partnerships with high-end wedding providers means that I can do this without significant cost to my business, because my partners get extra clients. Each of these incentives is popular, but some rate higher with more brides and grooms than others, and while we are always open to new ideas, these were the most popular in 2013-2014:

1. Free hair-styling and make-up from specialist wedding professionals

1. A smartphone app that lets you carry your wedding photos with you and share them phone to phone or via social media

1. A short DVD as a 'thank-you" for each member of your Bridal Party

1. Playing cards featuring your wedding photos on the back for your Bridal Party

1. A photo book for your parents (or others)  with your wedding album

Some previously popular items no longer interest our clients (digital photo frames) and I don't doubt there will be new ideas to ad, while some of these current favourites will drop off the top five... for instance, Photo Booths and Pre Wedding sessions are hovering just outside the top five.  

I'm interested to know how you these rate for you...leave me a comment!