I’m not about posing people in my images.  It’s actually just not my forte.  I also believe that if I just let you “be” as a couple the images will say SO very much more than some standard pose.  If you look at the images in this post.  Not one is posed.  Not one and bring your pets!  But anyway, I may have directed things a little bit and yes, I instigate!  But I want you to feel comfortable to be who you are.  I look for those moments that say something.  That make me feel something about you.   I think this is the way that when you look back at that day and like your wedding day you will be able to say I remember it all like it was yesterday.  Success!

I love make up artists for weddings!  They really make a difference in many ways beyond the obvious.  First of course they know their craft and how to make clients look their best.  Second they understand photography and what works best for me.  Every day makeup applications and special event makeup is very different and when photography is involved well, even more so.  A bride or her maids or mom may not feel it necessary because we apply makeup every day or it isn’t in the budget or just don’t think it necessary but make up artists really do make a big impact.

This is a day when you should be taking the time for yourself.  Let someone else pamper you, let you look your very best and make sure that you love the way your photographs look.  When you feel beautiful it shows through your soul and then when you see me coming with my camera you will smile with your whole being and voila–amazing images.  On your wedding day there is so much going on so let someone else do what they do best and hire a professional make up artist.  Do you research though!  It is really important that you do the trial, make sure they have good reviews on Yelp or the like and aren’t just someone who buys some make up and calls themselves a make up artist.  This goes for any vendor you hire.  When I walk in I want you to feel like “great Misti is here!”  This should go for ANY vendor you hire.

I do have some recommendations for make up artists for you.  Below are some of my most favorites.  I’ve worked with them numerous times and their reputations are well established.  If you have questions about hiring a make up artist then call them!

• Kathleena Gorga Make Up Artist 
• Sherrie Long Make Up Artist
• Nellie Magunda Make Up Artist

Wedding shoes no longer are just the plain white they used to be.  Color, sequins, rhinestones, heels, flats, even cowboy boots have made my bride’s lists!  Sometimes they are a hidden surprise that really only the bride knows but other times in a shorter dress or tea length wedding dress they be total show stoppers for guests.  One bride even taught me about Milk and Honey Shoes where you can totally design your own shoes.  Unbelievable!  You design everything from the heel height to color to texture and straps.

I love California weddings and truly San Francisco weddings.  We have some amazing and unique people here and this truly shows through to their weddings.  Don’t be afraid to try something you normally wouldn’t wear and don’t be afraid to have a few pairs!  You think the bride in the bright green McQueen shoes wore them all day? Absolutely not!  She had another pair for walking on the grass and dancing later.  After all a girl can never have too many shoes and wedding shoes too!

My good friend Laurel Winzler of Laurel Designs did an amazing job with the flowers and it’s really important to work with great people to help you in your own job.  It can be really daunting to plan a wedding and book vendors.  I always recommend a professional wedding planner or professional event planner but sometimes it’s just not in the budget or people really want to do it themselves.   Be prepared to spend a lot of time planning your wedding!  When you hire a professional they can recommend people they know well and trust.  This is the most important step. A lot of times I walk into a wedding event and know the DJ, florist, venue coordinator or caterer and it’s great because we make sure we are all on the same page and make sure it goes off without a hitch.  Other times it’s important to introduce myself and make sure we keep communication open during the event to keep things running smoothly.

However way you decide to go with either a wedding planner or no planner make sure you are in communication with your vendors and you know they are dependable and reputable and experienced.  I know budget is a concern sometimes.  But just be sure you hire the best you can afford. One example of a vendor I worked with that was not good is a videographer I had never met before.   I’m not sure what their experience was but some things that I noted and actually had to point out or fix myself was:

1. An electrical cord lying completely across the dance floor
2. Electrical cords untaped in the middle of walkways
3. The light from the camera always in my shots
4. No communication on planning and staying out of the way of each other

These are all very serious issues.  Can you imagine if your grandmother were to trip over a cord?  That is really inexcusable.  So hire the best you can!

I hope you enjoy the images on IDoVenues but here are a few too from the hilarious engagment session we had at the Embarcadero waterfront and Flora Grubb in Hunter’s Point, San Francisco.

Cheers,

Misti

Kissing at Flora Grubb

It was about two women who were both recently married and contemplating changing their names to their spouse’s last name.  They totally surprised their husbands and brought back the officiant that married them to have a “ceremony” celebrating the name change.  They included wedding photographs and many of their guests that had been there that day.  By incorporating all of these things they brought together all the best moments of the celebration of their weddings and kept the fun going in their marriages and with friends!

They women (remember the husbands were surprised!) went all out on the theme of “Maiden Voyage”. You do get that right?  Emphasis on MAIDEN!   The colors were yellow, blue and white and the theme nautical of course.  Their professional photographer did a great job of capturing the event, the people and definitely the details.

While they went all out on this idea you could do it with your own special spin in the backyard of your home and just keeping it intimate with your closest friends and family and a Do It Yourself or hire professionals to help you out with resourcing vendors and supplies.  DIY does bring on other issues like finding vendors, supplies and all the time it can consume.  I have come across many unique ideas when I’ve done DIY weddings but the common comment I hear is just how time consuming it is!  Remember this of all things though to be sure to research your vendors thouroghly before hiring them.  This is on you in DIY as a planner will be able to make great recommendations based on experience with them personally.

This is an amazing idea.  So many of my couples get married not deciding on the whole thing about doing the name change.  This is a great idea and one I’m going to be sure to pass on!

Here is my original post on my blog for the red, white, blue theme.

But there is no doubt about the love and joy from Heather and Eric and their families.  It was just a perfect day.  The flower girls wore tutu’s and t-shirts and sequin shoes. Adorable!  Heather even designed her own shoes at Milk and Honey in bright turquoise.    The flowers were by Laura Miller, the food stations with pizza, pasta, sliders, grilled cheese and tacos were amazing and done by Alex’s Catering who also did a smore’s station and ice cream bar. The DJ from Denon and Doyle got everyone moving and just a great time was had by all with Larisa Marr capturing it all on video too!  All the best to you guys!