Becky – Page 15 – Appleby Photography

Kim and Neil’s Wedding Album

November 3, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

“You made it extremely difficult to choose photos! There are so many good ones to choose from.”

This is certainly a good problem to have. I’d rather a bride and groom have too many images that they love and want than not enough to fill their album.

Kim and Neil loved so many of their wedding photographs that they weren’t sure how to eliminate any of them from their album list. They opted to just pick their very favorites and then asked me to help. Once they gave me the list of ones they “absolutely fell in love with,” I helped to shape them into the story of their special day by choosing images that complemented their choices.

You can see some of their wedding images here.

Of the finished result, Kim said, “The album is absolutely beautiful. I started to tear up because of how wonderful every page looks! I cannot thank you enough for all your hard work and time you put into making the album.”

Happy tears, happy photographer.

Fall Themed Wedding Details

October 27, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

Fall is an easy season to use to plan a wedding theme. The rich colors and textures provide a beautiful palette, both for the bridal party and the reception. Pulling from natural elements, like fall flowers, wood and pumpkins, gives a wedding a warm feel while still being fresh and clean.

Timeline for Ordering Save The Dates, Albums and More

October 21, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

Holidays are lurking around the corner and the nice fall lull is coming to an end. Are you ready? Here are some helpful timelines to make sure you are:

Save The Dates:

Spring and Summer brides-You should be sending them about 6 months before the wedding, with 4-8 months being the range. Now is the time to be ordering your cards or magnets. Check out this post for more tips.

Christmas Cards:

Most people like to send cards within 1-2 weeks after Thanksgiving. You still have a small window of time to squeeze in an engagement or family session. Order your cards by the beginning of November to have enough time to address them.

Gift Portraits:

Photographs make great holiday gifts for parents and grandparents. Check off some names on your shopping list by ordering no later than the beginning of December.

Wedding Albums:

All albums are custom designed. Make sure to plan on it taking 8-12 weeks for the whole process. If you would like your album before Christmas, we need to start now. You can read more about the album process here.

5 Ways To Keep The Bride Happy With Your Selfies

October 15, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

I’m sure you don’t mean to be annoying, right?

The big trend in 2015 is using the “selfie stick.” The metal pole probably reminds any self-respecting child from the 80’s or 90’s of Inspector Gadget (“Go, go gadget arm!”). You pop in your cell phone, extend the pole and you are able to take a large group shot that doesn’t have your arm filling the bottom part of the photo. Even though it has been banned at places like Disney, you think it’s actually a pretty cool invention, right?

Should you use your selfie stick at a wedding?

Of course, we were bound to see selfie sticks at weddings. I know that they may be considered irritating by some people, so as a photographer, you may be surprised that I would say YES, you should use yours while celebrating the big day! However, there are some etiquette tips to make you less obnoxious while you snap your photos.

1. Respect the ceremony

Whether you are a groomsman or a guest, using a selfie stick during the ceremony is just plain bad manners. The bride and groom invited their family and friends to witness their marriage. They don’t want someone else ruining the moment by shoving their phone out into the aisle, above the guests heads or even into the professional photographs. And they certainly don’t want to have guests paying attention to your phone instead of them, taking the focus away from their vows. Keep the selfie stick and your phone tucked away and just bask in the bride and groom’s love while they become Mr. and Mrs.

2. Let the professional photographer work

The bride and groom spent time and money picking out the photographer to capture their special day. They are on a time schedule to get the professional photographs done before the reception gets rolling. Make sure to stay back and let them get those important photos finished. The photographer will be able to get the shots they need much quicker and easier if they are not fighting off your metal selfie pole or regathering stray bridesmaids that jumped into your selfie shot.

3. Include lots of people, especially the bride and groom

The extended arm lets you include a big group in your shots- get them in there! Don’t hog the spotlight for yourself. And make sure to ask the bride and groom to get into a group shot or two.

4. Share the images

A lot of couples will have a wedding hashtag to share their images online. Make sure to post your images with the hashtag so everyone can see and enjoy them.

5. Don’t be annoying

This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Too much of a good thing can be annoying. Wedding champagne and a hopping dance floor is no place for wielding a selfie stick. Certainly, nobody wants to get poked or pushed aside while you are taking a photo. Once you’ve capturing some fun crowd shots, put the selfie stick away and show off your dance moves, instead. You don’t want to upset the bride and groom or their guests by waving your phone high above them all night.

