Finding Beautiful 3 Tier Wedding Cake Stands

Tier cake stands are designed to support different levels of a cake. This kind of stand comes in various numbers of tiers. 3 tier wedding cake stands usually are the most popular in the market. If you have decided to buy a 3 tier stand, there are plenty of them available in different finishes. Below you will find some popular choices.

For people who want to get elegant stands for their cakes, 3 tier stands made with glass and metal should be good choices. They usually feature sculptured metal and frosted glass and look quite simple yet can display your cake beautifully. Besides, this type of stand does not cost much money. It is perfect for couples who want to get nice cake stands on a budget.

Another stand that is good-looking yet inexpensive is one that is made of glass. This type of stand can be an elegant addition to your tableware collection after the wedding ceremony. It comes with many different shapes for you to choose from, like round and square styles. Various colors are also available, ranging from simple clear glass to ruby red coloring.

Of course, a 3 tier wedding bead stand is great for couples who want to incorporate cake designs from contemporary to traditional. This stand goes perfect with a jewelry or artwork design and add a stylish touch to the display of cakes of various styles and sizes. It costs a little higher than the former two but surely will make an elegant statement at your wedding reception.

How to Photograph a Wedding - Groups

Many wedding photographers avoid taking large groups. You should never refuse to shoot a large group, there is always a demand for groups if you pose them correctly.

Most photographers who say there is little money to made with large groups, usually do not have the creativity to pose the groups.

In fact the opposite is true, you will get many reorders for groups shots if you take the time and effort to ensure that your customers are happy with the shot.

You often see wedding photography where the photographer has posed the group in a long straight line. In order to get the group to fit the frame they then have to walk backwards or use a very wide angle lens. The effect of walking backwards to make the group fit the frame is that you end up with lots of sky, lots of ground and an unattractive looking group somewhere across the middle of the frame.

There are two methods I advise you to use when shooting big groups.

The first is to shoot from a high angle, for example from a first floor window above the group. This can often be achieved at the hotel. Directing the group from here is not easy, but you will gain the advantage of a group which can be five or six deep and whose faces can all be seen.

The other method is to use a set of stairs, often available at the church or at the hotel. Ensure the bride and groom are at the foot of the stairs and get arrange everyone else in an ascending manner from there. Before you press the shutter check quickly that you can see everyone's face.

Also beware of your depth of field when using stairs, you will probably be shooting at least f8 if not f16.

So, don't be afraid of the big groups!

Legal Issues for a Destination Wedding Photographer

Shooting wedding photos on a foreign location is fascinating. The out of the ordinary scenes and locations can really make the creative juices ebb and flow. However, whenever you are photographing outside your country of residence, you have to take care of ALL the legal issues connected with photographing on a foreign land.

If you are a new destination wedding photographer, here are a few things you will require to address while planning such a foreign assignment.

Passport and Visa

It is obvious that you need to carry a valid passport that is definitely not close to expiry. Visa applications can take really long time depending upon the destination. You will have to apply for a business visa. Hence, make sure you have sufficient time to get your visa ready. For other passport and visa requirements, contact your embassy in the destination country.

License/Work Permit

Some destination wedding resorts require that the outside vendor carry a license for the services he or she is providing. For more information, clarify with the resort your clients have chosen and also with the tourist information center at the destination.

Some destinations, such as Mexico require that you obtain a work permit as a freelance photographer (even if only for a few weeks). The best place to clarify such doubts is to call the local embassy of that country (For example, calling up Mexican embassy situated in the USA for more details).

Insurance

These days it is always better to be equipped with cover-all travel insurance. While travelling, a photographer will have to carry equipments that cost thousands of dollars. Unless you insure them against damage and theft, you cannot be at peace. Make sure your insurance agent covers the theft, loss or damage on a foreign land as well. Thus, you need to look for travel insurance, which not only covers medical problems, but also extends the insurance to personal belongings.

Usually a small fee is involved in all of these. You might want to include all the legal fees in the final bill that you present your clients. Inform your clients before hand on what additional charges you will include apart from the photography charge.

Once you have taken care of these legal issues, everything else is just easy. You might still have to consider whether or not to take assistants with you. If yes, then all the above is applicable for them too. You must make sure to ask your clients regarding your travel, transportation and stay arrangements. If there are chances that you might have to fend for yourself with regard to transport or travel, you might have to look for budget transport options.

