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[W254]Wedding Day Barbie Doll

by Allison Campbell, All

It's a fact. The wedding industry is huge, and anything with the word "wedding" attached to it is likely to mean "expensive".

So is it feasible to hire a photographer who doesn't necessarily focus on weddings, or a band that wouldn't be found in your local bridal magazine? Absolutely!

To get started on this road less traveled, begin by asking recently-wed family, friends or colleagues for any good wedding leads. Perhaps they'll know of a fabulous bakery that was less expensive than all the larger ones in the area. Or an art student who just graduated from college and is looking for work as a calligrapher. Maybe there's a friend of a friend who's an aspiring photographer and would be able to capture fantastic wedding photos for you on your big day.

Next, move your research online and check out the local wedding chat boards in your area at TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com. Look for posts like "Rave Reviews" and "Highly Recommended" - and be sure to also take note of any vendors that received negative reviews from other brides and grooms. Another excellent free resource is Craigslist.com. Musicians, photographers and other artists post their services regularly here in areas across the country. If you see a post that catches your eye, just send a quick email to the poster to get more information, or submit your own ad describing exactly what you're looking for.

Finally, head to Amazon.com or your local book store and buy at least one good wedding planning book. This will be your trusty reference book and will help you know just which questions to ask, so that you can make an informed decision about a particular wedding vendor. For example, knowing the various costs that are typically associated with catering will allow you to ask for only the items you NEED, and avoid paying for anything you don't. In fact, knowing a bit about each type of wedding service vendor - caterers, musicians, DJs, etc. - will actually help save you money no matter which vendors you talk to, "professional" or not.

With a little outside the box thinking and basic knowledge about the "biz", you're on your way to pulling together a fantastic wedding day that may just cost you less than you think!

Are you imagining gliding blissfully around the wedding reception and stopping to catch up with all the friends and family attending your wedding? Are you imagining being showered with compliments as to what a fantastic day they’re having and how generally fabulous you are?

Unfortunately, the actual reality of most brides’ wedding day tends to be different. A recent Instant Forever wedding day survey showed that 71 percent of the couples surveyed spent only a few moments of their wedding day with their guests!

So how can you capture your wedding day memories with your guests to enjoy for years to come?

There are many options to choose from. How do you know which one is best for you? I’ve pulled together and reviewed some options to help you decide how you will capture your wedding day memories.

1. Traditional Wedding Guest Book

Guest books are a popular option for weddings. They’re available in a wide range of colours and prices to fit most budgets, and many stationers are able to make the guest book match your wedding stationery for added wedding elegance.

Here are the pros and cons of a traditional wedding guest book:

Pros:
• Available to suit every budget and size of wedding.
• It’s reasonably simple to organise – you can either ask guests to complete it at their table during the reception or you can set-up a ‘signing table’ - just make sure that your guests know it’s there!

Cons:
• The finished result can be uninspiring to look at. It’s just pages and pages of names and addresses –and it doesn’t really capture your wedding day special moments.

2. Instant Polaroid Photo Guest Book

Polaroid Guest Books take the traditional guest book to an all new level. Instant Polaroid Photo Guest Books are a unique "marriage" of a photo album and a guest book. You’re guests will absolutely love taking the instant Polaroid pictures, slipping them into the specially designed picture slots and finishing with their personalised messages.

Here are the pros and cons of an instant Polaroid photo guest book:

Pros:
• Available in a range of colours to match your wedding theme.
• A great way to interact with all your guests.
• Captures photos of all your guests, along with their personal messages.
• It’s an instant wedding memento that you can take away from the reception as soon as it’s over - without waiting for processing or photographers’ proofs.

Cons:
• It’s slightly more to organise than a traditional guest book. However, you can make it easier by putting a wedding attendant or close family member or friend in charge of the photo guest books to ensure they are used and enjoyed by all the guests.

3. Signature Frame

As most couples splash out on their wedding photography, chances are you’ll have some fantastic wedding photographs to display with pride. A signature frame refers to the cardboard mount around your chosen photo, which your guests sign at the wedding, for you to keep. Once you’ve decided on the size of photo you want, you can buy a mount and frame from any local framing shop.

Here are the pros and cons of a signature frame:

Pros:
• A great way to display your best couple photos or wedding photos at the wedding.
• A great way to interact with your guests.
• Easy to organise. The only thing required is leaving the photo mount on an easel in your reception area with a nice pen at hand for guests to sign.

Cons:

• Unless you get an enormous mount, there isn’t much space for your guests to write a personalised message to the couple.

4. Video Diary

Another interesting alternative is the creation of a video diary. This can work in a number of ways:

1) Hire a professional videographer. They can set up a separate room and camera for your guests to visit ‘Big Brother’ style.
2) Hire video booths.
3) Ask a friend to ask each guest a number of questions for the video diary. Example questions include: ‘How do you know the bride or groom?’ and ‘What are your wishes for the bride and groom?’

Here are the pros and cons of a video diary:

Pros:
• It allows your guests to create some very funny messages once people let their hair down after having a drink or two!

Cons:
• Can be expensive if done professionally. Prices for a video booth can also be costly.
• Some guests may be particularly camera shy and not keen on being captured on film.
• Needs some pretty involved before-during-after wedding organisation to encourage guests to use it.
• Certainly not an instant memento. You may have to wait a few weeks or months to receive the finished video.

Article Source : Pg. 2

About Author

Both Allison Campbell & Helen Rankin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Allison Campbell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Marriage and Wedding Planning. . Allison Campbell's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.

Helen Rankin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Planning. Helen Rankin, Founder of Instant Forever and distributor of Adesso Albums in the UK and Europe, helps you capture your wedding memories forever. The Adesso Album is the only wedding photo guest book alternative that captures your wedding event in an Insta. Helen Rankin's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.