Beyond the Lens: Behind the Scenes

If you've ever wondered where I get the photos for my blogs, here is a real live look at our "Beyond the Lens" photoshoot!

You may not know this already, but all of the "models" I use are every day men and women, just like you and me. Like literally...one is me. No models, no experience. And the reason I do this? It is very simple. As you know, The Overwhelmed Bride is all about keeping you stress-free throughout planning and especially through your wedding day. And for some of you, stress comes from the thought of having to stand in front of a camera. Well, I promise you, everyone can do it. Personally, I don't let getting my photo taken - you should've seen how awkward I was each and every time I tried to find a place to put my hands! We are every day people, with no modeling experience whatsoever so I promise you, you can do it too :)

I got them each an engagement ring so they could best play the part ;)

Meagan finally done after hours of shooting!

Theresa shooting my husband and I (that was the dress I wore on my wedding day!)

Meet the "Models"

This is my little sister, Alicia. She is just your average college student (well, above average in my eyes!). No modeling experience, but doesn't she look stunning? And for those of you who read our "What Not to Wear" post, that was her posing with my husband, her brother-in-law. What a trooper, isn't she?!

This beautiful girl (below) is one of my best friends, Meagan. I asked her to come along on a shoot with us and she didn't think twice! How did I get so lucky to have such amazing friends??

And our male model is my husband, Frank. If you hadn't noticed, he posed with all of the female models in the shoot, my little sister and best friend. Most husbands would not be willing to do that. Let's be real, most wouldn't be willing to do a shoot at all! But he is always there to help me, whenever I need it. Isn't he the best?

And, of course, this one is me! You know enough about me (hint: there is an "about me" tab at the top of this site!) so there is no need to say anything else :)

Meet Our Photographers

You know the girl I quoted throughout this series, well this is her in action on the shoot! Meet Theresa, the wonderful co-owner of Theresa Bridget Photography. I don't need to say much else about her because you have already seen her beautiful work!

Meet Greg! Want to know something cool? He is Theresa's {almost} husband...in 7 days!!! So they really know what it's like to be in your shoes AND they get to work together! Jealous!!

Did you read our post on hiring a professional wedding photographer vs. a photographer friend? Well here she is, our stand in "photographer friend." A special thanks to Michelle for coming along and allowing us to illustrate that post!

Hair & Makeup

Just as you will be doing on your wedding day, we all got up early and headed to the salon in Orange County to get our hair and makeup done! And yes, we did have a couple of mimosas to celebrate our wedding day :)

And want to know the coolest part?? We had just one hair/makeup artist who styled every single one of us! And why is that so cool? 1. There are very few stylists who can work that fast and diligently, exactly what you want to look for in a wedding stylist and 2. There are few stylists that are able to do such a variety of beautiful hairstyles.

If you haven't already checked her site out, she is the amazing Devon Duff (and yes, she is a celebrity stylist too!). And she is willing (and happy) to travel!

The Dresses

The beautiful dresses that were featured through this series are all from the most amazing salon, Love and Lace Bridal & Tailor. Not many people know this, but Ramona, owner of the salon, donates part of every dress that is purchased to charity. Now that is not something you find every day, is it?? To me, that is beyond wonderful.

If you are in the Southern California area, I would highly recommend stopping by :)

Beyond the Lens: Warning...Wedding Photo Devastation

With every bride comes a budget. And with every budget (large or small) comes areas of sacrifice. While you are the only one who will be able to determine how your budget is divided, there is one items far too many brides sacrifice and that is photography. While I have never had a bride come to me and say, "I am going to take out photography so that I can have a bar" I have heard this phrase far to many times..."I have a friend who is great at taking photos and he is willing to do them for free for our wedding!"

I am sure your friend takes beautiful photos, but has he ever captured a wedding? Your photos may turn out beautiful but is that something you are willing to risk? "Saving a couple thousand on a wedding photographer may seem like a good deal until the potential aftermath where there are no good photos to remember your day by." (Theresa, Theresa Bridget Photography)There is not going to be any way for you to reenact the wedding, unless you are willing to throw yet another $10,000 wedding. In which case, that was the reason your aren't hiring a professional wedding photographer in the first place, right??

