Trevor says that he has a lot of different ideas for his save the date videos that he is working on, so keep watch on things to come!!

Here’s the video that Trevor Brucki produced last week from a winter engagement session (CLICK HERE if you don’t see the video). Katherine & Chris are getting married at Cherry Hill, and this is where the video was filmed.

Here’s another video that Trevor Brucki produced earlier in the year: (CLICK HERE if you don’t see the video).  Kara & Chris will be getting married at Hotel Ft.Garry, so Broadway was the perfect setting for this video.

This past week, Trevor Brucki produced a “Save the Date” video for a couple that’s getting married later this year.   Jeremy Dueck tagged along to capture some behind the scenes video so we could show you how much fun a session like this can be!

Check out the video below: (CLICK HERE if you don’t see the video).  Stay tuned, as the finished video will also be posted here shortly!!

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Here’s some of Trevor’s favorite stills captured during the session:

The Madeline’s Weddings Workshop is perfect for couples who are looking to plan their wedding without assistance, but require a little help to get started.

We have put together an extraordinary workshop for all you brides, grooms, members of the bridal party, parents of the couple and emcees! In our workshop we will bring you all the fundamental tools needed to plan your special day. We will go through all the elements of a wedding and show you how to put your ideas and details into place. You will receive a list of the most reputable and reliable vendors that Madeline’s has worked with for years.

Madeline’s Workshop is a powerful way to educate brides & grooms about planning their wedding. Utilize our expertise and knowledge of the BEST vendors in Winnipeg.
Our planners will be hands on throughout the day. We will provide many great tips and ideas as well as a Q. & A. period to give you the help you need to go forth and plan your BIG day!

We have created this fantastic workshop to simplify the overwhelming wedding planning process.

Your Madeline’s Weddings workshop includes…

Workshop Workbook
- Sample Budget
- Several Checklists
- Tips & Ideas
- Planning Timeline
- Tips and Important things to know when booking vendors
- Madeline’s’ Weddings Preferred Vendor List

Upcoming 2010 Trends
- What’s in for 2010 and more importantly, what’s out!
- Popular colour trends for 2010
- Exploring different types of décor and design
- Favours – what to give your guests
- What to expect for dress trends in 2010

Etiquette/Traditions
- Emcee’s and what their job entails
- Who should be giving speeches
- What traditions are still used and which ones should be laid to rest

Question & Answer Period
- The do’s and don’ts of planning
- Open floor, we’ll be answering YOUR questions about planning your wedding!

Featured Speakers bringing their expertise to the table
- Julie ~ Whyte Ridge Academy Florists
- Pam ~ Cake-ology
- Trevor Brucki Photography & Joel Ross Photography ~ W-list Photographers

Extra Bonuses
- $400 Gift Certificate from Madeline’s Weddings
- Expert advice from Madeline & her team
- Doors Prizes
- Gift Bag for each attendee
- A fantastic lunch made exclusively for our group by the Greenwood Inn chefs

WHEN & WHERE
November 27, 2009 9am – 3pm
Greenwood Inn & Suites
1715 Wellington Avenue
View Map

Cost – $295.00
Early Booking Price – (Before July 31, 2009) -$225.00

Madeline’s Weddings Workshop is designed to offer a unique perspective on weddings and to simplify the overwhelming wedding planning process.

We look forward to sharing with you this incomparable wedding planning experience.
Join us for an exclusive event tailored specifically to stylish and sophisticated couples who are planning a unique and unforgettable wedding in Winnipeg.

*As this is a very hands-on seminar, seats will be limited. Contact us today to reserve your space.

Choosing a Live Band for Your Wedding

by Danny Kramer

You’ve gotten engaged, you’ve booked the banquet facility, and now you’re ready to choose the live band that will perform at your wedding. But how do find the right one? The proper entertainment can help you create an evening that your family and friends will talk about for years.

How to Find Bands:
Ask everyone you know if they have seen any great bands at recent weddings or corporate events. (Most accomplished bands play both) Go online and look up “Wedding Music” or Wedding Bands” in your area. Another good resource is the banquet managers of the main halls in your city. They see most of the bands and know how they are to work with and how they sound.

What to Look For:
A wedding/corporate band needs to be able to entertain people of all ages. They should be able to play jazzy standards, r & b, pop, disco, rock, top 40 etc. They need a much larger songlist than the average club band. Who are their past corporate clients? What main banquet facilities and hotels have they performed at in your area? Can they offer references? Do they have Live sound clips you can hear? Insist on hearing recordings of the band playing live, because with modern technology even mildly talented bands can sound like Rock Stars in the studio, yet sound awful in person. Does the band leader seem organized and easy to deal with?
Band Size & Cost:
Wedding/corporate bands vary in size, though most have 5-9 musicians with larger acts, referred to as Big Bands, having up to 23 members. Prices vary according to band size, reputation, and client requirements. They can range in price from $1800-$10,000, with most high end bands charging $2500-$5000. Like diamonds, Size + Quality =Cost

Thus if you hire an experienced professional band with an excellent reputation that fits your budget, you are well on the way to having the time of your life at your wedding.

