practical guide STEF & STEF PHOTOGRAPHIE
For an awesome and special day!
To help you out a little, here’s a practical guide filled with ideas, tips and tricks to make the planning of your wedding day easier. But especially, especially to make your day unforgettable!!! Nothing’s rocket science, all gathered according to experiences, sprinkled with a little bit of humor. ;) Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you want more details, if you have any unanswered questions, if you need help for your schedule... it will be a great pleasure! See you soon!
A what...?
D-Day has arrived!!!
It was awesome!!! And now what...?
Our favorites!!!
The engagement shoot The first look The photo booth The props Trash the dress Midnight snack bar Pinterest
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Your schedule Accessories Don’t forget! At the ceremony What do we eat?
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And then?
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Delivering the photos Choices for the album
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DJ Celebrant Florist Cake Makeup artist Wedding planner And the others...
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A what...?
The engagement shoot Why do an engagement shoot? For a thousand reasons of course! One of the most important reasons is that we’ll get to know you better! We want to know more about you, the way you laugh, the way you look at each other, the way you cuddle or the way you hold hands... In the end, you may use these photos to personalize your wedding, invitation cards, etc. Why not write a book about your love story and use it as a guest book?! You will have lots of pictures to show friends and family and you will also see and experience how we work with our cameras around the neck. It’ll make everything easier on the wedding day! Plus, we’re always open to ideas for the engagement session, we’ll take the time to talk with you about your common interests and hobbies to find an original idea. Perhaps you would like to go canoeig, make a sand castle at the beach, picking strawberries or even build a snowman? If you have children, this is the perfect time to bring them along!
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The first look The first look is getting increasingly popular with our brides and grooms. The first look is actually the couple’s photo session before the ceremony including the first moment when you see each other for the first time. We let you the pleasure of enjoying all the time you need for your first glance as future husband and wife. This little five minutes really makes all the difference, since it’s filled with emotion, joy, love, tenderness... we’re lucky as photographers to witness this unique moment! Moreover, since the couple’s photo session will be taken before the ceremony, all the stress is relieved so you don’t have to worry about a thing; you can just enjoy the rest of your day. You’ll have plenty of time to talk to all your guests during the cocktail and we’ll have all the time we need to take every detail of the decoration. We can even maximize our time by taking candid shots of family and friends who are laughing and chatting among themselves before the big entrance.
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The photo booth Planning a wedding doesn’t just consist of choosing your dress and making a list of your guests... you also have to think about the evening and entertainment that you want to have. A photo booth is a great idea if you want to create a cool atmosphere between the end of the dinner and the beginning of the party. Since we’re two photographers for your wedding, there’s always one of us who’s at the photo booth while the other can photograph grandma dancing to the YMCA! We suggest you have your own accessories for the photo booth to customize it according to your wedding. It can simply be cool staches or funny mouths on sticks, balloons, glasses, blackboards to allow guests to write messages, etc. There’s no limit to what can contain a photo booth. The photo booth is kept open for two hours and we don’t limit ourselves in the number of pictures we take. We then give you all the good photos at the same time as your wedding photos. You would like to print the photos? It’ll be our pleasure to offer you the service according to the rental fee of the printer that vary each year. For a busy photo booth and one that your guests will remember for a long time, we suggest that you be there as often as possible. Since it’s your wedding, guests are where you are! The photos can be a great wedding favor!
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The props What are props? Props are accessories. Whether it’s for your engagement shoot or you wedding, having them is always super inspiring! Again, we advise that it’s personalized, that it resembles you, not just an idea straight out of Pinterest, but in connection with you, your partner, your history, your love... No ideas? Tell us about it, we’ve got plenty! For example: cameras, photos (of you when you were young, the first picture you have as a couple, your parents, your parent’s wedding...), frames, bikes (if you love to ride together for example), an old Polaroid (if it works, it’s even cooler!), a book, a letter or a precious souvenir, balloons (why not!), bubbles, confetti... Otherwise, why not take the opportunity to bring your dog Marley along, or the plaid blanket and picnic basket, we’re going to the park and popping the champagne! All this is items you can bring to the engagement session or have with you on your wedding day. Your photos will be even more unique and personalized!