A destination wedding photographer needs to be prepared in every way to make the experience memorable for the clients and an incredible work experience for oneself.

Wedding Photo Collage Ideas

A wedding photo collage is an interesting idea with lots of great possibilities. You can create them for yourself or for family, friends and anyone else you want to share your memories with. Here are just a few ideas for those looking to share their big day in a special way:

1. You might want to make a photo collage of your wedding for your parents or grandparents.   You can do this as a special gift shortly after your wedding day using pictures that you have selected from the photographer or someone else who took pictures at the event.  Try to select ones that the recipient would like, making it as personal as it can be.  For example, your grandparents will probably like a collage of just family, whereas your folks might prefer a mix of family and close friends.

2. You can combine photos from your wedding with others such as your first date, destination vacations and other special occasions and give them to your husband or wife as an anniversary gift.  This will have much more meaning than the usual anniversary presents, and you can take a trip down memory lane together.

3. If you want to do something really unique, make your photo collage into a jigsaw puzzle.  You can take your favorite shots from your big day, e.g. the first dance, cutting the cake, family table pictures, and upload these to an online service that will turn them into a unique wedding photo collage puzzle.  These can be great for everyone, as they combine the memory of your special day with a fun activity for kids and adults alike. After all, who doesn't like a jigsaw puzzle?

Whatever you decide, make sure it's done right.  Look online for companies that specialize in digital wedding photo collages, and choose one that offers a wide selection of options. Most good online stores will have some of their past work displayed so you can get an idea of what the photo collage may look like. If you can't decide what to choose, they will suggest a photo collage for you.

If you go the puzzle route, there are only a select few companies that do this, at least professionally. You want to  make sure the company you choose specializes in digital photo jigsaw puzzles.  It shouldn't be too difficult to determine this. You can order them in a variety of puzzle sizes depending on skill level, from 35 pieces all the way up to 1500 pieces.  Prices usually range from  around $80 to $250.

So don't just throw those wedding photos in a boring old album, make a photo collage today.  Better yet, make a wedding photo collage jigsaw puzzle!

Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Wedding Photographer

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Questions are GOOD! The more questions you ask, the more involved you become, the more informed both you and your photographer are, the smoother the process will be.

I love it when I get 'fussy' brides. It means that I know exactly what they want, they feel assured I know what they want - the more demanding the bride before the day, the better I like it!

So here's my top ten questions to ask:

1 - Will you adjust your style to suit what I want?

Answer - within reason. Any professional photographer would rather pass a non-fitting client on to a more-suited colleague than try and be something they are not, just to keep a job. But flexibility is of course essential, too! Be sure before you meet that the photographer's style is what you are looking for - and if you change your mind whilst viewing more of their work, do not be afraid to say so. It saves everyone time!

2 - What is your method of working on the day?

Answer - there is no right answer to this, but your photographer should have a very clear and experienced idea of the layout of a wedding day, how they will cover each part, which parts they will control and which parts they will allow to flow around them. As long as they're not hesitating and fudging over what actually will happen, it is down to your judgement to decide whether their answer matches your wishes.

3 - What is your back up plan?

Ask for details - its easy to say 'oh, don't worry, I have it covered', but really, what will they do if they break their leg the day before your wedding? You need to believe they have genuine back up available. Working with other good local photographers also means they are respected professionally, which is a great testimonial in itself.

4 - How long does the photographer anticipate the family formals and the bridal formals will take?

Answer - Again, there is no right or wrong answer to this - just a matching of your own expectations. There is no point in hiring a photographer who takes the most beautiful bridal portrait images if it takes them over an hour of posing to get them, when you only want to leave your guests for 15 minutes. Equally, if those posed beautiful images are what you desire, don't choose a pure photojournalist photographer who will only take 5 minutes.

5 - How many weddings have you shot?

There are no guarantees of course, but do a job often enough and you can't help but learn it well. And how many as opposed to how long is a far better indicator - your photographer could have been a brilliant studio photographer for 20 years, but only shot 10 weddings in that time. Meaning they're a great photographer, but very inexperienced at wedding photography.

There is also the practice of 'second shooting' which is where photographers gain experience by tagging along at a wedding and assisting a 'main' photographer. It's a great way to create a fab portfolio of wedding images, but working your own wedding as a main photographer is an entirely different experience.

