Category: Events

Before you hire a video production team, answer these important questions

There are many questions to discuss with your team first that will help with overall expectation and experience. From high-level strategy issues like messaging and branding to more tactical details like timely logistics and important visual components.

Whether you’re trying to raise funds, attract the right customers, recruit new talent or educate consumers, here are a few things, in order of importance, you should know before you hire a video production company.

Who is your audience?

One of the first questions to discuss and decide is, who is the main audience is for your video? Answering this question first will help in the analysis of other considerations. If you’re producing a video targeting expecting mothers, that information helps to set the tone for messaging, visuals, and music selection. But a B2B audience would be totally different. If you’re producing a video targeting mechanical engineers looking for tools and gadgets, the creative direction of the video will purposely take a 180-degree turn. Know who you want to be watching your video and make that your starting point.

How do you want people to feel?

This is a biggie. When that specific audience is watching your video on your website, through an email campaign, or at an event, what do you want their action to be after the video fades to black? Whether you want someone digging into their pockets for a tissue and checkbook or feeling motivated to click the “buy now” button, that overriding feeling you want to create needs to be reflected in the messaging, the visuals, and the overall tone.

What are the key messages you want to communicate?

Behind every good video is a strategy. Showing up one day with a camera in one hand and microphone in the other probably won’t set you up to produce an amazing video. After establishing that overall goal of the video, identify the key messages you want to communicate that will help viewers inch closer to that goal. Our human brains can only process so many items of information at one time. With that in mind, hone in on those messages and make sure they’re clear, concise, and conducive to educating, inspiring, or influencing your audience.

When and what specific visuals should be captured?

Though identifying shots and visuals to capture comes a bit later in the pre-production process, it’s important to consider any specific events, scenarios, or people that would need to be scheduled during the video shoot. For instance, if your manufacturing facility is busiest right before the holidays, it may be wise to schedule the video shoot during that time to show the breadth of your work. Likewise, if you’re producing a video that has a hard deadline, make sure to plan more time than you think is needed. Remember, producing a video often comes with more planning, logistics, time budgeting, and reviewing than anticipated.

What is your budget?

Yes, producing a video can be expensive. However, not all video is created equal. The important thing to remember is time, people, and production gear tend to drive production costs. If you want to produce that underwater, high-flying, five different locations video, it can be done, just be prepared to spend more. Likewise, maybe a few, shorter, high-level videos on your landing pages are the perfect use of video for you. Lowering use of those resources helps to keep costs down.

What is your distribution strategy?

By this point, you’re probably starting to see a vision for how your video will come together. Don’t stop at the production phase, but think ahead to how you plan to distribute the video. When a video is produced specifically for an event, you have a captured and interested audience. When a video is produced specifically for social media, your goal is to capture and pique interest in your audience. Take full advantage of the video and use it for both platforms, but make sure you’re ready to think through the strategy of how they’ll be produced and edited differently. Try producing and publishing a shorter, high-energy “teaser” of the full video on social media to link to the full video on your website.

How will you know if the video is a success?

As with so many of our marketing efforts, we need ROI and analytics to help defend and enforce the tools we’re using to drive business and awareness. Get your whole team to think through what it would take to make the video a success. Maybe it’s leads generated, views on YouTube or dollars donated. Or all of the above! Not only does clarification on this help your video production team aim to meet that same goal, it also gets buy-in from your internal team when it works. Plus, it makes you look good.

Reasons to Invest in Wedding Videography

1. Relive the story

Your wedding is a once in a lifetime event.

All the time you’ve devoted to planning the look and feel of this day culminates into one glorious, but fleeting, celebration. You slip into your spectacularly classy wedding attire for roughly 12 hours and then you launch off into the adventure of marriage, giddy and excited.

Still photos, while an important element for a wedding, are only able to convey one instance of a memory at a time. A wedding video, on the other hand, brings the story of your wedding to life and allows you to relive it in sound and motion.

Choosing to hire a videographer is a way to capture all those details and timelessly preserve them in a way that a photograph alone cannot.

2. cinematography + professional editing 

Traditionally weddings were most often filmed on a camcorder with unsteady and continuous footage. Only the best of friends or most gracious of family members would be willing to sit through hours of uncut footage with you.

Times have changed.Technology has ushered in a new era of wedding films.

We are all about handcrafting cinematic wedding films. We are storytellers and we work tirelessly to capture the emotions and beautiful details of your day so that when we edit together a highlight video it is meaningful, timeless and enjoyable to watch.

