Has Weddings Changed? (covid-19 edition)

 

Has Weddings Changed?

     Covid-19 took us all for a huge loop. Here at EMC we realized during March 2020 that we were going to be in the loop as everyone else in the world. 

    Everything shut down. It seemed like for good. 

    However, when changes comes so comes chances.  A chance to spend more time with those you love. A chance to spend more time planning your wedding. A chance to save a bit more money for that upgrade on a vendor, venue, flowers or food. 

    So has Weddings really Changed since before Covid-19?

     Absolutely! But not in the way you would believe. During 2020 couples were still getting married. They were still smiling after saying "I do" and they were still finding ways to celebrate with those they love most. Some were limiting their attendees, some had drive by weddings, and some had the cutest Intimate weddings I have ever seen. 

    It is not that Weddings have Changed. It is that Weddings have evolved into what they have always needed to be. Intimate, Personal, and sometimes even Private. 

    So when you sit down tonight and go over your wedding plans. Just remember the love you have for your significant other and plan this wedding for YOU. 

    

   Thank you for reading. 

www.emcphotographystudio.com

IG: emcweddings

FB: facebook.com/emcweddings

    

Finding that PERFECT Wedding Dress

     

Choosing your Perfect Wedding dress can seem stressful and downright terrifying. 

          How will you ever choose? There are so many options. Do I really want to spend the next 8 hours trying on wedding dresses at my local bridal shop? 

NO! No one does. 

               Will there be a guiding light to my perfect dress? 

NO! There will not be. 

(although the light up wedding dresses ARE pretty neat)

However,  I'm here to make it easier for you to find your DREAM Wedding Dress. Or at least give you an idea of what you are looking for.

Let's start with a piece of paper or be like me and grab the first available paper plate.
(go ahead, I'll wait)
    Cross your paper (or paper plate) like this
 


You are going to number each section: 1 - 4.

WHOOT! We're cooking with Fire now!

There are 4 Simple Questions to ask yourself before shopping for your perfect gown:
    Here is where you make your notes
     

Which do you like better? 

There is only 1 Rule

You can only List 2 per section

     1. Length 

                                     Short                              Mid                               Long  

      

 If you are looking to have a train, you will be needing to choose the 'long' option.

 If you are looking to have a long veil you can choose any length. 

2. Skirt

                                     Trumpet                            Flare                          Ball                                    

      

                                                       Straight                         Column

   

                                   Sheath                      A-Line                         Mermaid

             

     

Yes, There are a lot of skirt options BUT remember you can only list 2.

3. Back

No back                  Full                      Keyhole 

      

Note to self: 

If you have back tattoos: Do you wish to show them off?

4. Sleeves

                     Long                        Sleeveless                       Cap                     

      

                                   Off the Shoulder           Juliette                  One Shoulder

                 

Note to self: What will the weather be like during your Wedding Month

_______________________________________

   You're Done! 

How did you do?

       A: "This was so helpful, I got this!"

       OR

       B:  "Now I am even more confused"

     If you are in the "A" category take your paper (or even your paper plate) to your wedding dress stylist and get trying on those gowns. 

     If you are in the "B" category DO NOT PANIC!! Keep reading.

I have one more thing up my sleeve. 

_____________________________________

For all of you Category B's.

Here is a TIP I learned from a Bride I photographed last year. 

Join Wedding Facebook Groups. 

No really! Hear me out. 

There are SOO many Wedding Facebook Groups out there that have so many members to help you out. And Among these many members, there will be an individual who is your size and shape. They will be more than willing to share their dress selection and experiences with you. 

Here is a list of my top 3 Facebook Wedding Support groups I am a member of: 

1. Wedding Planning Club

2. Wedding Planning & Support

3. Getting Hitched Wedding Style

These groups are so supportive and active towards their members. You will be flooded with positivity, love and will be supported with any questions and decisions you have made throughout not only your wedding dress selection or design but also your wedding planning. 

Good luck in finding your PERFECT Wedding Dress. 

And as always

Thank You For Reading!

EMC Photography Studio

www.emcphotographystudio.com 

IG: emcweddings

Facebook.com/emcweddings

Quinceanera for the Books

    2018 Mily's Mother contacted us to be a part of her daughters BIG day in 2019. We haven't been involved in a Quinceanera in a long time. It was Exciting. Being blessed enough to capture someone's daughter travel into womanhood in the presence of her closest family and friends is definitely one for the books.

What is a Quinceanera you ask?
        I'll explain...

   quin·ce·a·ñe·ra

[ˌkinsāənˈyerə]

NOUN

1. (in Latin America and among Latinos) a celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday and her transition from childhood to adulthood, typically involving a mass followed by a party.

    Growing up in Southern California, Quinceanera's were a part of life as a Latin American. Normally in the United States, we hear about Sweet Sixteen parties. But if your Heritage is from a Latin Country every girl dreamed of having a Quince'. And every Father dreaded them.