6 - Will there be a contract of the services to be provided?

Answer - should be an emphatic yes! You should require a contract from your photographer that details what services they will be providing, pricing, cancellation policy, delivery expectations etc. A contract is created for your protection, and for the wedding photographer's protection. Be wary of investing your cash in photographers that "don't usually bother with a formal contract."

7 - Do you have insurance?

Answer - It may seem an insignificant thing now, but professional wedding photographers should have the proper insurance for their business. Insurance means that if anything hideous occurs, the photographer is insured to restage the photographs for you. It also protects the photographer against equipment theft, of course. But most importantly to you it provides liability protection in case Aunty Mildred trips over the photographer's bag and breaks her hip. If a wedding photographer does not have insurance, chances are that they are either new to the industry, or simply aren't taking their business seriously.

8 - How long do you work on the day?

Answer - again, no right or wrong answer, but one you need to weigh up in importance to you personally. Many photographers charge extra for the evening, some have strict hour limits, some will work on to their own discretion. It doesn't really matter, you just need to know in advance.

9 - What about the pictures?

Answer - When you ask to see a sample of wedding albums, makes sure you see a complete album of photographs from one wedding, rather than a collection of good pictures from a selection of weddings. Look carefully at the photos to check how shots are set up - can you see a selection of tidy, well organised group shots, and are all of the group positioned in the shot, or have people been missed off at the edges? Do the people in the photographs look relaxed, happy and comfortable? It is helpful to check not only the bride and groom but also the friends and relations in the photos.

10 - Would you feel happy owning your version of the pictures you are shown?

A question that only you can answer. If the answer is "yes" then you have probably found your perfect wedding photographer.

Put Together A Stunning Wedding Album

Whilst there's no denying the fact that the average wedding photographer will be a seasoned professional, and will therefore turn out a collection of highly polished, very well taken photographs, it's also true that the photographs taken at weddings tend to be somewhat predictable. In some ways it's a side effect of the traditionalism inherent in a big wedding. Almost every element of the day, from the service, through the decorations and onto the speeches given at the reception, will be arranged along lines which have been replicated a thousand times before in countless other weddings. The same is true of the photographs taken. Convention dictates that every wedding album should feature a familiar roster of shots - the bride and groom signing the register, the first dance, the bouquet being tossed, the cake being cut and so on. There's nothing wrong with this, of course, and if you're having a traditional wedding then the chances are that you have rather traditional tastes in general, but digital technology means that it is possible to create your wedding albums on your own terms, perhaps putting together a companion piece to the 'official' album which captures a quicker and more individual view of the day.

It's almost certain that more or less every person who attends your wedding will spend the entire day taking photographs. The fact that you can now use a smart phone or tablet to capture images means that your guests won't even necessarily have to bring a camera with them. The upshot of this is that, at the end of the day, a huge selection of images will have been amassed. The advanced nature of the technology not only makes it easy to take these photographs, but it also means that the vast majority of the images captured will be of an extremely high standard. In the past, you might have merely glanced at these images when visiting friends and family, but now you can collect the best of them together between the covers of a bespoke hardback book, one which will be produced to the same glossy high standard as any wedding photo books ordered from a photographer's studio.

Once you've gathered all of the images together you just have to select your favorites and then upload them to the website which you're using. Actually making the selection and choosing which images to leave out may prove tricky. The process might be simplified by imposing a theme upon your images. For example, you might wish to have them laid out in chronological order, progressing from the bride getting ready in the morning to the newlyweds driving away to their honeymoon. Alternatively, you might order it by subject matter, with a section for the bride and her bridesmaids, another for the groom, best men and page boys, a chapter dedicated to the action on the dance floor at the reception and so on. Once you've decided upon your format, actually designing the album is extremely simple. The software has been designed to be used by beginners, with the process broken down to a series of small, simple, logical steps. You're able to choose the size and shape of your book and the color, design and make-up of the front and back cover. Actually laying out the images on each page is a simple click and drag process, and the fact that you can add text, frames and backgrounds means that you can make your album utterly personal. Even if you're not a part of the happy couple, albums of this kind make wonderful wedding gifts or wonderfully touching items to create for a special anniversary. When you've finished having fun designing your book, it will be printed using the finest materials and state of the art techniques, meaning that it will be more than a match for the efforts of the professionals.

