Posing Tip

Another quick posing tip for brides: Pay attention to your elbow and the angle of your arm. If you're in a pose with your side facing the camera, or even slightly turned at an angle to the camera - because, after all, you should never turn your body square to the camera - always leave a slight bend in your arm. If there's a small amount of daylight between your arm and your waist, you'll naturally appear more elegant and graceful.


It's easy to pull off when you're holding your bouquet, but you can also easily create the same effect by placing your hand on your hip. Using the angle of your arm can also have a slimming effect - even though some brides don't need it.


If you don't remember any of the posing tips we've shared over the past months, don't worry - on your wedding day we'll work with you to make sure you look your best. It's easy and painless - and you'll love the results.

Glenmore Country Club

We normally don't comment on specific locations, but if you're planning an outdoor fall wedding, the Glenmore Country Club in Charlottesvile, VA, is a beautiful setting. Here's the view guests had at the wedding we recently photographed.


And while we're giving plugs, the musicians, Morwenna Lasko and Jay Pun, were outstanding. Here's Jay accompanying the bride's father.


Morwenna and Jay perform regularly at Charlottesville clubs; check out their website for more info.

Please note we have no business or other relationship with the country club or Morwenna and Jay - we just liked the location and their music.

Couples Pass on Their Advice

While the following is in no way a statistically-accurate survey, post-wedding conversations with some of our couples (and sometimes their parents) indicate that many wish they'd done a few things differently - in hindsight, of course. We thought we'd pass on a few of our couples' "lessons learned" in case it helps with your wedding planning. Here they are, in no particular order:

"Spend more on food and less on 'favors'." A number of couples have said they wish they'd paid more attention to the quality of the meal and less time worrying about table favors or mementos. Many people feel the food they served is remembered for a long time, while the personalized golf balls are, well, not. (One bride said only about 30% of her guests actually took home the candy boxes she provided at each place setting.) A common theme expressed is the "quality" of their wedding was judged in large part by the food.


"Tell the DJ to be flexible." While everyone creates a schedule, some events are a little more time-critical than others. While it's important to start the meal on time, exactly when you do your toasts may not be. In one case, for example, the dancing came to a screeching halt - and never picked back up again - when the DJ felt he had to conform precisely to the schedule. Let your DJ know which times are important and which can be flexed in order to keep the fun going.


"Schedule traditional reception activities as early as possible." A lot of guests won't stay for four or five hours, no matter how much fun your reception is. (Older guests especially.) But most still want to see traditional events like the cake-cutting, toasts, bouquet toss, etc. If you space out those activities too much you'll either lose a lot of your guests, or they'll stay long past when they would have preferred to go home. A lot of couples choose to do the cake cutting and bouquet/garter toss immediately after the meal; then whoever wants to stay until the wee hours can, and the others can go home happy they saw all the traditional activities.

"Skip the limo." Clearly this is a judgment call; if you love the idea of leaving the church and arriving at the reception in a limo, go for it. But several couples said in retrospect they wished they saved the limo expense and put it towards something else. One said, "Our reception was only 10 minutes from the church, and we didn't leave in the limo after the reception... so it felt like a waste in the end. It sounded like a wonderful idea ahead of time, but in reality it didn't add anything to the day." That's just one person's opinion, though - if your heart is set on a limo, don't let that sway you.


"Get plenty of help lined up to clean up the church." If your wedding is on a Saturday evening, the church needs to be ready for Sunday morning services. Someone has to remove your flowers and decorations... not to mention your clothing, makeup... and that all has to happen during a time when you'd rather be rushing off to your reception. If you can, line up a group - hopefully made up of people who won't be in your post-ceremony formal photos - to take care of straightening up the church immediately after the service. By the time you're done with your formals, they'll be done with the church... and off to the reception you can all go. We helped several couples remove decorations, carry luggage to the car, etc. We didn't mind at all, but it was obvious they wanted to be doing anything besides policing up the church. Enlist a few friends to help out and you'll enjoy the day a lot more.


So - there are a few of our couples' lessons learned. If this was helpful, let us know and we'll post more tips in the future.

Another Photo Tip for Wedding Guests

We received a ton of responses to our last entry about photography tips for wedding guests, so here's one more: Tell a story.

The best photos have capture a moment and a feeling. (There's an element of luck, of course, since you're by definition capturing fleeting moments.) But if you can capture the mood of the wedding in your photo, you'll continue to appreciate the photo in years to come.


