Thursday, February 12, 2015

Show off the Details

You’ve taken the time to search magazines and the internet; even went to dress shops and tried on the different styles and new colors in hopes of finding that one dress that spoke to you. From different silhouettes, lace features, and embellishments bridal fashion has come along way in its efforts to offer you a style that will match your unique personality and beauty. So, why not take the time and have it all shown in your wedding album.

Most Photographers will take pictures of you in your dress or the dress on it’s hanger before you step into it. What about the finer details? Show that interesting lace pattern or beading. Have that dynamic laced up corset or your colored sash photographed. Show off the veil you have always dreamed of. Have fun with it too and don’t forget to show those glamorous heels!




Having the smaller details photographed will help give you or your album designer more details and fluff to bring your wedding album from a static photos placed with boarders and some fades to a breath taking reminder of all the great accents that brought your dream wedding into reality. 

Let us help you create the spectacular album you have always wanted.

Visit Timelesslifestories.com

10 Must Capture Wedding Moments for Your Wedding Album

When the wedding is over, you are left with some beautiful memories.

You'll choose some very special shots to frame.  Be sure to have your photographer capture those extra special shots to make your wedding album spectacular!

1.  The Bride - Preparing or pre-wedding.  Personal images that capture the bride as she prepares to walk down the aisle.


2.  The Groom - Capture the anticipation.


3.  Accent and detail shots - These images are used to enhance the album and tell the story.  Flowers, rings, the dress, the altar, etc...


4.  Bridal Party Shots - Get creative and make them fun.  Don't let the photographer simply line everyone up and shoot the same group shots over and over.


5.  Vows and Ring Exchange - These moments are so intimate and important.  Don't miss the perfect angle and timing.


 6.  The Kiss! - Seal the deal on this perfect day.


7.  The Cake and the Toast - Your photographer can get creative with these important shots.


8.   The First Dance - Have fun and celebrate your day.  Also capture the bride/daddy and groom/mother dances.


9.  Fun Spontaneous Shots - All the traditional shots have been taken.  Now it's time to be spontaneous and take the crazy fun shots.



10.  Specialty Shots - These are those unique special moments that say so much in one shot.


All of these amazing pictures can be artistically designed into an album that captures the emotion filled moments from your wedding day.

Originally Posted 1/13/12

Tips on Selecting the Perfect Pictures for your Wedding Album

The Wedding is over, and hopefully the day was spectacular. The bride looked stunning, the groom handsome, and your guests had a lovely time. All the while your photographer was busy capturing everything! The photographer is there to record your day, and chances are he took several shots of all your special moments… the bride and groom getting ready, more of the groom and the groomsmen, as well as the bride and her bridesmaids, not to mention the ceremony itself and all the festivities afterwards.

Most photographers will provide a CD of images for the bride and groom as part of their package. This may contain anywhere from 300 to over 1000 images. How do you select the best 100 or so to use in a Wedding album? It may seem like an overwhelming task, and often the couple will set the project aside until they have a bit more time to sort through them. Unfortunately that could turn into months and even years. 

It doesn’t have to be that way.  You want to have a wedding album not only to show off your special day, but also as a way to relive the day and later share it with your children and grandchildren.

   
The first step in choosing your pictures is to eliminate the images that you don’t like. Most photographers will provide a proof sheet of your images, or you can have one made from your CD. It is easy then to look at all the images and eliminate pictures by drawing a line through them or covering them with a sticker.
  
How do you know which ones to remove? Start with the ones where your eyes may be closed, or you feel you aren’t looking your best. Remember the idea here is not to use every picture the photographer took, but to select a few of the best images from each moment. 

If you are not sure about removing a picture, leave it in. The initial run through is to remove the pictures you know you are not going to want to see in your album. This part of the selection should go fairly quickly and will remove about 10 to 15% of the pictures.     

Step two is to narrow down the good pictures. Begin at the beginning. Did your photographer photograph you getting ready for the wedding? There may be a lot of images that you are glad to have – but that doesn’t mean you want to showcase them in your album. Most brides will choose a few pictures of them getting into their dress, with the help of their mother or some of the bride’s maids. 


And it is often nice to have a picture of the dress either laid out on the bed, or hanging off the back of a door. A photograph of some important piece of jewelry or accessory, or of the bouquets together is also a nice accent image to use in the album.

Don’t forget about the groom. There may not be quite as many of him getting ready (for some reason guys usually don’t like pictures taken of them putting on their clothes) but a good photographer will capture some of him waiting for the bride.


Do you have formal pictures before the wedding? Try to choose a few nice group shots. If your photographer took pictures of the bride with each of her bride’s maids, and the groom with each of his groomsmen, more than likely he took three or four with each person. Select only the best one of each.


