Numbers
Most wedding planners recommend a bridesmaid for every 50 guests in attendance. If you have a small wedding, it might look odd to have four or five bridesmaids next to you. On the other hand, for a big wedding, it might look less formal to only have one maid of honor. Either way, it’s always nice to have a matching number of bridesmaids and groomsmen, so take your fiancé’s expectations into consideration as well.

Etiquette
Once you have a number in mind, be sure you don’t ruffle any feathers. If you have sisters, they should always be included, even if you don’t get along that well. It’s perfectly okay to have your best friend as your maid of honor, but it’s rude to leave family members out of the bridal party.

Reliability
You probably have lots of dear friends that you would love to share your big day with, but keep in mind that you will rely on them for many things—least of all looking polished for pictures and the ceremony, and most of all—moral support. If you have friends that are chronically late, will insist on casual footwear or tend to get excessively tipsy, think twice about including them in your day. (You will regret it.)

The Proposal
You have chosen your special friends who will stand next to you on your big day, but it’s still appropriate to ask them to honor you in this way. After all, it is a big commitment of time and money for them, so a more formal request goes a long way. Consider inviting them all to a special night out, or giving them a personal gift like this one.

Something Turquoise.com – They’ll be sure to say yes!
http://somethingturquoise.com/2011/1…my-bridesmaid/

Gifts
While it’s common for bridesmaids to buy their own dresses, it’s a thoughtful gesture to buy their jewelry for the wedding day. You can choose something that coordinates with the dresses, which will also make a great gift for them to remember the occasion.

Use a personalization option to use gemstones that coordinate with your wedding color.
http://personalize.kay.com/kay2.html…stone_pendants

Other Friends
If you couldn’t include everyone you wanted to, don’t forget that there are other ways for them to be involved in your big day. They could do a reading during the ceremony, perform a musical number during the reception, hand out programs, and of course still take part in the bridal shower and bachelorette party.

I love how positively giddy the brides get when the dress goes on!

And the bride wore these lovely red Valentino‘s.  I had SOO much fun photographing these – I almost didn’t want to give them up for her to wear!

From the gorgeous bridal suite, the bride was having a quiet moment watching her groom tend to some last minute details.  Yeah, she sorta likes him a lot!

Love this candid shot of the bride practicing her vows. <3

Some details of the grounds. <3

And here’s the dashing groom!

Awww!

And a final one from the reception.  Fun was had by all!

]]> http://blueflairphotoblog.com/2012/02/cheryl-ray-bliss-san-diego-wedding-photographer/feed/ 0 http://blueflairphotoblog.com/2012/01/kim-mike-bliss-san-diego-wedding-photography/ http://blueflairphotoblog.com/2012/01/kim-mike-bliss-san-diego-wedding-photography/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:23:32 +0000 blueflair http://blueflairphotoblog.com/?p=2524 Kim & Mike are a lovely couple from Oregon, who decided on a destination beach wedding in San Diego, where she grew up.  Being a beach lover, it was only natural that they would have a lovely ceremony on the beach, at the Wedding Bowl in La Jolla, CA.  Here are a few of our favorite images from their special day.

That moment when the wedding dress goes on – always a great moment!

The soft colors, and succulents made such a gorgeous bridal bouquet!

Nothing but smiles on her special day!

An intimate moment between formal portraits.

Is there anything cuter than flower girls that adore the bride?

We were delighted to be  able to sneak away for a little bit before the reception, and take some wonderful wedding images of the bride and groom down on the beach.

A beautiful sunset for a beautiful couple!

Proud father of the bride!

Yep, she’s spoken for!

Oooh, lah, lah!  What a cool bride – she WANTED to be on the beach in her dress – even BEFORE the reception!

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Meet our latest Mr. and Mrs!  They had an intimate ceremony at the Presidio park.  Since they were okay seeing each other before the wedding, we were able to get lots of wonderful bride and groom images before hand!  Then after the ceremony, we squeezed in a quick session at La Jolla beach!  Our bride was just glowing, and she was soooo wanting to jump in the water.  Of course, we weren’t complaining with a bride who was more than willing to walk in the sand and even lay down on it in her wedding dress the day of her wedding!

