Saturday, March 31, 2012

Simply the coolest.





I simply loved this bride and groom. You can tell by their photos that they just oooze coolness. They live in New York (cool points), they are artists (more cool points), the groom is originally from the islands (extra cool points). Her veil? Blows the coolness factor out of the water.

This couples stayed at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef, were married in front of a 130 of their closest friends and family on the lawn of Oceana with the reception following. DJ'd by one of the best (DJ Snow) and photographed by the awesome Elisha Orin.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Saint Thomas Yoga


This is a new and very exciting service offered here in the Virgin Islands! We have spa services that will come to your hotel and villa....but what about some serious stress relief? Yoga! For any of my yogi brides, I think this would be a must have for your wedding day (or the day before or after!).

Check out St. Thomas Yoga for details on classes or even a private session.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

So I took the plunge and have been pinning away!



That's right folks...I couldn't deny it anymore. For months brides have been sending me links to the Pinterest boards and I hated going there, knowing that I was going to get sucked in to hours and hours of browsing boards. This site is amazing! So many cool ideas for people to share with each other. I finally decided to open an account for Island Bliss Weddings, pinning my favorite things. I already have an idea that I'm going to incorporate into tomorrow's wedding (a surprise for the bride!) that I'll definitely come back on and share.

I started a few boards - some of them are color inspiration boards based on the popular colors I am seeing this year....I named them Yellow Sunshine and Coral Inspirations. I also added "In the Navy" because I'm really starting to dig nautical themed events (and navy can look amazing with a few other colors...hot pink, apple green, yellow...love these shades together - not all togeher at once, but navy & hot pink or navy & apple green, etc). If you can think of a board that you'd like me to start...a certain color palette or a certain theme, please let me know and I'll happily do so!

So what's the deal with photographers?

I get a lot of questions on our photographers. When a bride books us, we send them our recommended photographer list. This list has all the photographers that we work with on a regular basis...the ones we know that will show up and do the best job possible for our clients. I'm not going to lie, there are photographers around these parts I would NOT want to photographer my daughter's wedding and to me, that is the number one reason they are not on my list. If I wouldn't feel comfortable using them for my own personal use, I'm not going to recommend them to my clients. This does not mean that I force my clients to choose one of the photographers from our list. I would never dictate to a bride who she must or must not use. A photographer is very much like a wedding dress...would you choose a wedding planner who told you what you have to wear to your wedding? Absolutely not. It's a very personal choice.

So when a bride chooses a photographer that is not on our list, I would never say "no, no, no, don't use them!". There are many reasons why I wouldn't step in say this. A few:

- photographers all have their own style. There may be something about that photographers style that appeals to the bride and who am I to say a style is unappealing? My favorite color is green but I don't expect everyone to have the same favorite color.
- budget....a bride may simply want to find the best bang for her buck and many photographers offer better pricing then some on our list
- I can stand to learn something from photographers that I haven't worked with before. They may not be on my list simply because I've never worked with them in the past. You don't get on the list until you've earned a place there.

That doesn't mean I'll always keep my mouth shut. We did have a wedding this past fall where the bride found and booked a photographer I had never heard of on her own. A friend of a friend had recommended them and I told the bride, I'm sorry, I can't offer an opinion on it because I've never heard of her before but if you want to book her, that's no problem with me. And guess what? The photographer didn't show up. I know, right?! I was freaking out for the bride but she took it all in stride and thankfully had her aunt there to capture everything for her (the aunt was a pro back home that the bride wanted to capture candids, she didn't want her aunt to "work" at the wedding but given the circumstances, she was happy to step up to the plate). So if a bride ever told me they were going to hire this particular photographer, you can be sure I'll share this story with her. And even then I wouldn't say "don't use her" but instead "just be cautious". Again, it's YOUR wedding day. I'm not here to dictate how things are to be done.

But as for the actual list...lots of people ask me "what's the difference between the $225 photographer and the $600 photographer?" and here is the answer:

For the photography, there are a few different ways to explain the price difference. The lower priced Simple Island Photography is a team of amateur photographers. This is a great option for someone that wants "a few nice photos but doesn't want to spend a lot". They all have professional quality equipment but many of them do not do photography full time. They are amateurs that enjoy photography as a hobby and can offer less expensive services for a few reasons (they are not fully licensed or insured, they do not have their own website, they do not offer post-wedding services such as album building, adding the photos to a website or heavy editing of your images). Most professional photographers will spend 2 hours editing per every 1 hour of shooting. The lower priced options do very light editing and probably only spend 30 minutes on editing (removing photos where you are blinking or doing a little color correction).

The professional photographers charge a lot more because this is a full time business for them and they carry a lot more overhead than the amateur photographers (they are licensed, they spend money on continuing education, they often have studios, their equipment is more expensive, etc). They offer a lot of post-wedding support and assistance with creating and ordering albums, prints, etc. They will present you with a professionally edited CD of your images where the amateurs just burn the images to a CD from Office Max. They are more versed with their cameras and many have their own style and editing processes unique to themselves.

As you look through the different photographers websites, you'll gain a sense of the difference between each photographers work and craftsmanship. I have clients tell me that the photography is the most important element of their wedding day and that is what they want to put most of their budget toward - I also have clients tell me that they just want a few nice photos and don't want to spend a lot - some even ask if we can just take a few pictures with their own camera and not get a photographer at all (the answer is yes). So we like to offer our clients a wide range of services which includes a wide range of prices & skill sets.


I hope this post helps couples navigate through the waters of wedding photography!

EDIT: There is a comment in the comment section that you can fly your own photographer down as well and YES! That is a great option as well (if it's in your budget to do so). I love working with off island photographers that the bride & groom have brought with them. They offer a fresh perspective on the wedding and I love looking at the pictures afterward. You can often find someone to do your engagement session at home and most of the time, as long as you cover their travel expenses, they'll shoot the wedding for free (NOT always! I just know that's happened a few times in the past). 

Best idea ever.


I am so in love with this sign. I might just have one made from Etsy. What do you think? Would you like it at your ceremony?

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Perfect welcome party shorts...



I became slightly obsessed with these shorts when I saw them on OneWed's Facebook page yesterday. I think these would be awesome to wear for a welcome party or even something to change into later at the reception if you're too warm in your dress. I was a liiiiittlle put off by the $280 price tag. So when in sticker shot, I always check out eBay to see what they may be able to offer. And a good deal I did find! Click on a price you like....

For $15

For $50

For $10

For $16

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Parasols instead of flowers...

I think this is such a great idea, especially when you have a large bridal party. A maids bouquet can be as inexpensive as $30 but a full sized maids bouquet is typically $75. If you have six maids...yikes, that can add up quick. I love the simple white against the freshness of their blue dresses...these parasols are a perfectly beautiful alternative to flowers.




Thank you Elisha Orin for the photos above. Here are a few others I found online showing different colors:



Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Something new...

I don't know about you, but I've been doing wedding for years now and I'm starting to get a little tired of our ol' conch shell & palm leaf aisles. I like fresh and I like modern and I'm on a hunt for new ideas. I've been toying around with the idea of driftwood and I came across this idea online today:



I'm not 100% into the pillars - they look like they could easily fall over with a good breeze. I did some shopping today as well and was able to purchase many of the elements above...the driftwood (although I couldn't find any that dark) and the moss balls...I have some new white starfish that I'm dying to try out as well. I'll update you again when all the elements come together - can't wait to see what I can create!

PS I love it when brides send me the pictures that inspire them...I'm always looking for new ideas.