Looks on your Wedding Day - Photography, Make-up and Hair

As Matt and I talked about early on, we sat down and prioritized what we were willing to spend money on to achieve the wedding of our dreams. Photography was one of our top priorities. I have heard many a bride say that she wished she had spent more money on photography or hair, because when she looks at her wedding pictures all she remembers is how she had wished that it had been more of a priority (instead of "saving money" being the priority).

I thought about saving money and having my sister(s) do my hair and make-up, but Matt suggested that I looked into having it professionally done. This would alleviate the stress off my sisters and I as to planning "how" to do my hair and make-up. My wedding day prep will be a lot more relaxed and carefree.

With all that said, I do want to mention that my sister Amy just got married last weekend and she look *fabulous* on her wedding day. She and Josh were the most laid back couple I know. Amy did her own make-up and was ready to do her own hair, but one of the bridesmaids volunteered that day to help her out. Point being that you can do your own hair and make-up if you so desire. In the end, I chose not to.

When considering up-dos, half-dos, down-dos for the wedding, it would be good to think about past photos and what you liked/did not like about them. The most critical person of ourselves is ourselves, so as you think about the hairstyle you want, filter out the styles you don't think look good on you (even if it's 'in'). When you look back on your photos 30 years down the road, you would rather have looked your best than be fashionable.

For photography we had three goals in mind: low cost, good quality and copyright release.


Low cost - For a decent professional photographer (that isn't your best friend), cost for a day (and sometimes it's by number of hours) is anywhere from $1000 to $3000 on average. The differences are going to be in editing, number of cameras and lenses they use, and whether or not they bring assistants. Sometimes what package they offer will affect their costs as well (e.g. adding an album in the price).

Good quality - In considering a photographer, we checked out their websites and prior work, picking out the styles we liked best and comparing the quality with the prices listed. We had family friends that did photography as well as some photographers that had been recommended to us by some friends. In the end though, when we finally narrowed it down to the few photographers, we had to look at each photographer objectively and not let our decision be swayed by family or friends ties.

*Note: You need to remember that photos will be the one thing that stays with you, and which you show to future generations. This is probably one of the most important things from your wedding and you should feel 100% comfortable with whom you have chosen.

Copyright release - Another vital thing to consider when looking at photographers is whether or not they allow for copyright release (giving you the ability to own all your photos without having to go through the photographer). This was a deal-breaker for us. Sometimes photographers will allow a copyright release for an extra fee (so if you don't see it right away, don't hesitate to ask).

While all three of these areas are vital to making your wedding day YOUR wedding day, remember first and foremost to have fun. There is no such thing as a perfect wedding and the real purpose is to celebrate the beginning of the rest of your life with that special someone you have found. The day is just that, a day, you will have years to talk about it in the future, so enjoy it while it is here.

Next time on romanceonadime.blogspot.com - "Dressing ze party."