    In history, 15 years old for a young girl is no longer a child but a woman and with a celebration, she will walk into the world as such.

    Just like a wedding, there are men and woman on each side of the birthday girl called: Damas & Chambelanes all dressed in formal attire. There is also a 'man of honor' who is by the birthday girls side throughout the process.

    Mass is first. There is a lot of history involving mass however, I won't get too much into that because the history has changed so much. Each family makes it their own based on their faith and country they originate from.

    After mass, the party begins. The Most important part of a Quince's after party is the 'change of shoes'. The father has the honors to change out normal everyday shoes to beautiful heels for the birthday girl to wear into the world. This signifies she is ready to be a woman. This is a very emotional time for the father, as he will soon be seeing his little girl married & with children of her own.

After the change of the shoes, the Party does a traditional choreographed Waltz as well as a special dance of their choosing throughout the night.

   There are so many Quinceanera traditions today it is really hard to keep track. But like I said before, This one was for the books. With Deep blues, whites & Silver, how could you be sad at this event? Although I have to admit I did hold back a tear or two during the night.

   Seeing such a beautiful young lady walk in a child and walk out a Woman is empowering & emotional. She is off to conquer the world now, and we wish her the best of luck.

Thank you to the family for letting us be part of this special day!

Good Luck in your Future Mily!

 
and as always, Thanks for reading.

www.emcphotographystudio.com

I am about to go Bridezilla?

                                   

     You have spent all of this time planning your BIG Day you're happy, excited & totally IN LOVE with what you have accomplished in this amount of time.

 Then this happens:

     "Hello, This is your photographer we would like to inform you that we are unable to make your wedding date. Please call us back"

UH....OKAY?!?!

 and this: 

     "Hello Miss Smith I am so sorry to let you know but we have scheduled a larger wedding and will not be able to cater your event"

OMG!!!

and another:

     "I am just not going to be able to make it to your wedding, I'll send a gift though."

WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!!

     As a Wedding Photographer, I have run into every story in the book. "My photographer canceled on me, please help!" - "Did you hear my caterer canceled on me for a larger wedding" - "Oh yeah, so, my own mother isn't going to be at my wedding because she has a birthday party to go to'. *All true Stories btw* 

     This can be very frustrating situations when planning your big day. But there is always light at the end of the tunnel. This blog is to help you keep your head on straight and offer you a few tips on keeping it together and fixing what has gone wrong, and fixing it FAST. 

What is the "Value" of a Wedding Photographer?

What is the "Value" of a Wedding Photographer???

     Some of the toughest questions come to me during my meetings with my couples. Today I heard. "Honestly, we don't even know if we really NEED a Photographer"

     Every day we hope to get the best BANG for our BUCK, right? Wrong! If you honestly think about it, you aren't looking for the savings in the items you purchase, you are looking for the value. What will I get out of this? Who is selling it? and How long will it last? These are the questions we really ask ourselves when we go about our day. 

     There are 3 separate needs that go through our minds when we are planning a wedding. I speak from experience when I say: "It is OKAY to have needs. We are human."

 

    1. External Need: The external need of every person is the bottom line. The out in the open 'need'.

"I need someone to take photographs of my wedding" Point blank. 

Wedding Photographers are there to meet all of your needs and more. They will be there for you before, during and some even after your wedding. They are seen but not seen. They are in the bushes, behind grandma, in the rafters and in some cases lying on the floor capturing the moments you openly need. 

    2. Internal Need:  The internal need of every person is in the middle, between what is known & what is not known. 

 "Am I good enough? Am I even good enough to be having this wedding? Am I actually worth throwing in all of this money to invest just in myself?"

Wedding Photographers create portraits, we create Artwork around what YOU love most. I personally give you permission to value YOURSELF. This is your day, your ONE day you can smile for 8-10 hours, you can shed tears without judgment & basically piss off anyone and not have any repercussions afterward... *just throwing that last bit for laughs but still serious about it*

     3. Philosophical Need: The Philosophical need of every person is the innermost feeling deep within you that no one knows but you. 

"Does this even matter? Does this Marriage even matter? What am I doing here, should I just walk away?"

Know this before judging my philosophical examples above. This could go deeper than anyone could imagine within yourself. It could be religious, spiritual, moral or even self-worth. The Philosophical needs of every person can't be outed, it can't be judged & it can't be contained. However, know this. No matter your deeper need. . . we get it. We understand. Any Wedding Photographer that has done more than 3 weddings understands. Why? Because we've seen it. We see the stress, we feel the grief and we know the struggle. Don't give up!

@>------

Putting a Value on your Wedding Photographer has absolutely NOTHING to do with us. And I know you have read, watched or heard differently more times than you can count. However, The Value that we can give you as Wedding Photographers is Knowledge. 

