How many wedding guests should we expect?

It's known in the wedding industry that not every single person you invite will show up.

However, what percent of guests should you expect?

According to a study by TheKnot 10 to 20 percent will decline the invite.

However, ten percent of those who said they'll come don't end up showing up.

Example;

If you invite 200 guests, 20-40 will decline the invite, leaving you with 160 guests, then around 16 of them who said they were coming will end up not showing up, leaving you with 146 guests.

Now, some weddings have all the guests who said they're coming show up and some have even less.

A word for the wise: Never assume people won't show up, always have enough for the number of RSVPs +5, this will avoid any issues.

Do I Need An Engagement Session?

Engagement Session are so much fun! How often do any of us get the opportunity to have a professional photography session, (most likely free and included in your wedding package) an have a photographer that wants to teach you all the best kept secrets to posing and not posing, but you still look amazing!

I Love my Engagement Session, and I’m sure you will to! They are such a great way to learn how to feel comfortable in front of a professional camera, (believe me it's different than our phones) and ask to be yourselves.

Engagement Sessions should be photographed at a location of your choice; a place that you feel represents both of you as a couple; a favorite park, or beach, maybe a winery or farm all are great locations for your engagement session.

Your engagement session will teach you lots of special techniques, posing, body language, and how to truly look natural and “not posed” in every image. All of these learning tools will be a lifesaver and timesaver for your wedding pictures so you can breeze through all of your formal photographs with ease.

Engagement Sessions are awesome for your “Save the Date Cards” you should plan to have your engagement session completed no later than 6-7 months before your wedding to get your Save the Date Cards out in a timely manner.

Albums, the Pros and Cons!

Albums are a fantastic physical representation of your magical day! However, they come with fallbacks just like everything in life, so we wanted to touch on the most significant pros and cons of getting that album.

First off, not all studios offer albums; they’re pricey on the studio, however, here at C&C, we value your love more than our profit margins, so we include them in a majority of our packages at an affordable rate!

PROS

1. Amazing for parties… don’t spill wine on it, haha.
2. Think of your kids; your album will give them something to remember you by.
3. Technology changes, your album doesn’t, years ago we gave brides CDs, now most computers don’t have CD drives, now we give flash drives, who knows if those will exist in the next decade, however, an album will never fade out.

CONS

1. Price, sometimes the budget is tight. However, we can always help you two!

Well, that’s it, there isn’t a lot of cons to a physical copy of your love story.

Why meeting with your wedding vendors is important

So here's a little underplayed topic – as a consultant here at C&C, I hear a lot about brides who just email saying;

“Hey, I like the photos. Please send me a contract.”

These emails make me cringe just a little bit, because, what if that vendor is weird or what if you hate them when you meet them!

Meeting with a wedding vendor is very important because it helps you understand the people who will be at your wedding and who will be helping the day happen.

Here's my vent;

"If you're going to book someone for the biggest day of your life, you should spend one hour meeting them, and getting to know them."

Opinions & Article by Chris Cardone

Groom's Coverage Tips & Ideas

Photography coverage of the groom and his groomsmen is relatively new to wedding photography but it is equally important as bridal coverage.

What makes grooms coverage different than bridal coverage is we can capture amazing storytelling images with the groom and his men in a short amount of time;

The guys don’t have the long task of hair & makeup so photography coverage can start after your bridal coverage is completed and we can start right in with photography & video coverage.

Grooms Coverage can start at any location, house, church or ceremony location about 30-45 minutes before the ceremony begins.

We will capture images of the groom alone and with his guys, detail images of his ring, cufflinks any important keepsake that completes his look, then we take fun, creative and spontaneous images of the guys that look natural and unposed.

Getting Ready Coverage

If you are unsure about what getting ready coverage is you have come to the right place, we can help you plan and execute a timeline step by step to get you to the church on time!

Photography

Photography & Video arrive about 2 hours prior to your ceremony start time, this should be at the very end of your hair and makeup session so everyone is ready to put on their dress when we arrive. There is a lot to capture so the more organized you can be the more amazing images and details we can capture.