The equipment we use allows us to smoothly and artfully enhance the moments we document throughout your day, providing you with beautiful footage and quality audio.

3. Sentimental Keepsake

Weddings bring together loved ones from near and far and represent the joining together of two families.

In essence your wedding film is a digital family heirloom. It preserves this special day for you to share with future generations, allowing you to remember loved ones at their best who will not be around forever.

Your film will be able to capture their voices, their laughter, tender conversations and the joy they felt on that day watching you take such a significant step in your life.

Your wedding film will be a time capsule and an important keepsake to revisit on anniversaries when you want to hear your vows again and the promises you made to each other.

4. See What You Missed

Your wedding day goes by in the blink of an eye, we love to capture the sweet and entertaining moments you may miss while you were busy getting married. A wedding film or video allows you to see all of those little things that you may have really wanted to, but didn’t get an opportunity to on the day. We’ve got it covered!

5. Share your big day

We live in an increasingly transient world with friendships spanning across the globe. A wedding highlight film is an perfect way to share your day with family and friends who may not have been able to attend.

How To Choose The Right Video Production Company

A video promoting your Maryland business is often the first chance you have to make a good impression on your target audience. It is important that when your company makes the decision to release a video commercial, product tutorial, or corporate commercial that it reflect your brand as you intend and is engaging for viewers.

Here are some of the top things you should do while choosing a video production company

View Their Portfolio

A worthwhile production company will always have previous work available for anyone interested in hiring them to view.

Many times, the video portfolio will be accessible on the production company’s official website.  By viewing previous work, you can ensure the videos they produce meet your standards.  These samples will give insight into the quality of video this company is willing to place their name on.

Is it attractive, engaging, and professional?  These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when looking at a production company’s previous work.

Testimonials from previous clients or a client list detailing other customers that they have worked with are also helpful.  Happy clients are a sign that you have found a quality video production company.

Compare Their Portfolio to Your Concept

The video production company you are interested in has an extensive portfolio and nothing but excellent testimonials.  So what?  There is more to a production company than rave  reviews and a nice portfolio.

You have a specific vision when it comes to promoting your business.  You need to make sure that the production company you hire can produce something similar to that concept you have in mind.  It does you no good if all the company can produce is 30-second commercials clips with voiceovers when what you are really looking for is a 60-second on location commercial with real actors.

If you have checked out their portfolio, you will have a good idea of whether their style is in tune with what you are looking for in your own video.  This will make the hiring decision a lot easier.

Know How Your Project Will be Managed

If you are outsourcing to a video production company in Maryland, chances are it is because you have no idea how to produce a video yourself or you are simply too busy to hire and manage an in-house videographer.  Regardless of the reason, it is crucial you hire a production company that can handle every aspect of the production process.

• Can they brainstorm ideas with you that will match your vision for the video?

• Do they have professional script writer on staff?

• Do they provide actors or have a casting company they can refer you to?

• What type of equipment do they provide?

• What about set locations, staffing numbers, and cost?

• Is editing included?

How is the production quality?

Above all, your candidates should at least meet a certain standard for production value. If you’re new to the field, what does this mean? Here are some tips that will help you get the best video services:

• Compare the look/feel of the corporate videos in the company’s portfolio to what you’d see in TV/film. Does it look like a low-budget ad you’d see in late-night TV? Does it look like a statewide TV show? Does it look like something you’d see in the high-end cinema? What do you want your video to look like?
• Does the b-roll (an industry word for supporting video that is shown when someone is talking but you’re not seeing the person actually talking) match what they’re talking about? For example, if the person is talking about a forklift, are you seeing a forklift or are you seeing a shot of people in a conference room? More experience video producers and editors use the “say it, see it” rule, meaning that the video should match what the person is talking about.
• If there are interviews, does it sound like a professional recording, or does it sound like the microphone is 10 feet away from the person? Sometimes, an inexperienced videographer might use the mic mounted on a camera instead of getting the mic close to the interviewee’s mouth, which makes it sound similar to when someone is on speakerphone. You need professional video production, so hire the best.
• How is the lighting? Does the video content look overly dark or overly bright? Does the lighting look flattering when it falls on someone’s face?

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Corporate Videographer

Hiring a good, quality videographer is crucial for your next marketing strategy or corporate project.  It takes skill, experience, and talent to make a good corporate videographer, not just fancy equipment.  High quality photos or well edited video clips will make your project stand out instead of just stand up.  The first thing you need to do is ask yourself what you need out of your project.  How many photos?  How long does the video need to be?  When does it need to be done by?  Once you know all the details about your project, start interviewing potential videographers.  Here are some important questions you should ask your potential candidates.

