Danielle and Matt- a details video

Check out this great video from Maple Loft! Danielle and Matt had great weather last July and we really enjoyed looking back on these details. Thanks to Claris Photography for the fabulous pictures as well! Both vendors are members of the MY KPW family!

http://www.mapleloftstudios.com/DanielleMatt/

Check out Maple Loft
Check out Claris Photography

Lighting- An essential design element

After working on the Cape this past weekend with one of my favorite photographers, Stacey Kane, we were chatting about a few moments in the wedding that we wished I had used some lighting for. The ceremony was under a beautiful Sperry Tent at 6 pm so although it was still daylight, it was difficult to capture the remaining natural light because we had a "ceiling" over us. One of my favorite decor elements of the wedding was a life-sized sculpture of the bride and groom's dog, Tiegen. She was the showpiece for the place card table and unfortunately she was in a very dark part of the cocktail hour tent and wasn't given her full glory. So after thinking about all of the lighting we've used in the past, from our studio or from hiring our absolute favorite lighting company, SBL Lighting, I thought it would be helpful to show you some images of weddings that used lighting as an important design element as well as a few shots without lighting so you can see the difference. Enjoy the images!

SBL Lighting
The State Room
Belle Mer
Sperry Tents
Stacey Kane
Claris Photography
Nelson Hancock

The reception space in the middle of the afternoon.

Images by Claris Photography



Belle Mer with LED lighting elements in the ceiling an on the dance floor.




A stunningly dramatic cake during the day.



An image of the cake with lighting from SBL Lighting.




The entrance to the State Room with lighting elements to add drama and the client's color palate.

Images by Stacey Kane



The State Room reception before it was evening.




Uplighting in pinks and oranges with round paper lanterns

Image by Nelson Hancock


A shot from outside a Sperry tent with uplighting in oranges and deeps reds.

Image by Stacey Kane

Personalized Weddings

We have almost all of our clients wanting to personalize something in their wedding and there are couple of ways to do this. Of course, just really thinking out the details is a way to personalize your wedding. Picking some appetizers that you enjoyed as a kid, or an entree that you ate when your fiance proposed are two subtle ways to personalize a wedding. Using your favorite color or overall sense of style is another great way, one that more people will usually pick up on.

Then there is the literal personalization of items for your wedding, and there are a LOT of options to work with. Personalizing items you will be using during the actual wedding is a great way to "brand" your event. Monograms, your wedding date, first names are all great icons that can be applied to almost anything: cocktail napkins, top of your menus, favor tags or stickers, a large decal or gobo image on your dance floor, or even a design on your cake. Then there are the things that you give to your guests that they will keep forever, or at least you hope they do. Personalizing something that is taken out of the context of your wedding event isn't always the best idea, as your guests don't usually want to use something that has someone else's name on it. Classic example would be the engraved picture frame with your name and wedding date on it for your place card holder. First, people don't really have a need for a frame that is smaller than a 3 x 5, but then to have someone else's name and date on it really limits its usability. If they had a photo taken of themselves at your wedding and wanted to display that they certainly could, but I can't really think of another reason to use it. Etched candle holders with your wedding date is another passe idea, candle holders in general tend not to be too great of an option. If you're having a welcome basket or bag, personalizing the welcome letter is a great idea to help start the branding process, but personalizing the bag itself is costly and usually not as pleasing for your guests.

If the item is a one-time use product, go ahead and personalize it, but if it's something that you expect your guests to cherish and re-use all the time remembering the fantastic time they had at your wedding, I think you might need a small dose of reality :) If you really want to personalize something more long-term, I would suggest your wedding date instead of your names as it's not quite as personal. Of course, brides will do what they want in the end, just thought my two cents could help save some money and steer people away from the not-so-classic favors.


Examples of personalized favors:- labels, stickers and tags are great!

All favors from Beau-Coup Favors






Some examples of personalization from our clients:

Photos by Stacey Kane

Custom Aisle Runner, Custom Acrylic Wall Art, and Personalized Guest Book Cards





Photography by Claris Photography

Favor Tags





Photography by Kristen Conklin of Joe Mikos Photography

Monogrammed Cake and Monogrammed Menus





Photography by Claris Photography

Custom Aisle Runner, Monogrammed Bouquet, Monogrammed Napkins, Custom Drink Menus, Dance Floor Gobo Monogram, and Custom Monogrammed Cake Topper

Rainy Day Weddings No. 11

Claris Photography

My advice........

Don't sweat it! If you plan ahead a little bit for a rainy day (umbrellas, some fun shoes to walk around in etc) the rain can be worked into the photography portion of the wedding day. Maybe it still means most of the pictures are inside with the families and bridal party but find your adventurous side, grab your new spouse, and head outside for a few shots together under an umbrella. If you planned for a short ceremony and you had your heart set on having it outside, don't let the rain get the best of you! Have umbrellas waiting for all of your guests and they won't mind standing while you make it official!

They say rain on a wedding is good luck so just go with it......

Desserts.... The Traditional Wedding Cake

Some brides come to us with the vision of a traditional wedding which includes the classic wedding cake, complete with a topper and cutting ceremony. Others ask for the exact opposite, serving simple pies and bunt cakes. Brides are also looking for alternative desserts either to replace the wedding cake or to add to it... I have compiled some images from vendors we've worked with in the past, showcasing desserts from the Traditional to the Over the Top!

The Classic Wedding Cake... there are SO many styles to choose from- fresh flowers, sugar paste, fondant, buttercream. Check out these incredible designs!


