Shot a great wedding at Talon Winery in Lexington, Kentucky this weekend, and while we've got a long way to go as far as getting the photojournalistic shots ready, I wanted to highlight some of Jerie and Chris' details.  Not only were they super cute and personal, they were also a lot of things you can easily reproduce with just a little effort.

Naturally, they had one of our engagement guestbooks:

Tremendous job on the flowers by John Kittinger of The Best of Flowers (Happy birthday John!)

More florals, more everything after the jump...

They had a charming sweets and favors table...

And lovely tablescapes...

My associate Max reports that the cake from Caramanda's tasted as good as it looked:

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Many more details in the gallery, so be sure to take a look.  Many thanks to Sheena Gabbard of The Wedding Couturier for coordinating all the details of the day!

Taking a moment to come up for air today... I've been lost in website hosting land, putting together the back-end for the blogsite for our new wedding business-- did I say that out loud?  In the meantime, 5 year old Caroline and I also got out long enough to walk around a high energy Westchester bridal show -- Carrie had a blast but was disappointed there were no cake vendors. (That cost me a trip to the ice cream parlor afterwards.)

Saw a great wedding highlights film today from North Carolina that totally made me forget for a moment the cold rain outside.  Check out the beautiful beach settings, the seashell canopy, the awesome first look on a little dock, and... dolphins!  Spring is just around the corner!

The Signature Club of Lansdowne and Seasons Catering are getting set to put on their annual event, The Art of Entertaining, and this year, they've asked me to be a part of it.  Every year, a selection of Lexington's finest designers, florists and other vendors put together their interpretations of elegance in decorating for your special soiree.  Come out March 31st between 5 and 7 pm and be inspired by their creations, enjoy some lovely culinary delights from Seasons, and maybe talk with your favorite photographer (that would be me, silly) about how we can preserve everything you want to remember about your wedding, from that smallest thoughtful detail to those passionate moments you'll feel again each time you view your album.

Here's the valentine card Caroline's handing out in kindergarten today...

Hope this is a year for all of you to celebrate someone who you love, no matter how big or small. Also, congratulations to all of you who are getting engaged today!

Take a look at some of the wedding things we're looking at today after the jump...

Anthropologie's new (and long awaited) B H L D N wedding line asks, "What Type of Bride Are You?" Take their survey here. The line includes wedding dresses ($600-4000), shoes, jewelry, hair accessories and more. (Available online only)

I recently had the pleasure of hearing noted wedding planner Tara Guerard speak at The WOW Event in Lexington.  She's giving away a copy of her book Weddings By Tara Guerard on her blog today.  Click here to enter.

My brother Timothy and I have been talking lately about teaming up on some things to incorporate his filmmaking into the business here, and we've been looking at a lot of Super 8 wedding films, Photo/video fusion wedding films, HD documentary style wedding films and other things that break the mold of traditional wedding videography as we search for inspiration.  Right now, we're loving this engagement shoot film by New Jersey-based Fiore Films that I saw on Style Me Pretty.

I know, I promised this post for about 36 hours ago.  Then I, um, fell down a flight of stairs yesterday.  Nothing broken, but a pretty pair of deep bruises on my ribs and right hip.  Note to self:  no more trips up to the twins' room with just socks on your feet.  Egads.

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Getting back to happier things, I had a lot of fun with e-sessions this past year.  In fact, it feels like I've done engagements in almost as many states as weddings in 2010!  From a quirky fun plant nursery to historic homes like Waveland to a snowy shoot on the bridge that served as the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge, the locations have been outstanding.  I've had a bunch of adventurous couples who wanted to try new things like night shoots-- the streetlight sessions are quickly becoming my favorites.

More images after the jump...

I try to give some basic thoughts out to help you prepare for an engagement shoot, to help you not only have a successful session in terms of images, but in terms of preparing you for your wedding day.  First thought:  Don't treat this shoot as part of a normal day.  Use this as an opportunity to try out hair and makeup artists, maybe get a massage earlier in the day.  Spend time together beforehand.  Give yourself extra time before the shoot, and don't be afraid to schedule some time off for that day.  The last thing you want is to come in stressed from work, hungry, dehydrated and then try and  force yourself to be natural for the camera.  It doesn't work that way.  The more relaxed you feel coming in, the better we're going to do together.

Now, I hear what you're thinking: But Ian, isn't a wedding day stressful, why should this be so different a scenario?  Well, for one thing, on your wedding day, you're surrounded by people and things are going on around you and there's lots to get lost in.  For the engagement session, it's the two of you and a camera, and you haven't done this before.  (Part of why having an e-session matters is that it lets you get used to that 77mm eye looking at you...)  I've famously termed my shooting style Love Unscripted because I concentrate on letting your wedding day tell its own story, but there aren't all the things to push that story along on your wedding day (unless you have a concept planned!), so yes, we pose a lot of your e-session in a gentle, friendly manner that's designed to bring out the part of you that's already comfortable being with each other.

A word about outfits:  Don't feel like you have to both wear similar clothes, but do make sure you talk about what you plan to wear.  Go for things that make you feel attractive and confident while being comfortable enough to move in.  Make sure (his) clothes are clean and pressed and don't look wilted.  If you dress up, make sure that you're both at about the same level of dressiness, and if you're going more casual, make sure that both of your looks aren't conveying clashing moods.  Seasonally appropriate is good too.  When you work with me, I'm always happy to let you get in multiple outfits/locations, but plan ahead for changing locations.

When picking locations, try to think of places that have meaning for you-- there's emotional content in that.  If you can get away from the usual cliches, that's good, too.  Whether it be Times Square in Manhattan or Triangle Park in Lexington, some places have kinda been done to death.  Be aware of the rhythms of daily life locally-- if you think you're going to be able to get a quiet looking photo on a Saturday afternoon in April at Keeneland, you might be in for a rude awakening when 32,000 of your new closest friends are intruding on your photo opportunity.  At the same time, don't expect to find beautiful floral backgrounds at the botanical gardens in mid-March.

Don't forget to think about time of day, too.  The hours between 11 and 2 aren't just the hottest part of the day, they also come with the harshest light.  Early mornings or late afternoons are best for soft, flattering light.  The hour right before sunset has a certain golden quality to the light, while the 20 minutes right after the sun dips under the horizon bring out this amazing deep dark blue color in the twilight sky.  As I've mentioned, there's something to be said for night, too.  Using streetlights, headlights, and any other light we can either find or make, I've been getting really lovely stuff in early evenings.  Believe it or not, this next shot is actually at night:

That day, we also had snow, as you may have noticed from earlier images in this post.  We haven't had it come up recently, but don't be afraid of a little rain-- it can be really sexy looking, and I'll happily reshoot if you don't feel it was your best look.

Let yourself have fun with all this.  If you guys are a little goofy, don't be afraid to show off your senses of humor.  If you love props, bring them-- not just silly things, but things you find romantic, like little quaint signs and the like.  If you want flower petals, bring flower petals.  If you have access to the right space, you can even go 80's music video and have a concrete floor with a layer of water and a sea of candles throughout the space if that's what makes you feel right.  So long as I don't have to encounter snakes or sharks, I have no problems letting your imagination run wild.

Most of all, let yourselves forget about me and think mainly about the person you're about to unite your life with.  When you let your guard down and let the camera see your love, that's when magic happens.

Limited Edition Bridal Gown from White House Black Market ($498)

I've been seeing a lot lately about bridal gowns being available from retailers who aren't traditional bridal outlets like White House Black Market (fittings available in select boutiques), J Crew (website/catalog only), with Urban Outfitters' Anthropologie line and The Limited joining the fray soon.

J Crew Chiffon & Organza Dune Gown ($895)

The prices on these range anywhere from $295 to $2500.  The first obvious question is, do you like some of the dresses available on these sites?  And the follow up, of course, is, would you consider a dress from retailers like this, and if so, what would your expectations be?  Would you want to see the dresses in the stores at these prices or is online only OK, how much support would you expect from the stores, would you expect to have to take it somewhere else for alterations?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

This is how you do Save The Date, kats 'n' kiddies...

I was on one of my new favorite wedding blogs, Emmaline Bride, which specializes in equipping the bride who loves unique and elegant handmade items, and they profiled this great Etsy shop, Dawn Correspondence.  You've gotta see their stylish, modern take on invitations-- so much more interesting than the everyday stuff you see from all the usual suspects.

Take a look at some of these refreshing invitations:

They also do custom orders, so you can inject some of your personal interests like the bicycle one above...

They're based in Richmond, Virginia, but they work with clients worldwide.  Go give them a look for yourself!

Like a lot of people, I do a bit of end of the year evaluating, at least when it comes to the photography business.

My lovely bride Kristina got me a book by Joe Buissink for Christmas, Wedding Photography from The Heart.  Joe has always been one of the photographers whose work inspires me most, and as I read the book, I started to realize that there are two things I've gotten away from over the last year, delivering lots of black and white photographs, and sometimes, turning all the flash units off, and making a natural light photograph, even I sacrificed a little shutter speed to get it.  The two really go hand in hand, because my favorite natural light photographs have always been my black and whites.  Two years ago, I delivered usually about 25% black and white or sepia toned images, and as of late, the number had been a lot closer to 10%.

That's going to change this year, I think.  While I pride myself on my ability to create light and natural looking color when I need it, I've always felt that when you take the color out of an image, sometimes you let the emotion back in.

Every once in awhile, I try to link to something that's outside the box.  Sometimes, it's advice, sometimes it's inspiration.  This is definitely the latter.

Found this one through Offbeat Bride.  Bride and groom are turning 30 and 40, respectively.  A dual birthday party is planned.  This (fun, sexy, stylish) film is shown at the party.  Most of the guests are unaware that Jessica and Lorien (aka "Tree") recently eloped.  

They know now.