How long have you been working as a videographer?  You want to make sure that your videographer has experience in their craft.

When will the final product to be finished?  Every project needs a timetable so make sure your videographer will fit within your deadline.  Make sure to get a solid deadline date before committing to your final choice.

Have you worked for a corporate client before?  Many videographers have experience with weddings instead of corporate video production.

Can I see your portfolio?  You will be able to see examples of their work and you can weed out the ones who don’t have a portfolio.  It is common to have digital portfolios in this particular industry, so you might want to have a computer or mobile device on hand if you want to view their work right away.

What editing software/lighting/camera do you use?  Asking questions about their equipment gives you an idea about the quality of the finished product.  If you don’t know the first thing about equipment, just take notes and look it up later.  You should also judge the quality of their response, a quick answer said with confidence means they probably know their trade while a mumbled answer or “I don’t know” means they might lack experience.

Secrets of Wedding Photographers

Wedding photographers are by your side nearly every moment of your wedding day. They’re snapping away at your most intimate moments: your first glance at the person you plan to be with forever, your smile as you’re finally wed, and your initial step onto that dance floor. But how much do you really know about how they work—and why they’re so expensive?

THEY WISH YOU’D ASK FOR THEIR HELP.

Many times, the bride and groom assume the photographers just need 15 minutes for family photos, she says. But those family photos could easily take 30 minutes, because a family member is always missing. “We need to make sure we have enough time, and that we’re not rushed and hectic,”

THEY ALSO WISH YOU ACTUALLY ASKED ABOUT EXPERIENCE

Her perfect question: “How do you deal with XX situation?” Ho explains that since every wedding is unique, you need to find a photographer that’s perfect for you—and asking about experience will help you make that decision. It will also help you understand the reason you’re hiring a professional wedding photographer, rather than someone who just dabbles in photography, for your big day.

AND ABOUT THEIR STYLE.

says couples always ask about his price and his availability. But he loves it when the conversation turns to his overall style and approach, and they get to know him as an artist. “Then we can understand if we’re a good match,” says. “Not a lot of clients go there, and I wish more clients would ask me about my approach.”

FEEL FREE TO ASK WHY THEY CHARGE AS MUCH AS THEY DO

Sure, wedding photographers may charge a few thousand dollars for what seems like eight hours of work. But they also met with you countless times before the wedding. And do you realize how many times you emailed? Then there’s the editing process. Those photographers put many more hours of work into those pictures than you ever imagined. Also, that camera equipment wasn’t free (and it needs to be upgraded every couple of years)

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING VENUE | FROM A PHOTOGRAPHER’S PERSPECTIVE

For most couples, choosing their wedding venue is the FIRST thing they do after deciding on a date for their wedding. This makes total sense! Before you can begin envisioning your wedding day, you have to know where it’s going to take place! While there are tons of factors that affect what kind of venue you choose – guest count, accessibility, local things to do nearby, budget, if you can bring in outside caterers, the getting ready space or indoor & outdoor options, not to mention your vision and the desired vibe for your wedding day – and so much more! The purpose of today’s blog post is to share a few additional things to consider when choosing your wedding venue – from a photographer’s perspective! I’m going to walk you through each portion of a wedding day and discuss how the venue affects lighting and space, and ultimately, your photos of the day!

What to Consider with the Getting Ready Space

If you are hoping to get ready at your wedding venue (instead of at an outside location like your home or a hotel room), then you’ll need to make sure the venue has a getting ready space you can envision yourself and your bridal party in. Take into account the size of your bridal party vs the size of the room. You definitely don’t want a cramped space with hair and make up artists trying to get around, too. If the bride and groom’s rooms are in the same building, you’ll need to exercise a LOT more caution when moving around to make sure you don’t see each other. It’s much easier when the bride and groom have their own separate buildings to get ready in!

offers completely separate buildings for the bride, the groom, the ceremony site, cocktail hour, and the reception! This is ideal! They are spread out throughout their property – so much so that they have golf carts on site to carry people up and down the hill. So there is no need to worry about your groom accidentally seeing you too soon. It also means that the stress of setting up the ceremony space or reception room will be so far away, you won’t hear about any of it and you can relax!

Next, in order to create the well-lit, natural-looking photos you dream of, then I highly recommend getting ready in a room with a lot of WINDOW light. If the venue’s getting ready space is small and without any windows or access to natural light, then you might want to consider getting ready at a different location.

