April 2015 – The Good Photographer Blog

April 29, 2015

Wedding Picture Ideas in Los Angeles

Congratulations!! You’re getting married and the fun begins. Ask for as much help as you need and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as much as you can. Stating exactly what you want and don’t want makes it an easy job for the planners, and the easier the happier.

The wedding pictures is a ‘your choice’ event that has so many simple options. Photographers are happy to accommodate any and all ideas, especially if you know them. Be yourself, be in the moment, have fun and pick a location that makes you feel.

Fountains

An idea for wedding pictures is a beautiful fountain. They stand majestically strong and magical!

At the port of LA are the Fanfare Fountains at the Gateway Plaza. The fountains are arranged to form a sailboat. Streams of water burst out in sync 100 feet high and at night are showcased by a fantastic light show. The architects created a 12 foot walkway for visitors to experience a feeling of walking through water. The landscape is quite tropical, any angle in this scenery will be sure to give you a great wedding picture.

The William J. Mulholland Memorial Fountain is very popular as it sits across from Griffith Park! Families take time out from their busy schedules to enjoy fun with the family at the park. Kids love the merry-go-round, ponies and who doesn’t like to ride the train! The Fountain is located right across the street from the park which makes it the first stop to take a breather. The grounds are very well landscaped with every corner being perfect for a picture. The Fountain is often said to ‘relax and calm the soul’, it’s excellent for wedding pictures.

A breathtaking background for all your wedding pictures is the Michael Juliano Exposition Park Rose Garden and Fountain. The outside gardens flourish with beautiful flowers and greenery. There’s a walkway throughout for visitors to stop and take pictures. To make your photos unique and fun, take them in the ‘Butterfly Garden’. The fountain brings you closer and closer to admire its’ beauty, great for pictures.

Landmarks

The Gate to Los Angeles River is one of the best landmarks for taking scenic pictures. It’s a large iron work of art with a huge sun created in the middle patiently waiting for all to walk through it. So surreal, this would be an excellent photo opportunity.

The Los Angeles Museum of Arts has on display and visible to everyone as they pass, 200 glowing lamp posts from the 1920’s perfectly in line. Traffic actually slows down to take it all in. I can’t imagine how beautiful wedding pictures would be from here. A picture doesn’t get any better than this!

LA is filled with public street art and is a very popular way to keep the city bright and beautiful. Inspiring works of art are spread throughout the city calling to the citizens. Artists thrive in this cultural city because the community loves to keep it real.

Be spontaneous and start making your wedding memories today.

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April 22, 2015

How Much Tip Are You Suppose To Give To Wedding Staff?

Tipping in general represents something of a complicated social standard. Tipping waiters is generally regarded as expected, and there’s something of a hierarchy involved when it comes to tipping standards. Tips represent a certain percentage of the bill, and giving a tip that’s over fifteen percent of the cost of the bill is widely regarded as positive. It should be noted that failing to tip most members of the wedding staff is not going to represent a breach of etiquette that’s on the same level as failing to tip a waiter, but there are still certain conventions involved.

The delivery and set-up staff should be tipped if they did a great job, and giving each person between $5 – $10 upon delivery is a good idea. When it comes to the reception and catering staff, as well as the transportation staff, gratuity may already be included. However, if there is no gratuity that has already been offered, giving these staff members tips of 15% – 20% at the reception or after the final ride is a good idea. Tipping the hair and makeup staff is one of the most clear-cut cases at the wedding: it is necessary to give them tips of 15% – 20% percent after the styling process is complete.

Giving tips to the wedding planner, the photographer, or the staff that’s recording the wedding videos can be actively offensive if these individuals own their respective businesses, but it can be a nice gesture if they don’t. Giving 15% of the fee will work. Tipping the officiant can also be a random act of kindness. Tips for the DJ, the band, or the ceremony musicians are not required, but giving each music professional around $25 dollars can still be a friendly gesture.