Cakes by Something Sweet By Michelle


Photo by Stacey Kane Photography

Custom shaded purple fondant with a shimmering overlay. Sugar paste flowers and ribbon draping complete the look of this unique creation.




Photo by Claris Photography

Yes, this cake was as tall as it looked. Michelle needed a ladder to complete it on site! White fondant cake with HUNDREDS of sugar paste flowers, each sprinkled with sparkles. The cake is sitting on a custom 36" square acrylic base filled with beads for extra drama- as if the cake needed it :)




Photo by Beacon Hill Photography

Fresh flowers can provide a lot of pop to a fairly simple cake. Buttercream smoothed to perfection, with a simple ribbon border.




Photo by Michelle Turner Photography

Another masterpiece with sugar paste flowers and twigs, a fairly simple fondant cake gets a twist of sophistication with sparse flowers throughout.





Cake by Confection Art

Photo by John Santerre for David Murray Weddings

Sometimes simplicity is key. White and navy with a touch of pink clearly represented this ocean-meets-preppy themed wedding. Pink peonies at the top of the cake are sugar paste, by the way. Buttercream with simple dot work with square tiers on an angle.

Vendor Series Interview No. 1, Claris Photography

I am starting a new series of blog entries, interviewing vendors in the industry I highly recommend and enjoy working with. We're starting today with Liesl Clark from Claris Photography out of Wilton, NH. Take a look at her website www.clarisphotography.com for more of her work. Here are a few of her favorite shots to take a peek at!

Liesl Clark










KP: What is your favorite part of the wedding process?

LC: I have always loved shooting the Bride getting ready. It is such a feminine, intimate and fun time of the day. It is something most women have done in one way or the other since they were little girls playing dress-up together so on a wedding day it's sort of the ultimate girl time. Also, this has given me an opportunity as a photographer to open doors into the Boudoir category of my business.


KP: What do you love most about your job in the wedding industry?

LC: I really enjoy working with people. If my photograph doesn't have a person in it somewhere, it just isn't as rewarding to me. I like the collaboration of a person working with me to make a shot really effective - even when that person is just having his/her moment and I am there to catch it........very rewarding.


KP: What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

LC: That Uncle Joe or Aunt Suzie can do the job as a photographer at the wedding just as well a pro could do. Couples get burned every time they try this concept in order to save some money.


KP: How did you get into the wedding industry?

LC: My husband and I combined our names (Clark and Harris) and our talent and started our business Claris Photography.


KP: Tell me one wedding vendor other than in your industry you highly recommend? Why?

LC: I can't say enough good things about choosing the right band. Music is a huge part of the wedding day and can spoil the atmosphere or pull it all together depending on the proper fit. My all time favorite Band/DJ/MC mix is Pure Energy (Johnny Kelly)


KP: Tell me one wedding vendor in your industry you highly recommend? Why?

LC: I like the work of Tom Gibbons out of Bedford.......His work sets a tone of beauty and grace. It has a calming effect on me when I look at anything he does - just classic.


KP: Favorite wedding story- funny or serious

LC: My favorite story involves pure catastrophe......It happened in the beginning of our photography career at a Greek wedding when my husband Richard and I worked together. I am not sure which is funnier now that I look back on it...him walking backwards into a dripping 12 candle candelabra while he was getting shots of the bride and groom leaving the church after the ceremony OR rear-ending the Rolls which also contained the bride and groom. If I could have fired him that day, I would have! (And that is the only mistake I will ever admit to!)


KP: What other part of the industry would you not want to work in? Why?

LC: Videography doesn't interest me at all. I have great appreciation for those in the business - but I love capturing the still moment that says it all.


KP: What differentiates you from the rest of your industry peers?

LC: I think I have an understanding that photography isn't just about taking good pictures. While it is the obvious most important aspect of my job there is so much more to it. Maybe if I worked for a studio just as a hired photographer it would be different..but I own my studio so if you hire a photographer at my studio you get ME. I start the process with you, communicate all through the planning stages, and end with you -providing great images. I feel it becomes a relationship - even as couples start having a family they come back to me. In a society where we drive through to eat, press buttons on the phone to get help from a computerized voice, and rarely get personal customer service, I see my studio as more of a connection with couples I want to do a great job for.....in a personal way.

The First Moment- why brides and grooms should see each other before the ceremony

I have a lot of brides who cringe when I ask them if they'd like to see their groom before the ceremony... "It's tradition, I don't want to jinx anything," is a common answer. Do you actually know how this tradition came about? Kate Mann looked into it and found this excerpt from Emily Post:

Can’t I see my fiancée before the Wedding on the big day?

Q: My mother insists that I not see my bride-to-be on the day of the wedding until the ceremony. Is this customary in today’s weddings?

A: Most couples today have disregarded the musty old superstition of the bridegroom not seeing his bride before the ceremony on the day of the wedding. The superstition stems from the days when marriages were arranged and the groom might never have seen the bride. There was a chance that he might take one look at her and bolt – so it was often safer for them to meet for the first time at the altar! This, of course, is a custom that these days certainly does not need to be followed, unless of course it’s something you both feel strongly about.


So, since that really isn't the case too often anymore, why not consider this taboo? Not only is it a great way to schedule your photos and ensure you ENJOY your cocktail hour, the moment is always magical- beyond words actually. That's why I asked three fabulous photographers in New England to send me some of their favorite "First Moment" shots... take a look and tell me you wouldn't love to experience this yourself?

Photos by Emilie Inc.




Photos by Liesl Clark, Claris Photography










Photos by Claudia Kronenberg