Prime Time Party Rental Bridal House

This Saturday, March 24th from 9am to 2pm join us and many other great wedding vendors at Prime Time Party Rental's Bridal Open House! Prime Time will even be offering discounts on rental orders...leaving you more room in your budget to spend on photography ;) Anyway, don't miss out! Click on the link to RSVP.

Bridal Sessions!

Don't you just hate that you only get to wear that gorgeous bridal gown one time? It seems like such a pity to take the most exensive article of cothing you've ever owned and box it up never to be seen again after just wearing it once.

Doing a Bridal Session after the wedding is a fun way to enjoy the dress just a little bit longer. It is also the perfect opportunity to shake things up a little. By changing your accessories, the groom's attire or photographic backgrounds you can get an entirely new feel to your images. The best part is that you are also no longer so worried about getting the dress dirty either.

Kristen decided to do a Bridal Session the week before she was to have her dress cleaned and preserved. They are then going to use these images to decorate their newly decorated home office. You can see their actual wedding day photos here.

One Stop Wedding Designs & Printing!

We've made posts before about all the cool products that we offer our couples that they can use for just about everything they need for their wedding. Basically if it can be printed on, we can do it! Joshua and Kristen are doing a destination wedding in Florida with a 'Send Off Reception' here in Ohio. We did all the design work and printing for their save-the-dates, party invitations, guestbook, wedding favors and welcome bags. We are also doing their programs, place cards and menus too.


Before we did their engagement session, we came up with a plan for what they wanted to accomplish with their session. We knew that we needed to get a guestbook and possibly save-the-dates and invitations out of their session. With that in mind, we incorporated the colors of their Ohio party along with the chalkboard 'thought bubbles.' We used the 'thought bubbles' to make their guestbook more interactive by posing questions to their guests. We also used the chalkboards as part of their invitation design.


Their invitations were 6x9 glossy postcards with rounded corners, which were then shipped in silver pearl envelopes. We used the chalkboards with a 'Thank You' message to make stickers for their party favors.

Their wedding in Florida has a totally different color palette and feel from their Ohio party. Wanting a 'contemporary beach' wedding vibe, they chose bright colors and the starfish as part of their wedding brand. We designed and printed their pocket invitations on pearl paper with pearl envelopes for a beautiful shimmer.

We also designed playing cards, candy bags and stickers to personalize their 'Welcome Bags' for the guests arriving at the hotel. As they finalize the last of their wedding details, we will also be printing their programs, menus and place cards.

It's easy to create a cohesive look when everything is designed and printed together. We can help you with any of your wedding design (logos, fonts, colors, etc.) as well as any of your printing needs. One stop shopping makes for happy, stress free brides!

October's Inspire Me! Board

Each month we are featuring a wedding that stands out with lots of creative colors, details and ideas. Hopefully you'll find some design inspiration of your own!

Since October is usually associated with a fall color scheme we thought we would show you Sara & Chris' twist to a fall color palette. Instead of going with the usual orange, red, yellow and brown fall palette, they went for a more 'organic' look with white pumpkins, chocolate cosmos flowers, moss and greenery that had more of a gray tone to it by using plants like lamb's ear. They added a hint of gold for just the right amount of shimmer.

You can see more images from Sara and Chris' event as well as view their vendor list, by clicking on their full wedding post. Enjoy!

Next month we will feature Holly & Rockford's classic and elegant ivory and gold color scheme. Having such a classic color palette suits wedding year round, but can be especially elegant for winter weddings.

Unbridaled at Uncorked 7.22.10

There is still time to register for the 'Unbridaled Event' at Uncorked next Thursday! Join Jennifer and several other awesome vendors from the i-do Boutique. Enjoy champagne and hand crafted micro brew beer tastings in an intimate, charming venue featuring the wedding professionals of the i-do Boutique sharing tips on defeating the Bridezilla within, refining wedding style and wedding day disaster prevention!

Date: Thursday, July 22, 2010
Time: 6:00-9:30pm
Location: Uncorked Wine Shop & Bar at The Art of Entertaining, O'Bryonville
Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

For tickets and more information, please call Karen at 513-871-6400.

Come eat, drink and be married!

Katie and JP at Dayton Art Institute!

Katie and JP are a super sweet couple and it was a joy to work with them. Katie and JP, however, probably would have preferred not to have hired us. Let me explain....