Photography & Video

Having your Gown, Jewelry, Wedding Shoes, Invitation, and any sentimental piece in easy reach for us to start right in with our storyline coverage is a great timesaver.

Helpful Hint

If you have a long drive to your ceremony location remember to inform your photo team so they can plan for the extra travel.

Wedding Reception Ideas!

Here are a few of our favorite tips to include in your wedding reception planning that we have seen first hand throughout our 20 years of Wedding Photography. With years of experience these ideas will keep your crowd on their toes all night long!

Start off your introductions with a the Happiest upbeat song you relate to; this will set your energy on fire and also create the party atmosphere you are looking for; just make sure your Band or DJ plays it loudly to get them moving & grooving!!

Have all of your Bridesmaids & Groomsmen do a funny skit as they are announced into the reception, they can dance their way to the center of the room and get the crowd moving as early as possible!

For your first dance start off with your favorite romantic song and just as the song is about to end have your entertainment play loud popular song that gets everyone to their feet… there are no rules here, your guest can dance with you before the blessing and toast, it's your day, be free to be you!

How to Get Wedding Photography at the Best Price

It's not magic when you get that amazing price for an award-winning wedding photographer, there is a science behind it that every photographer knows and no brides have figured out!

By the way, I am about to become ousted by the wedding photography industry, so why not just finish off the "sin".

IT IS SIMPLE; THE LATER YOU BOOK THE CHEAPER IT IS!

WHY? WELL, THAT EXPLANATION ISN'T SO SIMPLE.

So, photographers main booking month is January, this is the make or break it month because everyone is at the photography booking point. So if your wedding is in December and you book in January you will get the normal/highest rate, however, if your wedding is in December and you book in September you'll get a lower rate.

However, some studios to outweigh this might charge a last minute booking fee, also, you run the risk of your date being booked! Avoid doing this if you have a popular wedding date.

Also, please keep in mind that studios might offer a year-round discount like us *hair flip* click here to get our year-round last minute discount just for checking out the blog!

HOW NOT TO APPROACH! AND WHY.

Unlike us, most studios do not welcome last minute booking, especially when you make it clear that your reason is for a discount.

Here is a *real* email we got: "So my wedding is in two months, I was wondering if you have any close to date discount since I am not holding the date for long?"

Why this doesn't work is most because photographers don't want to hear about the discounts you want because to sell you on us most *good* photographers have discounts they offer. We have a few discounts we offer, and since we're a studio/company that believes in full transparency here are the discounts we offer excluding some exlusive promotions we run every few years;

1. Family of a past client
2. Bride of a preferred venue
3. Last minute booking

LAST QUESTION: ARE YOU READY TO BOOK?

If you are we would love to chat, and offer you the last minute discount no matter when your wedding is, click here to learn what our discount is and get to use it!

First look, the pros and cons

The first look is a private and romantic time between the bride and groom. One person will stand and wait with their back turned and the other will walk up to them and when they turn around, and then the tears of joy ensue.

Pros

1. More Time

This first look time gives your photographer more time to capture those amazing moments that would be missed. It also allows us a little time to get some candid shots of you two interacting before the ceremony.

2. Stress Reducing

Usually, couple portraits are done during portrait hours, on top of the tons of different photos we need to get, this first look allows enough time to grab most of the shots usually taken during portrait hour after the first look, making portrait hour quicker and less stressful for you and the photographer.

3. Private

Instead of seeing each-other for the first time in front of 100+ people, you will see each other in front of close friends, and will have time to interact with each other instead of having the amazing first reveal be in front of everyone. Also, since we'll be able to get a better spot for taking photos we can capture more artistic angles of the couple meeting for the first time!

Cons

1. Later Portraits make for Better Light

Early in the day lighting can look harsh and not complement the skin, this being said, we always make it work and come out the other side with amazing photos!

2. You'll miss cocktail hour

This is very commons, however, some find it very important to socialize with their guests during cocktail hour. We always say "conversations last 5 minutes, photos last a lifetime".

3. Another location might be needed

First looks are always an amazing option if you have the right location for it, personally, my favorite location for a first look is a park!