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Trash the dress The trash the dress has been around for a few years, it’s a photo shoot that symbolizes that you have chosen Mr. Right, the man of your dreams. Since you get married once, we immortalize it with a photo shoot that gets the dress dirty to such an extent that it’s not recoverable! Intense? A little yes, but oh how much fun! Children, we had fun jumping in puddles, both hands in the mud, why not do it again, but dressed as bride and groom? Again, anything can be done! On the beach, with paint, in an abandoned building, a scrap yard...
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Midnight snack bar Have you thought about a midnight snack bar for those late night cravings? Candy bar maybe? But is a candy bar really you? Why not push the idea a little further and offer something else... you like sweets? Why not get an ice cream truck to come over, or a homemade dessert table? Grandma’s desserts are the best! You prefer salty? Go with a poutine bar, or mini-burger. There are endless possibilities, the idea is to think and find the recipe the represents you! Smores bar, your guests create their favorite smores, a local cheese tasting bar, a nacho cheese fountain... What’s your weakness?
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Pinterest Pinterest is really great and indispensable when it comes to plan your wedding and to find what you like. Original ideas and concepts, you’ll find everything on this site! But Pinterest has a dark side... Dun dun Dunnnnnn!!! It can prevent our creativity and spontaneity that makes beautiful and unique images! Giving us an image bank that you pulled out of Pinterest for reference, is just like giving us a series of the best wedding photographs IN THE WORLD!!! What makes a unique photo and simply breathtaking, is the precise moment at which it was taken... a perfect time of day where the sun is right behind the row of trees far away... the breeze that gently blows on your veil... the couple who’s so perfect that they look straight out of the latest Hollywood movie... At your wedding, the sky may be gray, your dress may be too heavy for the volatile effect as seen on Pinterest, your heels may be too high for your lover to kiss you gently on the forehead... what makes us artists, specialists in wedding photography is our style, the way you move according to your personality, if your tall of not, the ambiance, the light, the atmosphere... We photographed in every possible situations, in the rain, in winter, at sunset, in huge sunlight... but what makes our pictures unique and beautiful is that they resemble and represent the couple perfectly. It captures the way you wrinkle your nose when you laugh at a joke, the way you cuddle against your man’s chest who has a head taller than you, the breath you take after a perfect kiss... It’s by trusting us and giving us the freedom to be creative with your photos that will make them UNIQUE and perhaps ultimately the best on Pinterest!
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D-Day has arrived!!!
Your schedule What time do you have to be ready? What time do you get your makeup done? At what time should we arrive? Having a well planned day and that includes time to sit down and breathe is the ideal to avoid the maximum stress! If you have a hair dresser and makeup artist at home for your preparation, it’s even better! It prevents you from travelling, it helps to have everything in one place and you’re guaranteed to avoid any traffic jam! In general, it takes about an hour each to get your makeup and your hair done. Check with your bridesmaids and your family if they’ll use the services of the makeup artists and/or the hairdresser for herself. You must schedule time for everyone to be ready before leaving for the ceremony! Here’s an example of what a schedule can look like:
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Hair dresser
Makeup artist
Bridesmaid 1 Bridesmaid 2 The bride Bridesmaid 3 Arrival of the photographers Arrival of the flowers Arrival of the buffet for lunch Bridesmaids get dressed Bridesmaids help the bride to get dressed Departure for the ceremony or first look
Bridesmaid 2 Bridesmaid 1 Bridesmaid 3 The bride
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Always allow extra time for transport and unplanned events. For the arrival at the ceremony, if it’s in a church, don’t leave too early! The bride should arrive right on time or even 5 minutes late for your last minute guests! However, your husband has to be there half an hour early to greet people. Our arrival should be in the middle of your makeup so that we can take some pictures of your preparation and it gives us enough time to photograph all your accessories before you wear them! Don’t hesitate to ask us to plan your schedule with you according to your needs!
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Accessories During your preparation, we take our time to photograph all your accessories, your dress, jewelry, shoes, flowers and rings. Make sure you have both rings with you! It’ll be our pleasure to give them to the best man after if you want. In addition, it’s great if you have a few details of your wedding theme or decoration. Ribbons, feathers, petals, your invitation cards, etc. Anything that can complete and compliment your accessories in our photographs.