Sometimes it's okay to be a little out of focus, or to have less than optimal lighting - any photo that tells a story, either about the day or about the emotions of the day - is a great photo. So take a step back and think about how you can tell a story with your photos.
Sometimes it's just a matter of moving a little so you incorporate other people or objects in the photo. Other times it's simply a matter of worrying less about your technique and more about what you're seeing. Technique is important, but having a great eye is critical.

Tips for Point-and-Shoot Photographers

Wedding guests often ask us for photography advice, so here goes. Keep in mind this is aimed at point-and-shoot users, not people with professional-grade cameras.

Here's our best tip: Take lots of memory cards with you. If you have lots of memory capacity available, you can stop "chimping" (constantly looking at your camera's LCD to see how the photo you just took turned out) and concentrate on what’s going around you. While you're checking your photos and deleting the poor ones you're likely to miss the best moments. Sort your photos later.


Use your optical zoom (not your digital zoom) to get in close whenever you can. Forget about including legs and background objects when you photograph people. Pants and church steeples aren't particularly interesting - emotions and expressions are.


If you're using the long end of your lens to magnify the image, remember this will magnify your own body movements as well, increasing the blurring caused by camera shake. Learn to hold your camera steady and your percentage of "keepers" will go up.

Go where the light is: outdoors, near entrances, by windows. Even if you're using flash, adding natural light always improves a photo.


Try taking some shots where your target isn’t in the center of the frame. Focus on the eyes of your subject and then recompose to put them exactly where you want them. Keep background clutter out of the shot, put more space on the side of the frame a person is looking towards, and take advantage of dramatic diagonals and other “ambient” framing.


Take lots of photos. Experiment. Be ready. Watch for and try to anticipate moments of meaning or emotion.

And don't worry about taking photos of the cake or the flower arrangements, unless you're particularly interested in those types of photos. (Because some can be spectacular.)


Instead, focus on people - and on candid moments. When you get home and look through your photos, the ones that will make you smile are the ones you took that captured the personalities of your family and friends.

Flower Girls

Sometimes it looks like fun to be young and wear a flower girl's dress...



And at other times, perhaps not so much.

Wedding Ceremony Lighting

Some denominations and individual churches - and sometimes even individual celebrants - ban the use of flash or artificial lighting during the wedding ceremony. That's not a problem; even if we can use flash, we often take a number of photos using natural light. Sometimes, if the time of day is right, the results can be spectacular.


Other churches are equally beautiful, but catching natural sunlight through windows is impossible. For example, the Augusta Stone Church has large windows, but it's surrounded by trees, blocking any dramatic sunbeams. Depending on the time of day the UVA Chapel has very dramatic lighting - but conditions can vary greatly hour to hour.

But rest assured - if the light is right at the time of your ceremony, we'll catch it.

Atmosphere Photos

Many of our clients enjoy wedding "atmosphere" photos: images of flowers, decor, the church... and we do our best to photograph each wedding in as comprehensive a way as possible. For example, here's a minister walking towards the church just before the wedding.

The key is to allow us enough time to capture these types of images. If your schedule is busy and we have just enough time to take all the pre-ceremony photos you want, then photograph the ceremony, then take post-ceremony posed photos under a tight timetable... then were off to the reception... we'll do our best to photograph the settings and peripheral events of your day, but our ability to do so may be limited. (Keep in mind neither of the moments shown were staged or posed - we just needed the few seconds necessary to notice and photograph them.)


If atmosphere and mood photos are important to you, let us know and we'll work with you to develop a schedule that allows us to capture everything you want.

"I'm Glad I Don't Face That Type of ID Check"

It's by no means wedding related, but recently one of our brides saw the photo below and said, "Maybe showing two forms of ID isn't such a bad thing after all...."

Before each race all horses have their identities verified by checking the unique ID number that's tattooed on the inside of their upper lip, since names are easy to change but a tattoo is a little tougher...

... and that's what they're doing in this photo taken at Pimlico. It's not a particularly flattering angle, so in the spirit of fairness here's the same horse, on a different day, photographed under much better circumstances.

Safe Return

Nicole let us know that her husband, Marine lieutenant Philip Anastasi, returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.