1. External Need - We are photographers & We will do everything in our power to take the most sublime photos we can to make sure you get your money's worth. 

2. Internal Need - We do not budge our prices because we KNOW in our heart and in our soul that our Service & Product is worth the value it contains. 

3. Philosophical Need - *Spoilers* We have them too! Every Wedding Photographer has these moments where they want to just throw in the towel. "Why is no one booking me?" "What am I doing wrong?" "Should I change everything about my business & Just start over?" (Again these are just examples) Point is, on Philosophical needs, you are not alone. 

So, What ACTUALLY is the "Value" of a Wedding Photographer?

YOU!!!!!

A Wedding Photographer is only as much Value as you Value yourself. You are faced with a photographer that has a base price of $3,000 but your External Need was $500. Why??? Why is that YOUR value? Why do we place values on ourselves? The only answer to that is opinions. Opinions help us fail. Know your vendor's value, Know your entire Wedding's value, Know YOUR VALUE. When you find your value, your stress will be less, your time will be more & you will have the best Damn Wedding Photographer and The best photos for years to come. 

Thank you so much for reading

"What do you think the value of a Wedding Photographer is?" Leave your comments below

www.emcphotographystudio.com 

     

Things to tell your Wedding Photographer - Part 2

     Hello Again & Welcome back to my blog. Today we will be continuing our journey on

Things to tell your Wedding Photographer - Part 2

     Let's jump right in shall we 😍

Time Line

     Giving your Wedding Photographer a Time Line prior to the Wedding helps them understand the events and the order these events will be taking place. The reason for this is because if you have a Wedding Photographer that also does video they have enough time to set everything up prior to the video taking place. Without this timeline, your Photographer will be completely clueless about where to stand, what lens to use or what equipment to set up until it is too late. 

Crazy Reception Dance

     I can NOT stress this enough. Photographs of your dance to Thriller will not be the same as a video. I can speak from experience when I say: Please tell your photographer if you will be doing a dance that is not your 'normal run of the mill' dance.  This way your photographer is prepared to capture the moment with video. If you have a video guy that's Great. Let them know as well. (I know this kind of ties into the Time Line portion but think of it as section A of the subject) 

What are you most worried about?

     Okay, stay with me here. The reason I added this is because I personally ask my couples this very question. What are you most worried about regarding your photographs? Do you have braces, glasses, bad teeth, scars? The reason why I ask this is to make sure that I understand what is NOT to be captured on camera or control the situation in which you are worried about. We are here to make your photos beautiful, not for you to look at them years later and think, "dang I wish they would have asked me to take off my glasses". 

Group Shots

     Not a lot of individuals think about the equipment needed to take a great group shot. If you have a large family, a large party or just want everyone whos anyone in one photo, Tell your Photographer prior to your wedding. There are certain lenses we have to bring in order to make this possible. We have to scope out space prior to and expect the unexpected with lighting situations with large group shots. Here is what will happen if you spring it at the last min. Your Photographer will have to back up so far with his normal wedding lens that no one will be able to be seen in your photo. Your photo will not be crips OR the individuals on the ends will not be clear. Please, do your Photographer a solid & give them a heads up. 

Lastly

Why did you Contact Us?

     In this business, we have to be passionate about what we do. If your photographer is NOT passionate about their business or you, you need to start looking for one that is. I'm serious! It may be hard to give up on a photographer but if they don't love you, I'm sorry, you will NOT love your photos. So why did you Contact them? Was it just their photos? Was it an add you saw on social media that caught your eye? Was it a recommendation you received from someone else? This information is soo valuable to a Wedding Photographer because we desperately want to know if others are loving our work enough to recommend us. We work hard to be seen and to receive couples like you. Let us know. 

And there you have it. You have a total of 10 Most important things to Tell your Photographer. That wasn's so bad was it? Nah! 

Feel free to comment on this blog

What do you feel is the most important thing to tell your Wedding Photographer?

Thanks for reading. 

www.emcphotographystudio.com

Things to tell your Wedding Photographer - Part 1

   

EMC Photography Studio is run by me, Adele Lopez. And I tell it how it is. Please understand prior to reading, this is not to offend or to criticize anyone specifically. It is just reality. 

    _________________________________________________________________________

 Imagine this: 
      You're standing outside of your venue, about to make your grand entrance. You're feeling great, a little nervous but you'll push through it. You flatten the front of your dress, check your hair, the bouquet is holding up nicely in this weather, look around and ... Wait..... where is your photographer?

     "Hey,! Hey you, um... I'm sorry I don't remember your name. Could you find my photographer please?"

___________________

     TRUST ME! You DO NOT want this to be you. We! don't want this to be you.

