Wedding Tip: The Bustle

This great tip was brought up during a fun dinner with wedding planner Kathy Piech-Lukas from Your Dream Day. I was telling her that I wish I could pack a bustle in our emergency kit. There are just so many different kinds of bustles that there is no way to help out and know every kind of bustle and how they work with each dress. Kathy said to make sure that at least one person (preferably two) go with you for your final dress fitting. And it is best that the person doing the bustle goes to the final fitting. This is great advice that is often overlooked because it is so close to the wedding and there are a lot of appointments to schedule. We had one bride pull out a 2 page handwritten instruction sheet for how to do her bustle. Of course she was in the dress so she couldn't help much. When should you bustle the dress? Most brides bustle their dress when they are leaving for the reception or when they arrive at the reception hall. You can use the loop inside the dress to help carry the train during photos (this is a great job for the groom to help with too). We do put time into the schedule for bustling the dress. It can take 2 minutes to 20 minutes, so be sure the have whoever is helping you practice the bustle a few times while at the final fitting. That way they can ask questions with the seamstress still there.

Special thanks to Kathy for this great wedding tip! The photo above has bridesmaid Laura bustling Sarah's dress. We photographed Laura's wedding in 2005 and she has been a bridesmaid in many of our weddings since then. Thanks for referring us to your friends Laura and for being such a helpful bridesmaid!

Best Case Scenerio Vs. Realism

You know the whole exchange "are you a optimist or a pessimist?" Well to be fair I consider myself a realist when it comes to planning. When planning a party or event we start off thinking about all the awesome things that will be involved but at some time real life sets in and we need to look at the logistics of how to incorporate all of those great things. When in life does even a single day go as down as best case scenario? A couple of red lights slow us down, or you loose track of time. So when planning a party or wedding day timeline I like to go with a more realistic approach. For instance, it takes time to bustle a dress, and to get from the park to the church. If it normally takes 10 minutes to get from point A to point B allow an extra 5 minutes to gather things and get everybody in the limo. If you don't need the extra 5 minutes great you now have 5 minutes to take it all in and take a deep breath. If you do need the extra time than no biggie you have it. Other things you might want to think about that do take a few minutes that we tend to overlook:

lace up back dresses do take extra time to put on correctly (it's always great to have your maid of honor or mother practice a few times)

allow time to eat for you and your bridal party, sometimes it is best to do this between hair and makeup and getting dressed (no passing out hehe)

when your bridal party arrives at the reception the DJ will take a few minutes to line up the bridal party before announcements (I usually allow for 10-15 minutes for this depending on bridal party size)

The big thing is to have a ton of fun on your wedding day and to enjoy it. So planning ahead means making a great framework for the day and then relaxing as your day unfolds. Working with great professionals will also help keep things on track. We create custom timelines with all of our couples to help them with planning so that they don't have to worry about their photography and photo schedule. If you have any questions or if you would like a copy of some of our timelines, please don't hesitate to email me.

Wedding Tip: Vendor List

I like to meet with my brides about a month before their wedding to finalize their schedule and locations. It's also great when my brides bring me a Vendor List. This list has all of the contact information for all of your wedding day vendors. So many of my brides have such beautiful details that I always am asked where a bride found something or who she used. The other benefit of such a list is that it keeps you organized with everyone's information in one place. When it is time to finalize time and locations with all of your vendors you can pull out your handy list. At the rehearsal hand it over to your maid of honor in case any calls need to be made. If you would like to get started on yours early just send me an email and I will send you our list. It has a bunch of vendor categories listed on it - or you can make your own. Don't forget the fun things like who is doing your hair and makeup!

Wedding Tip - Rehersals Rarely Start on Time

I have been to many a wedding rehearsal and they rarely begin on time. When planning your schedule for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner allow some extra time for late arrivals. If you have a limited amount of time at your church or venue make sure that you tell your friends and family an earlier time just in case. For weekday rehearsals, allow for time in traffic. So many of my brides apologize for the rehearsal beginning late - but it is just something that happens when you try to get so many different people together. It is not something to stress about if it happens. Laugh it off and enjoy having your friends and family close to you on such a special time.