Follow these tips and you can enjoy being the life of the party and get some amazing photos, while still being a wonderful guest.

If you are the bride and groom embracing the selfie stick revolution, consider giving them as wedding favors. You could even get them engraved with your wedding date. And don’t forget to share that wedding hashtag with all your guests so you can see all the fun that happened through the day!

Kimberly and Neil’s Romantic, Intimate Wedding

October 12, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

Sometimes, smaller really is better.

When it comes to weddings, planning large events can be overwhelming, and even impersonal. On the wedding day, having 8 or more bridesmaids and groomsmen to wrangle, needing to mingle with 350 guests and keep the whole thing running on schedule is enough to make even the most organized, outgoing bride wishing for the evening to end.

So, on the flip side, a small, intimate wedding can feel more special.

Without the “pomp and circumstance,” you can focus on what is important: love and marriage.

Kim and Neil had a small window of time in which to plan their wedding. Neil is a marine, so with limited leave, a large, traditional affair was not an option. They planned their mid-week wedding, knowing there would be just enough time to return to base.

Sixteen family members came together to celebrate Kim and Neil’s marriage. Everyone stood together at the altar to be a part of the ceremony. When every single guest that is at the wedding truly wants to be there and is excited for the couple, it shows. The love can practically be felt in the air!

The Most Important Part Of A Family Portrait Session, Part 2

October 5, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

Recently, we shared the backyard garden location from Paula and Bill’s family portrait session. You can see the photos here.

While having the session done is the first step, actually getting the photographs to
show off is the important part. The whole reason you go to the effort of getting your family together, all cleaned up and coordinated, is have those special photographs up on the wall so everyone can see them!

family portrait album to showcase groups posed in backyard garden in madison wisconsin I love going into homes with a lot of wall portraits and smaller photographs displayed on shelves or counters. And, of course, Paula and Bill’s home is a great example.

When people go into someone’s home, they will often gravitate towards the photographs on the wall. Seeing old wedding portraits or baby photographs of kids now grown give visitors a special glimpse into the past. It’s like letting them in on a secret story from an all-but-forgotten time. layout pages from the family album garden location madison wi

Paula and I walked through her rooms and discussed where these new portraits will go, along with looking at the older ones she will continue to display. I loved hearing her stories about her kids’ weddings and seeing all the grandchildren as toddlers.

I think it’s a good idea to keep those older portraits, even if they no longer get prime wall locations. It’s usually pretty easy to find a new wall to call home for those well-loved photographs, such as a hallway or bedroom.

The only issue for Paula was that she loved more images from this session than we could beautifully show off in her home.

The best answer was to do a family album, as well.

One of the best perks of a family album is how portable it is. When you are not able to get everyone to your home to see your lovely family hanging on your wall, you can take the photographs to them.

Along with the wall portraits and family album, we did miniature versions of the album. These pocket-sized books are a fun way to share the album with everyone, as they tuck into a purse and can be passed around easily.

We love being able to make great portraits that we know will be cherished and enjoyed for years. It’s wonderful to know how important these are for the families we work with to create them!

Gorgeous Backyard Garden Location For Family Portrait Session, Part 1

September 29, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Paula and Bill’s kids knew that the only thing Paula wanted was to get the whole family together and have a portrait session.

And since this was to be the first time in many, many years that the whole family was going to be together in the same place all at the same time, it was important to get this session scheduled to lock in the date. Family session in backyard garden in Madison Wisconsin

I think it’s especially meaningful to families when the location we do the session reflects their tastes and they have a connection to it. Paula has spent years cultivating her perfect backyard garden. The whole family has seen the garden grow and expand over the years from Paula’s careful attention and hard work. They have all enjoyed the view from the back patio and while sitting around the fire. This is a place they know and relax in.

So, it was an easy choice for her family portrait session location. There would have been no better place than Paula’s backyard.

When we get families together, we love to take advantage of the opportunity. Of course, we get the whole entire family together for a large group portrait, but we work through as many other combinations as we can. This is good for the individual families and also the special groupings, like all the cousins together.

When Paula and Bill’s family look at these photographs, not only are they going to love the people in them, but they are also going to enjoy the special setting, knowing how important it is to them all.

