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Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
Capturing Love’s Story
The Paper
Wedding Photos Preserve Memories at Home or Abroad
by Madelyn Fogarty
[email protected]
If the idea of getting away from it all and having your wedding at an exotic location
appeals to you, you are not alone – it is estimated that destination weddings have tripled in
popularity over the last ten years. Today, more than ten percent of couples tying the knot
do so with a destination wedding.
It is easy to understand the appeal of a destination wedding – sun setting on a warm
tropical beach, a charming Italian villa, the ocean backdrop aboard a cruise ship, a favorite
resort, or a landmark location. But, planning an event long distance can present certain
challenges including working with the unknown – people and places you are unfamiliar
with and may have never even met nor seen. Still, the planning checklist includes many of
the same items necessary to make the dream wedding a reality. And, as with any wedding
or special event in our lives, capturing these extraordinary moments should be one of the
most important items on your planning list. Because, long after the last piece of cake has
been eaten, the flowers have wilted, and the forgotten favors have been collected from the
tables, your wedding photographs will be around to provide memories for generations to
come. And, seriously, you don’t want to miss out on having a photo journal of Great Aunt
Ellie dancing the Macarena, do you?
Local photographer, Shayla Samples, owner of Shayla Loring Photography in Dwight,
recently photographed a destination wedding that took her to Marco Island, FL in early
January for the marriage of Dan and Erin Kilmer of Mazon. Shayla, a professional photographer for six years, described the experience as an honor.
“It's an absolute honor to have a couple trust in me and have me travel across the states
to photograph their wedding,” Shayla told The Paper. “Weddings are my favorite event to
photograph and it was even more awesome to go on a destination. Knowing I'm providing
a family with memories that last forever is what drives me to do the best I can every time.”
Samples met the bride and groom when she was hired to photograph the couple’s engagement. She had also worked with the bride’s sister earlier capturing some family photos.
While hiring a photographer located in the destination area is an option, the Kilmers
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decided they wanted someone who was familiar with them, and that they were comfortable
with, to accompany them on this most important journey.
“I didn't want to hire a stranger, not get along with him or her, and have to fake looking
happy in our photos,” said Erin Kilmer. “We also liked being able to order prints locally
for our family and not having to ship photos from Florida afterwards. Also, we felt good
about keeping at least some of our wedding budget in the community.”
Shayla agrees that having a comfortable rapport with the photographer is very important and something to be strongly considered when making your photographer selection.
(continued on page 3)
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The Paper
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
(continued from page 2)
“Of course, you want to like their work and style. But, I think the most important thing is
being able to connect with each other,” says Shayla regarding the client and photographer
relationship. “You end up spending most of the day with the photographer on the most
important day of your life…from the moment the bride is getting her hair and makeup done,
and then walking down the aisle, and on to the first dance…the photographer is by your side.
So, you want to have someone that you get along with.”
While there are lots of things to consider, Shayla suggests not letting price, within reason,
be the deciding factor when choosing a photographer since there are a lot of photographers
with different skill sets based on the price you are willing to pay.
“Photos from your wedding are the only thing you physically have to show your family
for years to come,” says Samples. “And, remember, digital files can become corrupt. So, one
of my main goals is for each couple to walk away with a beautifully designed wedding
album that will become their first family heirloom.”
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Page 3
Shayla suggests booking your wedding photographer at least six months to 11/2 years in
advance indicating it should probably be the next thing to consider after selecting your date
and booking the venue. Samples offered some other advice when selecting a professional
wedding photographer.
“You need to make sure they are legitimate,” cautions Shayla. “Make sure they have
insurance, experience photographing weddings, and have backup equipment and a backup
plan if something happens to them. Contracts protect the couple just as much as the photographer. Make sure you meet the photographer before booking, see a full wedding they have
shot, not just ‘the best of best’ that are shown online.”
If you do plan to bring your own photographer to a destination site, be sure to confirm
when booking the venue that there are no restrictions to prevent this - some venues may
require you to use its own photographer and may include photos as part of its package as a
way to insure all the business stays within the venue’s control.
(continued on page 12)
Page 4
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
The Paper
The Art Of Compromise by Tresa Erickson
You’ve seen enough to know that
weddings can bring out the worst in
people. Joining two people from different backgrounds in holy matrimony is rarely smooth sailing. What
should be a union of two often turns
into a union of families, and that can
make for very difficult times. Even
when the families take a step back to
respect the wishes of the bride and
groom, things can get out of hand.