Katie and JP got married just a few weeks ago and another local photographer did the wedding. Katie and JP had their hearts broken when they got their images back and were disappointed with their wedding images.

Katie then called us and asked for help. We were happy to do whatever we could to help make Katie and JP's wedding memories the best they could be. We got them dressed back up and headed to the DAI. While we can't replicate an entire wedding, we helped them get back a little of what they had lost. Such a wonderful couple deserves to have great memories of their special day.

Unfortunately, this happens several times a year were we get phone calls from brides asking us to salvage their wedding photos. While we are happy to help as much as we can, it does make us sad to have to help these desperate couples. Be sure to learn from Katie and JP and make sure you have really researched your wedding vendors and make sure you are 100% happy with all the vendors you hire.

Congrats to Katie and JP and we wish them years and years of happiness!

PS. What are your options if you find yourself in a similar situation. First, if you have your camera files and copyright release, we can try and salvage images through artwork, cropping and proper finishing. Make sure your camera files are high res, aren't cropped or have special effects on them because that drastically limits what we can do with them. Your second option is to do what Katie and JP did by reshooting your bridal portraits. We can then merge the wedding day images with the new images we've done into an album for you. Call the studio for more details 937-748-8445.

Simple Joys!

So it really is the simple pleasures in life that make you happy. What am I talking about? Might sound silly, but I love my address stamper from Expressionery.

There are many designs to chose from and the stamp is very easy to use. The ink that comes with it is said to last several thousand stamps before replacing. I've had mine for almost two years and its still going strong.

For the bride that has to address a million cards and invitations this year, it is a perfect way to increase efficiency. You don't have to just use them for your return address. Use your monogram and/or wedding date and use the stamps on table favors, programs, etc..

Expressionery has lots of other great stationary, embossers, etc. that can be used for the wedding. Even better still, you can save 40% off your entire order with the code "MOM2010" at checkout. Orders need to be placed before May 31, 2010 to get the savings.

Bonzie...what!?

So when someone asked me if I had heard about Bonzie's, I'll admit that my curiosity was peaked. I'll have to admit that its love at first sight too!



Bonzie is quickly becoming a big name in the fashion industry with a lot of recent press. Bonzie (an aunt and niece duo from Ireland) designs shrugs, wraps, collars and more with a romantic feel.

I adore the look of the wraps and boleros with a strapless gown. What a fun way to incorporate your wedding color into your dress. I think they would be great for a Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom's dress too. The price point is between $100-200, which isn't bad for an accessory you could use again.

You can check out their web site above or their shop on Etsy.

Rain or Shine!

So every bride has that panicked thought of, "What if it rains on the wedding day?" Well, fear no more. You could turn that rain into a new wedding trend...umbrellas. Umbrellas can be used for decoration, props in photos or shield your guests from the rain or sun. Check out umbrellas.net or bellaumbrellas.com for chic umbrellas. Bella Umbrella has umbrellas for rent so that you don't have to purchase a ton of umbrellas...great for decor or wedding guests!

On Etsy, you can have umbrellas designed with your monogram, Just Married or Thank You, which make for great 'Thank You' cards after the wedding. Just goes to show that you can turn those rainy day lemons into fun wedding day lemonade!

Weddings by iPhones

For the iPhone, I mean bride, that has it all. Now introducing the Wedding Planning App for iPhone. The list of features is pretty impressive. I haven't tried it out myself, but for $7.99 what's it hurt to try...

The Extensive Feature List includes (just to name a few):

- Invitation style Home screen with date & time, venue and a Live Countdown to your big day

- our Home screen quick view ‘Binder’ for access to To-dos, Notes, Budget and photos

- Fully customizable To-do list

- Automatically created Scheduled To-do list- Keep Simple Notes

- Keep track of your Budget automatically or manually

- Budget spending assistance

- Record all guest details in ‘The People’ section

- Record guests attending day or reception

- Record Invite, RSVP and status of attendance

- Record meal choices for reception

- Record if a guest is bringing extra people in the evening

- Seating Plan for Reception

- Seating Plan for Rehearsal Dinner
- Gift Tracker

- Export the important guest section info by Email

Pretty crazy, huhh?