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Do not forget! You probably won’t have a handbag with you, perhaps your could ask your maid of honor or your mother to carry a few important things with her, just in case! For example, hair pins for locks that will get caught in the wind, your lipstick, two Q-tips for mini makeup adjustments under the eyes, floss and of course, Kleenex (that’s for your boyfriend that might shed a tear when he sees you so radiant!)
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At the ceremony Enjoy every second of it! This is the moment you’ve been waiting for so long! Relax! If you forget your vows, write them, or leave them in your iPhone to your maid of honor, it doesn’t matter! Walk slowly, everyone’s admiring you! Look at him, how good he looks, smile at him! When the time of the kiss arrives, THE kiss, take your time, make the kiss last a little longer, we’ll have the opportunity to photograph it plenty of times! And be careful with the arms around his face! And finally, keep everything for a general audience... If you know what I mean! ;) For the end of the ceremony, you may have thought of bubbles for the guests... Why not go with something more unique? Paper airplanes, ribbons on a stick, huge confettis, rose petals, a flight of real butterflies, sparklers, leaves if it’s an autumn wedding...? Again, don’t forget to personalize! It’s the little details that will make your wedding awesome and special!
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What do we eat? If you’ve invited us for the evening, we ask you to count us for the meal. We’re not difficult and we don’t have allergies or food intolerance. What you offer your guests is perfect for us! And if you have a choice of main course, why not choose two different plates, we’ll share! You don’t need to set up a special table for us, we don’t want to disturb your floor plans. You can sit us with your guests, your aunt Rose or your office colleagues... We’re super sociable and especially, we don’t bite! If the personnel in charge suggested to have a table for your suppliers, it’ll be a pleasure to meet our wedding network. Ideally, if you want to be sure that we don’t miss anything of the evening, speeches and other, perhaps think of putting us near the head table.
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And then? We start installing the photo booth during dinner to be ready before dessert. If your room allows it, the best place is directly in the room, close to the action; so close to the bar or the dance floor. It should, however, be provided with a space of about 10 feet wide by 12 feet deep. If your only option is to put us outside of the room, you could have signs indicating where the photo booth is and encourage people to go there.
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It was awesome!!! And now what...?
Delivering the photos We deliver the photos within 4 to 6 weeks after your wedding on a USB key. You will have two files, the “high resolution” and the “low resolution”. In the first file, you can print your photos, use them for your own scrapbook or hang them on the wall. These are your photos in high resolution without our logo. In the second file, these are the same photos (with a white border and our company name) optimized for the web. Since we’re in the era of computers, smartphones, tablets and other, Internet is our greatest means of communications and it’s most likely due to him that you discovered us. We ask you if you can help to continue getting our name out by using the photos in that folder for your Facebook and Twitter albums. We greatly appreciate it when people talk about us and use our photos wisely.
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Choices of the album For the selection of the photos for your album, we discovered with time that doing a first version of the album ourselves facilitates and accelerates the process of printing. Here’s how it works: after we deliver your photos, we’ll send you, a few days later via email, a PDF of the album that we suggest in the selected size. We’ve had a lot of experience to mount albums and we know what works well visually in a wedding album. You can send us corrections if necessary, change a photo, add text, etc. No problem! Once we have your approval, we send it to our album supplier and the deadline to receive it is between 4-6 weeks.
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Our favorites!!!