April 15, 2015

5 Informal Wedding Invitation Wording Examples

Many people choose a very formal presentation style for their wedding invitations. They will use phrases like:

‘We request your presence at…’

‘We would be honored if…’

‘Would would like the pleasure of your company at…’

‘You are cordially invited…’

These sorts of phrases can be perfect for some weddings, but they will be out of place at others, and people don’t always want to strike a chord like that. Other people are holding relaxed and friendly weddings, and they should try to send out relaxed and friendly invitations to match:

‘Come join the fun at…’

‘Help us celebrate our special day on…’

‘We can’t wait to see you at…’

‘We invite you to help us create the happiest day of our lives on…’

‘Help us be a prince and princess for a day on…’

Many wedding invitations make use of very old-fashioned phrasing. Even people that aren’t normally traditionalists will make use of traditionalism when they get married. Marriage is an old and vaunted institution, and it tends to attract traditionalist sentiments. It isn’t surprising that many people have been using the same phrasings for wedding invitations for decades or centuries, which is why old-fashioned phrasings tend to show up in wedding invitations a lot.

Removing archaic phrasings from wedding invitations automatically makes them seem more casual. Using more commonplace language helps lighten things up a little. Adding jokes can also lighten them, unsurprisingly. Saying things like ‘if all goes according to plan, we’ll be married,’ or ‘join us on the first day of the rest of our lives’ can create some levity. Using casual language on a wedding invitation doesn’t mean that the people involved aren’t taking their weddings seriously. They’re just trying to create a friendly atmosphere, signalling that their wedding parties are going to be fun for everyone involved.

April 9, 2015

2 Wedding Theme Ideas

Planning a wedding or participating in one? Yeah! I’m jealous. Let me help you pick a theme….

Tropical Beach

Invitations simple, very simple as the first thing you want them to see and have them immediately be put on the beach is the tropical tree stamp that you’ll place right on the center of the flap. Boom! They’re excited and the rest of it just needs to be informational.
The trick to this is the flowers. If you can find the big pink lotus flower or some other large flower that catches your eye, have the Bridesmaids wear them in their hair and carry just one.
Dress style is a sarong wrap of the most beautiful, bright colors you can find. These are so easy to make and a lot of fun. Simple pattern, material is inexpensive and everyone is relaxed but gorgeous.
Groomsmen your choice, beach shorts or nice black blacks, tropical shirt with a lei.
Everyone in sandals or barefoot, your choice.
The cake is of your choice…just top it with a tropical tree and a bride & groom miniature standing under it. I’ve seen them, check you craft stores.
Have the large flowers you chose for the Bridesmaids in large bunches around the reception room. Because they are large flowers, you will only need four or five bunches, depending on the size of the room.
If there’s a steel drum band in the area, you might be able to book them for just a short time as everyone is arriving at the reception.
You will simply be amazed at how relaxed the entire event will be! So relax, get married!

Alice in Wonderland

The Bridesmaids dresses will be knee length, spaghetti straps or strapless in a very soft blue satin. One inch pink satin band along the bottom of the dress and around the waist. Choose a simple pattern or patterns and give yourself plenty of time to make the dresses. The styles don’t have to match, just the colors.
Bouquets are the color pink and flower of your choice.
The groom and groomsmen are looking sharp in top-hats, long tails with the boutineer, bowtie and cummerbund light blue satin to match dresses.
The cake is a 3-tier in white with bright red frosting/flowers and a top-hat tilted as the topper. Have the icing be very fluffy. It can be made by someone who has some experience in cake decorating so a professional would not need to be hired. Super easy! You can buy the tier utensils at any craft shop, make the cake of your choice, white icing, and arrange red flowers between each tier. Fill it very full so that the flowers are flowing with the white icing as background. Crown the cake with a Top Hat!
Arrange bunches of flowers, the same as you used in the cake, on tables or just on the wedding party’s table to accent the theme.
You truly don’t have to spend a lot of money on your wedding. It’s a happy occasion, not a stressful one.