A photographer’s hack: What I have also done before when the getting ready space is a little less than ideal is stage the dress zip-up in a better location! We can move you to another area at the venue with better lighting and/or space and re-enact the “zipping up” and bridal portraits. This is what we did for my bride Jacqueline and her bridal party!

Things Your Wedding Photographer Wants You to Know

Know your own taste.

I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the photographer for everyone. Shocker, I know. Every photographer has their style, I included, and I don’t alter it from client to client. I know what I like, I know where my gifts lie, and I take care to ensure my portfolio shows you the best of the best of my work. Do you like light and airy? Black and white? Dark and moody? Somewhere in between? Do you prefer candid or posed images? These things matter. Be sure you are a huge fan of the work of the photographer you choose because it’s too late to decide you don’t like the images they create on your wedding day, and especially once they’ve delivered your gallery. Remember, it doesn’t mean you dislike them as a person. It just means their work might not be a great fit for you, and that’s okay.

Your photographer should be one of the first vendors you book.

I’m sure you’ve had hundreds of people tell you your day is going to be over in the blink of an eye – they aren’t wrong – but what many of them don’t know is that photography is a big factor into your wedding day timeline. It affects everything from makeup to cocktail hour to getting ready to family portraits. Why? Well, if you want all of those things documented, I need to know exactly when and where they’re happening and ensure I have plenty of time to photograph them all. Operating without a wedding day timeline, or even worse, not working with your photographer at all, causes unnecessary stress for everyone, especially you. It’s important that we go over your photography hopes and dreams, and any extra special wedding day plans you have, so I can help you create your perfect wedding day timeline. And, I’ll help you stick to it.

Unplug your wedding.

Trying to create the best images from your wedding day becomes more difficult when I have five guests either shooting over my shoulder or edging into the frame just to get their very own image of your wedding day. It’s even more complicated when you begin your walk down the aisle to the view of iPhones and iPads in your face. When you’ve dreamed of your wedding day, what do you want to remember most – the people at your wedding, or images of their phones in front of their faces? (Read more about why to unplug your wedding here.)

Give me the family photo list, but remember – I got this.

I know you are dying to send me every incredible Pinterest image and shot list you’ve found, but I don’t need it. Your wedding, your day is unique to you, and you hired me for my style and experience – not to see how well I can re-create another photographer’s vision. I promise we will create images you will cherish for years to come.

Food is Good.

I need a meal. A hot meal. Not a stuck-in-the-kitchen-handed-a-bag-of-chips-and-a-cold-sandwich meal. I eat what your guests eat, and I eat when your guests eat. I know what you’re thinking, “But, you could be taking pictures during that time!” Well, I could, but I shouldn’t be. Your guests don’t want pictures of them eating any more than you do, so by using the time when you’re guests are enjoying the delicious meal you suggested to enjoy said meal myself, I am better able to jump back into documenting your day when I’ve finished! (Trust me, you don’t want a hangry photographer.)

Ask The Photographers: Do You Need To Visit My Wedding Venue Beforehand?

We know that when it comes to booking your wedding photographer you’ll often have lots of questions, and one of the most frequent ones that we hear is “Do you need to visit my wedding venue beforehand?”. Well, we asked that exact question to our members, and what follows is 35 different photographers’ viewpoints and opinions on whether it’s necessary or not, from all over the world – a really interesting and informative read:

“I can understand that a couple might get some comfort from their photographer either having shot at their venue before, or (if they haven’t shot there before) from their photographer visiting it before the wedding. Like many photographers, though, while I once also liked that comfort of knowing what was ahead of me, now I actually love getting to new venues for the first time, and almost never do a pre-wedding scout. The reasons are twofold

Firstly the practical reason. I can quite easily now do a “virtual scout” – venue websites are usually good for showcasing their best bits, google “<venue> wedding photo” will spit out more photos of weddings from a venue than I’ll want to look at, and even Google Maps on satellite view allows me to get the lay of the land if there are grounds that I might hope to use. That’s all useful where I may have a logistical concern about the venue – will there be a good location for family photos; what is the light like in the ceremony room; is it practical for the couple to get from the ceremony space to the gardens without needing to go via the drinks reception (and if not, how will that impact the timings). Much of that is also addressed by a quick phone call to the wedding coordinator at the venue too, of course. So for the practical stuff (which usually drives the concerns the couple may have if a venue is new to their photographer) you can figure out most things without a visit.

