About Us

2011-02-04T00:31:00.000-08:00

Consider doing a First Look

2011-01-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

So what is a "First Look"?
A first look is to see each other on this momentous day, before that walk down the aisle. This is a great way to still see the groom light up when he see's you for the first time in your dress, and a big perk, you can actually take a minute to connect. Often times because of the wedding ceremony schedule the couple doesn't really get a chance to hug, kiss or talk to each other until the end of the ceremony.

Here are some pros and cons to consider when deciding if seeing each other before is something you would like to do.

Cons

- If you’re extremely traditional, a First Look could take away from the build up and suspense of walking down the aisle.

- Your guests won’t be able to see that “first look” you and your groom have when you’re walking down the aisle.

- Chances are good that you might cry when walking down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time because of excitement.

Pros

- You can revel in seeing each other for the first time, soak it up, and enjoy some quiet moments alone with each other. Cry, laugh, do a little dance- whatever you want to do!

- You will get some awesome photographs of you and your soon-to-be husband and have ample time to do so. The emotion captured by your photographer is truly a once in a lifetime emotion.

- Having a First Look will allow you to have most, if not all of your photos done before the ceremony. Then you can go right to the reception and have fun with your new husband and the bridal party.

- You won’t feel rushed getting pictures taken after the ceremony.

- Often our couples finish all their photos, have time to go touch up hair and make up if need be, hang out with their wedding party, have a drink and relax in those last few minutes before the ceremony.

As you can see, there are A LOT of pros to having a First Look. Doing a First Look is completely your decision, just as everything for your wedding should be is. We're just here to share some insight and personal experience. And that insight and personal experience is having a First Look is totally worth it. Just some food for thought for all you brides out there!

Tips for your Engagement Session

2011-01-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

Location! Location! Location!
People always seem to get stuck when it comes to picking a spot to do their engagement photos. We have two suggestions.
1) Pick somewhere that is nice looking, and where you feel comfortable. If you’re shy, picking the busiest place in town might not work for you. And even though the local junk yard might sound fun and creative, it doesn’t give the most pleasant scenery.
2) Pick a location that reflects your personalities. If your gamers, try an arcade. If your artists, pick a museum (one that allows photos though). Or special locations, where you first met, are you high school sweat hearts? Etc

Remember, engagement photos are like going on a date together, only now you have the paparazzi following you around. 

Clothing
- In photos, you are what you wear. Remember this when picking out your clothes.
- Bring different outfits – We usually suggest jeans & a dressier outfit
- Pick Complimentary clothes, beware tight clothes that can cause “muffin top” or baggy clothes that hide the figure.
- Coordinate your clothing with your partner. Pick solid colors, of the same tone. Go for both in black, or both in white, or both in light colors, or both in dark colors.
- Beware Texture - if one is wearing a shiny shirt, and the other is wearing rough material, it won't look good.
- Don’t forget shoes. Flip-flops & a cocktail dress won’t look right.
- We recommend nice black shoes or boots for guys, and boots, flats, or heels for girls. Girls bring walking shoes for in-between photos, walking a long time in heels is not fun.

What else to bring
- If your worried about your clothes bring a towel, you never know where we will have you sitting or laying.
- Flowers or 1 Flower, always makes for interesting props
- Bottled water to stay hydrated
- Breath mints and chap stick. You’ll be kissing…a lot. Avoid gum.
- A snack. Sometimes we can be out for 2 + hours, you might want a granola bar. 

Hygiene
- If you work all day and it makes you sweaty, please shower. “Most” of the time this is common sense, but it doesn’t always happen.
- Guys, you need to shave. If you have a moustache or goatee that is fine, but do a clean shave around them, make sure you get your neck too.
- Makeup – Most girls look better with a LITTLE makeup, a lot usually turns into a mess. Make sure when your applying foundation you smooth it all the way down your neck, to blend it. Having it stop at your neck shows up in photos.
- Translucent powder to remove shiny spots comes in handy, especially in this heat.
- Don’t try new makeup, lotion or get a facial right before your photo shoot. The last thing you want is a rash in your pictures.

Jewelry
- If you have engagement rings, we'll want you to feature them in the shots. If not, no biggie.
- Unless excessive jewelry is part of your overall look, then I would recommend keeping jewelry simple, elegant, and understated.
- Don't mix Golds with silvers. Class rings are fine.

Family or Pets
- It is perfectly fine to bring along your children or pets to be in the photos with you, just let us know before hand. If you can bring a friend who can take them back home after the photos, this way you won’t be distracted for the other pictures.

Time
- Engagement photo sessions usually take around 2 hours. We schedule for 4 just in case. The best times are early morning (sunrise) or late evening (sunset), this is when the sun gives off the best color.

Relax
- We know many people are self-conscious about being photographed, and it can cause stress or worry. We will do everything we can to use angles, lighting, and posing techniques to flatter your figure and bring out your best look.

Romance and Passion
- The objective of this session is to capture the romance and love you have for each other; to memorialize your special look, and the passion that brought you both together. This is an opportunity to have fun with your sweetie, laugh, love each other, and be intimate. We're creating romance here, so think passion. An Engagement photo session with your partner is a special occasion. Make it fun, romantic, and memorable!

Tips for the Wedding Day

2011-01-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

Your wedding...it's an unrepeatable event. We photographers only get one "shot" at capturing it, so, it's very important that we do what we can to make things go smoothly from a photography standpoint. These are some tips to think about before the big day!

Being ready for photography
If possible we recommend that everyone be ready for photos 2 or more hours before the actual ceremony. With so many people involved, it’s a fact that someone is almost always late. At least this way there should still be ample time before the ceremony to do the photos.

Hair is usually the main cause of a bride running late.
If you are getting your hair professionally done, see if your salon offers a trial run. This way you can accurately time how long it will take for your hair to be done. If you or are friend is doing it, do a trial run a few weeks before the wedding.

To see or not to see
If you choose to see each other before, we can do all the formal shots 2-3 hours before the ceremony, which means everyone can go strait to the reception afterwords. Opting not to see each other before the ceremony generally means most the picture taking is taken between the ceremony and reception. To cut back on this we try to photograph the separate formal shots before the ceremony, and then only the formals that include both bride and groom afterwards. We also suggest putting aside at least 30 minutes for you both to be alone for just bride and groom portraits. By alone, we mean no other family or friends. This gives you two time away from being the “hosts” and we get genuine relaxed photographs.

Maintenance at your wedding venue
Double check with your venue that they are not scheduling any maintenance on the day of your wedding. The last thing a couple wants is to be doing their portraits and the sprinklers turn on, or pieces of mowed grass catching in the wind and getting all over the place.

Bridesmaids & Groomsmen

An up-do that has hair pulled flat to the head tends to make people look stouter, and on fuller bridesmaids this effect is 10 times worse.

Remind them to smile and look at the photographer, at least for 2 shots (in case of a blink). No one likes pictures of everyone looking at the ground.

Grooms, remind the groomsmen it’s your day. If they can be patient, cheerful, not complaining or drunk for a few hours the photos will turn out better.

Ceremony
Smile! Smile! Smile! We know putting a wedding together is stressful, but don’t forget this is a happy day. If you get overwhelmed don’t forget to delegate to other people, so you can relax.

Proper space between the wedding party members as the walk down the aisle is the key to getting everyone’s photograph. If they are all clumped together, the ones in front will block any photos of the ones in the back.

For the Bride when entering, stop for a few seconds at the very end of the aisle. This will give your groom a minute take in how beautiful you are, and at the same time let you calm down so you can walk NOT run down the aisle.

Courtesy to the officiate
The officiate may have other obligations they need to attend to, so it is a courtesy to them to take their pictures with the bride and groom first.

***If your getting married in a place of worship double check with the officiant (priest, minister etc). Some have strict rules, no flash, photographers having to be all the way in the back...and sometimes the photographers are not even allowed to photograph the ceremony at all! So make sure you ask so that there is not surprises***

Weariness from lots of photos
Remember when your stopping every few minutes for family and friends to take photos, that means either less time for the hired photographer or a longer time to complete all the photos. Also continually smiling for 10 different people will get stressful, and then your smile will not longer look genuine in your portraits.

Hair and Make up

2011-01-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

Make up artist and hair stylist
Allison Pynn
602-670-1631
allisonpynn@gmail.com

Cielo Salon and Day Spa
2050 N Dobson Rd Suite #1
Chandler Az 85224
480-857-1855

Hannah Lee - Hair Stylist

Ashten's Full Service Salon
801 E Deuce of Clubs Suite C
Show Low Az 85901
928-242-0837
928-537-6422

Make up Artist
Monica
480-326-1507

Hair
Michelle Cardell
602-978-1774

Nails & Toes:
Flash Nails & Spa
7435 W Cactus Road
Peoria, AZ 85381

Make up Artist
Janelle Merchant
(619) 701-0934

Hair Stylist:
Salon Intigue
Mesa, AZ
Kelli O'Connell
480-926-4766

DJs

2011-01-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

If your looking for a great Mariachi, this guy is the best we've worked with.
Gabriel Garcia
5350 E Main St
Mesa Az 85205
480-522-9515
480-329-1035
Principecharro07@yahoo.com

Infinity Entertainment - Great entertainers, games, impressions and music
Nathan
PH#: (623) 910-9295
FAX #: (623) 556-1168
EMAIL: INFINITYENT@COX.NET

Music by Bryan - Awesome guy! Great DJ!
602-748-4367

Matt Bison
Bison Entertainment
602-570-1452

Arizona Nights
DJ, Officiant, poker & black jack tables: They do it all.
(602) 316-0283

Professional Weddings and Events
Scott
Phone: 602-214-1333
Email: ScottDJService@yahoo.com

Cerrick Entertainment
Christina Doba
480-766-3608

Starz Entertainment
3638 E Southern Ave, Ste. C105-165
Mesa, AZ 85206
Phone: (480) 830-1308

Chris
A Solid Gold Sound

DJ Alex

DJ-Chris Mitchell
Glendale, AZ
DJ@zandervix.com
623-776-5341

AZ Celebrity DJ
2069 West Mineral Butte Drive
Queen Creek, AZ 85242
(480) 720-0941

DJ Dragon
Lee Pabon
602-571-6733

Venues

2011-01-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Jaycee Courtyard
640 North Center Street
Mesa, Arizona 85201
Phone: 480-969-1992

Residence Inn
7350 N. Zanjero Boulevard,
Glendale, AZ 85305
(623) 772-8900

Val Vista Lakes
1600 E. Lakeside Drive
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 926-9694

Glendale Civic Center
5750 West Glenn Drive
Glendale, AZ 85301-2559
(623) 930-4300

An Old Town Wedding and Event Center
8276 West Monroe Street
Peoria, AZ 85345-6528
(623) 412-7797

ASU Tempe - University Club
1100 S McAllister Ave
Tempe, AZ 85287
(480) 965-8744

The Landmark Restaurant
809 West Main Street,
Mesa, AZ 85201
(480) 962-4652
‎
WindStar Gardens
8625 West Olive Avenue
Peoria, AZ 85345-7041
(623) 412-3030

Dobson's Restaurant
2155 South Dobson Road,
Mesa, AZ 85202-6410
(480) 644-2600 ‎

Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park
1300 North College Avenue
Tempe, AZ 85281-1211
(480) 929-0292

Amberian Peaks Lodge
One Main Street,
P.O. Box 1,
Greer, AZ 85927
(928) 735-9977
info@peaksaz.com

Saguaro Ranch Park
9802 North 59th Avenue,
Glendale, Az 85302

Dream Manor Inn
#1 Dream Manor Dr
Globe, AZ 85502
Phone: (928) 425-2754
Cell: (928)812-1694

The Farm at South Mountain
6106 South 32nd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85042
(602) 276-6360

Sheraton Crescent Hotel
2620 West Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85021
(602) 943-8200

Falcon Dunes Golf Course
15100 Northern Avenue
Waddell, AZ 85355-9411
(623) 535-8355

Arizona Grand Resort
8000 S. Arizona Grand Parkway
Phoenix, AZ 85044
(602) 438-9000

Embassy Suites
2333 East Thomas Road,
Phoenix, Az 85016
602-957-1910

Renaissance Hotel
9495 W. Coyotes Blvd.
Glendale, Arizona 85305

Preferred Vendors

2011-01-08T03:50:00.000-08:00

These are some of the great vendors we've had the pleasure of working with!

