Don’t be caught by surprise….

Getting married?
If so, congratulations to you both. Your wedding day is a day you should both look forward to. For most of us, it is the most important day we will be part of at that point in our lives. Tons of planning and anticipation leading up to one special day. In our minds we act out what the day might bring and it is always perfect, as it should be. Enjoy the anticipation and take time with your planning.
I have had the experience to shoot beside a wealth of different people in the wedding entertainment and service business and tend to be very careful as to who I would label a professional in their field. Every catering hall on and off Long Island have unique offerings and everyone does things their own way. Most of these people are business people and nothing more. The smile on their face when you meet them simply means “Can I have your money please?”. Unfortunately, some people feel that you are just another event and they do not care if you have been waiting your entire life for this one day. I speak from experience which I will not go into detail about here, but I will offer a few suggestions that I strongly feel are some of the most important questions people never ask?

1. Ask your limo company exactly how much time you have the car or cars for and what time the driver needs to leave. Most companies book their events and schedules back to back, so if you are running even a little off schedule, you do not even have the luxury of offering the driver extra money for sticking around an additional hour, because they need to be somewhere else. I’ve seen drivers get cursed out for being to pushy when trying to manage a tight schedule. You also need to consider your schedule. What time you should be ready by? Is the limo driver waiting for you after the ceremony? Do we have time for pictures after the ceremony? Is the driver taking you to a remote location to take pictures prior to the reception? Putting together a timeline and bringing it with you at the time of booking is not a bad idea. Give that timeline to someone or everyone in your wedding party to help manage your day.
2. Make sure you leave time between the ceremony and reception for pictures, or just so you are not rushing around too much on the day you are supposed to be enjoying. Some couples elect to take pictures before the ceremony. This is usually a good plan, as long as you don’t mind seeing each other before the ceremony, which for some couples is not an option. It is a result of the fast-paced New York style weddings that we can never get used to Have you ever been to a wedding outside New York……totally different.
   
3. Ask the manager at the catering venue how many events (at most) could be occurring at the time of your wedding. This is an extremely important question. If there are several parties going on the same time as your wedding, this may limit your use of the beautiful lobby or outdoor facility that they offer and assisted in your decision for selecting the venue. I’ve seen places that allow for 4 or more weddings overlapping time slots and has limited picture time considerably. And don’t think for a minute that they will not kick you out of a location because someone else wants to use it and they paid more than you for their room. Not an ideal way to spend your wedding day. They may never admit to this when you ask them, so be careful because at that point, it is way too late change your mind.

I hope there is someone out there that will benefit from this and assist in their decision making. For anyone currently planning a wedding, I wish you all the best and hope that you never have to experience this sort of thing or these types of people. More and more companies each year flood the entertainment and service world because they think it is easy money. Well, it is for those who don’t actually care about who they are entertaining or servicing. The best thing you can do is ask a lot of questions so you know exactly what you are paying for.
Good Luck!
- Mark

Long Island Landscapes

I have been pretty busy over here getting things in order for an upcoming wedding and designing a few wedding albums that I haven’t had much time to get out and shoot any recent landscape images.  I really love shooting weddings; and landscapes just as much. Even though the two are so different, I find common ground with my photojournalistic style, it is mostly about waiting for the right shot. Posing is fake, there is nothing more fulfilling for a photographer than being at the right place at the right time. You don’t have the choice with landscape images, you either get the shot….or you don’t

 

I’m looking forward to seeing some of my Long Island Photo Gallery friends at the Suffolk County Fair being held at the West Islip Library on Sunday September 26th. I will be shooting a wedding the night before, but I plan on making it out to the fair on Sunday and I may even bring some pictures. I’ve had some of my landscape pictures printed on paper and canvas and they look awesome. I have some of them hanging in my living room.

I hope to see you at the fair. Happy Shooting!!!