DJ Because they make all the difference and for a great party... Productions Ère du Verseau François Marchand 514 912-0553 info@verseauprod.com Agence 4 saisons 514 648-9811 a4s@agence4saisons.com Musique Digital Michel ou Steve Richard 450 633-0125 ou 450 632-2744 www.musiquedigital.com Événements l’Attraction 450 632-7953 dj@lattraction.ca www.lattraction.ca
Celebrant Because they really make the difference during the ceremony... Jean-François Bédard 514 808-4766 www.lenouveaupenser.com Michel Boulanger 450 719-0361 www.mariagesabrasouverts.com
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Florist Because they really make all the beauty with their difference... O.XIDE Design Stéphanie Belisle 514 567-7604 stephanie@oxidesign.ca Geneviève Lamarre 514 516-3686 genevieve@oxidesign.ca Carte Blanche 514 454-6060 info@groupecarteblanche.com Prune Fleurs 514 606-5838 info@prune-les-fleurs.com
Cake Because we can taste the difference... Gâteaux Etc. Francis Dozois 450 252-4286 info@gateauxetc.com Les glaceurs 514 504-1469 info@lesglaceurs.ca Le gâteau Dominique Matte 514 436-2589 info@thecakelegateau.com
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Makeup artist Because you want to be gorgeous with their difference... Jennifer Harris 514 947-2957 makeupjenniferharris@gmail.com Hana Rhoul 514 889-4262 misshanarhoul@gmail.com Mélanie Savard 514 996-0175 melaniesavard@videotron.ca
Hair dresser Because you will be stunning with their excellence... Stéphanie Bilocq stephbilok@hotmail.com Kat & Lea 514 699-3605 info@katetlea.com
Manicurist Because your will be amazing with her fairy hands... Marie-Josée Carrière 514 512-8059
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Wedding planner Because sometimes, it takes a hand to make a difference... Azura Événements Nancy Loof 514 944-3509 nancy@azuraevenements.com Émilie Leblanc 514 886-9818 emilie@azuraevenements.com Créations Maryse Noël Maryse Noël 514 803-3407 maryse@creationsmarysenoel.com La Petite Touche 514 813-2853 info@lapetitetouche.ca Élisabeth Boudreau 514 815-2041 eb@elisabethb.com 42
And the others... Gloss Bar Ideal for your bachelorette, this original company offers to the lady a custom gloss. Your guest will choose her color, the brightness, the taste and smell. You can even have a personalized gloss tube! Louis-Martin LeBlanc or Véronique Phaneuf 514 593-1633 info@glossbar.com Monsieur Wilson Just like in the movies, an ice cream truck delivered right to you! But don’t expect the Napolitan ice cream or plain chocolate. Mr. Wilson has really original and tasty recipes! Wasabi sauces, chips, gum, bacon... everything to make your ice cream crazy fun! This is a must for anyone with a sweet tooth! 1-888-761-1180 info@monsieurwilson.com Showmen Love music and live shows? Why not have a band of singers and musicians instead of your DJ? This group of 10 has a huge repertoire to meet family and friends of all ages. 450 667-0631 info@theshowmen.com Cartoonist Your cocktail lasts an hour or more, and you’re afraid that your guests will turn in circles? Invite a cartoonist to create original portraits! Your guests will leave with their creation in memory of your incredible day! Diane Laflamme 514 208-2280 dianelaflamme@gmail.com Las Olas Traiteur If you need a caterer, Las Olas is sure to please. These specialists in event form a dynamic team that will make your day delighful! 514 762-1405 info@lasolas.ca Papier Confit For your invitations, name cards, thank you cards or any other need in calligraphy and visual design; Sara really has a remarkable talent! She even has a specialist in creating typography by hand on blackboards in her team! 819 690-7010 info@papierconfit.com
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Love Love is intangible, odorless, colorless, it can not be seen... but it is felt. Love is the most powerful emotion and feeling. It runs in our veins, passes under our skin, dances in our guts, plays drums in our hearts. Love can’t be explained, it just is. There’s no trick to love; there’s the chemistry, the addition and acceptance of two beings. We all live for the same and main reason: to find true love, the one that we write with a capital “L”. We want to fly higher than the clouds, wake up by his side, lay on his chest to hear our hearts in harmony, feel his breath and taste his lips, feel the butterflies when he says “I love you”, see in his eyes that “You” + “I” now equals “Us”... Love, accept being loved, open your heart to others and tell them that you love them. With love,
We’ll never thank you enough! Thanks to all our brides that have opened the door on their lives for one special day. Thank you for the emotions, the smiles, the tears, the laughter, the joy, the love... Thank you for your trust!
Stephanie Tsujio • 514 817-9632 • info@stefetstefphotographie.com © Stef & Stef Photographie — Copyright 2014 44
Notes
Notes
It is forbidden to reproduce (in whole or in part), for commercial or non-commercial purposes, the contents of this document. For more information, contact the author. Texts and images are the property and remain the Copyright of Stephanie Tsujio. Stephanie Tsujio • 514 817-9632 • info@stefetstefphotographie.com © Stef & Stef Photographie — Copyright 2014 48