How to easily gather your guest list contact information

Last week Jesse, one of the creators of Postable.com contacted me after reading my blog.  He wanted to let me know about his site that just launched.  Now here is the thing, I probably receive 15 emails like this a day. But when it comes direct from the creator/owner and its an email that I can tell they actually invested a bit of time to find out something about me and our clients, I figure its nice to give a moment of my time. Boy am I SO GLAD I GAVE THEM A MOMENT. You are going to be glad too. Introducing Postable, an online guest list and contact information gathering site.

Basically, you send a link out via Facebook, twitter, instant message, email (I used my auto-responder to ask for contact updates), even text message. Your guests fill in the super easy (and rather cute) contact information form in like 30 seconds. It collects everything: Phone, email, mailing address, spouse's name (mucho importante for escort cards and invitations), and birthday.  It even has a little note field.
So, before I shared this with you guys of  course I tested it and it works!  Not only does it work, it works really well. The best part- your contact list can be exported to address books, outlook, gmail, excel - for goodness sakes you can even print labels from it. I was nervous about the privacy part of this and I'm sure you are too.  Here's all the answers you're looking for : Postable FAQ

Joanne+Trung=Elegance | Vancouver Wedding Photographers

Vancouver Wedding Photographers

We love to return from Mexico to our first hometown, Vancouver! Photographing weddings elsewhere keeps us inspired and lets us come home & see our beautiful city with fresh eyes. We loved shooting Joanne+Trung, who wanted an urban feel to their wedding images, and were full of ideas, excitement, and elegance!

It was also great to work with wedding designers Cindy (our former Cabo bride!) & Barb of Serendipity Planners too! And always wonderful to have our loyal friend & talented photographer Tim with us for the day.

Some of our favorites...

Dad picks up the bride.

Celebration Pavilion with the always-smiling Allan Burnett conducting a ceremony full of laughter.








Gorgeous vibrant florals by Reel Silks



























Cindy & Barb and their team transformed the Hyatt Regency ballroom.

Our favorite - sneaking out for night shots :) Joanne let her hair down for the reception - love it!

Congratulations J+T!

Decor & Florist Reel Silks
Event Planner: Serendipity Planners
Cake: Kreation
Makeup Artist : Negar Hooshmand
Dress: Watters
Shoes: Valentino
Groom attire: Hugo Boss

Wedding Reception Alfresco (a.k.a. outside)

Are you considering having your wedding outside?  Yes, they are more difficult to pull off logistically and typically they cost a bit more, but the benefits can be better than outstanding.  No matter what though - you must have a back up plan in place.  That means preparing for a tent.

Aly & Mike's Wedding at South Seas, Captiva Island

I came across a great article on tents on Brides.com, its a good short read to give you some starter knowledge on what is available to you. Martha Stewart weddings also has a wonderful article on things to consider and question when planning for a tent.

Angela & Joe's Wedding at Gasparilla Inn, Boca Grande

This is Angela & Joe's wedding, we had cocktail hour just outside the tent.

How to have a Florida wedding that isn't about seashells

Most of the destination weddings we conceptualize and plan are at tropical and or beach locations. However, its quite often that our clients want their guests to enjoy what the islands and beaches offer, but they don't want the aesthetic of their wedding to reflect that.  At least not at every event.  Rather, they're looking for something that is true to them and their personal style.  Nicole & Steve's wedding is a perfect example of this.  I'm so excited to share these videos with you & showcase this pretty wedding at Hyatt Coconut Point.  This was one of those weddings where everything just fit perfectly...

Thank you iheART films for sharing this trailer you produced. It brought back so many memories and I love that I got to see things that I didn't get to see that day.
You may have noticed that I said videos in the last paragraph. That's because we have a foto video produced by Luminaire Foto (who took amazing photos too)! You'll notice right off the bat that foto video is really different than traditional wedding films.  Its made from individual photographs, so it doesn't incorporate the sounds of the day.  Its unlike anything I've ever seen.  This is my first time being able to share one of their foto videos and I have been anxiously awaiting! I can't wait to hear your reaction, so be sure to leave a comment.

I heard you hate photo booths and you think they're stupid.

Tell me you don't want a photo booth after seeing this.

Not gonna lie, I kind of want one for my studio...permantly. We got one for our annual holiday party and it was the hit of the night (with the Chinese fortune sticks and the sweet tea mason jars with mini vodka bottles following in a a close 2nd and 3rd).

