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It probably comes as no surprise that couples spend the biggest chunk of their wedding budget on their reception, but did you know that they spend the second largest chunk of their budget on their photography and videography? When you thing about it, this makes sense, because most brides and grooms first want to have a memorable occasion with lots of great food, drink and dancing, but they also want to preserve these memories so that they can relive the experience via pictures and videos.

I must admit that we completely cheated at our wedding and didn’t hire either a photographer or videographer, instead opting for putting digital cameras on everyone’s tables and having them all snap photos as the night went on (with my wife’s cousin doing the more formal wedding photos). However, hiring a professional photographer is a great move if you want someone at the wedding dedicated to capturing the night on film and who is great at what they do.

With that said, here are a few things to look out for when making a decision on photography for your big day.

1. Experience – Look for photographers who not only have a decent book of business but who have also shot weddings before. There are lots of rookies out there, and although they may be talented, there’s no substitute for experience.

2. A viable business – Would you feel more comfortable hiring an established photography studio that’s a stable, ongoing business or a freelancer/part-timer who operates out of their basement? Put it this way … I’d feel more comfortable that the established photography studio will still be in business on my wedding day than a fly-by-night operation.

3. A style that fits you – Some wedding photographers excel at more formal portraiture and poses. Other photographers are great at documentary/photojournalistic style. Still others have a certain way of shooting or whimsy that might fit what you’re looking for. Make sure to review a photographer’s book and see if there’s anything that catches your eye, and if there’s isn’t ask them if they can accomplish what you are looking for.

4. Excellence at a fair price – Bargain shopping for decorations or a dress is fine, but you shouldn’t be bargain shopping if you want decent photography for your wedding. With photography, you get what you pay for, and you only have once chance to get this right, so make sure you hire a talented, accomplished photographer who will capture your big day like you want.

5. The right personality – Your photographer will be all over your wedding – in the aisle of your ceremony, in front of your families, dealing with kids and adults, talking with people at the reception, etc. – so you want them to have the right personality that gels with you and your guests.

These are some good tips for getting started in your search. In addition, some photographers use photography studio management software to help manage all their details. This photography studio software can help them keep their business completely organized and manage all their details much more easily. Some photographers also use photography management software to manage all their photos as well as their business. Something you can keep you eye out for is a photographer that uses such photography studio management software tools to help them better coordinate and collaborate with you, keep you in the loop and provide you with online tools to help you better plan the photography for your big day.

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You’re getting married. You’re the groom. Then your bride tells you to prepare the rehearsal dinner while she is charge of wedding party gifts for everyone. You have no idea what a rehearsal dinner even is. It’s your first time to get married and hopeful that it’s your last time as well. Now you’re thinking of running to friends. And the best people to approach are your groomsmen. So now you, the groom, and your groomsmen are starting to plan the wedding rehearsal dinner. How exactly are you going to do it?

The wedding rehearsal dinner may be unfamiliar to some but it’s actually one of the best ways to make sure that your wedding will be as special as you expect it to be. It’s not necessary for everyone but it’s really a good way to have each other’s friends and loved ones come together and make them involved in the wedding. It is also a perfect time to hand out groomsmen gifts to your wedding party and Best Man. To plan it, you may need your groomsmen to reserve the place and invite the guests there. They can take charge of the logistics and just coordinate with you.

As the groom, what you have to plan the most for the rehearsal dinner is the flow. Usually, what takes place in this event are toasts and moments of thanking people. They say you can never over thank a person. In this dinner, it would be good to really thank those who helped in the wedding in any way they did. You can also be specific thanking people according what they have contributed to the wedding. Make it an intimate gathering since the wedding reception won’t have that much intimacy. Careful with the flow though. You don’t want the wedding rehearsal dinner to be so systematized that it would seem to be a stiff program. What you need to create is a relaxing atmosphere with not much of an agenda set.

For the groomsmen, they need not look for a sophisticated venue for the rehearsal dinner. It can actually be done at a friend’s house. It doesn’t really matter if it’s simple. The goal is to have people enjoy a time together and a place where your future wife can bond with her friends and dish out her great bridesmaid gifts. Perhaps simple dinner could be served or a much more prepared dinner if the couple has more budget for this evening. Planning it may sound absurd because there’s not much to plan but making sure the venue and food are ready matters a lot. Other than that, the night can stand on its own. The couple will take their time interacting with guests and thank them personally.