He left for Iraq a week after he and Nicole were married, and we're glad to hear he's home safe and sound. Our hope is the term "second honeymoon" takes on a new and very special meaning in situations like theirs. We extend our thanks and gratitude to Phil and to all the other members of our armed forces who are serving or have served overseas.

Veils Make a Comeback

Our posts about wedding trends generate by far the most feedback from readers, so here's another one we've noticed this year. A few years ago we saw very few brides wearing veils - maybe once every twenty weddings or so. This summer alone four of our brides wore veils.

Depending on the gown, a veil can add a touch of additional elegance and grace. (But keep in mind if your ceremony will be held outdoors, the wind could play havoc with your veil, making it more of a distraction than an accent.)

It's worth noting that only one of our brides - in the last three years - wore her veil over her face as she walked down the aisle. While the moment the groom lifts the bride's veil at the altar is always a special one, most couples choose not to; that way guests have an unobstructed view of the bride as she walks the aisle - and she can see her guests clearly, too.

Destination Weddings - Redefined

Destination weddings are as popular as ever - each year we photograph two or three weddings in exotic or distant locales. But many couples are redefining "destination."


How? Typically a "destination" wedding involves the couple meeting family and friends at an island location or resort for their wedding. But a number of our couples in past years have chosen a less distant location for their wedding, inviting family and friends to join them there for a week, with the wedding taking place either in the middle of the week or even at the beginning.

The wedding becomes a mini-vacation, albeit a vacation with a theme (and a vacation where bringing nice clothes is no longer optional.) And if you choose a destination like the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, you may be lucky enough to be chauffeured around for post-ceremony photos by a friendly golf course employee.


When we talk to those couples afterwards, all have been very happy they chose to spend significant time with their families before and after their weddings. Most feel it's a great way to "blend" the families and give everyone a chance to get to know each other over a period of days rather than hours. Even small weddings benefit from this approach; you can always take over a bed and breakfast for the week or weekend.

Plus it's a more relaxed celebration - there's no hurry to make sure you spend a few moments with each guest... because you'll have plenty of time to catch up before and after the wedding.

Videotape Your Proposal

We've seen a lot of cute ideas, but a couple months ago at a wedding we photographed Ed, the groom, pulled off something we'd never seen before. He enlisted the help of a friend to videotape his proposal to his eventual bride, Shelley. (We assume he didn't worry he'd run the risk of instead documenting the moment she turned him down.) His friend stayed out of sight and Ed never let Shelley know he'd arranged to videotape the moment.

At the wedding reception he surprised her by playing the video on a large screen. It was a really cute moment - she was very surprised, he was tickled he'd pulled it off, and it was a neat way to involve family and friends in their day. While it certainly took some planning, and required Ed to keep a secret for a number of months, Shelley's response was priceless, and it was a memory they - and their guests - will remember forever.

Floyd Landis Visits Harrisonburg

Floyd Landis, winner of the 2006 Tour de France, in Harrisonburg this weekend for Sunday's Shenandoah Mountain 100 mountain bike race, signed autographs and met fans Friday night at Shenandoah Bicycle Company in an impromptu event. He's both famous and infamous: he won the world's preeminent bicycle race, and days later tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. (He lost his arbitration case, so he's no longer officially the TdF champion.)


Floyd had nothing to gain personally from the meet-and-greet; he wasn't selling anything, representing a sponsor, or pushing for media attention. He agreed to the event because the folks at SBC asked him to come by - his visit generated a lot of attention and brought potential customers (for the SBC) into the store. It was simply a nice gesture on his part.

After about 30 minutes a reporter from the Daily News-Record asked Floyd for an interview. Floyd said, "Sure... but only after there's no one left who wants to meet me or have me sign something ."


The reporter understood, but what impressed me is Floyd didn't seem concerned about accommodating the reporter, even though it's in his best interest to get his side of the doping story out. It was obvious he cared a lot more about accommodating the people who came by to see him.

I enjoyed speaking to him, however briefly, and was left with the impression he's a decent guy who, like all of us, tries to do the right thing even when doing the right thing means doing the hardest thing.

If you're interested in Floyd's doping allegations, the blog Trust But Verify collects daily news about the case and about Floyd. They don't appear to have an editorial opinion, but merely aggregate each day's media coverage.

Quick Posing Tip #2

We received a number of responses to yesterday's quick posing tip, so here's another. It's the classic "model turn" (that's what we call it, anyway.)