Wedding Plans...Part II

In keeping with the periodic updates on Mark's son's wedding, here is the second installment. Josh and Kristen are doing something similar to our wedding, which is to have a big 'send off' party locally and then do a smaller more intimate destination wedding later.

Well they've looked in their dates and locations, and we are looking forward to working with both venues. Their 'send off' party in Dayton will be at the Taj Ma Garaj, which we thought would be a fun party atmosphere for their cocktail party. There are lots of kids and tweens in the family so the upstairs game room will keep the kids busy allowing the adults time to mingle and dance. Kristen and Josh love the color red so the red Porsche room was a great fit too!

Their wedding will be in Sarasota, Florida just a few weeks later at the Crosley Museum. The Crosley Museum was a private estate that then later became a museum after being placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Its Spanish mission architecture and ocean views are perfect for a destination wedding. Can't wait to do photographs there for sure!

That's it for today's installment, but stayed tuned for more...

Packages with Camera Files!?

What came first the chicken or the egg? What is the sound of one hand clapping? Do I get a wedding package with camera files or one with an album? These are the age old questions that have perplexed all of (wo)mankind.

We have a lot of brides call and email the studio everyday and invariably one of their primary questions is, "Do I get my camera files/digital negatives?" Most only ask that question because the bridal magazines tell them to do that in their 'photography questions check list.' After putting a few images on Facebook or on their desktop as a screen saver, most brides don't have a clue to what else they would do with them.

No matter what side of the debate your on (and I say that because a lot of photographers read this blog right along with brides), we just wanted to point out some important information that you may not have thought of when shopping for camera files v. albums/prints.

The Iceberg: Wedding photography is a lot of hard work...the hardest of which, takes place after the wedding is over. While we may spend 8-10 hours with you on the wedding day, the real work begins when we start processing your images. Between backing up the files, rotating, color correcting, editing, proofing, blogging, retouching and then designing an album we will have spent an additional 60-90 hours on your images!

Just like the iceberg whose mass mostly resides under the waterline, you're really only see about 10-15% of the actual work needed to produce great images. With that said, someone who sells you just a disc is leaving that iceberg sized work list on your shoulders and they're really the ones who are getting the sweet end of the deal.

Always a Maid and Never a Bride: Ask any of your girlfriends or family members who've been through a wedding lately and they'll be the first to tell you how stressful and exhausting a wedding can be. They will also be quick to tell you how fast the day just zoomed by too...all that work and it was gone in a blink.

We pride ourselves on being a full service studio, which means you aren't having to do any work on your end aside from hiring us. To paraphrase Lexus, "We are a service company that just happens to take great photographs."

Unless you are baking your own wedding cake, sewing your own tuxedos, cooking dinner for all your guests and performing your own reception music, why would you want to do all the work with your photography. The point of hiring a trusted professional is so that you don't have to worry, second guess or work your own event. Don't make the mistake of 'working' so much on your wedding that you forget to 'be' in your wedding.

All that Glitters is not Golden: The biggest falsehood with purchasing a disc is assuming that the images on that disc are going to be 'print ready,' i.e., retouched, color corrected and/or cropped.

Chances are you booked that photographer because of the images that you liked on their web site or in their showroom, right? I absolutely guarantee that each of those images used for display purposes have been artworked to their fullest. So here comes the misleading part, the images you fell in love with in the showroom will not be on your disc. It would be far too time consuming to retouch and apply special effects to all your camera files.

Think about it this way...It seems contradictory to purchase the most expensive article of clothing that you will ever own, have your hair and makeup professionally done and then not have beautifully artworked photographs to capture your Cinderella moment.

Should you wish to 'fix' your images on your own, Photoshop isn't a cheap program and requires extensive knowledge. Not to mention, most of the fun tricks, shortcuts or 'actions' to add into Photoshop requires additional funds. For fun view the video below, which shows a time lapse of an image being artworked in Photoshop. While this has been condensed into two and a half minutes the real work would have taken hours.

A Helping Hand: After getting numerous calls and emails from brides who got discs of images from other photographers, we now are offering a service to fix, restore, retouch and print from those discs that seemed like good bargains at the time. We have even gone so far as to get a newlywed couple dressed back up in their wedding attire and reshoot their bridal portraits.

No matter what decision you make when it comes to hiring any professional service, please be sure to know all the facts and all the pros and cons so that you can make the right decision for yourself. Don't shortchange your memories and family history because once it is gone it is gone forever...