Written by Danny Kramer of
The Danny Kramer Event Band
www.dannykramer.com

Brenda’s blog is a great place for any bride to check out on a regular basis.  The blog is full of a lot of inspiration and wedding advice!

Ok, girls, this post is for you.  It’s not that we want to ignore the guys, but let’s face it: you have been dreaming of your wedding day your WHOLE life!  Probably from the day you first saw your parents wedding album, or watched a sappy Disney movie…  It’s all about this ONE day!  What your dress will look like, what shoes you will wear and what he will say when he sees you for the first time… (and even WHO he will be…) Details, details…

That’s why today’s post is about the details…  We always say that it’s important to get the big things out of the way early, like your venue, and your photographers (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and everything else is details!

But it’s exactly those details that will consume your time from the minute you get engaged till you walk down the aisle.

The wedding I photographed this weekend had some of the most beautiful details that I’ve ever seen, combined with a gorgeous venue, which made for a classy event with a flare for Romance!

Mara and Ryan got married at The Gates on Roblin and hired Floral Elements to do their decorating, and their flowers and the Chuppah.  Not to mention the decadent cake by none other than Doug from Chocolate Zen!

Mara had Green Orchids for flowers, and her decor was all in green and yellow to match.  Using apples for centerpieces made the whole look seem fresh and vibrant!  The orchids popping out the centerpiece complimented the vines of the Chuppah and large candle holders in the window sills just brought it all together.  Of course, the amazing Venue didn’t hurt!

Mara’s bridesmaids wore light yellow dresses and it’s amazing that Doug created this cake which matched that look so well!

So ladies, I hope you get some amazing ideas from this wedding and start planning your whole look early so it doesn’t become a source of stress.  Also, remember to trust the professionals.  If you don’t think that you can pull this off on your own, trust the florists, planners and artists that you’ve hired, to do it for you!

Now, for a few more images of this amazing day!

The veil and the wind! Oooh what a combination!

Absolutely gorgeous!

Now, a little video of the highlights so that you can see all of the details put together!

Who doesn’t LOVE a make-over???  Girls, fess up!  Guys too!  Who doesn’t love that feeling of polishing up a little something to perfect it?  Whether a fashion make-over, house or whatever?  Well, photographers LOVE make-overs too…  In fact, you should get a make-over EVERYTIME you hire a professional photographer!

No, not the kind where it looks more like nip and tuck, but the kind that polishes off your image to show the vision the photographer originally had for you, rather than the image straight out of the camera (SOTC for today’s purpose).

As I’m getting ready to shoot Vivian’s wedding tomorrow I was looking through her engagement images to draw a little inspiration and decided to show you a little something… Even though we need good equipment to do what we do, most of the work happens after the shoot.  What comes out of the camera is most definitely NOT the finished product.

For example.  Here’s a shot of Vivian and Anthony SOTC:

Here it is after a couple of minor contrast and level adjustments:

And a few more, with textures:

And here’s another one:

Some contrast and white balance adjustments:

Usually I stop there, but for a few of my favorite images of the day I also go one step further, like this:

So there you go!  Now you know what it is that we do once we get home, and all week long really, after we photograph your wedding!

Happy May Long everyone! And to my sweet brides and grooms this weekend: Vivian and Anthony & Mara and Ryan, I just can’t wait!!!

If you find a photographer that you connect with personally, this person is someone you can comfortably come back to time after time to capture other important life events for you. Consider anniversaries or family reunions….or sessions for maternity or newborn photography. Rather than looking for someone new every time you need a professional photographer, wouldn’t it just be easier to call someone you already know and have a relationship with?

As a photographer, I love being able to develop a long lasting relationship with my clients.  Not only does it make my job so much more enjoyable to be working with friends, but the pictures always turn out so much better when the people being photographed are relaxed and know what to expect (especially when kids are involved)!

So, as you shop for your wedding photographer, consider looking beyond the wedding day and try to find someone that you think can give you portraits for life.

Take a few moments to check out the video slideshow below. You can also grab a full resolution copy of it for FREE using iTunes by CLICKING HERE.

This weekend’s wedding was super awesome. Very elegant but laid back wedding… I think the perfect combination. Checkout some of the images from the shoot – way too many to choose from… more at the Joel Ross blog http://www.joelross.com/blog.