All of that, though, is secondary to the far more important reason – the creative one. I relish photographing a new venue because it’s a new creative experience for me. The novelty of a new venue ALWAYS trumps the familiarity of one I’ve shot at many times. It helps me see the wedding day differently to how I’ve seen other days, but also to how other photographers have seen weddings at that venue before me. I have a thought I express to couples when I might get asked to take a photo like one they’ve seen at their venue, for instance. “We can get that photo, but rather than get you other people’s wedding photos, wouldn’t it be better to get you your own wedding photos?”. And no better way for me to do that than to be seeing a new venue with fresh eyes and finding light and compositions that fit my style.

Finally of course – in the context of documentary photography in particular – the venue is what it is. Similar to the ceremony space, the bride’s family home, or any other location that might be in play on the day. A good photographer will get you good photographs in any location. And if you truly want documentary photographs of your day you really don’t want your photographer arriving with a preconceived set of shots in his or her head based on a previous wedding or a scouting visit where the light was different and the space wasn’t filled with you and your guests.”

Things Photographers Wished All Clients Knew

This post was inspired by one of my favorite Podcasts, Young House Love, a show all about home renovation, on which they did an episode called “This is How You’re Annoying Your Contractor”, interviewing general contractors who gave funny, enlightening, and – despite the somewhat negative connotation of the episode title – actually really helpful insight to make projects go more smoothly. 

I asked real photographers in multiple professional circles for their input, and added my own thoughts and feelings on the topics as well.  In this article, you’re going to hear me speak very candidly about things that can help your relationship with your photographer go more smoothly (if that’s with me, then Yay! Win for both of us!…but if it’s with someone else, I hope I make a positive impact no matter where you go!).

I hesitated even writing this post, because, well, frankly, who wants to admit to their potential clients that sometimes things aren’t just sunshine and rainbows all the time?

It’s tempting to keep this kind of “behind the scenes” information as our own photographer-water-cooler talk. But then I checked myself and realized that if you’re my type of couple, then you don’t need a bull-honky fantasy story that pretends that everything is always perfect.

Once you find a photographer you trust, trust them.  They want you to be happy.

This came from several photographers who iterated some version of

Quinceanera Party Bus

Choosing the right party bus for your Quinceañera party will make your day to be a memorable one. Riding in a party bus is the best way of making your Quinceañera to be perfect. The style and luxury that comes with a party bus, will add to the uniqueness of your Quince party. On this wonderful occasions, it is very important that you rent a good and comfortable party bus that will take you and your friends safely and stylishly to your Quince celebration.

However, on this special day, the first thing that should come to your mind is how to choose the best party bus in Houston. Do you have la hard time with choosing the best professional party bus rental company that will make your celebration a success? That should not be a problem

You may be very excited to pick a fun venue and a pretty dress. However, planning ahead for your transportation is also a very important things to do, make sure you get the best bus rental company to transport you safely to your venue. If your Quinceañera celebration is in March, April, May and June and you hesitate to make a schedule with a party bus rental company in Houston, you may get disappointed at the end of the day as all of them will be booked for prom and weddings. Booking for your ride few month ahead of time is a very smart idea, this way, you are sure to get your ride take you to your venue. And you will also have that extra time to make other necessary arrangements to make your Quinceañera to be perfect

Who will be accompanying you in your bus? Your Quinceañera court? Your parents? Making a reservation with a bus rental company in Houston will help you choose a party bus with enough space. It will be bad to hire a party bus and later finding out that it doesn’t contain you and your friends, parents or your Quinceañera court. At S and T’s Party Bus Huston, the size of the bus is never a problem. There are many buses of different sizes to choose from. Just make the necessary arrangements and leave the rest for S and T’s Party Bus Houston to provide you with exactly what you need.

Are you looking for a way of gracing your Quinceañera party with style and class in Houston? Have you been looking for the best bus drivers in Houston? If you have, then S and T’s Party Bus Houston is your best option. What better way to feel safe and comfortable on your Quinceañera party. You are sure to arrive in style and look beautiful in your pretty dress or suit. That’s not all, you will also have the best driver to drive you and your friends to your party at a very affordable price

How Much Is a Party Bus? Your Pre-Party Planning Guide

The Party Supply Rental industry has grown by 3.1% over the past five years and is expected to reach $6 Billion by the end of 2019.  And it’s a growing business for good reason… who doesn’t like a party bus?

How Much is a Party Bus

Many different factors impact the price of a party bus. However, a general average is $700 to $1000.