Although the wedding is theirs,
brides and grooms can get carried
away and alienate others with their
wedding choices. How do you avoid
this? You learn the art of compromise.
Compromise, a settlement of differences by mutual concessions.
That’s right. Differences and concessions. With so many people
involved in the planning of a wedding, it is not uncommon for differences to occur. Whether concessions
are made depends upon the willingness of the parties involved. Are you
willing to consider options other than
your own? Are you willing to consider that the
options of others might be
better?
Just
because
you
want
round
tables at your
reception does
not mean you
should
have
them.
They
may not be
available
or
work for the
space.
D o n ’ t
assume there is
one and only
one way to do
things. There
might be several. You should take the
time to listen to all of the options
available before determining what is
best for your purposes. Compromise
cannot work without concession. It
may be your
wedding,
but
that
doesn’t
mean you have
all of the best
ideas. The more
open you are to
getting the feedback of others
and
pursuing
what works, the
easier the planning will be.
Of
course,
not all opinions
are feasible. You
must be able to
separate
the
good from the
bad, the essential
from the non-essential, the important
from the not so important. If an idea
will not work, there’s no use in con-
sidering it. If an idea will work but
you have your heart set on something
else, it’s fine to axe it. It is your wedding, and you don’t have to concede
on everything. Do remember, however, that your wedding will be just the
first of many good days to come. The
fact that you have to simplify the
wording on the invitations for your
parents’ sake probably won’t matter
to you 10 years from now.
Respect is key. Family and friends
must understand that it is not their
wedding and respect the wishes of
those involved, in particular the bride
and groom. The bride and groom
must understand that while it is their
wedding there are others involved
who may want to have a say. The couple must respect the opinions of each
other and those involved in the wedding planning. That respect can lead
to the willingness to concede, which
in turn, can lead to a better wedding
overall.
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The Paper
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
Wedding Cake Alternatives
You’re getting married soon, and the
time has come for you to select a wedding
cake. While you understand serving cake
is tradition, you’re not real fond of the
idea. Isn’t there something else you could
serve? Of course there is!
There are so many alternatives to wedding cake. But before you start looking
into them, you need to determine why you
are opposed to the idea. Do you dislike the
taste of cake in general or the look of a traditional wedding cake? If you like cake
but not the standard tiered wedding cake
with lots of frosting, you have many
options. You can ask your baker to do
something different and design you a
unique cake, perhaps a replica of your
wedding rings or favorite flower. You can
serve smaller single-layer cakes in various
flavors at each of your reception tables—
this has become a big trend in recent
years. You can fill several tiered platters
with cupcakes of every flavor. The choice
is yours, and if cake is not for you, there
are alternatives.
Before you axe the cake altogether,
remember your guests. Some will expect
wedding cake and be sorely disappointed
when you don’t serve it. For their sake,
you might want to arrange for a small
wedding cake. For those more daring,
dessert options run the gamut from pastries to pie. Sit down and rank your dessert
faves. Have your spouse-to-be do the
same. Then compare the lists. Do you see
anything in common? Perhaps ice cream
is tops. No? Ice cream is your beloved’s
number one choice and pie is yours? Pie
and ice cream? What a great combo!
To give your guests more choices, consider serving your top choices buffet style.
Arrange for an ice cream bar, for example,
Page 5
by Tresa Erickson
with several flavors of ice cream and toppings. That way, guests can create their
own ice cream dishes from sundaes to
banana splits. Instead of serving one type
of pie, set up a pie bar with several types
for guests to feast on. They might have a
sliver of peach pie, a sliver of apple and a
sliver of pecan. Still not sure what to
serve? No problem. Set up a coffee and
dessert bar with various sweets from pas-
tries to puddings. This will satisfy a large
number of sweet tooths.
There is so much you could serve in
addition to or in lieu of wedding cake.
Check out some bridal blogs and magazines, do a general search on the Internet
and ask around. You’re sure to come up
with hundreds of alternatives, so many in
fact that choosing just one may be difficult.
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Page 6
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
Honeymoons On A Dime
The Paper
by Tresa Erickson
While some newlyweds can still afford to cap off their big day in grand style with a trip
for two to someplace exotic, there are many that can’t. Once they’ve paid for the wedding,
there is little left for a honeymoon. Fortunately, you can still have a great honeymoon on a
shoestring budget. Here’s how.
• Leave at a later date Who says you must leave for your honeymoon immediately following your wedding reception? Enjoy your big day and postpone the honeymoon of your
dreams until you can afford it.