Venues

DJs

Hair and Makeup

We had so many of the above they got their own pages!

Cakes

David Pham
Bamboo Bakery
(602)246-8061
orders@bamboobakery.com
2647 W Glendale ave #1
Phoenix AZ 85051

Catering
Sharko's
4522 North 26th Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85017-3712
(602) 242-2662

Wedding/Party Planners

Phoenix Metro Area
Parties by Marie
Marie Dagna
623-398-4226
partiesbymarie@gmail.com

Graham County Area
The Party Plan~Hers
Tina Gonzales
214 W. 7th St
Safford Az 85546
928)428-7574
thepartyplanhers@yahoo.com

Officiants

Reverend Giovanni
info@revgiovanni.com
623-910-6214

Spirit and Light
Jody Serey
(623) 561-0240
jody@spiritandlight.net

Florists

Petal Garden
www.petalgarden.com

Stella DeLeon
Phoenix, AZ
stelladel602@live.com
602-575-8938

Gods Garden Treasures
480-495-1334

Videography
Sunset Studio Productions
e-mail: info@sunsetstudioproductions.com
e-mail: giftscollectiblesuniverse@gmail.com

Other

Taylor Rental Center of Glendale
14131 North Rio Vista , Peoria AZ 85381
Phone: 623-939-9745
larrymantle@msn.com

SAS Fabrics
9840 North 19th Avenue,
Phoenix Az
(602) 943-7777

Abc Baking Cake Decorating
2853 E Indian School Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 224-9796

Need a sitter for the kids?
Phoebe the Clown and her Staff
Phoebe the Clown AKA Melissa
602-525-0309

Sample Wedding Day Schedule & Tips

2010-07-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

We know many brides are DIY brides, and planning the day is sometimes difficult. With so much to fit in one day, it can be stressful. We've put together a sample wedding day schedule to help.

We also highly recommend looking up the sunset time for the day of your wedding. Most couples are disappointed when they've spent money on a beautiful outdoor venue, just for it to be pitch black when the ceremony is finished.

This is the link to the sunset calculator on the weather.com: http://www.weather.com/outlook/events/weddings/planning/sunset

And always remember the schedule is a guide, try to be on time, but realize it might not always happen. Its best to plan extra time instead of right to the minute. This sample schedule is created for a relaxed and good flowing day.

7:30am- Wake up! Shower and eat a large breakfast. You may not get to eat again till the reception. Load car with things you gathered over the past few days. *TIP* You may want to load these things the night before into your car to save time.

8:30am- Head for beauty salon for 9am appointment.

9am- Start beauty appointment. Tell them you need to leave by 11:45am. Getting ready photography is available at the salon if you request. *TIP* - Schedule a stylist for each bridesmaid so everyone will finish at the same time.

11:45am- Leave salon with hair and make-up done. (Your bridesmaids should be following the same schedule so you will all be done at the same time.)

12:15pm- Arrive at church, unload car, and check set up *This time can change depending on how far apart the locations are* *TIP* Try to fit in lunch if you can

1pm- Photographer starts getting ready shots with the bride and bridesmaids.

1:30 - Florist arrives to get ready in time for 2:30pm photos.

2:30pm- Photography starts of the bride and bridesmaids. Groom and Groomsmen must be ready by 3:00pm

2:45pm- The Groom and Groomsmen should be pinning on flowers at this time.

3:00pm- Finish photography and hide the bride, great time to touch up make up and relax before the ceremony! (we try to photograph the bride early so that she is hidden away before guests start to show up)

3:00pm - Start photography of Groom and Groomsmen.

3:30pm- Stop photography, and start letting guests be seated.

3:45pm- Start lining up wedding party.

4:00pm- The big moment!!! (Ceremony 30 min.)

4:30pm - Ceremony over. Keep everyone together. *TIP* Receiving lines are a great way for guests to congratulate the couple, but then move on to the reception without taking up much time before photos.