So in order to show you the importance of not hiring a friend to take your wedding photos, we decided to bring a friend along with us on a shoot. And yes, she can take some beautiful photos...some beautiful non-wedding photos, that is :)

Here she is ----------------------------------------------------------->>
(check back tomorrow for a behind-the-scenes look!)

Before we get started, I want to get one thing straight..."Both the professional and non-professional images were taken with the same camera and lens; a top grade canon wedding camera and l series lens. And both were edited in light room." Yes, Theresa sent me this information via email and I copied and pasted it directly onto this blog post - I know nothing about cameras so I wanted it straight from the professional's mouth!

Most of us are not models...

And in addition to that, many of us are a little camera shy. Well, at least I am! You should've seen me at this shoot...I didn't know a single thing about where to put my hands, when to smile and when not to smile. And I've already been married! Believe me, it was an improvement from my engagement photos and wedding day so I know there are plenty of you out there that are a little nervous about the posing part of your wedding photography.

And your photographer is there to pose you as well! I am not referring to putting you in awkward poses that look like poses, but placing your hands and eyes and lips and feet in places that look natural and can depict your love for each other. But because your friend has never shot a wedding, unfortunately, he is not going to be able to help you out. So you better do some practicing in the mirror and studying before your wedding day!

What happens when the sun goes down?

Remember on Monday when I talked about editing night time photos? This is exactly what I was talking about! But in addition to the editing, your friends are most likely not going to have the equipment to capture those night shots. "We have professional grade flash equipment and know how to use it, so we were able to create the bright image you see compared to the dark image." (Theresa, Theresa Bridget Photography)

I know you're thinking it so I will answer it for you...yes, these two photos were taken within 20 seconds of each other. So we aren't just trying to trick you :)

An inconsistent story told...

"Just because a person can take a great landscape image, does not mean they can take a portrait. Posing and getting skin tones right is a practice that takes time to develop." (Theresa, Theresa Bridget Photography) Being a wedding photographer is more than just snapping shots of the beautiful bride. It is the art of telling the story of love and allowing others to truly see this love in a series of still images. So just because I can click the button on the camera and I can find a beautiful background, doesn't in any way, shape, or form mean that I can take a stunning photo.

Still not convinced?

Alright so your photographer friend has professional lighting, like the exact same lighting equipment Theresa used on this shoot, and he knows how to use it! His expertise is models so he definitely knows how to pose a model if needed. So there is no reason I can't have him as my free wedding photographer, right?

Wrong.

Here are four more reasons why you shouldn't hire a friend to be your wedding photographer...hopefully these will have you convinced!

    1. What is going to happen to your friendship if your photos don't come out well?
    2. Will you ever forgive yourself if you hate your wedding photos?
    3. Something will go wrong at every single wedding so you want a professional there who knows how to handle these 
       crazy situations.
    4. How many cameras does your friend own, just in case one breaks? Can anyone say, "sand in the lens"?

Is a $100 photobooth more desirable than a $1000 photobooth? Trick question - the photobooth has nothing but terrible reviews, all of which say they never showed up. Now which is more desirable to you? Receiving photos you don't want to look at is the same thing as paying for a photobooth that never shows up.

"A wedding is a big event, brides and grooms spend a lot of money, time and effort making the day perfect, it is important to have quality memories to preserve the day. Having a professional photographer will give you quality photos." (Theresa, Theresa Bridget Photography) There is a difference between price and value. Value is the price you pay for the services you receive so it is not always beneficial to pay less for less. Find a budget that works for you and search for the photographer that will be able to provide you the best value for what you are paying.

You are going to have a wedding to remember, so make sure you choose a photographer who will preserve those memories for you.

