First Secret to Great Wedding Photography

If you're a bride who wants her wedding to be PERFECT, and the most romantic, beautiful and emotional day of your life; if you want to enjoy every minute of your day;  if you want to be the most ravishingly beautiful bride your friends and relatives have ever seen;  if you want to spend wonderful, quality time with your guests;  if you want to remember with happy tears in your eyes all the love, emotion and joys of the day...
Then this is going to be the most exciting blog post you have ever gone to - Really!

      At Avonlee Photography we LOVE weddings!  We’ve been photographing them for 11 years - not because we have to but rather because we WANT to, because we love the emotion and romance of weddings.  

SECRET #1: How To Guarantee Your Wedding Lives Up To Your Dreams.      
Believe it or not, the photographer you select to photograph your wedding can make or break your wedding day.  Yes, I kid you not, your wedding day - not just your photographs!  Why? Because he's THERE - with you and your family, in person - interacting with all your family and guests - and representing you every minute. 
    
Now, HONESTLY, we're not just talking about photography here - we're talking about YOUR WEDDING - how YOU FEEL on your wedding day, and how smoothly and romantically everything goes.  You see, your photographer determines this, by the way he helps you plan your wedding, the way he treats you and your loved ones, and the way he conducts himself throughout the day.
 
Amazing Secret Revealed - What Other Wedding Photographers Don't Want You To Know!     
      
So here's the secret:  Meet the photographer - IN PERSON - before you hire anyone to photograph your wedding!  Most brides don't realize that many studios hire part time photographers to photograph their weddings for them - high school and college kids, friends, relatives, etc.  This means that you go to a studio, talk with a salesperson, look at their samples, and make a decision - without really knowing who will be photographing your wedding!
    
   And if it's not just the right person doing the photography, and interacting with all your family and guests, everything can be ruined! 
So, when you're talking with a potential studio, ask them the following questions:
      1.  Who did these photographs you are showing me?
      2.  Who, by name, will be photographing our wedding if we hire your studio?
      3.  We want to MEET this person, BEFORE we hire your studio.  

Then, when you meet this person, ask him or her the following questions:

      1.  How will you dress at my wedding?

      2.  Did you do ALL the samples of wedding photography we saw in the sample books?
          If not, show us YOUR work, please.

      3.  How long have you been photographing weddings?

       4.  How long will you be at my wedding?

       5.  Before you leave our wedding, who do you check with first to see if there's
            anything else we would like you to do?
   
      Then, decide if you REALLY LIKE HIM, as well as his work! Because he's going to be spending a lot of time with you and your family and friends, on your important day.
 
By the way, just so you know, here are my answers to those questions:      
I'm the ONLY photographer at my studio.  I will be photographing your wedding personally.

I will dress in a nice suit (NOT A TUX, AND NOT JUST SLACKS AND A SHIRT!  I don't want to take anything away from your groom and groomsmen and the fathers, and I also don't want to dress casually, and not represent you professionally.)
     
I have been photographing weddings, as I mentioned earlier, for _____ years.  Can you fill in the blank?  Just checking to see if you're paying attention!  It's 11 years!
     
I'll be at your wedding until both you and your husband (how exciting - your "husband!"),  say that you have nothing else for me to do.  I NEVER will leave your wedding without checking with you!


There are six more Secrets to Great Wedding Photography. To view them visit our website at http://www.avonleephotography.com/html/wedding_secrets.html

New Wedding Guest Book

The Image Guest Book is proving very popular with our Brides and Grooms. It features five 8x10 images taken from your Engagement Portrait session in a beautifully hand crafted leather bound album. Guests leave their congratulations and messages to you using silver Sharpie markers on the black pages that face each of the five photographs. The album will become a great talking piece on your coffee table for years to come. Additional blank pages are available for weddings with a larger guest count.

Amanda and Erik

October 10, 2010 - Turned out to be a spectacular day for Amanda and Eric. Their wedding at the Cloisters Castle in Lutherville, Maryland was bathed in wonderful sunshine and filled with surprises, including a visit from the 'The Bird' of Oriole's fame. The ceremony was officiated by the Cloisters very own Annie Applegarth. Catering was supplied by the Manor Tavern. For the second time in a month, I had the pleasure of working with the very professional Tom Gavin of DJ Delights. Here are some more images from the day.

Brittany and Loring

Last Saturday's wedding of Brittany and Loring took place at the lovely Cloisters Castle in Lutherville, Maryland. The ceremony took place in beautiful sunshine outside in the Cloistered courtyard. Reception followed inside in the main building. Squires Catering provided the wonderful food and service. The happy couple had a great send off in a 1954 mint condition Ivory and Classic Bentley from Lasting Impressions on Catonsville. The following are some images from the day - hope you enjoy them.

Amanda and Dale at the Cloisters

I had the pleasure of photographing Amanda and Dale's wedding at the Cloisters Castle recently. This is one of my favorite locations in which to photograph a wedding with its many unique settings and scenes it makes for great photo opportunities. Both the ceremony and reception were held at the same location. Amanda and Dale had 125 of the their dearest family and friends in attendance and I was honored to help them capture their special day.

Diana Venditto of Eventi Planning, did a wonderful job coordinating the wedding and Tom Gavin of DJ Delights provided great music throughout the night. It was great working with them both. Craig Hasslinger and his team from Hasslinger Golden Clipper Catering provided the delicious food and service throughout the evening. Please enjoy some images from the wedding:

 

 

 

 

Michelle and Tim at Historic Oakland

August 28, 2010.

Michelle and Tim celebrated their wedding at the beautiful Historic Oakland in Columbia Maryland. The ceremony took place in the small garden to the side of the mansion under the large oak trees. Reception followed in the mansion with Simply Elegant Catering providing the delicious food and great service. Shelly's Blossom of Baltimore (410-961-4199), provided the spectacular floral arrangements and the cake was supplied by Sugar Bakers. Music was provided by Chris Uhi of Absolute Entertainment. The following are some images from the day.

 

 

 

 

 

Receiving Lines - do you really need one?

Is it absolutely necessary to have a receiving line?
I always hate having to wait through them when I attend a wedding reception. Isn’t there a better way? A receiving line is usually in order for a very formal wedding; otherwise, there are several more relaxed alternatives. One very nice custom is to have the bride and groom, as well as the other members of the wedding party, “float” around the reception, speaking to each cluster of guests. Another custom, rather new but quite enjoyable and comfortable for the guests, is to have the guests remain seated in the church or synagogue until they are personally greeted and dismissed by the bride and groom themselves. This could be called the “lazy man’s receiving line” because the guests remain seated until it’s time for their row to stand and file past the bride and groom, hugging, kissing and wishing them well as they exit their pews.