Wedding Without Breaking the Bank

As a photographer and general lover of romance- I've found myself at a couple of weddings and I'm always surprised by how unique each bride is. What I find particularly interesting is how two weddings with the same budget can look so very different. I always feel bad for the girl who's wedding doesn't match her personal style. In my travels I've found that style doesn't have to break the bank or have you up 24-7 crafting more than Martha herself. Here is some of that wisdom.

* Warning shameless self-promotion ahead!*

Book Glowing Photography: P 

Ok, all joking aside- I do offer some pretty sweet wedding deals, but that is not 100% my point. My point is look for the "little guys", newer local starts ups can be great places to find deals on services. Some people may worry about the risk of choosing a local little guy but as long as you do your due diligence to check references and previous work, I don't think it’s any riskier than choosing a larger or better known supplier.

 

         For this tip think:

• photography
• invitations
• make-up artists 
• caters

  

 

Borrow More than one thing

Something borrowed, something blue... how about A LOT borrowed or acquired used. Here's an earth shaker: most people only use their wedding stuff once. But don't just settle for anyone's leftovers maybe try an approach like, “I have a vision in my head, I'd love to see if what you have fits that". And if borrowing or lending isn't really your thing there a ton of consignment galleries and thrift stores offering great solutions for up to 90% less on the price tag.

For this tip think:

• dresses
• suits
• center pieces
• decorations

Be Yourself and Be Unique

One of the most beautiful bouquets I’ve ever seen was made of feathers and buttons, which held up to the rigor of the day much better and cost a fraction of the price of live flowers. Plus, no preservation fees! Another adorable idea I saw was a wedding in a field with hay bails with beautiful fabric scraps on them instead of costly rented benches or chairs. At my wedding instead of hiring a DJ we played all of the cheesy mix tapes we had made each other while we were dating. The key here is to express something about who YOU are and it will often cost less than the "keeping up with the Kardashian's" way of doing things

For this tip think:

• Really anything!

Updated tabs

Hey I've made some small updates to my tabs so go ahead and check those out... but really if you want to see more of what I'm about follow @Glowingphotos on twitter or look at my facebook page Glowing Photography

What's in a Name

Someone recently asked me, " Why Glowing Photography? Why not Shideler's Shutters, Kara's Camera, or KS Photography?" I thought about it and while it is somewhat appealing for my business to obviously bare my name I had a bit of an "ah ha" moment. Photography for me is more about what I'm taking pictures of than the fact it is me taking them. I want to capture those "glowing moments" take as an example one of my first business banners; what is more glowing than a perfect baby belly? 

The image is from one of the very first professional shoots that I did, an inspiring experience.

What started as a desire to express the beauty of "Glowing" new mom's quickly and easily translated into newborn photography and then back to my first camera wielding experiences in wedding photography. Again I was struck by the profound beauty of the moments and the expressions of love. It was immortalizing these moments of love and human interaction that really drove me to seek out more business. It was also not lost on me that the word glowing has a reference to light- the media by which photography is possible. So there is my answer! That's why Glowing Photography and not anything else.

Things to do in the month of June

June was a busy month here's a sample of what we were up to!



Glowing welcomed a new member :) That's my baby goo!



I guess you could say we added 2 new members :P





We also headed out all together for a photo taking good time in Southern Alberta. July is also shaping up to be a busy month...looking forward to baby and belly shoots as well as a few more shoots for the fun of it :D

Mel's Maternity

I love babies and I looove baby bellies!!! There is nothing quite as adorable as a couple in love with a "bun in the oven". I'm grateful for the experience to peak in on the beautiful moments in people's lives and help them capture them and remember them forever. I can't wait to meet this little guy for his newborn session :)

BUSY, Busy, busy!

We've moved to the NW community of Ranchlands. We're just getting settled in and putting the studio back together, we hope to post pictures of our new space in the near future :)

New Years

So I don't really believe in New Years resolutions because I think if there is something you need to change in your life you should change it as soon as you notice it and not wait for the new year. That being said the new year is an obvious time to rethink plans and look for new projects. 2011 promisses to be an exciting year for Glowing Photography. We'll likley be moving house and so my home based studio will be coming with me and my fingers are crossed for a bigger and better space. I'm thankful for my returning and new clients who have a full host of projects lined up for me this year. The Glowing Photography team will be growing this year as well :) and for the later third of the year photography may fill more of my schedule than it did this year. I'm going to try and do a "Photo of the Month" post for every month and if you read this post I would LOVE you to make some comments on the blog.
So welcome 2011- let's bring it on!!!


Karalee
Glowing Photography Photographer/Owner

Some of my favorite moments/images from 2010: