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Category Archives: Wedding Tips

Wedding Thank-You Etiquette

Wedding Details

Growing up, my mother instilled in me the importance of a thank-you card. At an early age, I was writing my own thank-you cards to friends and family members who sent me a gift for this reason or that. Sadly, Thank-you cards seem to be a thing of the past. I’ve been to so many children’s birthdays where gifts were opened after the party and a thank-you never came. I’ve also thrown a birthday party for my son recently where we didn’t send any thank-you cards (mainly because the children ripped into the gifts like piranhas and I had no idea who gave what).

When Andy and I got married, we got several gifts sent directly to our apartment before we were married and took several home after. As I opened gifts, I would write a thank-you note. This way, I didn’t have to worry about writing down the wrong gift or missing someone.

Who gets a thank-you card?

Anyone who sent you a gift.

When should you send out thank-you’s?

For gifts you receive before your wedding, send the thank-you notes before your wedding. For gifts received after send out your thank-you notes 2-3 weeks after your wedding. This means you may be spending every night after your honeymoon writing thank-you cards, but you can do it!

Do you want to feature a wedding portrait on your thank-you cards but haven’t gotten photos yet?

Ask the photographer for some photos early (I usually post sneak peek photos that can be used). You can also use an engagement photo on your cards instead of wedding photos.

What to write:

Address your gift giver & write something genuine and from the heart. Thank them for coming to your wedding as well as the gift. You can say what you are most excited to use the gift for or how great it looks or how soft it is…

Why you Should Consider Going Formal for your Engagement Portraits

Engagement portraits are fun and exciting for me to shoot and for my couples to experience. I love getting to see how the couples interact with each other and their elements. What I love even more, is getting to see their choice of fashion. Everyone is different. Some are old souls at heart, some are super glamorous and others are whimsical.

Today I wanted to talk about why I think getting glammed up for your engagement photography session is a good idea.  

Houston Theater District Engagement Portraits

 

  1. You can dress casually any day for any regular photos. Think about all of the photos you’ve been in with friends and family. You’re engagement photos are a once-in-a-lifetime thing and they should stand out from the photos you’ve taken together before.
  2. It’s a special time in your life and you should take out all the stops so you can celebrate it at its fullest. You could even go to a nice restaurant once you’re done with your photos to continue the love-fest.
  3. Engagement photos sets the tone for your wedding and your wedding guests. Are you having a black-tie wedding? Maybe you’re having a country-formal wedding. Either way, try to immolate your wedding dress code so your guests know what to expect.
  4. Dressing up increases your confidence in your ability to pose for photos. There’s something so empowering about being dressed to the nines and posing in front of a camera.
Antique Rose Emporium engagement portraits

Some of my favorite places to find formal outfits for your engagement portraits:

Rent the Runway
Etsy.com <-Support small business
Jos.A.Bank <-Men’s suits
Or you can go where the Prom dresses are

Have a fun, stress-free wedding

Stress is to weddings as the sun is to heat… but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you follow these simple steps you can have a stress-free wedding.

  1. Stay organized. Keep a spreadsheet, a binder or a notebook with a calendar. you can color coordinate your to-do-list. Red for things that MUST be done, green to start thinking about certain things…
  2. Identify your priorities and your potential stressors. Do you have a perceptually late friend or a rowdy family member? Make a note and a plan. What are your top priorities? Make a list of the things that mean the most to you and your fiance at your wedding.
  3. Develop a game-plan for your stressors.
  4. Hire trusted wedding professionals. Check out the reviews of professionals before hiring someone. Ask if you can speak to one of their old clients.
  5. Set deadlines. Using your organization talked about in #1, set deadlines for yourself. Make sure to give yourself enough cushion for your deadlines.
  6. Schedule regular planning meetings. Whether you have a wedding planner or you’re doing it yourself, plan to meet with your wedding professionals to hash out some of your details, your desires and your fears.
  7. Establish a “No wedding Talk” time with your fiance where you do not spend an ounce of your time thinking, talking or planning your wedding.
  8. Delegate, delegate, delegate. you are the CEO of this event and you don’t have to shoulder the whole weight. Play off your friends and family’s strengths to help you with your wedding planning.
  9. Do not second guess yourself. Your first instinct is usually the right one. The more you second guess something, the more you worry and stress yourself.
  10. Maintain perspective. At the end of the day, you;re marring the love of your life and that’s the most important part.
  11. Be aware that Murphy is a regular, uninvited, wedding guest. It’s important to not sweat the small stuff. (Murphy’s Law: “things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance”)
  • Shirley Acres Wedding Photography
  • Star Wars Houston Wedding Photographer

 

Best Products to help you plan your wedding

It’s been nearly 10 years since I planned my own wedding, but I’m always hearing some of the newest interesting ideas from my couples. Some of the below things you may already be using.

Blogs & Wedding Websites — If you’re reading this, I’m positive you are familiar with The Knot (who recently ate Wedding Wire) and maybe even Zola (which is new to the Houston area). But have you perused any wedding blogs? There’s a wedding blog out there for everyone. I’ve seen Tattooed brides, Offbeat bride for the unique wedding and everything in between. Are you into Disney movies? Try the Disney wedding blog. The point is, figure out what your wedding style is and do a quick google search to find some blogs.

Pinterest — Create a pinterest board (or 10). You can make boards and share them with your mom and best friend. Get them to help you fill the boards with ideas. If you want to keep things private, you can make the boards private.

Instagram — Stalk your favorite wedding vendors for ideas. See who your venue follows, what your favorite florist is up to. Use Instagram to help you build a wedding community and develop fantastic ideas for your wedding.

Excel Spreadsheets — I’ve been an Excel girl for a very long time. I find myself using it for so many random things. A spread sheet is the perfect place to start your wedding guest list. Start with a column with names and who’s side, then as you go along, you can add more information to the rows (like address, allergies, marital status…). I made a spreadsheet for our wedding, then ended up sending the list to my brother who got married less than a year later.

Wedding Planning book — I’ve never used a wedding planning book, but I’ve seen a plethora of them. Some are just the simple planning guide book (with step by step instructions) you get at the book store, others are far more extravagant. My favorite tool is the 3-ring binder, with plenty of dividers.

Are you using anything to help you plan your wedding that I didn’t mention? What are you using?

Why you Should Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner

As a wedding photographer, I’ve been to so many unique weddings. Some planned and organized by the bride and groom, some organized by a family member and some planned and organized by a wedding planner.

I enjoy working weddings with wedding planners. When there isn’t one, I find myself picking up minor wedding coordination roles, like developing schedules and letting couples know when they should do certain things. It’s nice to pass that on to a professional planner.

Wedding planners are so much more than schedulers and time keepers, though. I had the chance to sit down with Kari at Notably Yours Weddings & Events last week to talk with her about what goes into her job.

What is the most important thing you do for couples?

I feel that it is so important to offer the couples, and parents, a piece of mind for their special day. The amount of stress that they all are able to remove during the wedding process and on the wedding, day is incredible and help them have more fun as it becomes more memorable. 

I think this would have to range from fanning the couples in the July heat; gathering cold waters (but with disposable straws for the bride to not mess up her lip stick), to helping her change heels while walking the property for photos; making sure they eat / remain hydrated for the day,  and serving them their dinner meal first as I make sure my client take their time to eat. These small tasks add up, but they are also so worth it to take care of our couples, as we should.

Is there something you do that couples don’t realize you do?

This would be to take care of each of the “behind the scenes” tasks, that truly reflect the entire wedding day itself. The ability to bring together many vendors for each individual wedding and ensure that each person completes their job for the couple and in the most efficient way. We provide a piece of mind, that we are there to fully ensure and fulfill the couples’ true vision. I have had a caterer arrive with the incorrect meal selections; a baker bringing the incorrect stand, and dinner napkins having the incorrect fold after all details were confirmed; and we always fix the details before the bride could ever know something was wrong. 

What is something you wish couples knew about wedding coordinators?

We aren’t always so serious and we love to have fun too!! There is a difference form a wedding coordinator to a wedding planner. As a wedding planner, we are very involved within the planning process. We are

experienced and continue our education to assist them better with classes / courses, throughout the year. 

Houston wedding photographer

What is the most frequently asked question you get?

How many weddings do we plan a year? Answer: beginning = 15-20, average = 25-30 common =32-36

What is your favorite part of your job?

This is a hard one!! I love design, so the planning and décor meetings I feel like I can live for! However, from the start to finish, this would have to be, when we have begun the processional and everyone is down the aisle and I go to get the bride, then the fathers always have one final moment with their daughters. We then fix her veil, flowers, and train, and watch her go towards her soon to be husband. It is such a special moment!!