Stand at a roughly 45-degree angle to the camera, stand up straight, then turn your shoulders until they're nearly face-on to the camera- but leave your hips and lower body in place. The result is a pose that's more dynamic and much more flattering.

Plus, it's a "slimming" pose - your mid-section will automatically appear trimmer.

You can even exaggerate the pose, turning your shoulders even closer to square, and tilting your head slightly the other way, like in this photo, taken seconds after the one above.

This variation creates an elegant look, but it can feel a little awkward if you're not used to posing. (Remember that professional models create a "reality." No one stands or sits or positions themselves, in real life, the way models do for photographs.)

Two things to take with you: When posing for a photograph, even a casual one, never stand or face square-on to the camera; and if a pose feels awkward, don't worry - you look great. Oh - actually three things. If we're posing you, really don't worry - we'll make sure you look great.

A Quick Posing Tip for Brides

Unless you're a model, you're probably not super-comfortable in front of a camera. (Although, to be fair, most of our brides say they forget we exist about ten minutes into the day - we're really good at being unobtrusive and blending in.) But if you feel awkward posing with your (now) husband, here's a sure-fire way to relax: Lean your head against your husband's chest.

Not only does it help you relax, but your feelings for your husband will also show through in the photos, making for perfect images that capture the emotions of the day. Give it a try!

Wedding Insurance - Here's What We Think

We get asked a lot of wedding questions not related to photography, and that's okay - we've probably been to a lot more weddings than you have. A question we've been asked recently concerns wedding insurance and whether it makes sense. If you're looking for wedding photography advice, skip this - we'll answer the question from a general point of view, not specific to wedding photography or even insurance covering wedding photography. This is by necessity a fairly long post, so bear with us ----

And before you ask, Dirk and Laura, pictured above, didn't need wedding insurance - their wedding went perfectly.

So - wedding insurance or not? Here's our opinion. Your most important investment for your big day may actually be a wedding insurance policy that will cover many of your costs if you need to postpone or cancel the ceremony and reception.

I know that doesn't sound too romantic or exciting, but let's focus on what's on the line here. According to TheWeddingReport.com, the average U.S. wedding cost more than $25,000 in 2007. You wouldn't pay that much for a car and not insure it, or if you made a $25,000 down payment on a home.

If you are planning an expensive or elaborate wedding, it makes sense to insure your wedding. Ask your insurance agent what policies are available -- some insurers offer wedding insurance in a Special Events policy. Or you can check out insurers that specialize in wedding insurance like WedSafe (www.wedsafe.com, who we have no business relationship with, by the way).

The premiums are relatively cheap when you compare them to the money you'll spend on the wedding. WedSafe charges around $200 for a policy that will pay up to $7,500 should your wedding be cancelled or postponed for "covered" reasons (more on that later.) For $35,000 in coverage, the cost is about $400. In case you're curious, it costs about $1,000 to cover a $150,000 gala.

Cold Feet Aren't Covered
The core of a wedding insurance policy is the cancellation/postponement coverage -- the reimbursement you'll receive for all deposits and charges you've paid to your wedding vendors, assuming the insurer approves your reason for cancellation or postponement. That last clause is very important: As with every type of insurance, you need to take the time to understand exactly what is and isn't covered in your policy. You should review the policy in detail with your agent to avoid any ugly surprises down the line.

Among the important caveats to many wedding insurance policies:

Weather: If you're planning an outdoor wedding and encounter drizzle or depressing gray skies, you're out of luck if you want to postpone the nuptials for a better photo day.
But should some extreme weather make it impossible for anyone in your wedding party or the majority of your guests to attend, then your policy will kick in if you need to cancel or postpone. Keep in mind "extreme" means snowstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other major events that close down airports, highways, etc. If extreme weather damages your wedding site -- say a hurricane destroys the reception hall -- your policy will cover the costs of rearranging your wedding plans.

A family or wedding-party member's injury or illness: If someone in the wedding party or your immediate family (parents, grandparents, siblings, or children) is injured or too ill to attend, your policy will pay the costs of postponing or canceling the event. But read this coverage carefully -- typically an illness or injury caused by a preexisting condition that occurred within the past 12 months will nullify this coverage.

The caterer or reception hall goes out of business: If you're jilted by a wedding vendor you've hired, your policy will kick in. Note that a DJ not showing up isn't grounds for cancellation or postponement. Typically your policy will simply pay you a set sum for the DJ's absence.

Rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, bachelor, and bachelorette parties: Policies typically don't cover any of the ancillary wedding festivities.

Cold feet: Um, no. If the bride or groom decides to walk out before walking down the aisle, the insurance policy won't cover any of the deposits and costs you've already incurred.

Mental distress: If you cancel or postpone your wedding for a legitimate (covered) reason and it sends you into an emotional tailspin, your policy may cover the shrink bills.

To Love, Cherish, and Be Liable
When you throw a big wedding party, you also need to be insured in case anyone is injured at the event. For big-time celebrations, the space you rent for the wedding and reception will often require that you have liability insurance before making a deal with you.

If you're very close to the wedding date, look into the liability coverage offered through the wedding insurance policy. For about $200 or so, you can get the coverage you need.

Rings
A wedding insurance policy often provides coverage if rings are lost or stolen during the period the policy is in force (you can typically purchase a wedding policy from two years to two weeks before the event; your coverage ceases after the event). Even if the policy will reimburse you for the cost of the ring -- the coverage is tied to your level of cancellation/postponement coverage -- you want that ring to be insured after the wedding, too.

Your smartest move is to insure the ring through a floater/rider to your existing homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Don't assume that your policy's existing jewelry coverage is good enough. Typically this covers you only if the ring is stolen. By adding coverage through a floater/rider, you will be covered for all risks. If you lose the ring or it's lost in a fire, flood, or other calamity, your policy will kick in. You'll even be covered if the stone falls out
and is lost.

The average annual cost for adding a jewelry rider to your policy to cover a $10,000 ring will be under $200. And make sure you have the insurance in place the day you walk out of the store.

So that's what we think. Again, it's just our opinion, so seek expert advice and shop around before you make a decision. It may not be a tough decision, though; wedding insurance is relatively inexpensive, and like most other forms of insurance, even if you purchase a policy you hopefully won't need it.

Best Wishes to Brent Bookwalter

We'd like to pass on our best wishes to Brent Bookwalter, a bicycle racer we met in 2006 at the Tour of Shenandoah. Brent, riding for the U.S. National Development Squad, suffered a severely broken left leg in a crash in mid-April while racing in Europe. (From what we understand, he hit a metal light pole.) Here's Brent in 2006 right after the first stage of the race.



Brent won the Tour of Shenandoah in 2006, and we later sent his mom some photos gratis. Evidently cycling moms don't get to see their sons or daughters too often, since bicycle racing requires a tremendous amount of travel.

Not only is Brent a great racer, he's also a genuinely nice guy who took the time to respond in detail to a question we asked about host housing.

If you'd like to keep track of his recovery, check out his blog by clicking here. But be forewarned - the x-rays on his site make his leg look like an erector set.

A Quick Thank You...

As we move into the fall, we'd like to thank all the couples - and their families and friends - we worked with this summer. Every couple was gracious and welcoming, and we also enjoyed some of the more fun receptions we've been to over the years. (And a few of the more interesting.)

Thanks again to everyone we worked with and had the privilege to meet. We're honored to have been chosen to photograph your weddings, and we're proud that our work will help your memories last a lifetime.

Rescuing Problem Images

No matter how hard any photographer tries, some images aren't perfect. Stuff happens.

"Problem" images, or images that are under-exposed, have incorrect white balance, have picked up an odd hue due to light sources or reflections, can usually be corrected, at least to a degree.... Normally we don't need to "fix" images - we're good at what we do, and we always take a number of shots of the same pose or moment, just in case. But since we're often asked about digital editing, here's an example of a time where stuff did happen.

In the image above, just as the shutter tripped a lady with a red umbrella blocked the strobe. (The other four photos in the series were perfect, but this one clearly wasn't.) Not only was it under-exposed and muddy, but it also had a pretty bad orange/red cast.

It was definitely fixable, though. Here's the same image, in black and white, after about 30 seconds of digital corrections including adjusting levels, curves, and some selective dodge tool application.

Not bad, right? Here's the same image in color, after corrections. This version took almost five minutes to correct; the main difference in the black and white and color versions is the need to apply adjustments to ensure skin tones look natural (which can be a lot trickier than it sounds.)

Obviously we don't want - or need - to do this kind of work to every photo, but sometimes we capture a moment or expression we'll do just about anything to save.