Choosing The Right Party Bus

When you start your party bus research, you’ll find that there are many different types of party bus rentals to choose from.

Duration of the Ride

Most party buses will be offered in blocks of time, usually in four-hour increments. Even if you only need the bus for two hours, you will still be charged for the base rate.

Picking Up and Dropping Off

The time of day you choose to be picked up and dropped off will impact the total cost of your experience. Just like rideshare apps have surge pricing during busy hours, it will be more expensive to get a bus during weekend evenings than during weekdays

Making the Most of Your Party Bus Rental

When celebrating life’s milestones from proms to bachelor and bachelorette parties to family reunions to switching bodies with a parent and learning a valuable lesson, a party bus rental can be one of the most fun ways to do it. You get an endlessly customizable space that’s as wholesome or as decadent as you want it to be. And where else can you drink and “drive” in complete safety, or be seen while sightseeing?

But the truth is you don’t even need a reason to rent a party bus. Picture this: instead of jostling for a bartender’s attention and yelling over strangers, you and your friends can create a built-for-you nightlife alternative—maybe even for a lower cost than a typical night out (depending on how many people you invite). If you plan to rent a party bus

Choosing a Party-Bus Theme

Clever party themes elevate standard shindigs to legendary status, which means all the more reason to pick a good one for your next mobile affair. Even if it’s not apropos to the event you’re celebrating, a random unifying concept will instantly grab the attention of passersby and result in some unforgettable selfies

Recommended Decorations: Balloons, streamers, and banners are all easy to tape up and pull down later without incurring a cleaning fee. Also, don’t overlook the advantage of having a TV in the bus; you can add to the atmosphere with movies or photo slideshows.

Recommended Costumes: Masks, wigs, hats, and custom T-shirts are always smart options, since they can be removed easily and free guests to dress to their own comfort level

RENTING A PARTY BUS? THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

When you’re renting a party bus, you only want the best. To get not only the best bus, but the best experience, there are a few things you should know prior to actually hiring one. These tips help you pick the perfect party bus for your needs while still getting a fair price.

Check The Capacity

It should be obvious that a party bus only fits a set number of passengers, but sometimes extra people suddenly want to come at the last minute. Before you decide on a bus, get a concrete number for the maximum passengers that may be riding. For best results, rent a party bus that fits at least a few more than your maximum number. This leaves plenty of room for everyone. Remember that you may void your contract if you try to place more people on the bus than allowed.

See The Bus In Person

Never under any circumstances hire a party bus without seeing it in person first. The only real exception is if you’ve rented the exact bus before and trust the company. Pictures online often look great, but you may not be renting a party bus that’s the same as the pictures. Reputable companies have no problem letting you check out your bus prior to renting it.

Get A Contract

Always ask for an easy to understand contract with every fee listed clearly. The last thing you want is to discover hidden fees that you have to pay after you’ve already committed. Renting a party bus doesn’t have to be complicated. By having a clear quote in advance, you’ll know what to expect and won’t have any nasty surprises that ruin your fun.

Divide Costs In Advance

Part of the reason to get a set cost in advance is so you have time to divide the costs among each passenger that’s paying. You don’t have to worry about this part if you’re paying for it all yourself. Most limo companies require an upfront deposit, so be prepared. If you are splitting costs, getting the money before the final payment is due ensures that you’re not shorted at the last minute by your friends.

How Big Of A Party Bus Do I Need? Check Out This Guide For Answers

Whether you’re planning a bachelorette party, a wine tour, or a huge birthday bash, party buses make awesome modes of transportation. Planning the logistics of the event can get kind of complicated sometimes. For instance, you may be asking yourself, “How big of a party bus do I need?” Well, here are steps you can follow to help you figure that out.

Get a rough roster together: When you start planning your event, put together a rough list of people you want to invite. Think of every single person you would want to be at the party, and then slowly dwindle the list down if you have more people than you want. If you have the perfect amount of people for the party, you’re golden

Send out the invitations: Once your roster has been finalized, you can start sending out the invitations. Make sure you enclose all the important details in the invitations.

Count all RSVPs: Those RSVP are really important. When you get the calls, texts, or response cards back, make sure you have a good system for keeping track of them. If you haven’t heard from someone and it’s a day or two before the RSVP date, reach out to them and find out if they plan on coming.

