We shoot | We write | We design

Steve Sheanin, Executive Director and President of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, aka WPPI , and CEO of Rangefinder Publishing, personally extended an invitation for Chris and me to attend WPPI this week. We’re looking forward to meeting Steve in person and to attending all of the outstanding workshops he has lined up for the over 12,000 photographers in attendance. Thank you, Steve!

This past weekend, WriteShot participated in the Dragon Ridge Country Club Show, in Las Vegas, NV and the Simply the Best of Santa Barbara Show in Santa Barbara, CA. Somewhere during the course of the weekend, we made a bride cry–not because of something we did (or didn’t do), but  because she had just made the final payment to her wedding photographer and had no idea that WriteShot and our books existed.

“I didn’t know I could do THIS!” said this teary-eyed bride, as she stood in front of our booth with her best friend and maid-of-honor, who tried to gently escort her out of the vicinity. She was devastated. We didn’t know what to say. I wanted to give her a big hug and try to make her feel better, but the truth is that nothing short of having her wedding shot by us and her book of love written by us would console her.

There is absolutely nothing worse on the “planet wedding” than a crying bride.

“Can’t  you do our book using another photographer’s photos?” she begged.

Unfortunately, we can’t do this because we shoot with book design in mind and there are just too many snafus we can run into if we use another shooter’s photos, no matter how talented that shooter is.

Luckily, we had a dedication book on hand from one of our clients, who hired us to do a book for his wife of 8 years, as a gift. Though disappointed, this bride settled on the idea of a first year anniversary book.  It seemed a small consolation, but one that allowed her to wipe her tears and move on to the bakery booth, where she tasted some delicious confections that put a smile on her face.

I’m beginning to think it’s dangerous for brides, who have already signed their vendors, to attend bridal shows  . . .

With less than 24 hours to go before Dragon Ridge’s Bridal Showcase, Wedding and Events Director Carrie Key spent Friday night making sure every detail was tended to. You don’t want to miss the incredible event she has planned.

This particular table features linens by Wildflower Linens and floral design by Flora Couture by Floral 2000. See you Saturday at 10:00 am.

Join WriteShot and a select group of wedding industry experts at the Highlands Bridal Showcase this Saturday, February 27th, at Dragon Ridge Country Club. Hosted by Wedding and Events Director Carrie Key, this event showcases not only the  Las Vegas Bride Magazine Venue of the Year 2009, but it also provides the perfect intimate setting for brides and their guests to meet wedding industry experts.

The event kicks off Saturday at 10 am with a complimentary Champagne brunch, followed by an incredible array of give-aways that have been donated by participating vendors, who will be on-site until 4 pm.

One lucky bride will walk away with a free WriteShot engagement photo shoot and 11×14 canvas thin wrap. This package is valued at over $300. Tiffany & Co. has also donated a prize. While visiting Dragon Ridge today, I couldn’t help but notice a sign indicating a reserved spot for Godiva chocolates. I cannot wait to see what they give away!

If you would like to register for this over-the-top event, please call 702.6i4.4444.

We’re so excited! WriteShot’s good friend, Marylou Kraemer, Catering Director at the Hotel Andaluz, has cooked up a fabulous idea for the hotel–a boutique-style bridal show that provides the perfect opportunity to tour the hottest wedding venue in ABQ and meet  incredible local vendors. WriteShot is  honored to be one of those vendors.

If you’re a bride and you’ve visited the Andaluz before, this is a great time to revisit and connect with some of ABQ’s top wedding vendors. If you’re an ABQ bride and you haven’t been to the Andaluz, grab your mom, maid of honor or hubby-to-be  and head to the hotel on February 21st, between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. Come early, because knowing Marylou, this is going to be a fun event. I know she’s invited Keith and Andre, the feel-fabulous team behind Great Face and Body. Though I don’t know what they have up their sleeve, you can bet it will be a treat to both your mind and body.

I’m going to try to catch up with Marylou before the show and find out some more details, so check back later next week for additional information. See you there!

Join WriteShot and a select group of vendors at Siena Golf Club’s Bridal Open House, tomorrow, from 6 to 9 p.m. Millie Adams, Catering Director at the club, has planned a relaxing evening for brides and their guests. “It’s a great opportunity to get answers to any wedding questions you might have,” explains Millie. “Our experienced vendors will be available in an intimate setting, which gives brides the opportunity to really take their time and get their questions answered.”

Along with wedding vendors, brides and their guests will be able to experience the club’s lush landscape, spectacular city and mountain views, and the chef’s specialties. [Read more →]

We just learned that we’ve been invited to shoot portraits for Flashes of Hope, an organization, whose goal is to photograph every child with cancer  until every child is cured. We’re scheduled to shoot March 17 in Vegas. We’ll be paired with a make-up artist, whose information we are awaiting.

Flashes of Hope has a sister organization, Kick-It, which was founded by a nine year old cancer patient. Kick-It raises money for cancer research through organized kick ball games. I played kick ball as a kid on Harrison Avenue in my hometown, Northampton; I played it at Hidden Valley Camp and at Jackson Street School. So, it’s no surprise that I think Kick It’s idea of “kicking it up” at a mitzvah or other event would work well at a rehearsal dinner or even on a wedding day or following a day-after brunch.  I will certainly be talking up both Flashes of Hope and Kick It with our clients.

We were finally able to come up for air this morning. Bridal Spectacular was such a huge success for us and doing The Woodland’s show on its heels really made our schedule tight. When we were at Cashman, we were flooded with brides, but we were also visited by some super-supportive industry veterans who had seen our books at various networking events. With big smiles on their faces, they all stopped by to introduce themselves or catch up with us. [Read more →]

We broke down our booth at Las Vegas’ Bridal Spectacular just in time for Chris to drop me off at the airport and, by some miracle, I made my flight to Houston. When I settled into my seat, I fell asleep immediately, exhausted from speaking with hundreds of brides, their mothers, planners, and maids of honor, over the two-day show. After landing at Hobby, I grabbed my bags, found my rental car and hotel, then settled in for a good night’s sleep.

I woke up in plenty of time to make the drive to The Woodlands Waterway Marriott for the Dream Weddings Bridal Show. For a long time, our clients have been telling us that we’ve needed to showcase our wedding work in Texas.

The Lone Star State has a tradition of doing everything bigger and better. As one of our client’s put it, “Your books are the biggest and the best and Texas brides ‘can’t not have’ what you’ve got!”

Boy, was she right!   [Read more →]

I’ll be flying solo to Houston to attend the Perfect Wedding Guide’s Dream Weddings Bridal Show at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott on Sunday, January 31. The show actually starts on Saturday, but Chris and I will be finishing up at Bridal Spectacular in Las Vegas that day. Our clients have been telling us to take our books to Texas, and that’s just what we’re going to do. Hold yer horses, here we come!