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Today we have a guest post from the very kind people over at EngravedGiftCreations.com…

You may have been appointed as one of the groomsmen already at least once in your life but until now you still don’t know what your role is. Well, you have roles and that’s for sure, and not you’re not there to simply collect groomsmen gifts and party. Even though that is a part of it. But most of the time you think your role is limited to the wedding itself. It’s a common misconception that the role of the groomsmen only takes place during the wedding. If you really think about it, groomsmen have roles to play even before and after the wedding.

As groomsmen, the primary role you have is to make sure that there’s a bachelor or stag party. This party must be a surprise for the groom. Well, the groom will be very busy with the wedding planning and thinking about what personalized groomsmen gifts to buy so this task is left to the groomsmen. Not a lot of groomsmen know about this role that’s why some grooms have stag parties go boring instead. The best man most likely will spearhead this event. But in times when the best man is arriving only days before the wedding, the groomsmen should take over.
Before the wedding, it would be good to also assist the groom in wedding planning for the groomsmen to help reserving locations. The groom might need someone to be with while buying his tuxedo or his suit. All these logistics and others will require some hands and, yes, moral support from buddies or the so-called groomsmen. You’ll be one of the useful groomsmen if you do these things. Remember, wedding planning is a very time-consuming thing. He would really need some assistance from people who understand the most.

During the wedding rehearsals, groomsmen play an important role. You are to make sure that you are present at the rehearsals. Not only that, your presence there is not just for the rehearsals alone but you’re there to assist. If possible you can also coordinate with everyone part of the rehearsals making sure they’re there also. Some have rehearsal dinners. In this part, you ought to really involve in executing the rehearsals. Your assistance will definitely take out stress from the groom’s wedding planning process.

As groomsmen, you’re not given just a space in the wedding invitations to wait for personalized flasks as a gift. Your name is there because the groom trusts you to be part of those who could not just give moral support but real help as well. If you’re distant before the wedding, it may be good to financially assist your buddy.

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For today’s post, 77 Diamonds has compiled a ten-step plan to finding the perfect engagement ring. So before the panic sets in, ease your mind with their simple-to-follow guide.

1) DECIDE ON A BUDGET AND KNOW HER RING SIZE
Before you can even begin to comprehend the process of deliberating over diamonds, you must outline your budget for the rock. Once you’ve thrashed out the finer points with your wallet, it will be much easier to reconcile you or your significant other’s preferences for the style and design of the ring. However, before you splash out, it is essential that you know their ring-size.

2) ALWAYS CONSIDER METAL AND SIZE FIRST
Engagement bands are usually made of platinum, yellow gold, rose gold, palladium or white gold. The type of metal and its thickness will affect what settings, styles and stones you can pick, including the procedures for repair or re-sizing, therefore it is important to consider the ring size here too (either in mm or a ring grading E to V).

3) CHOOSE YOUR SETTING WISELY
There are many variations of standard and custom settings available for engagement rings. Prong, bar, tension, bezel, channel, flush, cluster, and invisible, to name but a few. Which setting you choose is often dictated by the shape and size of the ring that you may already have in mind. The most popular is the ‘prong’ setting because it holds the diamond in place as if it were hanging, maximizing the amount of light that enters the diamond which in turn makes the stone sparkle more.

Choose the right Diamond: The 4 Cs
Clarity, Cut, Colour and Carat are the famous four aspects of a diamond that you are going to have to brush up on before determining which diamond to choose for that all-important engagement ring. Our diamond education section is a recommended read.

4) DIAMOND CLARITY
Clarity of a diamond is what makes every diamond unique and subsequently it is what has the most influence on its price. Clarity is measured by grades which mark the level of inclusions of the stone. Inclusions are the broader term for blemishes, scratches, air pockets and non-diamond material on the surface of or inside the diamond. Grades range from Flawless to Included (flawless being the best) but be wary that diamond grading laboratories have different grading standards. To ensure an eye clean diamond you should always go with a stone of VS1 clarity or above or else make sure you either see the diamond for yourself or have your jeweller confirm it is ‘eye clean’.

5) DIAMOND CUT
Diamonds are known for their brilliance, but a diamond’s sparkle is determined by its cut which works to reflect as much light as possible by adjusting angles and proportions. The cut grade should be classified according to the certificate issued by the grading laboratory.