Get the final headcount: After you’ve heard back from everyone, determine the final headcount. After you have a number in mind, make sure you included yourself. You would be surprised how often party planners forget to count themselves

Mistakes To Avoid Choosing A Wedding Photographer

Some brides make the mistake of selecting their wedding photographer without researching what they’re really getting for their money. “You get your negatives” sounds great, but when do you get them? The original price sounds great, but how much are extra prints? So often, brides buy a package knowing they don’t want everything in it, but they think they’re getting a deal because it’s all together. Nope, sorry, photography is not like buying a “value meal” at McDonald’s! To be sure, you must research before you decide. Visit as many studios as you can. As a courtesy, please call them first and set an appointment. If they’re friendly or if they call you back quickly, they’ll most likely have better standards of service. Ask if they have any information they can mail or email to you. Meet the photographer. Search through their website with a fine-toothed comb. Do you see any loopholes or issues? The biggest reason people make mistakes in hiring photographers is that they don’t have experience doing it! They’ve never had to hire photographers, and most likely their last experience with a professional photographer was a friend’s wedding, and the grumpy, sweaty, old guy was either a bore or an annoying jerk.

Find someone who cares more about your wedding images than they do about their own packages and policies. Someone you know will help your wedding run smoothly and efficiently. Choose someone that you can communicate with someone that truly understands how you want your wedding to feel. How do you know? When you talk to her, she’s more interested in learning about you than describing all of the print sizes and prices

Is this someone that will add to the fun and emotion of your wedding? Remember your friend’s photographer, the grumpy, sweaty, old guy that was a boring, annoying jerk? Steer clear of that! Get someone that will make the work of posed pictures fun, memorable, and exciting! How can you tell who’s cool? When you talk to the photographer, ask how she feels about your family members taking pictures over her shoulder! If she stays relaxed, then everyone will have a good time.

Look for someone who has some flexibility in styles. See what they have to offer. Some of the styles you may want to consider are Traditional, Black & White, Candid, Romantic, or Photo-journalistic. Check to see how they handle both indoor and outdoor situations. Can they do fine portraiture as well as a truly candid style? Find out what they have for you. Remember that the photographer’s creativity and personality (and your rapport with him/her) is what makes your wedding images unique, and your expressions more genuine!

Find someone who has as few restrictions as possible regarding packages, number of prints, limiting locations, and limiting the amount of film they shoot. Prepaid, pre-designed packages limit the creativity of the photographer. Creativity does not come from a pre-packaged album containing, for example, 24- 8x10s. If you’re paying for an album, it should look and feel like a storybook! Think of it, not like a photo album, but an illustrated storybook that uses no words to tell the story. In most cases, packages are NOT a good thing because the photographer “knows” beforehand what he needs to shoot and will only strive for those images.

STEPS TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

When choosing your wedding photographer, you want to ensure they create the wedding album you’ve always dreamed of. We’ve spoken to the professionals to get some key insight on how to find the right wedding photographer.

Your wedding photographer should capture every detail of your big day. From your place card holders to your hair accessories and your makeup applications, it’s your photographer’s responsibility to capture it all. This way, you don’t have to rely completely on memory

It pays to have the best

While you can get a good deal with a photographer who’s new to the industry, you do need to find someone you trust to get it right. Perfection comes with experience.

Browse your photographer’s portfolio

Look through the portfolio of any photographer you’re considering. You won’t just be looking for examples of the weddings they’ve captured. You’ll also be looking at their different styles and approaches. When you find the photos that resonate with you, you’ve found your style and photographer.

Decide on the right style

A professional photographer distinguishes all the subtleties of shooting a wedding. They’ll know exactly when to photograph your groom as he first sees you walking down the aisle, how to achieve the perfect confetti shot, and what to do in the event of rain. A creative and flexible approach often results in the most breathtaking and brilliant wedding photographs.

TOP TIPS FOR CHOOSING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

So, you have a dress, the suits, flowers, cake and a band….but what is the one thing that will remain an everlasting memory of your wedding day? Your photos should be a beautiful and timeless account of the most important day of your life and should help every bride and groom to re-live the romance and excitement allover again.

Image quality/style

The quality of a photographer’s portfolio should be the first thing that captures your attention. A good photographer should be able to offer clients a variety of styles, capturing the personalities of the bride and groom and showcasing the happiness and fun of the day. Be clear on what style you would like and make sure the photographer can provide this in their portfolio.

