The Art of the Minimum

Listen up! Before you begin that venue search, this is something that you MUST know! Without it, you may go into a deep, dark hole of sadness as soon as you realize that the venues you thought you could afford, are no longer affordable.

The word we are discussing today is MINIMUM.

To start, here is a basic definition of the word in terms of wedding planning, before we dive into more detail and logistics.

Minimum: the dollar amount or number of guests you are required to spend/have present at your reception in order to reserve your date and time, it is set by each specific venue or vendor

I know that may be a little confusing without any context, so here is an example so you can better understand it.

Let's take Jenn, for example...

Jenn wants to get married on Saturday June 1st and she is inviting 100 guests to her wedding. The venue she absolutely loves costs $50 per person (inclusive of tax and service charges). And with a $6,000 budget, she is well within her budget so she is ready to book her date.

Unfortunately, the venue will not allow her to book her wedding.

It is not because they don't like her and it is not because the date is already booked. It is because she doesn't reach their minimum for that Saturday!

Where the minimums come into play

Let's say, for example, the venue has a minimum of 150 guests on that Saturday in June. That means that no matter what, she is required to pay for at least 150 guests, regardless of how many guests are invited or how many come.

Or on the other hand, the venue may have a $10,000 minimum for that Saturday which requires her to spend at least $10,000 (generally before tax and service charges) if she is going to book that date.

So regardless so whether or not she can afford their pricing and packages based on the number of guests she has invited, you can see that no matter what, Jenn will not be able to afford this venue within a $6,000 budget on that date!

The Good News & The Bad News

The Bad News: You may think a venue works within budget when their specified minimums don't allow that to happen.

OR

The Good News: Ask the venue if the Friday before or the Sunday after have lower minimums (as they generally do) or if you really want a Saturday, there may be an off season Saturday with a lower minimum!

But regardless, every venue has this number set and even many florists, caterers, and other vendors have set minimums designated for certain days and months of the year! So before you get ready to book, and before you even tour a venue, ask what their minimums are to ensure it will actually work within your budget!

Happy venue shopping :)

The reality is...

Over two million weddings take place in the United States alone, every single year. And with the overload of photos, ideas, and DIY's all over the internet, the realities of a wedding tend to get a bit skewed in the mind of a bride.

So I am going to be open and very honest with you, so you know what to expect and what not to expect. And hopefully, no matter how harsh it may sound, you'll come back down to the reality of a wedding, the reality of your own wedding, so there are no surprises along the way!.

The reality is...

Pinterest-perfect weddings are not going to work within your limited budget.
All of the photos, decor, and inspiration you see all over Pinterest, are generally either a really expensive wedding (I am talking $100,000) OR it is a styled photoshoot...a wedding that didn't actually happen but was styled to make you want it even more!

DIY projects: 1) will not turn out as expected and 2) generally end up being more expensive.
That's right! When you see a DIY project, the person who created that was an expert and has done it time and time again to perfect it for the photo instructions. And yes, more expensive! By the time you buy all the materials you need, let alone the time you spend on it, you could've rented it from someone for far cheaper!

Something will always go wrong on your wedding day.
Expect it to happen, and don't get upset when it does. Because what really matters is the marriage, not the party. So make the most of what you have an enjoy this special day!

There will always be last-minute changes, no matter how hard you try.
The trip your aunt was going to go on was cancelled and she can make it to your wedding now! Your great grandpa didn't realize that an RSVP had to be returned until the week before when you asked him about it. Or your best friend out-of-the-blue turned into a vegan so she needs to cancel her order of steak.

You cannot control the weather.
You are not a weather god and no matter how many days you check the weather in advance, and no matter how many times it says it will be perfect weather, you just never know. But hey, rain is good luck, cloudy weather is far better for photos than sun, and as we now know, a wildfire can make a beautiful backdrop.

Josh Newton Photography

You will go over your allotted budget.
Unless you work very very hard to keep everything within budget, to the dollar, then your wedding will most likely go over budget. With large dreams and inspiration for our big day, it makes it difficult to stay within that number, no matter what the number is.

People will always attempt to create their dream day, for your day.
Whether their own wedding day was disastrous and they are trying to re-create that special day, or they can only dream of their wedding day and want their vision to become a reality right now, just remember that good intentions are always there. Every friend and relative who may seem to be giving a little too much input is only trying to help you have the most perfect wedding day possible. But either way, stand your ground and create YOUR dream wedding.

Your wedding photos won't go viral.
Nope, they won't. Out of all of the weddings out there, very few go viral. And if you're the kind of bride who wants to copy all of the amazing photos you've seen, then they are even less likely to go viral because they've already been done! So let your photographer be creative and come up with something new...and then you may have a chance! But honestly, is that really what shows that your wedding day was a success?? I think not!