4:40pm- Start photography of couple together and family shots. Make sure that everyone you want in photos is aware of it and that they are to return to the sanctuary quickly. *TIP* This is when there would be a cocktail hour at the reception area for the rest of your guests while you are taking photos

5pm- Couple and Bridal Party leave for reception site.

5:20pm- Continue photography of bridal party and couple at reception location. *TIP* Try to leave at least 45min to one hour for photography after the ceremony for all family photos, bridal party, & couple pictures. If you are driving from one location to another (church to reception site), please try to remember to leave enough time for pictures and drive time. Example: 1 hr of photography + 20 min of drive time.

6:00pm- Photography ends. Bustle dress. Dj starts lining up wedding party.

6:05pm- announcement of wedding party.

6:10- Dinner and mingle.

6:30pm- Toasts (This can be anytime during dinner)

7:10pm- First dance.

7:20pm – Father/Daughter Dance

7:30pm – Mother/Son Dance

7:40pm- crank up the dance floor!!!

8:00pm - Cake cutting

8:15pm - bouquet and garter toss.

8:30pm – Open dancing

At this point, you can keep the party going or arrange for a big send off to end the night!

We also recommend doing a "first look". This starts your day out a little earlier, but it gets all the photos out of the way so you can go directly to the reception after the ceremony, without your guests having to wait.

With a first look, we take the bride and groom aside for a private moment. We will have the groom turned around while the bride comes out, so that when she is ready, he can turn around and see her for the first time in her dress. Afterward we are able to get all of the bridal party photos, family, and couple photos before the ceremony. Doing this reduces much of the stress on the wedding day, and you still get that special moment when the groom see's the bride for the first time.

www.lightinthebox.com Wedding Dress Review

2010-03-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share the website that I purchased my dress from. I was having a terrible time finding a wedding dress I could afford, that was my size (plus size), and would look good, at one point I gave up entirely and was going to walk down the isle and jeans and a t-shirt (people could tell the wedding planning had gotten to me...haha!)

The place I ordered my dress from was http://www.lightinthebox.com/. I was a little worried at first, because I had seen good and bad reviews about the website. But I ordered anyway, total of $205.00 including shipping and custom size.

It took about 2 months before I got my dress in the mail, so I would not order anything from them last minute. They do give you a time line to estimate how long it takes to make the dress + shipping.

You can read about the shipping here.

I wish I would have taken photos when I received the dress, it was the smallest box (maybe the size of a shoe box), and I thought "there's no way my dress fit in there". But it did, they vacuum lock your dress so that it fits. As you can guess, this did result in some wrinkles. I hung the dress up for a while in a steamy bathroom and they came out.

A downside, my dress did not have the inside ribbons so that it could hang from a hanger. I had to use the hangers you usually would use for pants/skirts with the clips to hang it.

The dress looked great, and fit perfect. I highly recommend paying the extra $20 to do a custom fit. I have read debates that actual sizes may be different because the dresses are made in a different country (a size 6 in china, might be smaller than a size 6 in usa), I don't know if its true, but I thought $20 was worth it not to worry I picked the wrong size. I also ordered a dress that ties, since I figured this would give me a way to let it out or tighten it. Mine tied on the sides but zipped up the back. You can also give them your height with heels (the ones you plan to wear w/ the dress), that way they can make sure the dress is long enough.

After looking it over, I think the dress was definitely worth the money paid. You could tell it was not a super high quality dress, but it was sewn together well, and the embroidery and fabric was very nice. I had contemplated buying a dress very similar in style and quality at a bridal shop for $1200, after being able to compare, I think I would have been disappointed if I paid that much.

The dress lasted through the whole wedding day, the only mishap was when I accidentally stepped on it (after deciding to switch to flats...which left the dress a few inches to long), and broke some of stitches that held the folds of bottom of the dress. I can't really hold that against them.

I can't guarantee everyone's experience will be as good as mine, and I did not need to return anything (seems to be the bulk of complaints). But I did want to let other brides know about the website and the experience I had there. Since our wedding, I've had some clients order from this website as well.

These are their dresses. :)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find the perfect dress no matter where you get it!

~Christina

Oneweds Best of 2009

2010-03-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! We got Best of 2009 on onewed.com. Thank you to everyone who left us reviews, it was great reading them all!