All About Wedding Lighting

Lighting is often overlooked when discussing wedding decor. This is unfortunate because lighting can have a significant impact on the look and feel of your wedding for a relatively small investment. The proper lighting can transform an ordinary room into a stunning work of art. In addition to transforming the room, different types and colors of lighting can create different atmospheres and moods throughout the course of the evening.

The first step in lighting for a wedding is to turn off any fluorescent lighting in the room; you are at a wedding, not in an office building! After the fluorescents are gone it is time to create your elegant lighting design using gobos, uplights, pin spots and intelligent lighting.

Gobos

When using lighting as part of your wedding decor the first element you should consider is having your name in lights. Having your wedding monogram or names projected onto the dance floor or a backdrop has the biggest "wow" effect for the least expense. It is a very chic and glamorous decoration that will amaze your guests as they first walk into the room and it makes for great pictures.

This is done through the use of a specialized lighting fixture and a gobo. A gobo is a special metal or glass disc that goes into the light fixture to produce the desired pattern wherever the light is projected. Gobos come in pre-made patterns or you can have one custom made for you with whatever artwork you would like. In addition to having your names projected gobos can be used to project patterns corresponding to your wedding theme onto the dance floor or the walls. Read more about gobos for your wedding here.

Uplighting

The second element in wedding lighting is usually uplighting. Uplighting consists of placing lighting fixtures around the perimeter of the room pointing up onto the walls or other architectural fixtures. The uplights create columns of light going up the wall and bathe the room in a beautiful glow. The uplights are color coordinated with your wedding color scheme to tie everything together. The amount of uplights required depends on the size of the room and the desired effect.

There are two major categories of uplighting fixtures; Conventional par cans and LED. LED uplights are the newest technology and offer several advantages over traditional conventional fixtures.

LED fixtures consume far less power than the old-fashioned par cans. Many times all of the uplights can be run off of a single electrical outlet which is very important in venues with limited power supply. Traditional uplighting fixtures can become hot and pose a risk to small children who like to touch the lights. LED lights remain cool to the touch throughout the entire event. LED lighting is often "intelligent" which means it can be programmed to produce millions of colors from a single unit and can be controlled to vary color, intensity, speed of color fade, etc throughout the course of the night to create different moods. This can create some truly dramatic effects as the walls of your venue change from one color to another as cocktails end and dinner begins and then again when the dancing starts. The downside to LED lighting is that it is often more expensive to rent as the lighting fixtures cost substantially more than traditional ones. Another drawback is that LED fixtures have trouble producing some colors well.

The two biggest factors in determining which type of uplighting is right for you are; which colors are you using and how much power is available at your venue. Contact a lighting expert and give them an idea of what you are looking for and they will be able to tell you which type of lighting would work best for you.

Color Wash

Another popular effect is to use a pattern gobo on the dance floor and wash the dance floor in coordinating color. A wash is a lighting term that means to fill an area with light. Washing your dance floor will make it really stand out and a focal point of the celebration. You may also wash walls, ceilings, entryways or any areas you want to highlight.

Pin Spots

If you have elaborate floral arrangements or centerpieces on the tables, pin spotting is usually a great idea. Pin spotting is where light fixtures are put up throughout the room to provide "mini spotlights" for the centerpieces. Pin spotting is a very dramatic effect and will really accentuate your centerpieces and show them in their full magnificence. Your florist will love it and it makes for great pictures!

Intelligent Lighting

If you are planning for a wild party later on in the evening and want more of a contemporary edge to your wedding you should consider intelligent dance floor lighting.

Many DJ companies carry intelligent lighting but the quality varies greatly so you should always ask to see at least a video of their lighting system in action. Intelligent lighting is a step above your normal DJ lighting. The light fixtures can be programmed either by a special controller or using computer software. The functionality and abilities of intelligent lighting go far beyond that of ordinary lighting and are only limited by the users imagination. With the use of the controller the lighting designer can control the patterns, speed, color and many other functions of the light fixtures. In addition, they are often brighter and have more vivid color and more color combinations than ordinary lighting. Intelligent lighting is the type of lighting you would see at nightclubs and concerts. These lights can add a lot of energy and a real "wow factor" to your event.

There are a wide variety of other lighting options available to make your wedding truly stunning and unique. For more information contact the Chicago wedding lighting professionals at MDM Special Event Lighting.