(PS...in case your wondering, you can get your camera files with us after you design your album. depending upon your total wedding investment, those camera files can be purchased or be earned for free. We also take those 'photo-sharing' responsibilities off your shoulders by putting artworked images on Facebook, our blog as well as on your own password protected online shopping cart.)

Headline MSN.com

Opening news article on msn.com today was "Wedding Day Downers...Nine Things that Secretly Drive Your Guests Crazy."

What's funny is that most of them are ours too. We talk about many of these things in our wedding pretalk with couples, but we still see these common 'downers.' Just something to think about when you're planning the day...

This was taken at a wedding a few years ago. We were photographing at this historic home in Cincinnati when out of nowhere a black cat crossed our bride and groom's path. Definitely made for a good laugh! No bad superstitions here...we just photographed a portrait for Bud and Debbie, and all is well!

I-Do Blog...You Must See!

One of our all time favorite event planners has launch her blog with lots of great planning details, tips and advice. If you can't hire Brigid at I-do Events this might be the next best thing...although nothing can truly replace Brigid and her wedding divas:) Check it out!

Handmade Eye Candy!

I love Etsy...a great web site for items made by hand! I have bought items for Charlie from Etsy, but just recently looked at some of their bridal items. Wow! They have some really unique items and the prices are great. Check them out for some great wedding accessories from cake toppers to veils. All the items above are available on Etsy...love the shoulder wrap!

Hint: Can one of my brides this year wear a blusher veil this year...please!? With the awesome prices on Etsy you could by the blusher for photos and then wear a regular veil if you wanted for the ceremony. A blusher veil would also be great for a Trash the Dress Session...and for under 30 bucks...go for it!

Va Va Voom CCN!

The lovely Pam at Country Club of the North asked us to do some publicity shots of CCN with lighting by Party Pleasers , rentals from Finch, and flowers from Oberers...talk about a wedding "Dream Team." The lighting looked AWESOME! I can't believe I haven't seen the arch at CCN lit up before...it was meant for it! Love the dance floor set up with the white inside and the black border all the way around. (For my brides, an all white dance floor looks way awesome too. All you have to do is call a rental place that has two black and white checkered dance floors and have them combine the white pieces from both.)

PS. If you are still debating on a ceremony/reception facility, check out CCN. It is truly one of our favorite spots and the service and decor is great! They are one of the few (if only) reception venues that gives you access to the facility all day and not just for a few hours, which is just one of the many reasons why we love CCN!

Thanks for thinking of us Pam!

Adding a Little Whimsy

Want to add a little spice to your wedding? I love subtle touches of humor and whimsy, and what better way to add some than with some crazy socks with those been-there-done-that tuxedos. No one sees them unless they want them too...so why not? Pick a pair with your wedding colors and have some fun!

Check two items off the wedding 'to do' list by making them part of your gifts to the wedding party!

Little Miss Matched has a great selection and lots of other fun things too!

Hostess with the Mostess!

Needing some party planning inspiration? This great site has awesome themes, recipes, and more! There are some really cool ideas for bridal showers, which can always be a little hard to plan. I love this site and wish I knew about it a long time ago!

Holiday Ideas!

The holidays are the perfect time to do a little 'double-dipping.' Instead of sending holiday cards and save-the-date cards, do both at the same time. It also works after the wedding for thank you cards/holiday cards!

We still have time to order save-the-date or thank you cards. Because we custom design each card, your card will be one of a kind. Molly and Greg are a cute bubbly couple that are planning on bright sherbet colors for the wedding so we made sure their card was a perfect fit for them.

Don't forget that photographs make unique personal gifts...expecially for those people who have it all!

The Whole Enchilada!

We featured Molly and Scott's engagement session on the blog earlier this year, but we now have all their press printed products in to showoff. Molly's colors are beige and blue so we designed their 5x5 tri-fold invitations, r.s.v.p. cards and sign-in-album around their color scheme. We also designed all three pieces to match to really emphasize their theme.

Instead of trying to piece together a design concept from lots of different companies all over town or on the web, know that we have the ability to do all of that for you. It makes life a lot easier!

We were already booked for Molly and Scott's wedding, but we were still happy to help them with this part of their wedding. We welcome all wedding couples! Happy Planning!