I love the bamboo in this ring shot, photo by Whitebox Weddings. And stay tuned for a review of a brand new estate that has stunning ocean views and is avaliable for overnight accomodations as well…

Who doesn’t love seeing pretty wedding dresses hanging up ready to be put on by the excited bride?

I love this vintage looking dress, its so different and cool.

I love this photo! It really highlights the dress’ simple elegance.

How cool is it to have a photo of your wedding dress in the church were you got married?

A shot of the wedding dress in nature is unexpected, but oh so pretty.

One of my favorite shots within this theme are these photos by Whitebox Weddings. I love that they shot the bride’s undergarments and the groom’s suit on a clothesline.

Images: 1. Chris Everard 2. Laura Novak Photography 3, 4, & 5. Whitebox Weddings

The lovely Christine of .cevd. {custom invitation studio} just got married and wore these lovelies down the aisle. Shoes by JCrew and the photo is by the super talented Parker J Pfister. Pop over to Christine’s blog for a few more images from her wedding.

I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving! I’ll be back to blogging on Monday.

Image: Ngoc Minh Ngo

Sexy, silver, and strappy– what’s not to like? Shoes by Rene Caovilla, photo by Ryan Phillips Photography.

I like when an element of the event design can be used in a couple of different ways. I love this modern and simple centerpiece made of painted manzanita and faux birdies.

From the super talented Rebecca Thuss are these adorable favors.

These birdie themed sticks are suppose to be plant labels, but how cute would they be as seating cards?

Gotta love any clutch from Red Ruby Rose!

And a wedding cake also by Rebecca Thuss. Its perfect for a fall or winter wedding.

Images: 1. Tina Rupp 2. & 5. Rebecca Thuss 3. The Modern Gardener 4. Red Ruby Rose via Etsy

I love dance shots from weddings. They’re always my favorite candid shoots of the day.

Plus, when the bride and groom dance, everyone dances.

And after all the work of wedding planning who doesn’t need to cut loose?

Images: 1. Halberg Photographers 2. Cameron Ingalls 3. Jeff Newsom

I love when a bride and groom have fun posing with their getaway transporation. Here again, is another place to add a personal touch to your wedding day…

Hot vintage sportscar and a hot couple, need I say more?

Baby blue bike and a just married sign, such a lovely detail.

Fun couple + Vespa = one of a kind photo

A tandem bike? Even better!

1. Halberg Photographers 2. Elizabeth Messina 3. Red Photo Co. via Snippet & Ink 4. Jose Villa

To me, there is nothing more romantic than a candlelit wedding reception. Today I’ve found some images that I hope will inspire you to put your own twist on candlelight.

I love the use of colored egg shells in lieu of traditional glass votive holders. How pretty would these be for a spa-inspired wedding?

I found these cute blackboard candles on Design*Sponge. They would work for table numbers, spelling out “welcome” on the guest book table, on the cake table with your initials, I could go on, but you get the idea.

Trees and candlelight  are two of my favorite things. These always look pretty in the ceremony area or in key areas in the reception like above the cake table.

I love this stunningly simple table-scape. It’s perfect for the bride who’s not big on flowers but still wants something pretty on the table.

I like how these candles are mismatched and imperfectly arranged.

I love using candles to define walkways in a wedding. It sets the right mood and leads your guests gracefully to the cocktail area, dinner, or even, the after party.

Images are from: 1. Gemma Comas 2. Design Sponge via Delight 3. Jo Tyler via Sarah Kaye 4. Absolutley Beautiful Things 5. Sandra Lane via Sarah Kaye 6. Portland Mitchell via Sarah Kaye

Part II with Katie Moos:

6. When creating a list of group photos for your photographer include individual people’s names.  So for example you want a photo of the Johnson family list off the individual’s names…Alice, Rob, Bobby, Sue, and George.  The reason for this…if the photographer calls out “Johnson family photo” they might get questions like “Did you want the spouses and kids?” “Did you want my fiancé in the photo too?” “Is Grandma in this one?”  “Did you want aunts, uncles, and cousins?” Some of those questions might be embarrassing to answer on the spot.  What if you do not want your brother’s fiancé in the photo—it’s hard to say that when she is standing right there looking at you or asking the question.  So talk about it before and put names on the list…that way the photographer will simply say “Can I please have Alice, Rob, Bobby, and Sue in this photo?”  It also is more personal and is easier for the photographer to gather people because she/he knows how many people to expect.

7. Bring a nice hanger for your wedding dress.  We like to take a shot of your dress before you put it on and often times the dress is on a cheap plastic hanger…not so cute.  Also, the best hangers do not have the cross bar where pants hang.

8. Bring an invitation to the wedding…we’d love to take a detail shot of it.

9. Have your reception area set up well in advance so the photographer can get some photos of it before it gets…well, messed up.

10. Last but not least—feed your photographers…they are starving by dinner (often times we are there from 8-10 hours and have missed lunch and dinner…we work hard for you all day—think about your job– 2 -10 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch break…not us-we work all day straight-unless of course you feed us at which time we will eat what we can in a few minutes and then we go back out for more photos)!!  ☺

Thank you so much!!  I hope these tips are helpful.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me at info@katiemoos.com.  You may also check out my blog at www.katiemoos.com/blog.  Also, as a special treat for Kelly Oshiro blog readers—I am giving $50 off an engagement or family session when you mention this blog posting!!

Hi Kelly and Kelly Oshiro fans!

Thank you for the opportunity to guest blog!  My name is Katie Moos and am going to chat with you about what you can do to make the most of your wedding day from a photographer’s perspective.