6) DIAMOND COLOUR
Diamonds are famous and loved for their icy white appearance; however most diamonds contain a hint of brown or yellow. Colour is graded on a scale from D (white or colourless) to Z (brownish or yellowish). Diamond grades from D to H are usually colourless or near-colourless but a faint yellow tint becomes visible in I grades. You need to consider personal preference, budget and the colour of the jewellery setting before settling on a stone colour.

7) DIAMOND CARAT
In order to get the best value for your money you’ll need to find a good balance between quality and size. Carat refers to the unit of diamond weight and is equal to 0.2grams. The carat weight will give you an idea of the size of your diamond, but double the carat does not necessarily mean double the size of the stone.

CHOOSE THE BEST STYLE FOR HER
Once you are familiar with the 4 Cs, you’re ready to choose a diamond shape. Shapes include the classic Round Brilliant cut, the trendy Princess cut, the glamorous Emerald cut, the creative Oval cut, the majestic Marquise cut, the antique-style Asscher, the sparkling Cushion cut or the popular Heart or Pear shapes.

9) CHECK YOUR CERTIFICATE OF APPRAISAL
Once you have chosen the diamond and the setting, you will need to obtain a certificate of authenticity especially if you choose to insure your purchase.
The certificate validates the carat weight, cut, colour and clarity with the diamond’s exact measurements. The majority of certificates are issued by two of the most trusted certifying organizations of the diamond industry. The Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.) and the American Gem Society (A.G.S.)
Be cautious of alternative laboratories which may not be internationally recognized.

10) OBTAIN A GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY
Just in case the ring needs adjusting or repairing, ensure that you understand your rights for return or amendment. Depending on the jeweller, they will usually provide either a limited-time money-back guarantee or a lifetime warranty.

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Look, we all have at least one odd, socially-acceptable-yet-slightly-embarrassing-in-certain-circles obsession. It’s an obsession that you don’t mind mentioning to your friends (and even might boast to them about) but you would rather not have a perfect stranger (especially one whom you are trying to impress) privy to. You know, something like … “Did you know Joe collects brown dress socks; he has like 87 pairs of them?” or “Have you ever seen Laura’s troll doll collection? You know, those little plastic dolls with the crazy shock of green or orange hair? Her house is full of them.”

This stuff is all fodder for fun and laughs among friends, but they aren’t things that you want to come up in a job interview or when you’re meeting the President. A friend with knowledge of these little foibles will just smile knowingly and say, “Well, that’s Laura for you.” But a stranger with this knowledge will smile politely the entire time they are whispering “FREAKSHOW” under their breath and backpedaling to a different corner of the room (despite the fact that the stranger also has at least a few of these little skeletons in his/her closet).

Sorry to say for those women out there who are obsessed with planning your wedding, but being a bridezilla is an obsession that falls into this category. In your circle of friends, being a bridezilla is a “cute” fact about you, something that your friends giggle about and shake their heads in wonder. Some of them may even encourage it, being former/future bridezillas themselves. But when this little detail about you makes its way to a complete stranger, more people than you think will roll their eyes and wonder what other harmlessly deviant tendencies you have.

I think any activity or hobby that becomes the focus of one person’s free time (or even their entire life) becomes open to ridicule from others. I’m not saying this is deserved or right, because we all have little foibles like this. It just is, and it probably arose from some trait inherited from our caveman/woman forebears to keep everyone in the village in line and from doing anything too different that might jeopardize the welfare of the tribe.

I’ve corresponded with many brides and planners over the last year or two, and for the most part, the bridezillas to whom I have talked have been very friendly, engaging people who simply happen to be engrossed in every detail regarding their wedding. And as long as this doesn’t encroach on your relationship with your fiance or how you treat other people, it is harmless and falls under the rubric of “peculiar but ultimately endearing personality trait.”

However, when it gets to the point where a bride is shrieking because the lavender bows on her floral arrangements are one shade off, or she has to drive 500 miles to buy her third $4,000 wedding dress because the other two might not be the “perfect” one, well, this is when we guys take pause and we begin to think “Do I really know this person to whom I am getting married?” Definitely not a question you want your guy to be thinking.