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This will have to be a two-parter, there’s just too much good stuff!  Like this, for example:

So – if you follow our blog, you know that we were delighted to be the official photographer for the NBC Throws a Wedding at the Prado – a wedding giveaway to a fantastic couple, Stefanie and Jerome.  We got to know Stefanie and Jerry from their engagement session, and we love how in love they are!  We were blessed to work with some amazingly talented wedding vendors, as well:

Venue/Dining:  The Prado at Balboa Park                  Wedding Gown: M Bride Salon, La Jolla, CA

Rings: Robbins Bros. Hair: Dario Salon, La Jolla, CA             Make-Up:  Christy Stevenson

Flowers:  Magnolia Flower Shoppe

Cake: SweetCheeks Baking Co.

Invitations/Paper: Get Carded

Linens/Event Decor: Concepts Event Design

Entertainment: Bollotta Entertainment

Video Production:  Taylor Films

Rehearsal/Pre-Ceremony: Se Hotel, San Diego

Event Production: The Henley Company

Gown Cleaning:  Hangers Cleaners

And we’d also like to thank Nick Lamb and Tyler for assisting us throughout the day!  Thanks, guys!!

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Stay tuned for Part II of Stefanie + Jerry!

Congratulations to Virginia and David.  They’re such a playful and fun couple, and it was great to capture that on their wedding day.  Virginia has the most contagious laugh that makes everyone smile.  And David was so cute fussing about all the details.  In fact, he proudly claimed himself a “groomzilla” – but not the mean kind!

This was a pretty warm day – but the breeze coming off the water was just great!  Love how it was blowing her veil and dress both!

David looking dapper!

Awwww, their first look.  We set David up, and then had Virginia come in behind him.  Then he got to turn around and see her.  Then we gave them a few minutes to just slow down and take it all in.

This dinner features charbroiled filet mignon with 2 jumbo prawns skewered with a rosemary sprig, over mashed potatoes, all atop wilted grazing greens.  The first course is a butternut squash soup with foam and crushed walnuts.  The meal includes a small, potted creme brulee!

This dinner features grilled yellowtail and charbroiled chicken, over sweet potatoes and greens.  The first course includes grilled asparagus and frisee salad with tomatoes.

The final selection is quite the conversation piece, featuring beef short ribs and a lobster pot pie, accompanied by mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.    The first course is a baby spinach salad with sliced strawberries, and shaved parmesan, drizzled with a balsamic reduction.

Hungry?  Well before heading to the kitchen, click here to vote for your choice! (Voting begins after the Friday morning news, 9.25.09.)

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Stefanie was sooo cute – there were a couple times I noticed her looking into the mirror, or at the back of my camera, and she was REALLY seeing herself as a bride.  It’s one of those moments that hits brides, and I never get tired of witnessing it.  One time I noticed Stefanie looking down after she saw herself, and  she had this huge smile on her face.  I just let her have the moment.  Then she looked up and said Jerry is just going to be blown away.  I teared up for her (yes, I’m a HUGE sap)!  It’s so great when we get to see the excitement and anticipation, and how tickled brides get at the idea of surprising their grooms! 

Here are a couple of photos from each hair style.  To view more on NBC’s wedding website, and cast your vote for your favorite hairstyle – click here. Voting begins after the NBC morning news on Friday, 9.18.09.

Style 1 – This style is mostly down – soft, flowy, and romantic, and accented with little white flowers in the back.

Style 2 – This style is half up and half down, with a little Spanish flair.  The back is swept to the side, and comes over Stefanie’s shoulder.

Style 3 – This one is a traditional up do, with a very classic style.

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Sweetcheeks Baking Co. is one of the competitors for the NBC Throws a Wedding at the Prado event in October 2009.  The ladies there are friendly and creative – and truly enjoy their jobs!  They were working on a huge cake while I was there, and they excitedly showed me all the various elements they had been working on prior to assembly.  They are truly passionate about their job, and it shows!

This is the cake they’ve designed for Stefanie and Jerry, the lucky winners for the wedding!

Check out all 3 competitors, and click here to vote for your favorite.

Here are some photos from my “behind the scenes” tour:

This zoo-themed cake was for triplets.  The attention to detail is impressive – from the sugar animals, to the scaly snake with a forked tongue, to the chocolate palm tree topper!