Why is it important for couples to hire a wedding coordinator?

There are so many factors and details that are over looked and reflect on the vision, schedule, and the flow of the wedding day. We focus on the design, logistics, and communication throughout the planning process. Our number one rule is, “There should never be any assuming”. Some common factors are that, the ceremony begins late, or someone didn’t finish hair and makeup because they were setting up, or the tables have the incorrect linen sizes and much more. We are here to help and ensure that no small or large detail is over looked.

How early should couples book you?

The best time frame for any wedding service, is to book no less than six months. If you are having a full planning wedding planner, then you should seek about booking he / she nine months to one year from the wedding.

What was your favorite (to date) wedding to worked on?

This is hard! I would say our Plunkett wedding in June of 2020 at The Carriage House or The Amundsen Wedding in February of 2020 at Big Sky Barn. The amount of love that poured from both families was truly amazing! The kindness and efforts shown from all sides did not go unnoticed. We have such amazing vendors, food, desserts, and the design was so beautiful!  

Is there anything else you would want couples to know?

  • To pay for a wedding planner will truly make all efforts so much simpler, and in the beginning, not the last three months. We are here to help and to offer wedding education along the way to help understand the logistics and the reasons of why we do things.
  • We are here to have fun as well; we love our jobs and we love to help! 
  • Communication is key!
  • Be different! It is ok to have more or “different” things are your wedding, they are about the TWO OF YOU.

 

How to Prepare for a Rainy Wedding Day

Rain, rain go away. Come again another day…

I’ve talked before about rain on your wedding day (good luck), but I’ve never covered how to prepare for a rainy wedding day.

As a native Houstonian, I’m well aware of the fickle nature of our weather. As you plan your wedding, you should have a rain contingency plan. Are you planing on getting married outside? Are you getting married during the rainy season, or hurricane season? If it rains, will you relocate to an indoor ceremony?

What do you need to prepare for a rainy wedding?

  • Ask your venue what their bad weather contingency is.
  • Bring plenty of towels
  • Make sure you have plenty of umbrellas for your wedding party (for fun, unique outdoor photos). You can find the clear umbrellas on Amazon or in stores like Target.
  • Bring an upbeat attitude. You can’t control the rain. Imagine, if the sun comes out and you get a rainbow as a backdrop?

“We’re calling this, Controlling what you can when things feel Out of Control.” ~ Olaf,

  • The Carriage House Wedding Photographer
  • The Carriage House Bridal Portrait

 

Posing for any lighting

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite posing tips with yall! How to pose in any lighting and get the best lighting.

I’ve heard other photographers praise overcast days. “It’s the perfect lighting!” and I used to be one of those photographers, until I learned the secret. Are you ready for it?

Let’s break it down into types of lighting.

Morning/Afternoon (not noon) full-partial sun.

When the sun’s out, it’s important that you think like Peter Pan. You need to be conscious of where your shadow is, and always keep an eye out for it. Line your toes up with your shadow. This will mean that your face won’t have any of the harsh shadows it would if you were facing the other way.

This trick also works for taking pictures under spotty shade (like an oak tree). If you weren’t facing your shadow in spotty shade, you would have polka dot of shadow and light on your face.

Overcast days

You would think, that posing during an overcast day is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy… but it’s actually a little harder. Overcast lighting is opposite of full/partial lighting. You want to find the sun (hidden in the clouds) and face it directly. This will give your features just a little more depth and contrast.

Lastly, posing during high noon

Don’t do it. Just don’t. But I guess, if you’re forced to take pictures at the worst time of day, try to find some shade and face your shadow. The problem with high noon, is it’s harder to hide from harsh light because it’s directly above you instead of off to one side or the other.

  • Houston Engagement Photographer
  • Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve Engagement Photo

 

How to spot “The One” and I don’t mean your fiancé…

Finding the perfect wedding photographer is one of the most important parts of your wedding planning process.

Why is your wedding photographer so important?

Your wedding photographer is going to be one of the only vendors who is present throughout your entire wedding. They’ll be there while you’re getting ready. They’ll be there as you walk down the aisle. They’ll be there as you bid your friends and family farewell and hop into your get-away vehicle.