I’m co-owner of a business in which we sell online wedding software to engaged couples and wedding consultants, and I actually had a consultant call me who said that her bride client had screamed at her because our software didn’t work right the first time she logged in (the client was using the wrong password, by the way). Are you kidding me? I felt so bad for the consultant, who seemed to be at wits end trying to please this client who was completely out of line and becoming more irrational every day.

So what I’m saying is, if you’re a bridezilla (and only about 15% of you out there really are), make it an endearing part of yourself and not scary. Because we all eventually flee from scary.

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I’ve written quite a bit about destination weddings in the past, mainly because Groomasaurus Gal and I had one in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But a friend of mine brought up a good point the other day in that you don’t have to travel outside the U.S. to have a destination wedding. We’ve got lots of wonderful destinations right here in the good ol’ US of A, and plus with the economy still in pretty poor shape, I’m sure U.S. vendors would appreciate the business.

So I’m making a shameless pitch for having a wedding right here in my home state, Colorado. I live in Denver, and it truly is the best of both worlds. We have a great and thriving city (which also has a surprisingly number of excellent restaurants … only a notch below SF or NY, in my opinion, and those are world-class dining cities) and we are merely footsteps away from America’s playground … the Rocky Mountains. The sky is blue here over 300 days a year (and for a transplanted Midwesterner, that’s a better drug than you can get in any pharmacy or on any streetcorner) and the people are amazingly friendly. You see, Denver is a city of transplants and everyone who is here knows what it’s like to be new. So we’re always willing to bring new friends into our circle and reach out to new arrivals to make them feel welcome.

Anyways, there are so many places in Colorado to get married that I don’t know where to start. And you can either have a ski-slope wintertime wedding or a warm and sunny summer mountain wedding (I actually prefer Colorado in the summer, where there are so many things to do … hike, bike, camp, etc.). The ski towns like Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Vail and Crested Butte in the summer are great places for a wedding, as they have the venues and services to accommodate lots of guests and dining. And there are many quieter but just as beautiful towns like Salida or Glenwood Springs (which has a huge historic hot springs and a few classic hotels) that would serve you very well for a wedding. And then there’s destination hotels like the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, which is an entire little city unto itself.

But enough of my talking … here are some photos taken by my friend (and excellent wedding photographer) Katie Girtman from Studio Kiva of some breathtaking Colorado weddings. Katie shoots both wedding as well as commercially (I run a marketing/branding firm, and she’s done several shoots for us, all with great results). She’s the consummate professional, and if you’re looking for a wedding photographer who knows her stuff and will go above and beyond for you, she’s the one to hire. If you want more information on getting married in the mountains here, you should contact Katie or our friends over at Petal & Bean, who are both wedding planners and florists (I don’t see how they do it all, but everything they touch looks magical and ends up wonderful).

All photography courtesy of Katie Girtman of Studio Kiva.

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I’ve been busy browsing around the Web these days, and here are some great wedding sites I happened upon recenly:

OmniBride.com – You’ve tried Google and Bing in your searches for cool wedding stuff, so now try OmniBride. It’s a search portal specifically for wedding-related sites, and it’s a great way to find lots of sites in every category – from bridal shopping sites to wedding information sites to cool wedding planning tools.

The Wedding Chat Blog – A great new blog created especially for the chic bride. Lots of great topics and ideas, so put it on your blogroll and visit back often.

Beach Wedding Planning – If you are considering a sunny-beach wedding (and take it from one who had a beach wedding … it is totally worth it, and often destination weddings are cheaper than the ones you have in your hometown), this web site is a must to check out. It has helpful article on everything you should consider when planning your beach destination wedding as well as a place to check out all the possible beach wedding locations available in this hemisphere.

God Awful Wedding Crap – This blog is howl-out-loud-funny with posts on all the weird, wacky and sometimes scary wedding stuff and trends out there (for example, today’s post has a bride who commissioned a wedding cake that looks like her … can you say “narcissist”).

If you have any great sites to add to this list, just let me know…

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We continue to feature guest bloggers this month, and today’s guest is Amy Patel from Planning Elegance, a California-based wedding coordination company. I would like to thank Amy and her team for their valued advice for any groomasaurus-to-be. And make sure to stop by their wedding advice blog for more great tips and guidance on everything wedding related.

