Author: Becky

As every bride knows, weddings are steeped in traditions. Even couples who don’t want a “traditional” wedding have good reason to follow age-old customs.

1. Wedding Traditions Are Helpful

Wedding traditions are a set of rituals that we’ve passed down over the years. These are ideas and practices that have worked in the past, so they have become “rules” we often copy today. Having a set of wedding traditions is helpful because when there is a plan to follow, it relieves stress. Are you worried about etiquette for inviting guests or the best order to walk into the church? No problem! Just follow the set traditions!

2. Wedding Traditions Strengthen Family History

Following traditions can strengthen your sense of history and belonging. They connect you to your families. Repeating traditions celebrates those traditions. When you do things your parents and grandparents did at their weddings, you become tied to their stories. You reinforce values and your place in the family, while creating shared memories.

3. Wedding Traditions Are Fun.

Some traditions are seen as a way to add fun into the day. Lighthearted rituals can add meaning to the day without feeling like a burden. For example, there is an old, often repeated, rhyme that many brides enjoy following, which goes like this:

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a silver sixpence in her shoe.

The idea is that the bride should have something old to wear or carry, connecting her with her family’s past. The ‘something new’ that she wears or carries stands for optimism for future happiness. She should borrow something from someone happily married, with hope their good fortune will rub off. Something blue stands for fidelity, love and purity. And having a silver sixpence, a British coin (because this is an old English rhyme) in her shoe symbolizes prosperity.

Why You Shouldn’t Follow Every Tradition

Having some solid traditions to follow can create an easier path to wedding planning. However, including ones that don’t feel right or following too many can prevent a couple from customizing their ceremony and really making it their own.

Feel free to use family traditions as a starting point to create a wedding that includes what’s important to you, while showcasing your personalities. Before committing to a ritual or custom, think about how it’ll fit into your day. Incorporating traditions should be meaningful to you and your loved ones.

Does it make sense for the entire bridal party to participate in the receiving line? Would you rather skip the wedding cake and just serve ice cream? Deciding whether to follow wedding traditions is a personal choice.

 
Whether you follow old ideas or blaze your own path, remember that celebrating your love and commitment to each other is the main reason you’re having a wedding. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

Most brides and grooms say that one of their biggest priorities is planning a really fun reception for their guests. They want it to be a great party that everyone will remember as being a phenomenal event.

It makes sense that couples want their family and friends to have a good time while celebrating their marriage. We totally agree it’s important to make sure guests enjoy the whole evening.

But I will let you know that certainly does take some planning and work. It’s doesn’t just happen on it’s own. Chris talked over on Corridor Wedding Guide about how the Cheeky Booth photo booth can help keep guests happy and entertained. It’s a great article- check it out!

Brides and grooms are very busy on the wedding day. They are the guests-of-honor and usually the hosts, too. They may not even realize how fast the time is flying by for them because they have so much on their minds and have so many people to greet.

Unfortunately, they might not notice if some of their guests are getting bored. They might not see that people have finished dinner and are sitting, twiddling their thumbs (do people really do that?), waiting for the next “thing” to happen.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! With some advanced planning, couples can have entertainment ready for guests to fills that time between cocktails, dinner and dancing. It’s also nice to have that entertainment available in case not all your guests enjoy getting out on the dance floor, but still want something to do. (And trust me, as crazy as you might think it sounds, there has never been a wedding reception where every single person has gotten out on the dance floor!)

Photo booths are a popular way to entertain guests of all ages. They are perfect for getting a photograph of everyone who attends your reception, because even camera-shy folks seem to have no problem hopping in the booth for a silly photo-op!

Of course, there are other options, too. Craft tables filled with paper, crayons, and other art supplies will occupy young guests. Providing board games or trivia games can help the adults fill time in the evening. Outdoor weddings can easily incorporate yard games, like bean bag toss or yard-sized Jenga.

The point is, if you plan ahead of time, you can ensure that your wedding guests will have plenty of fun options and will enjoy the whole evening.

And please do check out Chris’ interview on Corridor Wedding Guide. We are quite happy with how it turned out! We’d love to hear what you think!

It was time for a “refresh!”

It had been a long time since we updated our wedding photography packages! I’m thinking maybe 6 years? Admittedly, I like to go with the idea that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” I don’t want to tinker with things just for the sake of doing it- there needs to be a good reason.

And I had a good reason to update our Wedding Photography Collections.

People like to have options. That is why we used to always have an album credit, so brides and grooms could pick the album that they liked best. It was also very important to us that our couples had a beautiful album to show off their favorite photographs from their wedding.