Two More Recent Wedding Trends

Oops - forgot a couple. (Check out the next entry for a number of other recent wedding ceremony and reception trends BlackBird Images photographers have noticed this year.)

Cakes and Cake Cutting. Decorating cakes with flowers has become more popular this year. It's a nice way to personalize your cake and, if you wish, extend your floral theme a little farther.

Also growing in popularity is cutting the cake earlier in the reception - even before the meal. A highlight of any wedding reception is the cutting of the cake, which traditionally occurs late in the celebration. By staging the cake cutting earlier - after the first dance but before guests dine, for example, there are at least a few advantages. You and your spouse had a chance to freshen up before your entrance, you're not tired and maybe a little frazzled from dancing, and all the guests should still be there to enjoy the experience. Plus, the catering staff has plenty of time cut the cake and do any last-minute plate decorating.

Weddings in the round. We've only seen a couple, but if the venue is right (especially if you're outside), some couples choose to have their ceremony in the round - the chairs are formed in a circular pattern around the altar. While not everyone will have a great view (some will be looking at your back, but that happens at most weddings anyway), no one will be more than four or five rows away from the front. It creates a more intimate setting, and will make you feel like you're closer to your guests. It's not for everybody, but it is something we've started to see....

Latest Wedding Trends

BlackBird Images photographers have had a busy summer, and we thought it might be fun to share recent wedding trends (based, admittedly, on the very non-scientific "data" we collected solely from the weddings we photographed.) So while our "findings" may not be statistically accurate, they do reflect what we've seen...

More Popular:

Photojournalism. Almost all our couples want candid shots that capture moments, gestures, emotions, and real interactions. That may not actually be a widespread trend, though - we're really good at and work hard to capture candid and "un-posed" moments, and couples specifically seek us out for that reason. Regardless, from what we can tell most couples want natural photos that truly reflect the day, and not posed photos that reflect, well, how the photographer wanted people to look.


Destination locations. More couples are opting for weddings at resorts or B & Bs or other locations where guests stay for a few days or longer, both before and after the wedding. The result is a wedding, reunion, and vacation all rolled into one.

Facing the guests. Traditionally couples face an altar, the person marrying them, or each other. We've seen a lot more couples turning to face their guests during the ceremony, or at least standing at a diagonal with their bodies opened up towards the "audience," which the guests seem to appreciate (and so do we).


Creative cakes. We've seen an increase in the use of flowers to decorate cakes, as well as monograms, crystals, and other items. Lots of cakes are now tiered in different flavors and colors so guests have a choice.

Save-the-date cards. Cards are mailed about six months before the ceremony, announcing the date, place and time of the wedding. (Formal invitations follow at some point.) They may also include information on hotels, flights or rental cars — anything guests may need to plan the trip.

Presents for guests. Instead of party favors, some couples have given meaningful tokens—we've seen books of poetry, monogrammed wineglasses, tulip bulbs... things with a lasting value. But - small boxes of candy is still very popular.

And a Little Less Popular:

Pastels. In everything from invitations to bridesmaids’ dresses and centerpieces, stronger, richer colors seem to be in. We've even seen a few engagement rings with colored diamonds (and they're really pretty.) Colored diamonds are rarer (red is most rare) and more expensive than white diamonds, though.

Tight bouquets. A lot of brides chose a more natural look, with stems exposed, tied loosely with long, flowing ribbons. While they're a little tougher to carry around all day, they are pretty.


Elaborate receiving lines. This summer we haven't seen a single formal receiving line; everyone who choose to have a receiving line just included the bride, groom, and parents. The days of receiving lines with every relative included seem to be over (thank goodness).

Post-ceremony church photos. More and more couples want their posed photos outside the church. Church interiors normally have busy backgrounds and poor lighting... plus some altar areas are simply too small to accommodate larger group photos. Many of our couples want a few shots inside and the rest outside, using the church, the mountains, etc as the backdrop. We're all for this trend - if for no other reason than the people being photographed appear more comfortable and natural outside rather than inside.


Garter and bouquet tossing. We think it depends on the age of the couple; if you and your friends are under 30, the garter and bouquet toss can be a lot of fun. If you're in your 40s or 50s... not so much. A number of couples, even younger couples, skipped this part of the reception this year.

Creating environmental issues. Rice-throwing seems to be completely gone (birds eat it, but not always to such a great effect) and very few butterfly release weddings. And a lot of couples seem to be planning the reception with recycling in mind.