End Of Summer: Fall Equinox

September 22, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

Labor Day, the start of school, flipping the calendar to September, the first maple tree leaves turning red, the fall equinox… We often debate coffee on lake when summer really ends, but we are splitting hairs when we argue which date exactly announces the arrival of fall. They all mean the same thing: the end of summer.

I think it’s more important to realize why it’s such a big deal.

Summer feels like freedom, irresponsibility and relaxation all rolled into one. Kids don’t have homework and are told to go play outside. Adults plan weekends of leisure and flock to patios to sip drinks with friends.

To say goodbye to summer feels like you are taking back all the work and drudgery you were able to leave behind last spring when the snow finally melted. To say goodbye to summer feels like you closing a chapter.

And sometimes, that is a good thing.

Fall gives you a fresh start. The promise of new school supplies and fresh schedules makes you optimistic. Clearing out the dying garden gives you less yard work. The crisp, cool air clears your head.

For us, we are looking forward to fall. As much as I love the flexibility of not watching the clock, I need some structure for my kids’ days. And our summer was more eventful than we wanted it to be, with broken bones and trips to emergency rooms.

We were lucky enough to celebrate the end of summer with friends. They have a charming, relaxing cabin on a quiet lake. The weather was perfect. There was plenty to eat and drink. The children all got along with one another. No one had any major accidents.

It was the perfect way to end the summer.

We are ready for a new chapter. Welcome to fall.

Lovely Winter Wedding Album & How The Process Works

September 15, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

Anna and Atit celebrated their marriage twice. Their Catholic wedding ceremony took place in Jefferson, Wisconsin, several days after their Chicago hindu ceremony. (You can see more images here.)

Wedding album for winter catholic hindu marriage ceremony in madison wisconsin This is the album that showcased the Catholic ceremony. Along with photographs of the ceremony, it had images of their family and the reception that took place afterward at the Madison Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.

Anna and Atit selected their favorite 100-and-some photographs that I designed into the final album.

Often, the design of a wedding album is a collaborative effort. The bride and groom can have as much control over the images that go into it as they want. Some couples will pick them all, others prefer me to make the storytelling selections, and still others will pick some and have me round out the design by picking the rest.

Once images are selected, they are worked into a custom design. This is an important step with my albums that I create. Since no two weddings are alike, and certainly no two brides would pick the same images for her album, I don’t use templates to create albums. There is no way I could force couples into one-size-fits-all boxes. The design is completely dependent on the images that were chosen and the style that the bride and groom like.

When this custom design is then ready for the couple to look over, they give their approval before the album goes into final production.

The cover of an album can range from fabrics and leathers to custom designs and photographs. Anna and Atit opted for a solid blue leather cover for their album. Since their wedding colors were blue and brown, it coordinated perfectly.

Real Wedding Feature on Iowa’s Corridor Wedding Guide

September 11, 2015February 9, 2018 by Becky

When the Corridor Wedding Guide asked us about featuring one of our brides and grooms on their Real Weddings section, I knew exactly who I would pick!

Bre and Steve were married on August 1st in Iowa City, at a gorgeous Catholic church with a reception at the popular Bella Sala. I have had the pleasure of working with them since we met last November. We had done a bridal show at the Old Capital Museum that Bre attended. We clicked from the start.

We quickly found lots to bond over, from our love of Wisconsin (Steve) to a shared obsession of wedding details (Bre), like the cake that was Bre’s whole inspiration for her color scheme and theme.

Steve is a Green Bay Packers fan, so we even tweaked the time of their engagement session so he wouldn’t miss all of the Super Bowl playoff game. (That was the game the Packers lost, so we won’t speak of this again….)

The genuine and compassionate emotions that Bre shares become contagious. You can’t help but be drawn in by her, whether she is talking about her wedding, her family or the people at work who she treats like family.

When she cried when she first saw her wedding photographs, I was both touched and delighted! I knew the photographs were very important to her, so when she saw them and loved them, that meant so much to me.

So, it made me happy and excited that we were able to share these images with everyone else.

I already knew the story of how they met and fell in love, but it was still so much fun to read it again on the Corridor Wedding Guide website. Hop on over to read the story and see more images from Bre & Steve’s wedding. I hope you enjoy it, too!