15 Questions You Should Ask Your Wedding Photographer before Hiring Him/her

November 19, 2017

Wedding planning is not only about setting the date and buying your wedding dress. You should as well meet the different people helping you on that big day, and these include the event organizer, the emcee, and the Washington DC wedding photographer. Each one of these people play a key role in your wedding day, and it is important you meet him/her before you hire them and on the rehearsing day. For a wedding photographer, you should ask him the following questions.

Finding Out About His/Her Availability

Before hiring your photographer, you need to verify their availability. Ask them some of the following questions.

Are you available on my wedding date? This is so that you verify his/her availability and if s/he is not available you hire next option
Are you working with someone else? Find out if s/he has an assistant. Some DC wedding photographers will prefer working with an assistant, and others will not.
What is your shooting style?
How many weddings do you shoot per year?
Do you send a highlight gallery?

Finding Out About Her Prowess

How long have you worked as a Maryland photographer? You definitely want an experienced wedding photographer for your special day.
Are you familiar with my wedding venue?
Do you know about my wedding organizer?

Do You Know His/Her Rates?

What is your pricing style? Some Virginia wedding photographers will charge per photo others will charge the hours worked. Go with the one that suits your budget.
So how much will you charge? Depending on the answer above, get a quote.

Ask Him about Printing Style and Frame Designs

Which printing styles do you have? You want a creative printing style and so let him show you the different styles you can choose the best.
Is the rate inclusive of Framing? There are Virginia wedding photographers who will offer a free frame.
What Frame types do you offer? Choose the framing type that you like. There are different types of frames used by DC wedding photographers.
Do you offer soft copies? You definitely want to share photos online. So request for soft copy

The above wedding photographer questions are aimed at communicating what you would like your DC wedding photographer to do.

10 Wedding Planning Tips You Will Want to Know!

November 16, 2017

The wedding day is one of the special days in life, and therefore it is important you plan well for the events that will unfold in that day. Planning for a wedding begins early so that the all the key players such as destination wedding photographer is well informed of the day to make the wedding day memorable.

1. Avoid Last Minute Rush

There are people you need to invite to your wedding so that they can perform some duties. For example, you need an event planner to assist in planning the venue and other things. The venue needs to be booked early for you to get a good venue. In most cases you will find that wedding venue in Washington DC will be booked for up to three months depending on the season and therefore you have to book early to get a good venue and also be convenient in terms of the day you want to have the wedding.

2. Hire Top Notch Performers

Not everyone knows the secrets of wedding photography. Again, you want someone who knows what you need. So if you are having your wedding in West Virginia, you should look for a Virginia wedding photographer since he has some experience.

3. Hire People Who Know the Place Well

If your reception is in Washington DC, you should go for destination wedding photographer since you will save more money. If you have to transport someone from another place, you will pay more.

4. Go for a Convenient Venue

It is advisable to have the wedding reception to where you will be getting married. If you are going for a church wedding, you can consider a wedding reception venue close to the church. This saves on transport and time.

5. Confirm Number of Guests Who Will Attend

After invitations are sent out, the people will accept the invitation, and therefore you need to hire a venue that is convenient and economical. You can then save by avoiding extra seats since most venues charge per capacity.

6. Meet Your Destination Wedding Photographer before Actual Day

There are some special people and events you want to be captured well, so it’s important you alert him early regarding the same.

7. Work Closely with Event Planner

No matter how busy you might be, it’s important you meet event planner regularly for updates. If you are far apart, technology can help you. This helps avoid disappointments.

8. Rehearse Before Wedding Day

You have bought new clothes and shoes, and it is important you try them out before the day to avoid such a disappointment where you are in an unfitting wedding dress.

9. Flowers Are Important

These will help brighten the photos taken by Virginia wedding photographer and secondly the day will feel warmer.

10. Plan Your Honey Moon Well

You might need the destination wedding photographer for your honeymoon, and thus you need to book with him early.

Wedding planning is not a one-day event; it is actually something you need to think well about. You should work with these people you are hiring closely for a successful wedding day. Your Washington DC wedding photographer will be important, so hire one early.

Alexandria Wedding - Torpedo Factory wedding — Alexandria Wedding - Torpedo Factory wedding

Why You Should Have a Winter Wedding

November 3, 2017

Wedding photographers have something known as a Wedding Season; these are months out of the year — March through November — when they get the majority of their bookings for wedding photography. But when everyone is holding their wedding in the summer, here are my reasons why every bride should consider having a winter wedding:

Your vendor of choice will likely be available.

When it comes to summer weddings, there is so much competition to book a venue, DJ, and wedding photographer. Not so much in the winter — chances are you’re not competing with another wedding couple for the same venue or wedding photographer during the winter months.

Snow!

Here in Washington, DC we usually get at least one good snow storm every winter. Think about how amazing it would be to have the beautiful snowy backdrop for your wedding photos! Now those would make for some wonderfully unique wedding portraits.

You can do a winter wonderland theme.