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Everyone involved in the planning process tends to act like the wedding is all about the bride and sometimes, we may forget about the groom. Often times we, as wedding planners, may not even meet the groom until the wedding day! Here are wedding duties that the MAN in the relationship, the soon-to-be-hubby: THE GROOM – this is what you should be handling throughout the wedding planning process.

The Bar and Beverages
The bar is the most common thing that brides will put their beaus in charge of for the wedding. Generally, the groom handles how much of their budget can handle the bar, what types of alcohol should be available, and how the bar payments will be handled. Hey guys, here’s some bar advice on how to handle this responsibility for your wedding reception. Don’t forget to have fun doing this – if there’s a theme to your wedding, maybe you can have some signature drinks. If you’re a tequila man, then see if your venue can offer a tequila bar, this will definitely add some heat to the reception. There’s also the option of a separate beer and wine station, or a full whiskey bar!

If you are having a non-alcoholic wedding – you can play around with what we call “Mocktails”. Your guests don’t have to stick to just plain old Sprite, Coke, and water – they can have apple cider, virgin cocktails/”mocktails”, smoothies, tropical juices, rootbeer floats…be creative! Guests enjoy creative and tasteful drinks and there are vendors that you can even hire for a fresh fruit smoothie bar or to create ice cream and beverage concoctions.

You can also make the the drinking options more interesting with an ice bar, martini luge, tray-passed drinks by servers, or different colored drinks for different tables. Colors are the best and most affordable way to play around with wedding beverages and create a cool and classy atmosphere for your wedding reception. Spruce up the look by using interesting glasses, cute little umbrellas, fresh garnishes like oranges and cherries, even colored ice!

The Gift Registry
Okay, so you got dragged along with your beautiful fiancee through Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Crate & Barrel registering for kitchen and living room items – you just don’t care if you go with eggshell white or ivory colored sheets for your bedroom! So now it’s your turn! There are some great registries for the groom out there and you should register at more than one store to provide your guests with options. Best Buy is a great place for your wedding registry if you’re into electronics, music, movies, home theater, or video games. An original idea would be to add on your wedding website what your favorite sports team is, then your friends can all pitch in to try to get season tickets for you and your beau – best wedding gift ever for sports fans everywhere. Then there’s the all-too-popular The Man Registry! This site has all types of great gifts that men will love and things that are classy enough to give as wedding presents. Have fun with this because your wedding gifts are a great enjoyment after a long wedding day and night – look forward to opening up that George Forman Grill, that plasma screen TV, or the autographed baseball you’ve been dying for!

The Wedding Band
So maybe you’re not so keen on the jewelry and even though you may not want to wear a ring, at least you can pick your own style out. There are many different styles and metals of wedding bands that you can choose from. Generally, these rings aren’t too showy and have the same pattern all the way around the band. It can have one or two indented lines, grooves, have a hammered pattern, or be plain. Different metals have different colors and properties. There is yellow or white gold, which are both great quality and can be made to fit any size finger.

Platinum is great because it’s heavy weight can make you feel like a man, but it’s a bit on the expensive end. Sterling silver is nice and affordable, however it is for a man that likes a shiny ring. Titanium and palladium are popular choices because of their colors and they are very light weight. While tungsten is great because it has a very dark, unique color. Any types of diamonds or gems are also available in wedding bands, discuss with you jeweler the qualities your want in a wedding band. If you are thinking about having a diamond, make sure you learn about how to select the right diamond for you so that you don’t break your budget. Decide on a budget or at least a price range – depending on the style, metal, stones, and design that you are looking for, you may even be able to custom-design your ring for an affordable price.

The Honeymoon
You can plan the honeymoon. While your beau is planning the wedding details and forgetting about the honeymoon, you can book the flight(s), accommodations, food, and activities. This is a great thing for the groom today because he can enjoy searching through websites for great deals and places to go. You shouldn’t plan the entire honeymoon without inquiring with your wife-to-be, get some tips on planning the honeymoon and ask your bride-to-be’s advice on where she wants to go and what she wants to do. You can book and plan all the details, which most women will find very romantic.

To all the grooms out there that think they have been forgotten: there are things for you to do and ways to contribute that you can enjoy. Signature drink taste testing, running around Best Buy with the registry gun, choosing metals for your wedding band, and looking up places to go snorkling and sky diving for your honeymoon can be your contributions to make your wedding unique and memorable. Congratulations – you are officially a groomasaurus!!

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