I've got this theory about wedding photography and offbeat couples.

See, wedding photographers aren't just doing a service for you. You're also doing a service for them by providing images for use in their portfolios. And, let's be honest, which photos add more to a photographer's body of work: another traditional shot from a traditional wedding or a photo of a couple dressed as astronauts taking flight on their wedding day?

In other words, photos from your offbeat wedding may be of greater business benefit to a photographer … and therefore, photographers may be willing to negotiate a lower price.

I decided to test this theory by asking some of my favorite wedding photographers about their pricing policies and negotiating tips for non-traditional couples. Here's what I learned…

Continue reading "The offbeat advantage negotiating with wedding photographers" →

Since the photobooth "save the date" cards I featured a while back were so popular, I figured it was worth sharing this video showing you how to make your own.

I can't handle addressing these wedding invitations. Everyone says I should address it to "mr. & mrs. man's-name last-name" but it pisses me off — addresses like this completely blow past the female component of a relationship. Any ideas for how to be true-to-self without trying to make an in-your-face statement?

I'm not sure what etiquette would advise, but my solution was to skip last names completely on my invites. I addressed them with first names and affectionate titles, ie "Dad & Andrea" (for my father and his gf), "Auntie Cherie & Dave" (for my aunt and her bf), and "Dallas & Erin" (for my married friends). I usually listed whoever I felt like knew better first, i.e. "Susannah & Michael" for my best friend from high school and her husband.

Obviously, your mileage may vary with this technique and it's probably not up to any sort of etiquette, but it felt like the simple, straightforward solution to me.