• Go during the off-season Off-season prices are far cheaper than peak season prices.
Schedule your honeymoon during the off-season, and to save more cash, consider going to
a less popular destination.
• Book way in advance Generally, the earlier you book your honeymoon, the cheaper
the rates will be.
• Cut costs where you can Choose less expensive accommodations, especially if you
intend to be out and about much of the day. Take advantage of all free or low-cost activities.
• Stay close to home If you are really short on cash and can’t afford to go away, stay in.
Check out the deals in your area and arrange for a mini staycation.
Honeymoons don’t have to break the bank. You can still have fun and celebrate the beginning of your life together on
a shoestring budget. It just
takes some advance planning and creative thinking.
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Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
The Paper
Page 7
Wedding Insurance Expands as Nuptials Get Pricier
by Michael Melia
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Worried
about the groom getting cold feet? There’s
an insurance policy for that.
With the cost of the average American
wedding reaching about $26,000 insurers
have been selling a growing number of
policies to protect against losses from
extreme weather, illness and, in one firm’s
case, even a sudden change of heart.
Cheryl Winter spent $500 for Hartfordbased Travelers Cos. Inc. to cover her
daughter’s $50,000 destination wedding
last October in New Orleans, where her
biggest concern was potential hurricane.
The weather cooperated, but the limousine never showed up. Her daughter took
a taxi cab to the church, and they used the
insurance policy to claim the deposit
money they couldn’t get back from the
limo driver.
“No one wants to be walking in the
French Quarter in a long gown and high
heels,” said Winter, who lives in the Houston area.
The insurance is offered by a small
number of U.S. companies. Insurers
declined to provide data on the number of
customers beyond saying they are growing steadily. It can cover losses from
issues ranging from bankrupt wedding
halls to cancelations forced by unexpected
military deployments. Travelers says
issues with vendors account for about a
quarter of the claims, with most of those
related to issues with photographers or
videographers.
For Travelers, an insurance giant with
annual revenue of $26 billion, the policies
will not make or break the bottom line.
But the wedding insurance it began selling
in 2007 is also a way to connect with a
couple who might later think of the company for home insurance and other life
milestones.
“It could be the beginning of a relationship with a young couple,” said Ed
Charlebois, a Travelers Vice President for
personal insurance.
Wedsafe, backed by Aon, also offers
wedding insurance, which differs little
from specialty insurance that firms may
offer for other kinds of events and celebrations.
For parents concerned about a relationship souring before the exchange of vows,
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. offers
change of heart insurance. It’s been available since 2007, but the program administrator said the fraud rate soared in the
early years as policies were bought for
couples who were known to be fighting.
That coverage now applies only if the
bride or groom calls off the wedding more
than nine months beforehand.
“Coverage does not exist once you hit
the altar,” said administrator Rob Nuccio
of R.V. Nuccio & Associates. “The only
ones who were buying it were the ones
who knew they would have a claim.”
Kyle Brown, director of the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Bridal Association of
America, said he recommends wedding
insurance, but he estimates policies are
taken out for less than half of one percent
of the more than two million weddings
held annually in the U.S.
“Nobody likes to think about the bad
side,” he said.
Winters said some people told her
insurance would be a waste of money for
her daughter’s wedding, but she read various reviews and decided it was worth
protecting the investment. She’s planning
to buy a policy for another daughter’s
wedding in 2015.
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Page 8
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
The Paper
For Adults Only
You recently got engaged, and as the
wedding planning gets underway, your
first tasks are to secure a location and
make a guest list. One of the questions
that may pop up as you are making your
guest list is whether to invite children.
While some brides and grooms invite chil-
dren to their wedding, others prefer not to.
They may feel their wedding will occur
too late in the evening for young guests to
attend or they may not have enough in
their budget to make the necessary accommodations for young guests, such as babysitters, entertainment and special meals.
Excluding children from the guest list
is not always a popular decision, so should
you go this route, make certain you handle
the matter with care. Discuss your decision with close family members as soon as
possible and find someone on both sides
who will field all questions on your
behalf. You don't want to be inundated
with phone calls when the invitations go
out while you are trying to plan the rest of
your wedding.
Next, make sure you word your invitations so that guests understand that children are not invited to your wedding. Usually, one line on the bottom of the invitations is all that is needed. Suggestions for
wording include:
• "Due to the formality of the event, the
bride and groom request that adults 18 and
older only attend the ceremony and reception."
