How about some FREE photography for your wedding?

To make one lucky couple’s wedding day even more special, Weddings by Chris Leary Photography announces a Wedding Photography Scholarship contest.

01.14.2011– Dedicated to capturing weddings for couples who desire creative photography and extraordinary images, Weddings by Chris Leary Photography announces a Wedding Photography Scholarship contest beginning January 14, 2011. The grand prize is worth several thousand dollars of wedding photography by owner Chris Leary.

Says Leary, “We love working with all our couples, but the winners of our contests are always fun and creative, and it’s an extra special experience to photograph their weddings. For the last two years, couples have written essays to enter the contest. This year, we’re asking for video entries only and are looking forward to seeing the entries.”

The deadline for Wedding Photography Scholarship entries is February 7, 2011, and Leary will choose the top 10 submissions. These videos will be posted on the Weddings by Chris Leary YouTube page for review and voting from February 8, 2011, until February 28, 2011. Leary will announce the video with the most votes on March 7, 2011.

To enter the contest, wedding couples submit an original video less than two minutes long, describing why they know their love for each other can stand the test of time. The couple must be the only ones appearing in the video, and it cannot be a slideshow or photographs. The video must mention Weddings by Chris Leary Photography and the website URL www.chrislearyweddings.com.  

For more information about the contest or to submit your entry, please visit: http://www.chrislearyweddings.com/scholarship/

Planning Your Wedding on a Budget

Kelly Werder, WedBiz Media’s CEO, was recently quoted in an article on MyBankTracker.com emphasizing caution when going the DIY route. 

…….. (Cutting Costs) ………

But, if you decide to go the D-I-Y route, make sure to proceed with some caution, and to remember that some things are best left to the pros. Splurging to have a qualified profession assist you in meeting your wedding needs could save you from undue stress in the long-term.

“Brides need to be careful when trying to use do-it-yourself options to reduce their budget” says Kelly Werder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of WedBiz Media, who says couples stand the risk of either paying more in the long run for or being left with options that are below their expectations. “Brides should avoid trying to create their own flowers or cakes since these items must be created close to the wedding and can add quite a bit of stress.”

Read the full article HERE:  Planning Your Wedding on a Budget by Carolyn Okomo on MyBankTracker.com.

3 Tips for Choosing your Wedding Photographer {Guest Blog}

Wedding Photographer Chris Sherburne shares his expert advice for choosing your wedding photographer

There’s no doubt planning a wedding is a stressful time and picking your wedding photographer may be the most stressful part of the whole event.  Although it may be difficult, it’s also one of the most important components of the entire wedding planning process. 

Many brides and grooms don’t realize that their wedding photographer will play a vital role throughout their entire wedding and they need to be very selective in making their choice.  Choosing between the various local photographers can be very confusing when you start to think about the different styles of wedding photography, the numerous available options and the wide diversity in photographer personalities. 

So, don’t stress about it. Instead, enjoy the time you take picking your wedding vendors.  You’re probably thinking how do I do that and not lose my mind?  The answer is to keep it simple. Read on and I’ll explain how.  

Here are 3 tips to consider when choosing a photographer for your engagement and wedding photos.

1. Skill - While it may seem obvious, your wedding photographer needs to be highly skilled in many areas and that’s going to require you to do some homework to uncover.  I know, I hate homework, too. 

However, many brides and grooms mistakenly assume that each wedding or engagement photographer is equally competent. I’ve heard horror stories from brides that said they never really researched their photographer and only picked them because they had a cute website or fancy blog.  

Unfortunately for these couples, by the time they figured it out it was too late.  Just remember, take your time picking your photographer because his or her images of your dream wedding will be your memories for the rest of your life. 

2. Personality - You may not realize it yet, but your wedding photographer is going to be a critical part of your wedding day and his or her personality is going to make the difference in how seamless your special day goes.  With that in mind, you want to make sure that he or she is someone you really enjoy working with. Another way to think about it is that you wouldn’t want to hire any wedding vendor that you wouldn’t want to invite to the wedding or have spend time with your family.

Your wedding photographer is going to be spending hours with you and your family on the most important day of your life, so make sure you get along great.   Plus, if you develop chemistry with your photographer, you’re much more likely to get the wedding photos you’ve dreamed of. 

3. History - When I mention history, I don’t mean American history, but the photographer’s history and references.  Many brides and grooms get confused when they start to look at this part because they aren’t really sure how to figure it out.  Just remember, the best indicator of future performance is past performance, so it’s very important to get reliable references from the photographer. 

If your photographer can’t produce reliable references or seems nervous about providing them to you, then it should be a huge warning sign and he or she probably isn’t the right person for you.  The best type of reference is always a personal reference and make sure that you take the necessary time to talk to them.  In general, most people love to talk about their past vendors, and you should take the time to hear their opinions.  Would they hire them again?  Were they happy with the service?  How long did it take to get their images?

Good pictures isn’t a good reason to pick your wedding photographer because they also have to be good with people.  Planning your wedding is going to be a stressful time and picking your wedding photographer doesn’t have to be too difficult if you are selective in making your choice.  While choosing a photographer can be very confusing and sometimes seem overwhelming, you don’t need to stress yourself out about it.  Instead, I recommend that you take your time, have fun, and interview several photographers before you make your decision.  Try to keep your selection process simple and remember these 3 tips when choosing a photographer for your engagement and wedding photos.

About Chris Sherburne: Chris’ ultimate goal is to create engagement and wedding pictures that exceed clients’ expectations. Working alongside the discerning bride and her groom-to-be, Chris listens to the vision of their dream wedding, and with his camera, turns their dreams into a reality. While he lives in Orlando with his wife and two dogs, his wedding photography takes him all over Florida. Additional tips and questions to ask your photographer can be found on http://blog.dreamweddingsbychris.com/.

Interested in writing a guest blog?  Contact editor@wedbizmedia.com with your idea!

Honeysuckle - the color of 2011!

Pantone has named the Color of the Year for 2011 - Honeysuckle!  A dynamic reddish-pink, Pantone describes Honeysuckle as, “Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing ‘everyday’ about it.”   Look for it at a wedding near you!

The "Next Great Baker" may be your wedding cake designer!

So, the Cake Boss spin-off “The Next Great Baker” may be a very close cousin of “Top Chef: Just Desserts” but the one big difference is that all of the contestants are bakers (as opposed to pastry chefs etc).  So we know we’re going to see some great cakes — and we already have!

And we saw some of our favorite bakers too including Dana Herbert of Dessets by Dana  whose design you’ll also see as part of our Great Cake-off!