It’s important to find someone who not only takes breathtaking photos, but someone who can blend in with your wedding guests. You don’t want to hire someone who’s rude to your guests, or who shows up looking like a slob. I’ve read so many horror stories about wedding photographers acting improper at weddings.

So how do you spot “The one”?

First, we need to determine your photo style. Is your style dark and moody, light and airy or somewhere in between? Make a list of several photographers who’s style matches yours.

Second: Read their biography. Mark out anyone who doesn’t feel right to you. Note, you may only mark one photographer out or none at this point.

Third: Contact the photographers on your list. How long does it take them to respond? Is response time important to you? Mark off anyone on your list that doesn’t respond in a timely manor or responds in a way that rubs you the wrong way. Use your instincts here, they’re usually right.

Fourth: Schedule meetings (either virtual, by phone or in person) with the photographers who really stand out to you.

Lastly, after talking with the photographers you were interested in, think about your wedding. Was there a photographer who you feel would best fit in with your family? Is there someone who made you laugh or smile during your meeting? Can you envision one person in particular capturing your wedding memories?

You’ve found “The one”!

  • Shirley Acres Wedding Photography
  • Star Wars Houston Wedding Photographer

 

Questions to ask a Wedding Photographer – part 1

I’m starting a new series: Questions to ask a wedding photographer.

You have standard initial questions like:

  1. Are you available for my wedding?
  2. What are your packages?

Today, I’m going to focus on the question, “Have you photographed at my venue before?”

Why is it important to ask a wedding photographer if they’ve shot at your venue? There are many benefits to having a wedding photographer who is familiar with your venue.

  1. They know how the dynamics of a wedding works there.
  2. They know who to contact at the venue.
  3. They’ve already scouted the best locations to take wedding portraits.
  4. They’re familiar with the lighting situation.
  5. They’re familiar with the rain contingency plan.

That being said, don’t count out a wedding photographer just because they haven’t shot a wedding at your venue. Everyone has to start somewhere, and what’s most important to you may not be whether they’ve been there, but maybe their style or personality.

Personally, If I’ve booked a wedding at a venue I haven’t been to yet, I like to go out there a month before to check out the venue. I’ll take a quick tour, take some photos of the venue and talk with the staff. I’ll also stalk the venue’s Instagram page and make mental notes.

  • Shirley Acres Wedding Photography
  • Star Wars Houston Wedding Photographer

 

Kelly Urban Photography is a wedding photographer located in Houston Texas. She specializes in fun and unique outdoor weddings. Some of her favorite places to take wedding photography is out in the country, under a canopy of trees or with her toes in the sand at the beach.

Perfect Places around Houston for a Micro-Wedding

Are you planing on having a small, micro-wedding in Houston somewhere? Not sure where to have it exactly? Maybe I can help?

As a wedding photographer in the Houston area, I have been to a lot of wedding venues and have even more venues and non-venue locations tagged. So, let’s start with what type of micro-wedding you’re looking for.

Indoors:

For indoor locations, you can look into renting out spaces in funky downtown bars and restaurants.

  • Rainbow Lodge
  • The Gin at Hidalgo Falls
  • Station 3
  • Ashton Gardens
  • The Gallery
  • Your favorite Bar/Restaurant
  • A Theater (either movie, or live)

Outdoors:

For outdoor locations, you can look into parks, camp sites, rooftop’s and more. There are so many amazing outdoor locations for a micro-wedding.

Be yourself. Choose a micro-wedding location that fits with you and your partner’s personalty. If you like to camp, maybe look up campgrounds, state parks and local parks for your venue. If you love the beach… well there’s one if you just head south on 45.

Whatever you decide to do for your micro-wedding. I know it will be amazing and your wedding will be perfect!

  • Houston COVID-19 wedding Photography
  • Outdoor Houston Wedding Photo
  • Wedding Detail Photography

 

Kelly Urban Photography is a wedding photographer located in Houston Texas. She specializes in fun and unique outdoor weddings. Some of her favorite places to take wedding photos is out in the country, under a canopy of trees or with her toes in the sand at the beach.

A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
Richmond, TX
kelly@kellyurbanphotography.comKelly Urban Photography

A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
Richmond, TX

A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
Richmond, TX
kelly@kellyurbanphotography.comKelly Urban Photography

A Houston wedding photographer