To book your Bash Booth for your rehearsal dinner, welcome reception, farewell brunch, engagement party, bridal shower, because its Monday party, or Hey I want a picture party; contact Gracey at one of these 53.7 ways:

NAPLES/FORT MYERS AREA: 239.222.0322

TAMPA AREA: 813.444.2378

ORLANDO AREA: 407.476.6223

smile@bashbooths.com

www.bashbooths.com

How not to do a Seating Chart

Can we please stop the insanity.  I honestly can't take it longer.  If you have more than 20 guests (or 3 tables) at your wedding, it is not appropriate to post table assignments by table and not alphabetically.  Put yourself in your guests shoes.  Do you want to have to go through every table list looking to see if you are on it?  What if you were at table 14?  Can you imagine how long that takes and how mad the people waiting behind you are?  Going down 14 lists of 10 people each before you come across your name?

Source: birchandbird.com via Jami on Pinterest

I love the look of this chart.  It is a great concept.  Now, obviously this one is set up for a photo since you'd have to lay down on the grass to read the bottom panes after you move the luggage out of the way to see that your sitting at table 16. But looking past those minor details - couldn't the same effect have been made by dividing the guest list by the number of panes and then spreading the names out evenly and using alphabet headers?

What I do, Where I work, Who I am

Get a true look into some of what goes on behind the scenes; before, during and after weddings. You can hit any of the pages above or just click these links below to see the videos.
What I do & where I work
Who I am

Andrea getting ready with her mom & bridal party
while we were getting everything ready.

Then there's of course the good old fashioned type "about me" that you can just read.  I hope to do more video blogging this year. They probably won't be professionally produced like these (thank goodness for the talents of iheART film studios for producing all these projects). But you know, the iphone fancy kind. Until then, enjoy!

Pronovias 2012

Hello glamour, won't you come in? Pronovias. These are the gowns that you watch how they move.  They have such a graceful but high fashion impact, don't you think? I can not get enough.  Especially after watching this 2012 collection.

This is the Pronovias 2012 fashion show. I loved the ballerinas in the black to start the show! There is a trunk show at the NY flagship store on March 23, 24 and 26. You can request your appointment online.

The difference 2 seats makes

Making the best of your budget.  How to stretch a dollar to get what you really want.  Have you thought about how many seats to place in each row at your wedding ceremony?  Have you thought about how many seats to place at each table at your wedding reception?  No? Well let me show you a little something that could potentially make a big difference to you.
Let's say you have 150 confirmed guests at your wedding. You have $175 budgeted for your aisle runner and $4,350 budgeted for your tabletops (flowers, details, and linen).  What difference does 2 seats make?

The Ceremony

On each side of the aisle you'll need 75 seats. With 6 seats to a row you'd need a 75 foot aisle runner.  By increasing the number of seats by just 2 seats per row, you would only need a 50 foot aisle runner.  Which means you could upgrade from a basic aisle runner to that patterned runner and matching vow book you were just dying to have!

The Reception

SouthernLiving.com

You have the option to have 8 or 10 seats per table. With 8 seats, you would have 19 tables to dress.  By increasing by just 2 seats per table, you now only have to dress 15 tables.  That means your per table budget goes from $230 to $290.  Imagine the difference in the centerpieces, details and linens $60 per table makes! It could mean adding those peonies that you were just dying to have or upgrading the linens from the basic that are included by your venue to the seersucker linens you really really wanted.

Mexico=Love! | Baja Wedding Photographers

Mexico Destination Wedding Photographers

So much to share, so little time! Lots of entries coming up about our favorite destination wedding location: Baja California Sur, Mexico! Vibrant, sunny, there's just so much to love here...

Secluded beach at Palmilla One & Only.

Ceremony giggles at Cabo Del Sol.



Pink blossom perfection by Rene at Cabo Floral Studio.



View from the altar at Casa Dorada Los Cabos.



Romance at the hip Rancho Pescadero.



Extra sparkle at a Villa Wedding.



Love Shack, baby!



Cowboy boots+Coronas at Todos Santos' boutique hotel Villa Santa Cruz



Inspired design by event planner Karla Casillas.



Bridal boudoir at Villa Turquesa.



Love among the palms.



Night shots at Casa Dorada.



On the streets of Cabo: Manuel Mendoza Bridal



End of the evening with the bride & groom at luxurious Villa de los Suenos.



Stay tuned!