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Happy Planning,

Dani

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Dani

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Dani

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Happy Planning,

Dani

Katrina and Steve are high school sweethearts. And they are just that, very sweet. I met Katrina, her mother and Steve (who was one of the few grooms) at the Owen Sound bridal show. Over the next few months, the planning for the big day continued. I shot the couple’s engagement pictures at the Murray’s Tree farm.

Katrina and Steve also decided that like a lot of couple now a days, they would see each other before the ceremony; we would do the formals at this time.

It was on the day of the rehearsal that I heard about what Katrina and Steve had planned for each other. Steve’s family are farmers and they also owned a John Deere dealership in the past. Now, one of the things I have learned about my community in the last year is that their love of the yellow and green grows deep. (The only comparison I can think of is Toronto’s love of the blue and white; if you don’t know what I mean, you must not be Canadian.) I thought it was cute that their surprises for one another all played on the Deere theme. As for her surprise, Katrina had a John Deere garter specially made.

As I mentioned, Steve’s family are, well, country folk. And it’s not (be any means) that Katrina is a princess or even a girly-girl, but she is a her new mother-in-law called her a “townie”. (And, this is really funny if you know how close Steve’s farm is from the busting metropolis of Mt Forest. So, please keep in mind I use the word “townie” with a grain of salt.) In their speeches, many people touched on the fact that Katrina brought rubber boots to the farm on her first visit.  These boots where more fashion than functional.

So we have a country guy who likes tractors marrying an “urban” princess. This might be why when Steve pulled up with his surprise for Katrina, in my head I was singing Jason Aldean’s I can Take you for a Ride on my Big Green Tractor:

And I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor,
We can go slow or make it go faster,
Down through the woods and out to the pasture,
Long as I’m with you it really don’t matter,
Climb up in my lap and drive if you want to,
Girl you know you got me to hold on to,
We can go to town but baby if you’d rather,
I’ll take you for a ride on my big green tractor,

Despite my love for my new found rural life, I know very little about tractors. I know there are green and yellow ones, and I know there are some by other colours. That’s it. Therefore, what I say here I learned later. This is an old tractor that the Corley family owns. It’s a collector item that up until recently looked like it had seen gentler days. The tractor was restored, so that Steve could drive up on it when him and Katrina saw each other for the first time.

I still get a kick out of Katrina’s face when she realizes this is the old tractor and not a new one.

Here’s some pictures of Steve finding out about his surprise.

Thanks Katrina and Steve for letting me part of your day AND for sharing your secrets and surprises with me!

Here are some more pics from the day.

I really loved this wedding, especially Katrina’s awesome, purple flowers. Stay tuned for a post on painted roses!

Before I tell you more why you should consider the BVSC, let’s flash back to earlier in the week. On Wednesday we did an incredibly fun shoot with Frazer and Jesse. Jesse really seems to radiate the “Beaver Valley Bride”; she is warm and fun. Don’t get me wrong she likes nice things (I mean come on when pressed who doesn’t?), but she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. Jesse is outdoorsy, likes sports and she would probably kill me if I told you what she scored on her LSATs. Oh and did I mention drop-dead gorgeous?

And I do have to let you know that Frazer is no slouch either. That smile!

Many of my clients get married at home. And I don’t want to discourage ALL of them from doing this as there is something romantic and family-oriented about getting married at home or on the family farm. I love it! This said, I have heard many a home owner say that if they had only known the work and the cost involved, they would have just had the wedding elsewhere. Now I am not getting paid a cent to say this, but  I think Beaver Valley is the answer. It provides a natural setting with stunning photographic opportunities.

Here’s a bit more from out shoot…

Just click on this link to see my first attempt.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DaniValiquettePhotos?feature=mhw4#p/u/0/gEzdAv6bQ2Q

Enjoy and happy planning.

Jenna with her Attendants

A parent album can be any number of pages; 12, 24, or 30 are common page numbers, and often it contains many of the same pictures you have chosen for your own wedding album. The album should tell the story of your wedding day and reflect the photographic style that better reflects your parent’s. (This might be the same as your own, but my experience is that parents do prefer the more traditional photos.)

Jenna with her Parents

It is a good idea to talk to your parents about what they would like in their album. Perhaps they would like more pictures of the church or ceremony then you selected for your own album.

Jenna and Dan: The View

You’ll need to keep in mind the number of “detailed” photos that were included in your package. If you pick too many new pictures, you’ll risk going over your allotted amount.  Of course, if you feel that these photos better express the day from your parent’s perspective, we can work together to determine which to include without inflating the price past your budget.

Happy planning,

Dani

This Monday for MM I thought I’d share some hints on how to pick an image for your thank-you cards.

Trust me the first question you’ll get on you big day (especially from your parents) will be a coy, “Soooo when are you guys gonna have kids?”. The next question will occur sometime during your first week back from your honeymoon when someone will ask you if have started your thank-you cards yet. And you and your new husband will look at each other in disbelief. “Already?”, you’ll think.

Though you may not completely agree with where they fall in the list of To Dos, thank-you cards are important.  And though I don’t think you need to pick them before you unpack from Maui, you do need to think about what image you may want to use when you go through your pictures.

Here is my guidance, in general, the image on a thank-you card is one of the more traditional photos taken of the bride and groom. It is small so you may not want a full head-to-toe image, but more likely a head and shoulders shot. If there is an image you really like I can most likely crop it. Just ask and I’ll do my best to accommodate. I have never done a thank-you card that is not of the bride and groom, but this isn’t the only option.

Vanessa and Mike's Thank you card

Please don’t use the following knowledge to justify your procrastination, but the Martha Stewart’s and Amy Vaunderbilt’s say you have one-year to get your handwritten thank-yous in the mail.  Please note that mother-in laws all over disagree.

Happy planning,

Dani

The Proof is in the Pudding

A common question from clients is, “What is a proof?”. And the confusion is warranted because depending on the photographer “proof” can have many meanings. In short, when you get a proof from me it is a picture from me that has been colour-corrected, maybe the exposure has been adjusted, but there is no Photoshop magic. (And how we love the Photoshop <3, don’t we ladies?)

Don’t forget all wedding packages come with a proof book to help you choose the pics for your wedding album.  If a picture calls for it to be converted to black and white, I’ll usually do that in the proof book so you have an idea of the overall feel of the photo.

Digital Proofs

What about digital proofs? All your proofs are available online in your password protected gallery. (Remember, the point of this is to share it with all your friends and family!) You will also be given a proof disc.  These are the files from which your proofs were printed. They are low resolution files (meaning they will look like ca-ca if you blow then up past 8×10 inches) with my website on them. Feel free to email them to Nana in Maine or post them to your Facebook wall.

So that’s a proof.

Happy planning,

Dani