Personality

As a bride and groom, you put a lot of trust and faith in your wedding photographer. In order to get the best images and a true account of the most important day of your life, it is imperative that you feel comfortable and relaxed in their presence

Value for money/cost

This can often be a deciding factor for a lot of brides and grooms and although it is a vital element, it should not be the basis for your decision. High-end prices do not always guarantee the highest quality but likewise, reasonable pricing does not always depict low quality

Experience

The experience a photographer has will play a large part in the organisation and structure of the day. I am sure many photographers will agree that they have often played the role of coordinator, photographer, master of ceremonies and children’s entertainer. Taking the photos is just a small part of being a wedding photographer and without the necessary experience and the ability to perform under constant pressure important moments can be easily missed

Tips When Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

You’re engaged!   Time to celebrate and then start talking wedding plans.  If you are having a wedding there are a lot of little details to think about.  Where do you start?  Maybe you know you don’t want to have a large wedding and instead are planning an intimate destination elopement.  Hopefully you’ll want to have a photographer to capture your elopement as well.  No matter how large or small your wedding celebration is, hiring a professional photographer to capture all the love, emotion and in-between moments during your celebration will be well worth it to have images of your celebration to hold onto forever.

Time to Research

Once you’ve set a date it might be time to start researching wedding photographers.  Generally speaking photographers are booked 6 months to one year out.  I know from experience narrowing down a photographer can be tough.  There are so many creative, talented individuals in this industry and I had a huge list of potential photographers to choose from.

Where are They Cutting Corners

I don’t want to claim all inexpensive photographers are not good at what they do; everyone has to start somewhere and many do have a great eye but as you determine where you need to cut corners on wedding planning maybe those insanely cheap photographers are also cutting corners somewhere too.  When you hire an experienced wedding photographer, you aren’t just paying someone to be a warm body to click the camera.  You are paying for the experience.  Their experience shooting weddings and THE overall experience from start to finish.   Your wedding day is going to be filled with amazing moments, emotions and don’t forget those little imperfect moments too…..  one of those imperfect moments should NOT be worrying about your wedding photographer.

Have a clear idea of the STYLE you like.  This will help you narrow down the selection of photographers.   Are you attracted to more traditional photography, posed images and pretty smiles starting at the camera?  Do you prefer a documentary feel where the photographer goes unnoticed with no posed images?  Is a candid style that captures the big emotions and little details to tell the story of the entire day your preference?  Are you looking for someone who is going to unnaturally pose each image, interrupting the natural moments from happening or someone who is going to go with the flow, capturing the dirt on your dress while you walk through a mountain field, quietly soaking in the beauty of day?

Get to know your photographer.  Do your personalities mesh well?  Your photographer is going to spend a greater chunk of the day with you…. make sure you can tolerate them and maybe even like them.  ?  Just because your family feels obligated to use the local photographer you have known since you were a child…. doesn’t mean you need to.  I saw this happen once and said photographer ended up passed out drunk under a tree before the reception started.  NO JOKE.  It’s your wedding day.  Pick someone who’s work you are drawn to.  I love getting to know each of my clients better — doing this creates great rapport which is actually important when creating images filled with REAL emotion.  When you look at a photo, I want you to feel something.

Advice For Choosing A Wedding Photographer

With all of the excitement and anticipation that comes with planning your wedding, the day finally comes and passes more quickly than you’d even imagine. While you should savor each moment, one thing is for sure: you’ll want to relive it forever. The best way to draw value out of all you put into your wedding day is to make these moments tangible. So we’ve asked a handful of our favorite pros for their best advice on choosing a wedding photographer to document this day.

Land on a budget

There are several things to consider when coming up with your number, and once you have it set, many ways to apply it toward the services you need most.

“The first thing I would suggest when setting your initial budget is get into research mode! Find a few wedding photographers in your area that post rates publicly on their websites, just so you can get a general idea of what things cost and start with a realistic jumping off point. The other big factors can be timeline and shot list expectations—for example, I offer a sliding scale depending on the length of hours I would be needed on the day. If you are trying to save money, but photos of the prep and getting ready aspect of the day are important to you, perhaps you’ll be willing to cut some time off capturing the reception. Things like adding a second photographer will also contribute to the final quote. Just be ready to think about those kind of decisions and communicate with your partner about what is important to you both!”

Know your style

Find not only what appeals to you now, but will for generations to come. Looking beyond photography trends will lead you to discover your true taste.

“Even for the couples who aren’t photography savvy, I’d suggest making a collection of your favorite wedding photos that you’ve seen, and ask yourself why you like them — is it the editing, composition, their ability to capture emotion? Then find a photographer that does that thing really well, and show them your collection to get aligned.”