---

I believe that photography is one of the most important aspects of anyone's wedding day. Your cake will be consumed, your flowers will wilt, and your dress will be put away deep in the closet to be hidden until you have kids who want to see it. But despite everything else that doesn't stay with you, your photos do. These are the images that will sit in a beautiful album on your coffee table for each visitor to look through. These are the images that your children, grandchildren, and maybe even ancestors will look at one day, laughing at how silly that gown and hair do are. These images will last a lifetime.

"Beyond the Lens" is a collaborative series helping brides make the most of their wedding photos - the do's, the don'ts, and the absolute musts.

Theresa Bridget Photography ❤ Love and Lace Bridal & Tailor ❤ Devon Duff Makeup Artistry

Sponsored Post: Tungsten World

Sponsored by Tungsten World

Marriage is a beautiful thing. Being married for only nine months now, we have definitely experienced the ups and the downs. And because this is all so new to us - living together, cooking "real" meals and actually sitting down for dinner, sharing finances and sharing everything, for that matter - I know that there is so much more to come. While there is no telling what the future holds, I know that we will experience some "worst nightmares" together and "best times of our life" together as well.

Because it has not been very long (and because weddings is what I do for a living), I remember a lot about our wedding day - the chills running down my body as I saw my soon-to-be-husband standing at the end of the aisle, placing that tungsten ring on his finger (and him having to force it on!), saying "I Do" to forever with him, and the beautiful feeling of being announced as "Mr. and Mrs. Hallak" as our guests welcomed us into our wedding reception. I wish I could re-live those moments each and every day because I cannot help but smile when I think about those moments. And despite the beautiful photos, the wedding video that made all of my Facebook friends cry, and the memories that will remain with me, there is one thing that always brings me back.

It seems so small and insignificant, but this circle I am speaking of is much more important than the photo album that sits on our coffee table each and every day. This circle I speak of symbolizes our marriage, our everlasting love, and the commitment we made to each other as we said our vows in front of our closest family and friends. This little circle I speak of is the ring my husband wears each and every day. And each day I see that ring on his finger, it brings me right back to the same chills of happiness that I felt on that very special day. Each time I see that ring on my husband's finger, I cannot help but smile.

The ring a man chooses should symbolize an everlasting love and a "til death do us part" so it seems crazy to think that when choosing this important symbol of your marriage, couples don't take the options into consideration. Couples decide on rings that won't last a lifetime. Silly, don't you think?

I don't know about you, but my husband loves to work out. And when I say work out, I mean that he loves lifting weights. Have you ever felt how rough a man's hand can get from the scraping and grinding of that heavy piece of metal on the palm of their hands? Well when we were deciding on a ring, we made sure we chose a ring that would not only withstand the heavy weights at the gym, but would withstand every day life! And our jeweler recommended no other metal but tungsten.

Tungsten is a metal that looks similar to platinum but has two amazing perks: durability and cost. And when I say durability, I mean like unbelievable durability. We have been married for nine months and there is not one single tiny scratch on my husband's ring. And no, he has never taken the ring off since we said "I Do." Click here to read more about tungsten.

And secondly, cost. I know we are all on a budget and I am pretty positive that spending the last part of your budget on your soon-to-be-husband's ring is not on the top of your priority list. While I absolutely believe that it is important to get a nice product that will last forever, I can tell you that is is absolutely achievable...on a budget.

Tungsten World offers an amazing variety of durable and cost-effective rings that will last a lifetime alongside your marriage. And you may be thinking, "Well I know the jeweler down the street offer some rings that are great too!" But your average jeweler is not going to have a ring out there for every groom. We all know that choosing his ring may be even more difficult and time consuming than choosing your dress, so why not have the availability of options along with a lifetime warranty for that very special symbol of love. Believe me, it may be small but once you call each other husband and wife, that ring will mean the world to you when you see it each and every day on his finger.

Choose a ring that will be everlasting just like your love for each other, and won't start you off on the wrong financial foot as you make that step into marriage.

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