TFYP 07 | Don’t Be Afraid to Elope
An elopement, depending on what circle you run in and who you’ve talked to, can have a negative connotation following it around. Even just typing the word into Google get’s you an instance Wikipedia definition at the top using words like “sudden” and “secretive.” But this doesn’t always have to be the case. In fact, it’s not the case in current trends. As our cultures expand their mindsets and break free from stifling traditions of the past, things that were once looked down upon are finding their way into a more positive spotlight. Today, elopements can be a beautiful (not to mention budget friendly!) alternative to a traditional wedding. If you follow wedding vendors on social media, or have ever checked a wedding and/or events blog in the past year, chances are you may have seen the breath-taking images: two people, maybe accompanied by an officiant, standing on top of a mountain or in a vast landscape – and nothing or nobody else (ahem; except for that photographer who captured the images, of course). It’s intimate. It’s serene. It’s an elopement. The reason for this trend is commonly for one of two reasons: The couple getting married has chosen to value this day as a private, intimate moment between the two of them. They want to breathe it in without the hustle and bustle of traditional wedding day to-do’s, and instead want the focus to be on one another and their vows alone. As already mentioned, it can be incredibly budget friendly. When cutting out costs of a venue, décor, chair rentals, linen rentals, wedding guest favors, meals for all in attendance, dessert, alcohol, etc, etc, etc… you will find that all you’re left with is the responsibility of finding something to wear, someone to marry you, and a photographer or videographer to capture those moments forever. For the couple that wants the day to be intimate from start to finish, they will depart from the ceremony to go spend an evening together with good food and drinks, or perhaps fly away to begin their honeymoon. For the couple who still has cherished friends and family they wish to invite into celebration after an intimate ceremony, there are still budget friendly and intimate ideas to do so. A backyard, twinkle light, soft music gathering can prove to be much more intimate than a formal venue. Have a mom or whiz-in-the-kitchen best friend throw together some delightful dishes to pass around, or perhaps the groom wants to throw some steaks on the grill while loosening the tie and sipping on whiskey. With a smaller group, you could even go out to your favorite restaurant in celebration. Even more so, inviting those few (10 or less people) into the ceremony can still be much more intimate than a large shindig, will still cut costs on all the traditional wedding needs, and yet extends the moment out to those you love the most. There are multiple options to invite those you hold close into your day while still keeping the air intimate and personal to you. Elopements are lovely alternatives that anyone wary about planning a wedding should consider. Have any questions on the subject? Feel free to comment below or shoot us an email! =) Happy Monday friends, The Vafa’s...
read moreTFYP 06 | Join Your Own Cocktail Hour
You put all of this hard work, sweat, and probably a few tears into planning one of the most epic celebrations of your lifetime – you deserve to enjoy it, ammiright?! In order to avoid the moments of feeling like your wedding is more of a “to do” rather than what it should be (a “want” “joy” “blessing” “pleasure” “celebration” “opportunity” and more), take time to enjoy each aspect of the day, including the cocktail hour! These days, a cocktail hour is mostly a placeholder to give your guests something fun to do while you’re getting photos taken. While this IS convenient, you end up missing the ability to grab your favorite drink and mingle with your favorite people in a calm, relaxed, unplanned manner. Once the reception begins, you will have yummy food to eat, dessert to devour, and some serious dancing to be done. Sometimes it can feel like your guests are already beginning to hug you goodbye before you even had the chance to say hello. A planned cocktail hour that INCLUDES you and your significant other erases all fears of missing out. It sets the mood to celebrate into the night. Unsure of how to plan your day in order to fit it all in? Having a “First Look” sets up your timeline so that once your ceremony has begun, the rest of the day can flow from one event to the other, all while you celebrate and make memories – simply because you were able to take all those sweet portraits together at the start of your day. If having a first look feels like it’s going against tradition or not formal enough, check out this other blog post where we talk about why it’s OKAY (and even good!) to break those age old traditions. Trust us, we wouldn’t lead you astray. We not only want to make your photographs sensational, but we want you to completely and unabandondly enjoy your entire wedding so that when you look back at those sensational photographs, the only memories conjured up are bright, warm, and beautiful moments. Go ahead, attend your cocktail hour, and CELEBRATE! XO, The...
read moreTFYP 05 | Stress vs. Celebration
Your wedding day is naturally a whirlwind due to the people, the schedule, the paparazzi (aka: your photographer and videographer teams), and the fact that you’re marrying the love of your life. This whirlwind can actually be fun and celebratory, or it can be stressful and busy. But there’s one major portion of your day that can either add to the stress or help create the celebratory environment, and most people don’t even realize it. Curious what that is? The answer: how and where you begin the day getting ready. In our experience, the more a bride and/or groom have to run around town from location to location, the less relaxed they are by the time they arrive to the ceremony. The constant movement from place to place creates pressure on the timeline, thus adding stress, creating distraction, and decreasing space and time to enjoy and celebrate (bonus tip: the more you’re stuck in transportation, the more your photographer and videographer are stuck in transportation, which can often lead to less actual photo & video coverage for your day). To avoid all of this chaos, we suggest bringing everything (aka: everyone) to you. First, choose a space to get ready; one location for each of you. A getting ready location should be a place that’s calming, full of light, and in close proximity to your venue. Don’t be afraid to ask your venue if they have spaces for getting ready; beginning your day in the same location as you’ll be tying the knot allows for the optimal day of relaxation. If your venue doesn’t provide these spaces, consider renting rooms at a nearby hotel, or ask a friend/relative that may be close to use their home. Second, skip the trip to the salon and hire the hairstylist/barber and makeup artist to come to you. This will save you a tremendous amount of time in your schedule as you won’t have to factor in the drive to and from a salon, won’t have to think about scheduling appointments and how everyone is going to get there nor worry about the need of handing out multiple sets of directions. It is uncommon to book a salon completely for your own wedding party, so you will be starting your wedding morning with multiple other strangers around (uh, which is usually other wedding parties), not to mention there is often time setbacks and delays as the salon is having to deal with multiple other clients, morning walk-ins, and phone calls. Having the stylists come to you allows them to give you their 100% undivided attention. Your own space will naturally be more quiet and calm, you will get to choose the music and whether or not to wear shoes (trust us, these are game changers), not to mention the almost endless multiple other perks including (but not limited to) having your own bathroom, a cleaner space for photos and video without strangers in the background, and not fighting other wedding parties for places to sit and sip champagne. Last, make sure all of your day-of needs are in this one place. Having a single location to be the morning of your wedding creates far less opportunities to forget something. Too often we see brides leaving their jewelry at the salon, the bouquet at their...
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