As you work through your wedding day, you may find certain parts, such as the ceremony, difficult to narrow down. Often there are 3 to 5 shots that may look almost identical. Select the best one. If there is a picture of the bride close up during the ceremony, try to also select a similar one of the groom. It will help to balance the design of the album. If you have a group shot with the groom’s family, then you should also have one with the bride’s family.

There are moments of your wedding day that should be fairly easy to narrow down the selection of images. The kiss. Although I have designed a few albums where the bride and groom can’t seem to get enough of it, choose one or two pictures of this moment. Keep It Simple Sweetie! One picture of the kiss, and perhaps one or two just before or just after where you are both looking into each others eyes.


Another moment that can be narrowed down to a few images is the cake cutting and toast. Five to seven pictures should be able to tell that part of the story. It is helpful to have a nice picture of the cake by itself, a picture of the two of you by the cake, and one of your hands together on the knife for the first cut. Most couples will also select a picture or two of the ritual feeding each other the cake. Did you smash it into his face? A cute moment to remember, but choose carefully. The wedding album is a selection of the best images of the day. If you do want one or two of the silliness, try to select the most flattering. You will be seeing them again for years to come.



The reception may be one of the harder areas to narrow down your selection of images. You will want some of your first dance together. I would suggest the best 4 to 8 pictures, as well as another 2 or 3 each of the bride dancing with her father and groom with his mother – if that was a part of your wedding. Try to limit the party afterwards to the best 20 or so pictures. You will want some group shots that show the overall gathering, as well as some of the pictures that show classic moments of the evening.


Step three is to count the number of images you now have. Way too many? See if you can trim out more pictures from each of the stages of your wedding day. If that doesn’t work, you may want to eliminate certain parts of the day from the album. It may not be as important for you to have pictures of your guests arriving at the church as it is to have the exchange of rings.

Do you have it narrowed down to 120 pictures when you were looking to use 100? If you can’t decide which ones to eliminate, you may want to increase the number of images in the album. The larger the wedding party, typically the larger the album. This may mean a little more money, but you want to be satisfied with your album as you will have it for many years to come. 

The final step is having the Wedding Album made. Once you have selected the images you would like to use, you will want to have them designed into an album. You trusted a professional to capture the moments of your day, you should also trust a professional to showcase your pictures. Having a beautifully bound album is a wonderful way to relive the day.

Originally Posted 12/21/11

Getting to know Kathy Ireland and her wedding gown collection

Debbie Zucco (President of Timeless Life Stories) with Kathy Ireland
A Visit with Kathy Ireland at the Wedding MBA

Timeless Life Stories recently attended the Wedding MBA in Las Vegas.
It proved to be a very informative and educational event on all things wedding.

One of the featured guest speakers and highlights of the event was Kathy Ireland.

She shared with us, not only her philosophy on the business of the wedding industry, but her new and exciting line of wedding gowns and dresses.


We would like to share a small sampling of that collection.








One shoulder organza A-line gown.  Full ruffled skirt with cathedral length train.

















Strapless radiant satin slim A-line gown with dramatic sweetheart neckline.  Scattered beading accents the gathered skirt with chapel length train.
















 Strapless sweetheart silk shantung modified A-line gown.  Directionally gathered bodice with asymmetrically dropped waistline.  Chapel length train.
















Strapless knee-length, A-line dress with softly curved neckline.  Full skirt with laser cut floral details.







See the entire collection of wedding gowns, mother-of-the-bride dresses and evening wear at www.2bebride.com.

Thank you Kathy for all you give to so many.

Originally Posted 9/28/11
 

Professionally Designed vs. Do-It-Yourself Wedding Album

These days, there are so many choices when it comes time for your wedding album.  Most photographers offer the option of a CD of your pictures so you can do what you want.
So many websites to choose from!!  So many different prices!!

Here's what to consider:

- Cost
Everyone is on a budget in these hard times, but this is your wedding album and getting a beautiful, high quality album doesn't have to be out of range.  There are so many options available to get a great album.  Sometimes you just choose fewer images to tell your story.

- Convenience
Do you really have the time to put together your own album?
My niece went to one of those make-it-yourself sites and after 6 months, asked me to have it designed for her.  It was done by an expert graphic designer within days.  Once she saw it, she couldn't believe all the time she wasted trying to make something so important when for a little extra cost, she was able to have it done professionally.

- Craftsmanship
You get what you pay for.  It's so hard to see the quality of the albums on-line.  Cover quality, page quality, lay-flat pages, binding.  These are all important factors when it comes to your wedding album lasting a lifetime.