• "The bride and groom respectfully
request that individuals 18 and under do
not attend the wedding or reception."
• "The bride and groom respectfully
request that only those specified on the
invitation attend the wedding and reception."
To ensure there are no misunderstandings regarding your decision, you should
reaffirm the number of people you are
inviting to your wedding on the RSVP
card and address the envelopes for both
the invitation and the RSVP card only to
those who are invited. If inviting three
adults in a family of six, for example, you
should ask on the RSVP card how many
of the three will be attending and address
the envelopes to just those three adults
rather than the Smith family, which
implies everyone in the family is invited.
For guests who have children, you
might even want to include a list of area
babysitting services. Not only will this
illustrate your wishes further, but it may
make it easier for guests to find someone
to care for their children while they attend
your wedding. For your guests' convenience, you may even want to arrange for
an onsite babysitter. That way, guests can
simply drop off their children at the desig(continued on page 9)
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Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
The Paper
(continued from page 8)
nated area and pick them up when they are
ready to leave the reception. Depending
upon your budget, you can either pay the
onsite babysitter or leave that to guests.
To reduce the risk of hard feelings, you
may want to send a small gift to children
whose parents have been invited to your
wedding. Crayons and coloring books or
small toys will ensure children, as well as
their parents, that you have not forgotten
them.
Even with gestures such as crayons and
a coloring book, some guests may be
offended by your decision not to invite
children and contact you about the matter.
Be honest with them. If you think that
your wedding will bore young guests and
can't afford to provide entertainment for
them, say so. For guests who leave you
messages regarding the matter or want to
discuss it further, don't be afraid to refer
them to the family members you appointed to handle all questions for you. As a
somewhat objective third party, they may
be more successful in explaining the matter than you.
For many couples, making the decision
to exclude children from the guest list for
Page 9
their wedding is easy. Informing guests of
their decision is not. Approach the matter
with tact and be prepared for some resistance. Not everyone will understand or
accept your decision, and some in fact
may choose not to attend your wedding.
Try not to let that bother you. Remember,
it is your wedding, so stand your ground
and be firm.
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Page 10
The Right Theme
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
by Tresa Erickson
When planning their wedding, some couples elect to have a theme. Themes can run
the gamut from colors to characters, and
many couples look for one that will make
their wedding unique. Does having a themed
wedding interest you? Here are some tips to
help you select the right theme.
Wedding themes often arise from common favorites and interests. Sit down with
your beloved and write down your favorites
and interests. Compare your lists and see
what you have in common. Perhaps you both
like the sport of skiing or are into jazz. Perhaps you have a favorite hobby. Whatever
your findings, you might be able to pull a
theme from them.
If you can't pull a theme from your common favorites and interests, don't despair.
With some thought, you are sure to come up
with one. Here are some areas you might
want to consider pulling a theme from: • Art,
like film or literature • Cultures, like the
Irish or Japanese • Decades, like the 1920s
or 1960s • Famous characters, like Romeo
and Juliet or Bonnie and Clyde • Food, like
chocolate or cheese • Holidays • Places, like
Hollywood or the beach • Seasons • Special
events, like Mardi Gras or Super Sunday •
Time periods, like the Renaissance or the
Victorian Age
You might even look to the venue you
have selected for your wedding for inspiration. An old dance hall might be the perfect
place to have a 1940s-themed wedding.
Wedding themes can come from anywhere. As you are looking for one, keep the
details of your wedding in mind. You both
might like wintry colors and sports, but neither of these would make a good theme for a
spring wedding. The theme you select
should suit the time and tone of your wedding.
The Paper
Announcing Your Engagement
and Wedding in The Paper
The Paper does not charge for placing
Engagement or Wedding Announcements.
We do ask that you provide us with a photograph of the couple. Also, we ask that
you provide information about the bride
and groom, parents and wedding party. If
the couple lives out of town, please be
sure to note their connection to The
Paper’s circulation area. We have forms
available, in office or online, to help with
writing this information.
The Paper can be reached by: email:
[email protected],
phone:
815-584-1901, fax: 815-584-2196 or
by stopping at 204 E. Chippewa Street in
Dwight.
All photos may be picked up after publication. We ask that photos being sent by
email be in .jpg format.
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Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
The Paper
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Page 11
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Page 12
Bridal Guide - January 29, 2014
The Paper
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(continued from page 3)
There are many things to consider when planning a wedding. However, whether you are
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