Receiving Lines

First, what is a receiving line? A receiving line is often found at more traditional weddings and includes the bride and groom and sometimes the parents and/or bridal party greeting the guests. Today the nice thing about weddings is that they are each customized to the couple and their families. So there are now many ways of doing a receiving line or greeting your guests informally. Do keep in mind that some churches in Cincinnati do not allow receiving lines due to time constraints. The most traditional way to do the receiving line, is to have the bride and groom and both sets of parents greet the guests as they leave the ceremony or when they enter the reception. Another idea is to greet the guests as they arrive to the ceremony. Also, some couples have opted to have just the two of them greet guests. Another option is to have the officiant announce that the couple will be coming back up the aisle to dismiss the guests by pew. This is nice because it does attempt to speed up the process. Some couples greet the guests as they go through the buffet line which ensures that they see everyone but does mean that they eat last. And the most common way that we see today is to forgo the formal line and greet the guests at their tables during the reception. Receiving lines are a great idea for thanking everyone for coming. Be sure to allow enough time in your schedule if you are including one. It can take about 45 minutes to receive about 200 people with the couple receiving the guests.

Wedding Tip: Questions for the Church

St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is a beautiful church with great stained glass windows.

Here in the Cincinnati we are blessed with so many beautiful churches. Go just about anywhere around town and you will find churches with great architecture and history. Back in the day, when I was planning my wedding, I had to look for a church. My home church was not big enough for my guest list so I had to start a search. When looking for your church there are a few things to consider. Also, some of the answers to these questions may impact the photos that we are allowed to capture of you on that day. (For instance, if we are only allowed in the back it is a lot harder to capture those super tight close up photos.) It also helps for planning your timeline for the day.

Is there a place that we can get dressed - a parlor or somewhere that would be a good background for photos is ideal. Available light from a window is best for more natural photos.

How early may we be in the church (will there be another wedding that day or a church service before our ceremony)? If it rains can we come early?

When will my rehearsal be scheduled for, what days and times do you have weddings and rehearsals?

How long after the service will we have for formal portraits?

Do you allow a receiving line? (Some churches surprisingly do not allow these as they have multiple weddings on a Saturday.)

What are your rules for photographers and videographers? Where are they allowed to be during the service?

About how long will my ceremony be?

What are rules about decorating the church?

Many churches are very relaxed and have only a few simple rules. Other churches have time lines that need to be kept so as not to interfere with the other weddings going on that day. Happy church hunting.

Wedding Tip: Matching Colors

Last night I went to the first Wedding Mafia 101 Seminar. It was a great chance for top wedding pros to give new advice for personalizing your pre-wedding parties. At the end the brides were able to ask questions and mingle with different vendors. I met a wonderful bride who had some great questions and I gave her a few ideas that I have seen and that have worked out great. It reminded me that I need to give everyone another great wedding tip here on the blog! First tip, keep up with the Mafia events and mark your calendar for the next 101 Seminar and the next big cocktail party on June 5th (www.yourweddingmafia.com). Next tip-see our color tip below!


I love color. As an artist I look for beautiful colors to use in my background and foreground for photos. I wanted to share a great tip from one of my brides. She had a great color scheme with orange and pink with very specific hues. I couldn't believe how well she had pulled matching everything off. She said that she found the colors she wanted in a ribbon and took that around with her everywhere. A piece went to the florist, another piece went to the cake designer and she took it with her shopping for the bridesmaids dresses and shoes. Ashley-thanks for the great tip!

Wedding Tip: Black, White and Red Theme

One of the great things that unifies the look of a wedding is by using great color choices. A great tip that I received from a friend, that I want to pass on to all of my brides, is helpful if you are using the colors black, white and red or even reds or pinks. Pay attention to what is now available for Valentine's Day and buy your supplies or even your favors on sale the day after Valentine's Day. They have bows, ribbons, everything a do it yourself bride would love plus already made items like heart shaped door decorations, decor and party ware. My favorites are the heart shaped baskets for holding your wedding programs or the rose door decorations for the front of the chapel.