However, what I was finding was that couples trusted me to guide them with their album choose. They knew I was working to design an amazing layout to best show their day, so they didn’t need 6 different album sizes or styles. As long as I was picking the best quality album and I was designing their images into a beautiful story, they were thrilled. As a matter of fact, the easier I made it on them to decide, the happier they were.

We are still keeping the options, but now we have simplified the choices.

We have collections that include everything a bride or groom could want, but we have also added collections that give a little more wiggle room. For couples that don’t want an album or couples that don’t need an engagement session, we have full-service wedding day coverage that fits their needs and budget.

As always, all of our collections include the full-size digital files, so there is never a need to worry about printing additional photographs later.

Are you looking for a wedding photographer? Give us a call at 319-382-0744 or 608-280-8845 or drop us an email and we can chat!

All remaining 2017 dates are $200 off any Appleby Photography wedding collection! And if you need a photo booth rental for your wedding reception, it’s $100 off any Cheeky Booth photo booth rental package!

Your wedding should be filled with happy moments and memories. You plan and shop and craft for a year ahead of your important day. And you’re going to marry the love of your life!

So what could you possibly regret afterwards? Well, it turns out that there are a lot of newly married couples who have after-wedding regrets. A few of the same big regrets tend to pop up over and over. Luckily, If you know what those disappointments are, you can plan your day a bit better and avoid them.

3. Skipping a videographer.

Maybe you cringe when someone asks if you’d like to see their wedding video, so you think this would be a good place to save money. Unfortunately, not having a wedding videographer is among the biggest wedding day regrets. The whole day passes by in a blur and a wedding video records things your brain doesn’t even have time to process!

As much as photography captures your whole wedding day with still images of all its events and details, there is still something to be said for capturing the action while it’s happening. A video of the entire ceremony, word for word, even if you stumbled over your vows, can be cherished long after the rings have been exchanged. And photographs can never do justice to the amazing music from the band you were super excited to book for the reception or your father’s toast, filled with awkward jokes and tears that you want to hear again. The whole day will fly by and it’s hard to remember everything, so having a video of special moments will be special for you.

2. Not getting a great photographer.

Weddings can get expensive and couples try to balance their budget where they can. So, if a dear friend offers to photograph the wedding, you may think that’s a good thing. Or maybe instead of that really great photographer you loved, you settle on the one that is a lot cheaper, but whose images are just “okay.” And then after the wedding, you have no photographs that you like enough to show off to family and friends. Skimping on photography is another huge regret.

An experienced photographer will be a huge blessing on your wedding day. They know how to schedule your photograph sessions to make sure you get to the reception on time. They’ll also know how to best use your locations to get fabulous images and make sure all those important family photographs are taken care of. Professional photographers knows how to pose you at the most flattering angles, how to light portraits even in dim locations, and how to get the whole wedding party to cooperate, smile for group photographs and stay on schedule.

You only have one chance to get beautiful photographs. If you don’t have gorgeous photographs that you love from your wedding, it doesn’t matter if the cheaper photographer threw in free prints or albums. If you can’t afford the package of your dreams, ask your photographer if they’ll do a custom package for you. You may be able to save money now and have the option to add an album later. At Appleby Photography, we are always willing to customize a package for our brides and grooms.

1. Forgetting to slow down to enjoy the day.

You think you’ll have time. After all, you planned everything out. But, weddings are always busy and chaotic and rarely run on schedule. This is especially true if you are doing a lot of DIY with decorating, which requires both set-up and clean-up at the end of the night. Not having enough time to really enjoy the whole experience of the wedding is probably most couples’ biggest after-wedding regret.

You want to be able to relax and spend time with your family and friends and all your wedding guests. The best way to do that is by having a wedding day schedule. Ask an experienced wedding professional to help you with your timeline before the big day to avoid any scheduling snafus.

If you don’t have a wedding coordinator, ask for help from your other wedding professionals, such as your photographer, wedding DJ and reception coordinator. They’ve worked many events and can give you an accurate estimate on how long everything will take. Once you have your schedule planned out, let all your vendors know. Also, it may be helpful to ask a friend or family member (preferably someone not in the bridal party, perhaps your personal attendant or an organized aunt) to help keep you–and your event–running on time.

Weddings should never be filled with regret. Consider getting a videographer, choose the best photographer you can afford and plan time in your wedding day to really enjoy being with your family and friends. Some thoughtful planning before your wedding will ensure you avoid disappointment and have tons of happy memories!