Here’s a list of tips along with some images for you to enjoy…

1.  I suggest you allow an extra hour for hair and make up then needed.  Example the stylists need 3 hours, allow 4.  REASON:  Buffer in case the hair and make up take a little longer which it often times can as you want to be sure it looks absolutely fantastic!! Worst case scenario your hair and make up run over and you allowed time for it so you are totally relaxed or your hair and makeup is done when expected and now you have extra time to relax before putting your dress on…maybe even eat a little something! You want to start the day off calm…not rushed.

2. Consider what time of day your wedding will be at.  To do that start with sunset and work back (if at all possible).  Example:  Sunset is at 7:30pm, so that’s when it’s going to be pretty dark…so cocktails outside enjoying the sunset from 6:00-7:00.  This is also when you get nice warm sunset light for the photos of you with your husband (or wife).  So the ceremony (if it takes between 20-30 minutes) would start at 5:30.  By doing this you are allowing the best light for your ceremony, photos and cocktail hour.

3. Consider where you are getting married.  Let’s say you decide to get married on the sandy beaches of Santa Barbara…at 5:30.  You may have sun directly in your eyes or your quests eyes…what to do?  A canopy with sheer white fabric will diffuse the light on your faces (making you look great) and reduce the squinting.  As for the guests consider a paper parasol for them…creates great light (for cheap) not to mention a great little favor or prop to use in photos. If you are getting married out at a vineyard often there is a wonderful tree for shade…shade is your friend…. it will keep people cool and provides soft even light for photos.

4. If you want to hang with you friends at the cocktail hour and are worried about spending all of the time taking family photos consider either cutting back your list or simply extending your cocktail hour to an hour and twenty minutes.  You will have all the photos on your list and spend some time at the cocktail hour!

5. Determining how much time to allow for photos…here’s what I suggest…allow 2 minutes per group photo + 10 minutes for the wedding party + 20 minutes for the bride and groom shots.  For example, your list has 10 groups on it…10×2= 20 minutes + 10 for the wedding party= 30 minutes + 20 minutes for the bride and groom= 50 minutes all together.  This is realistic.

So this post is only sort of related to weddings, but I just couldn’t resist. I’m a big J.Crew fan (love the shoes, dresses, purses, did I mention, shoes?) and now they are branching out to our furry friends with their collection called Crewmutts. Since so many couples chose to incorporate their dog into their wedding, I’m thinking your puppy needs to look cute right?

How cute would a pearl collar paired with this blue cable sweater be for a fall wedding?

Or maybe an Irish wedding with the men in kilts?

Rainy day in Oregon? Fogetta-bout-it. This little rain slicker could even be modified and used to hold the wedding rings so your dog could be the ring bearer. Like I said, too freaking cute!

From Angelina:

When Kelly invited me to contribute to her blog, I wondered how my experience might help other brides. At 35, my vision of my perfect wedding day had changed quite dramatically from what I had always dreamed it would be.  I grew up in a close-knit cultural community where weddings of up to 15 bridesmaids and 500 guests, including everyone you knew, were considered the norm. It was a celebration after all! So as you can imagine, I felt some pressure to uphold traditions that were passed down from generations for no other reason than, that’s how it had always been done. I was also fearful it might hurt my parent’s feelings.  Over the years, propriety for propriety’s sake began to make no sense to me. Finding my soul mate to share all of life’s adventures with meant infinitely more.  Our collective vision for our BIG day would reflect the best of both of us, our values, and our love for one another. So, I took a different road when it came to planning my not so big, fat Serbian wedding.

(more…)

From Wendy, our guest blogger:

But no one else seemed to be. Just then, Valentina came rushing out a different door and said apologetically that she had to meet a client for 30 minutes and could we get something to eat?  My mom was pleased.  We put our suitcases in the boutique, and just as we were walking out, I noticed a somewhat shy, handsome man in the alley who I recognized immediately to be Giuseppe Papini himself!  Valentina introduced me to him and said that he wanted to see how was my body like?  He was very kind and shook my hand and immediately looked me over, like a master mathematician with a new problem to solve.  I felt self-conscious in grey tights, faux Mary-Janes, a grey high-waisted skirt, and a green and grey checkered sweater; oh, and no make-up, since I made the rule for myself that if I didn’t look good in the dress without make-up, then I wouldn’t look good at all.  But my plain appearance didn’t seem to affect Giuseppe or Valentina, and Valentina led us away to a modern-looking cafe to eat lunch on them.  My mom and I just smiled knowingly at each other and ate our first lunch in Bergamo.

Valentina returned shortly and we were back off to the boutique.  She had 2 helpers with her, and one of them, a red-head named Erica, carried in a large clothing bag.  Valentina said that they had brought a sample to make sure this is the one I would like?   I went into the fitting room, and to my surprise, Erica and the other seamstress went in with me.  I had to reveal my ugly old bra and the holes in the toes of my tights… and they needed me to take off my bra!  Oh the horror!  But I decided to get over being self-conscious and rise to meet this moment.

(more…)

From Wendy, our guest blogger:

My mom and I figured out that we could take a bus from the airport to Milan, and then take a train to Bergamo.  Unfortunately, our bus ride was an hour longer than expected, was stuffy, and by the time we got to the bus depot, we were nearly out of oxygen. Furthermore, I was starting to dwindle on little sleep and airplane food.  My mom found a food stand and offered to get me something to eat.  NO ONE SPOKE ENGLISH.  I think she said that we were Americans, so they ended up giving us americanos instead of food. Nevertheless, the caffeine was temporarily good, and we figured out how to get ourselves on the correct train at Stazione Centrale, the beautiful, industrial, Mussolini-looking train station in Milan.

(more…)