For more ideas check out the following link: wedding tips. Have an idea that I should write about? Just send me an email.

Wedding Tip: Thank You Postcards

One of the great things about photography is what happens when you share it. How many homes do you walk into have a great storyboard on their refrigerator? There are always pictures, postcards and notes on the front or the side. I know I am weird because I look at those but they really are interesting.

Laura and Andy decided to have me design custom thank you postcards for their guests. While they were still on their honeymoon I worked on the design and then the approved the card after they returned home. The great part about postcards is that they save you postage and you don't have to write a ton on the back. We even print your address on the back so you don't even have to do that! So this saves you time and money and your guests will love it. Before you go buy generic thank yous that require regular postage, be sure to ask us for a quote.

Wedding Tip: Alternatives to Unity Candles

Unity candles are great. But I like how personalized some of the other options are as well. Nicole and Brad are getting married next month and are using sand since they will be getting married outdoors. I wanted to post a great shot above from a really cool sand ceremony we photographed last year. The three candles around the outside of the vase represented the couple and their son. Last year we also had a couple use soil from where they came from. She had relatives bring soil from her part of Africa where she was born and had lived and he had soil from the Cincinnati area. And if you are more traditional and you have a unity candle one quick tip is to go ahead and light the candle's wick once before using it at the ceremony. This helps mothers and you two to light the candle without having problems.

Wedding Tip: At First Sight

Want to join the party after the wedding and avoid making your guests wait? Take your formal photos before the ceremony. We like to make the moment when you first see each other special. We hide you two behind a gate, door or tree and then we bring you both out to see each other. The moment is so special. You can choose to keep it intimate with just the two of you (and us photographers) or you can include your bridal party and family members. Many of our brides have loved this moment and have told us that it really helps them to relax and remember what is truly important that day. Below are photos of Gina and Ed in their backyard! Their gate worked great and I think they forgot we were there watching.

Engagement Cards and Bookmarks

What is a Pottinger Photography engagement card? It has your favorite engagement image along with your names and date on the front of a business card and how to get to your wedding photos on the back. I custom design each card and they are printed with a glossy front and matte back. I designed these cards because so many guests were asking if the photos would be online and where to find them. Instead of handing them a Pottinger Photography card you can give them your card with your photo on the front. Our brides have become very creative with their cards. Some put it with the parting gifts for the guest, some by the signing board, others put it with candy at the tables. A few brides have put them in their thank you cards as reminders. All of our larger packages come with engagement cards.

Are you looking for a neat gift for your guests? We can design a bookmark for you. Kristen and Shawn decided to have me design a bookmark with their quote from their invitations. It looks great and matches their color theme. Bookmarks and engagement cards take time to print and design (since it is all custom), please call with any questions.

Please check out just a few of our cards below!

Wedding Tip: The Cake Cutting

How many times have you cut a cake one handed with the help of another person - probably never? That is why I recommend practicing. This may sound silly but when you are faced with the daunting task of cutting a multi-layer cake with tons of people watching, it can be a bit never racking. My tip is to practice on an engagement or shower party cake.

Step 1: Remove ribbon if it is on the cake
(don't cut through the ribbon).

Step 2: Get in place. The bride should be facing the guests with the groom behind. Depending on where your cake is situated decide which hands to use. I prefer showing off your new rings on your left hand.

Step 3: Grab the knife and place the knife toward the bottom layer of the cake (if the bottom layer of the cake is fake you will need to cut into a different layer). Now hold that pose and smile for your guests taking your photos

Step 4: Slowly cut a small piece of the cake. Next remove it with your cake server and place it on the plate.

Step 5: Feed your cake to your new spouse. And follow it with a big kiss.