Winter weddings can go full on winter wonderland with their decorations. I’m talking garlands, candles, snowflakes, evergreen trees, twinkle lights, pine cones, etc. Serve your guests hot chocolate and mulled wine. Hand out roasted chestnuts as party favors. Surprise your guests with carolers!

Santa Claus can officiate!

If you have kids at your wedding, how cute would it be if Santa dropped by during the reception and handed out some presents? Or even better, what if Santa was the one to officiate your wedding? By the power vested in me by the State of the North Pole, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

No humidity.

Summer weddings in Washington, DC are quite often hot and muggy. Winter weddings don’t have that problem. Your hair and makeup will look flawless without that summer weather messing it up.

Your guests won’t have wedding fatigue.

Summers are so jam-packed with weddings, friends and family can get tired of attending a wedding every other weekend. When you hold your wedding in the winter, it’s the highlight of the season! Another bonus is that your family will already be getting together for the winter holidays, so no extra travel will be required for your wedding.

Perfect weather for black tie.

Tuxedos really aren’t meant to be worn in the summer, especially since many of them are created out of 100% wool. In the winter, however, they are absolutely ideal for an indoor wedding. Your female guests will have the perfect event for wearing floor-length gowns and sequined dresses. Rather than looking hot and sweaty, your guests will appear elegant and polished for your wedding.

You can wear a cape.

Since outdoor weddings photos can get chilly in just a wedding dress, brides choose to add a cape to their ensemble for warmth. And how often to you get an excuse to wear a cape? It’s the ultimate accessory for winter weddings!

Bride and groom - First dance - Torpedo Factory wedding — Bride and groom - First dance - Torpedo Factory wedding

Are you looking to book a photographer for your winter wedding? We here at Justy Photography would love to photograph it! Get in touch with us here.

How to choose an elegant wedding dress on a budget

September 8, 2016

How to choose an elegant wedding dress on a budget

Time and detailed commitment are one of the key elements to consider while planning an elegant wedding. But it is still a possibility to have a beautiful wedding without stretching your budget. That will involve you picking the important things wisely and investing in them. One such is the wedding dress. Yes, you can get an elegant wedding dress on a budget. That will require you to do some few things as highlighted in this post.

Be realistic

Be sure that you know all the designers and styles that are found within your budget. If you lack this information, you risk falling prey to scams. For instance, it is a fantasy to assume that a $5000 Vera can be bought at $300. If you see that a price is discounted too low than it can be, then exercise caution with such a wedding dress.

Be fully alert while shopping online

Do you buy to the idea that shopping online for a wedding dress will save you some dollars? Well, consider that again. Online shopping opens avenues for so many scams and the source of wedding rip-offs. You may order something online, only for you to get an entirely different-looking item.

It is much better to shop at local salon and bargain for a price within your budget. The good thing with salons is that most of them have money-back guarantee, a sale rack and an in-house tailor to help you out if you are unhappy. Most online scams will not reply to your emails or even pick phone calls.

Lookout for clearance sales from local salons

Each store has sale merchandise. There is none in the world that does not have sales. Most manufacturers do stop making their products on a yearly basis. In order to get these products from the stores and have new ones, they use clearance sales. Such is a great time to purchase a wedding dress.

Buy when off-season wedding

Most wedding dresses bought when it’s a wedding season tend to be more expensive than those bought in off-season. If you buy one between October and March, chances are you will get large discounts. If you decide to do the purchase between May and September, then you may want to buy on Friday or Sunday. Most weddings come on Saturdays, so these days pose as the best to get better discounts to help you get a wedding dress within your budget.

Utilize national holidays for great bargains

Shopping holiday’s sales is one way you can be guaranteed of low prices from genuine online stores. Products sold on holidays like Labor Day, Memorial Day and Black Friday and sometimes Christmas tend to be inexpensive than the normal days.

Get ready to pay up front

Save the sufficient amount of money before you go to shop because some shops will give you discounts if you pay in full. You can learn more about a company’s discount details by visiting its website.

Cabell's Mill Wedding Photos - Virginia

June 3, 2016

Cabell's Mill Wedding Pictures - Virginia

Danielle and Andrew got married at Cabell's Mill in Virginia on May 28, 2016. I was lucky enough to photography their special day on this location. If you live in the DMV metro area you probably already know how difficult it is to find a beautiful wedding venue that would fit your wedding budget. Fairfax County Parks offer variety of historic properties.

Located in the wooded acres of Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, Cabell's Mill has long been a unique setting for social occasions. Built prior to 1800 and operated as a mill until 1916, the property was purchased in 1935 by Ellanor Lawrence. She and her husband, David, founder of US News & World Report, transformed the old mill into a guest house and hosted many Washington notables, including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

For more information: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/hprs/cabells.htm

Fairfax County Parks have so many charming locations for your engagement and family photography needs in Virginia. The annual Commercial Photography Permit covers commercial photography at over 400 parks without additional fees or reservations.

For more information: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/press/photography-permit.htm