    More often than most Wedding Photographers are not given the proper direction from their couples they are serving. I am not saying you are bad people. I am saying, YES, it IS your job as our clients to give us the most information you can before we photograph your wedding. You wouldn't go to a salon and tell the stylist 'ehh, just wing it', would you? (a horrible analogy I know but that's all I have at the moment)
     Point is, the more direction we have about your BIG day the better. It makes our jobs easier as photographers and your stress level will plummet knowing we are doing our jobs to capture those sublime moments you will cherish forever.

     THINGS TO TELL YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - Part 1

(There will be a quiz at the end so take notes)

ATTIRE 
     As adults, we know showing up to a wedding in Jeans and a Kiss T-shirt from the 80s is NOT proper Wedding Attire. Most of our mothers and grandmothers made sure we understood this at a very young age. However, we often assume everyone is aware of this rule, your guests and staff will have the common sense and show up looking their best. NOPE!
    This wasn't just an attire example; this actually happened at a wedding I attended as a guest a few years back. The couple hired a very well known wedding photographer in their area and he showed up, ready to go to a movie on a Tuesday afternoon, I mean, to photograph their moments that will last forever. I was appalled and so was the bride and groom. They approached him during the reception about how he was dressed and his reply was: "You did not tell me what to wear."
      Okay, let's back up a little. Informing your Wedding Photographer on your wedding attire will ensure them to show up looking professional. Point Blank.

VENDORS
    Vendors are important to everyone. From Baker to Photographer. You may have already gotten a list to fill out from your Wedding Photographer to list all of your Vendors and their phone numbers. Why? Why would Wedding Photographers need this type of information?
     The answer is simple: Recommendations
We all work together in this industry. As Wedding photographers we capture everything. We capture the cake, which we send a copy to the baker. We capture the dancing with your DJ in the background, we send that photo to your DJ. What about the table decorations, officiant, planner, food? That is all sent back as a courtesy by us in hopes those vendors will appreciate our efforts as photographers and recommend us to other couples.
     You may be saying to yourself, "why would I want you to profit more from my wedding?" Because Gratitude is what humans thrive on. We send these photos for them to place on the vendor's social media & websites.
     Mary from your office knows you hired XX-DJ services and goes to their website, sees our photo and books them because of you. She comes to you after her wedding saying "Thank you for recommending me to such an amazing DJ." See, Gratification, You're Welcome, Gold Stars for you.

NAMES OF WEDDING PARTY
     "You in the Pink dress could you move to the left a little bit" (oh, crap, you're all wearing pink!)
Yeah, It happens to a lot of wedding photographers. Photographers have to waste time by walking closer and pointing. Personally, I think that is the rudest thing a wedding photographer could do to someone. "YOU, HERE". It would be soo much easier to say something like "Okay, Nancy, I am unable to see you behind Brenda could you please move a little to the left for me. Perfect. And Rob, please place your beer behind your back, that would be great. Thank you so much" <- yup, every wedding there is a Rob.

FAMILY/GUEST DRAMA
     No, wedding photographers are not asking you to spill the beans on every skeleton in your family's closet. Don't get ahead of me now.
     This is what we personally ask 'Every Single Bride'. "Is there any Family or guest that has an issue with another member of your family and/or guest?" (Yes, we really do ask this)
     The last thing wedding photographers want is placing Rob by Ricky or Amanda by Brittany and have it turn into a huge game of "SHE TOUCHED ME!!!" on your big day. So if there is something your photographer should know prior to, regarding any Drama between guests or family please for the LOVE OF PETE speak up.

*Last one for today*

WHEN DO WE EAT OR TAKE A BREAK?
     Your wedding photographers are on their feet for sometimes up to 12 hours. They are twisting their bodies in so many positions during your wedding, they feel it for 'days' after.  So, yes, beyond popular believe your wedding photographer's do in fact need a meal, sometimes two.
     No photographer on normal circumstances would expect you to feed them during their shift, but please be courteous and let them know before the wedding date when they are able to take at least a 30 min break to either eat in their vehicle, leave the venue for a quick bite or eat as one of your guest at their own designated table and/or chair(s). Let them rest a spell because if your photographer passes out, you're left with you Aunty taking your photos. And no one wants that.
   
   

     I am just kidding. There is no quiz. Just a recap.
1) Tell your photographer what attire you are expecting your guests to wear to your wedding day.
2) Give your Photographer a list of vendors so they can send them their work & you get thanks for it.
3) Give your Photographer a list of names of your Wedding Party (Including mothers & Fathers)
4) Disclose ANY family drama that would distract the photographers from getting the BEST photos possible
and last but not least
5) Please, Please, Please be courteous to your wedding photographers. They have to perform at their best and to do that, they need food. (Suggestion: 30mins every 5 hours of services)



Please leave us a Comment: 
                 What is the #1 thing a Wedding Photographer should know about a Wedding?



And as always - Thanks for Reading.
www.emcphotographystudio.com