As we get into the spring of 2015, we notice that a few trends seem to be emerging. We are excited to list them here for you, the prospective bride.

They are:

1) BE TRUE. This is more than just ensuring your vision matches who you are and what you believe, but making sure as you plan your wedding you are honest with yourself about what your priorities are. Everyone, for the most part, has a budget to work with. Starting with your priorities about where you want your money to work and be allocated. This leads to so many other good things like…

2) BOOK AND PLAN AHEAD. It may seem like you have forever if your planning a wedding and you have a year, nine or six months to go…but the facts are this..there are only so many weekends in the year and venues, vendors and guests will all need to be aligned to one specific date. For example we have seen one well known bridal magazine talk about a timeline of booking your photographer 6 months out!!! NOTHING could be worse advice. The good in this industry do much business by word of mouth and nothing is as disheartening as to have selected a vendor you are excited to have bring their vision to your wedding, only to find out they are booked. GOOD ENOUGH IS THE ENEMY HERE! Plan ahead and do so as early as possible. The extended time can also be helpful when paying for larger services such as the venue or wedding photography.

3) THINK TIMELESS. We see a decided shift to couples wanting two things in their wedding photography specifically, great storytelling (also known as photojournalism) and a talent to pose and direct clients to look their best. This is a pushback against the trend where couples wanted moments and assumed they could hire anyone with a camera and get them by shooting a large quantity of images. The skill-set that made for great photography in the days of film are still true today, timing, understanding light and a knowledge of angles as it applies to making your clients look great. The same can be said of décor and themes. Couples are now viewing their wedding in less of a lens of trends, and more in a perspective of their own uniqueness and timelessness.

4) PLAN LOGISTICS AND A BACKUP PLAN. Many couples now enjoy so many great venues where being outside in North Georgia for a wedding is ideal…but weather does not always cooperate, so spending time on a detailed backup plan will help so much to feel confident that should the backup plan need to be enforced, everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.  This is also an excellent reminder to discuss with your wedding photographer their backup plan!

5) FAITH, ZEN AND THE ART OF LETTING GO!  Once you have planned and paid for a life event like your wedding, it is time to practice that faith and let go! Management on the day of needs to be left to others, and it goes without saying all of this , the planning, the paying, the décor, the photography, the eating , the visiting with your guests will be difficult to enjoy and savor every moment if your worried about enough appetizers to go around! The art of letting go will have you enjoying a day, truly like no other!

1) Your Wedding, it could be a dream you have had since you were young, but to make that dream wedding come true you will need to outline and plan like never before!

One of the very first things to get booked likely will be the venue. Here is where your personal taste will factor in with your administrative and planning side. You will want a venue that supports the  theme and vision you have for your wedding. One of the premier venues in the southeast is located right in North Georgia. The Historic Tate House stands out as unique among venues with a beautiful north Georgia background, an elegant and historical marble mansion and a staff that is among the best of the best..

You can visit them HERE:

http://www.tatehouse.com

2) Keep it personal. This is where you will utilize your personal taste. We see so many brides with such huge hearts that they are often making decision to please everyone else but the truth is this; if ever there was a day that is YOUR DAY, this is it! The people who love you will be happy to see YOU happy!  Keep the main focus of your personal taste to make you both happy and with consideration for your guests and you will likely make everyone happy, not to mention creating a one-of-a-kind and memorable event that all your friends and family will remember for a lifetime!

3) Food counts! When considering your venue you will be faced with an opportunity to choose outside catering specific type vendors or those that are venue recommended or dedicated and private to the wedding venue. Taste testing and crafting your budget will be the keys here to nail down the food experience you want your guest to have.

4) Entertainment. Whether you choose a DJ or a band, make sure you can meet with them personally to ensure the background and ambiance of your event is presented and carried out as you desire. Often couples moving into the wedding planning stages can make the mistake of thinking of ONLY music here, but the truth is great DJ’s and Band’s are actually, after a certain point, the masters of ceremony. We have seen the cream of the crop get an unusually reserved crowd up on their feet and dancing the night away.DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS SKILL! We cannot tell you the times we have heard a couple say their guest “really are not a dancing crowd” only to be shocked, happily so, that their guests are dancing and celebrating a true life event…Excellent DJ’s are a key to a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

You can visit one of the best we know HERE:

http://jbjams.com

5) Photography. While the inclusion of photography here can come off as the fox guiding the hens, the truth is this; We as full-time wedding photographers know a few things that are key to making our business run; a) we are not going to attract (nor could we take) every potential client. b) Even referring someone on is part of an experience and frankly, a successful wedding for a couple is far more important than just greasing the wheels for our personal business. To that end, we highly recommend couples start at The Professional Photographers of America. Here couples can locate a photographer search and even fine tune the search by specialty and to ensure your photographer is a Certified Professional Photographer. This will go a long way to making sure you are dealing with true professionals to handle your wedding day photography.

You can visit The Professional Photographers of America HERE:

http://www.ppa.com

1) Attire. For a Spring Wedding, especially in Georgia, it is terrific to have the opportunity to choose clothing that suits the season! The option of lighter weight fabrics, shorter dresses, and an overall lighter palette of colors will help to reduce the heat on your wedding party, the increased comfort is substantial…, and they will LOVE you for that!

2) Décor. With an opportunity to really accentuate spring do not hesitate to pick and choose spring like colors for your wedding. Think softer pastels, and lighter tones and consider a nod to a more whimsical type settings. The Spring Georgia Wedding lends itself perfectly to the fairytale wedding backdrops and setting.

3) The Details. Your flowers, signs, the cake topper, any and all of your wedding details are great spots to utilize a spring feel and look. Meeting with your wedding planner and photographer can help define and flesh out what you want to bring to your wedding, and what you want people to remember.

4) Weather! It’s spring, the flowers are blooming, the grass is green again, the chill is gone from the air, birds are singing and all is right with the world…, right?   Who could want a better environment for a beautiful spring wedding..? Not so fast! While spring is lovely and spring weddings are totally awesome, you still do need to be prepared. Many venues that are built and showcased to use outside ceremony locations may have limited or no back-up plans for inclement weather. Having umbrellas and galoshes on hand that you like and have chosen yourself for color and texture will mean if you have to battle the elements, being prepared can cover, in more ways than one, your wedding celebration! Make sure you discuss alternatives with your planner and your photographer…having a prepared plan for a 2nd outdoor session on location is an excellent way to stay stress free over the weather on your Wedding Day!

5) More Zen, less stress.  One trend we see growing in the industry is a concerted effort by Brides to make a conscious choice to handle the stress of the day with a more Zen-like approach. This means you stand a far better chance of enjoying your wedding day when the inevitable issue arises, small and insignificant or large and noticeable, your wedding is YOURS and embracing the individuality that comes with unplanned variances can make both you and your wedding party and guests far more relaxed, happy and leaving with those 3 words on their lips you so want to hear everyone they talk to…”THAT WAS AWESOME”!!!