7 Tips to Maximize Your Photographer's Time

Written with love, by Holly Green

Every stress-free wedding begins by creating an organized wedding day timeline. Most couples don’t realize you will be with your wedding photographer during 80% of that time. Since you’re paying good money for that photographer and want the best photos possible, maximize their time! Most brides contact me and say something along the lines of “my ceremony is at 4 and my reception is at 7, how many hours do I need you?” Although those times are helpful, there are many other factors that go into the timing of your day. For example, I would need to know what type of ceremony you’re having. An outdoor ceremony may be 30 minutes while a Catholic wedding may be an hour. When a Bride or Groom says the reception begins at 7, does that mean cocktail hour for the guests, when they are entering, or is that when dinner is served? As you can see it can get overwhelming very quickly!

A Photographer's Timeline

A typical timeline for a photographer would look something like the following:

        2:00- Arrival at ceremony location- getting ready
        4:00- Ceremony begins
        5:00- Family Photos
        5:20- Bridal Party Photos
        5:30- Photos of bride and groom and the ceremony site
        5:45- Leave for reception site
        6:15 - Photos of the Bride and Groom at the reception site
        7:00- Enter reception- Toasts- Cake Cutting
        7:30- Dinner
        8:30- Dances
        10:00- Photographer leaves

This timeline, though common, always varies on the specifics of YOUR wedding. To get the most of your photographer you’ll need to consider the following aspects of your wedding day.

Getting Ready

Most brides will want getting ready shots in some way. That can range from hair and make-up photos early in the morning to an hour before the ceremony in the venue’s bridal suite. If you want photos of your hair getting done, begin photos when the bride starts her hair/makeup process (and have the bride go last). Having you photographer arrive at the very beginning of your hair/makeup will be a waste of their time and your money. Women don’t want many photos of themselves make-up free. If you can do without hair and makeup photos I would have your photographer arrive 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the ceremony. That allows them time to photograph your dress, shoes, and other details, get some candids of the girls hanging out, photos of the bride getting into her dress, etc.

Ceremony Length

This is usually simple information you can get from your venue and/or officiant. If you have a ceremony at a church it will most likely be 45 min-1 hour. If its elsewhere 30 minutes is more common.

First Look

Most couples opt to do what is called a first look. Essentially a first look is setting up a location for the bride and groom to see one another for the first time on their wedding day. This allows you to see each other before the ceremony and get the majority of your photos out of the way. Not only does it ease stress, but it allows for more candid expressions. Believe it or not, I get more grooms crying during the first look than down the aisle. Why? I can only assume that they don’t feel the pressure of all eyes on them and having to hold it in! The other good thing a first look does is that it cuts down on post-ceremony photos which allows you to be with your guests at the reception faster.

Waiting Guests

If you take your photos after your ceremony your guests are inevitably going to have to wait. That includes times for the photos, traveling times, and loading/unloading of the bridal party into vehicles. If you want to drive 30 minutes to another location, the guests are going to be waiting during that time.

Travel Time

This is the most important question if your ceremony and reception are at separate locations. Many couples will have the ceremony at a church, go to a park after the ceremony for photos, then go to the reception. Try to pick locations close by unless you do a first look. As I mentioned earlier, your guests will be waiting during your travel times. Those travel times also cut into the span of time you’ll have for you photos. If you’re traveling 30 minutes one way and 30 minutes back, that's an hour you could have had better use of your photographer.

Family Photos

If your family is relatively organized it takes about 2-3 minutes per photo. ALWAYS make a list of the family combinations that you want. Whether your parents are divorced, siblings are married, you have grandparents who need to be in group shots, etc. There are hundreds of combinations possible. Narrow this list down to the photos you truly want to have. Do you need 2 photos of your whole family one with and one without the groom or will having one with him do just fine?

Receiving Line

Most weddings now don’t have a receiving line. One reason is it takes a major cut into your photo time. The second reason is that guests don’t want to wait in a long line just to talk to you. Greet your guests at every table after you’ve finished dinner. They’ll be much more relaxed, happy, and it will be a significantly more personal welcome. Not only that, but you will get plenty of beautiful candid shots that way.

By answering these questions you can easily simplify the planning of your day. You’ll maximize the use of your photographer and ease your stress considerably.

Last piece of advice, when in doubt round up! Buffer time will ALWAYS work in your favor.

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At Green Holly Weddings we have developed an award winning style. We have won both the Bride's Choice Award and the Golden Feather Award for 2013, 2012, and many previous years. Holly has a bachelors degree in Photography from the College for Creative Studies and 9 years experience in the photography business.

Our ultimate goal is to tell the story of YOUR day, not the generic wedding day. When documenting a wedding, your end photos should feel how your day felt. With Holly you are hiring someone who has experience, and whose work you'll love. You can trust her to capture the complete story without mishap, in a way that is meaningful to you.