So it may be great to do-it-yourself for those everyday vacation books or a baby book for grandma.  But when it comes to such an important event, you really want your love story showcased with style!!



Originally Posted 8/23/11

Turning Wedding Day Romance Into Lifelong Marital Bliss

Your timeless life story began when you and your honey met for the first time.  The story is meant to go on for your lifetime.  After the wedding bells have rung, the first dance has been danced, and the honeymoon has ended, how do you make the romance last?

In her article entitled Five Steps to a Good Marriage, Crystal Sciarini suggests that there are five "rules" that every married couple should follow in order to have a lasting and loving relationship:

Step One to a Good Marriage: Respect Each Other 

Respect for each other means that you make decisions together, never call each other names, and NEVER threaten divorce. Marriage is a partnership and each partner has an equal stake in the marriage.

Step Two to a Good Marriage: Trust Each Other 

A lie, is a lie. There should NEVER be any reason to lie or hide the truth from your spouse. A marriage with secrets is a marriage doomed to failure. Neither spouse should have a reason to doubt what the other spouse has said, done, or where they have been.

Step Three to a Good Marriage: Have Fun 

A couple who plays together, stays together. You have to be able to have fun and enjoy life and each other. My husband and I have been married for almost fourteen years and we still have tickle fights, wrestle sessions, and laugh fests. We enjoy reminiscing about the funny things that have happened to us and by enjoying hobbies together and date nights we are constantly making new memories.

Step Four to a Good Marriage: Share Responsibility 

Chores, discipline, and decisions should be shared equally. If something is not shared equally then the decision to change the equation needs to be made together. By sharing responsibilities and decisions neither spouse will ever be at fault for a failed venture.

Step Five to a Good Marriage: Admit When Your Wrong 

Don't be afraid to admit that you were wrong or that you need help. We are not perfect beings, so we will make mistakes. We should be able to admit to our spouse that we were wrong, knowing that the spouse will show support rather than rubbing the bad decision in our face. We should also be able to admit when we need extra help for a problem, decision, or addiction.

It is important to remember that a strong marriage is the foundation for a healthy family!
Timeless Life Stories values strong marriages and healthy families.  We wish you a wonderful wedding day and lifetime full of love, happiness, and joy!

Happy beginnings,

Jennifer


Originally Posted 8/31/10 

Engagement Memory Albums Add Something Personal to Centerpieces

Weddings are becoming much more of an expression of who the bride and groom are rather than strictly being an event that adheres to the traditional conventions. 

One very interesting idea we learned of was the use of engagement albums as part of the wedding reception table centerpiece decorations.  A groom and bride used Timeless Life Stories to create elegant and unique engagement albums that told their story.  They wrote about how they met, included pictures from their time dating one another as well as special engagement photos that were taken, a copy of their wedding vows, and a touching thank you to their parents and guests.  The albums were beautiful!

The engagement memory albums were a big hit with the guests who enjoyed looking through their memories.  When the wedding was over they kept an album for themselves and gave the others to their parents and grandparents.

Are you planning something unique and creative at your wedding?  Tell me about it in the comments section below.  I would love to hear from you.

Happy beginnings,

Jennifer

P.S. How can we make your wedding day special and unique?  We would love to help you create beautiful engagement albums that you too can use to add a highly personalized touch to your table decorations.  Our albums come in a variety of sizes and colors, so one will surely match your budget and your style!


Originally Posted 8/31/10

Sharing Your Special Wedding Memories with Those Who are Most Special

I knew when my husband and I got married that I wanted to have a wedding album as a keepsake from our special day - one that I would look at from time to time over the years. Fourteen years later, I still enjoy looking at our pictures from that amazing day. What I didn't realize when I decided to invest in a wedding album was how much the little people that were to be born into our family would LOVE looking at our album. I am not sure what the draw is exactly, but each of our boys from time to time will quietly sit and study the pages of wedding memories. When they were very little, they were trying to find themselves in the pictures, wondering why THEY weren't invited to the party! As they got a little older and understood that they weren't born yet, they switched their focus to wanting to know the story behind the pictures. They would wonder who was in each picture, where we were, what we were doing, and even how we met. These conversations with our children have been priceless. Sitting together gathered around our wedding album has opened the door to talk to our children about love, friendship, and family. Our wedding album has done a great job of retelling the story of our incredible day for the most special people in our world who weren't there to enjoy it with us. What is even better is that our wedding album has helped us create new memories of us cuddling, laughing, and sharing stories with our children too! Timeless Life Stories would be honored to help you share the story of your special day by creating an album that captures the love, beauty, and excitement of the day. We know that you will treasure it, and we are certain that some other special people in your life will too!

Happy beginnings, 

Jennifer

Originally Posted 8/31/10