raleigh wedding photographer | tips for couples to get better photographs.

woah! we’re on youtube!

let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

last year i had the pleasure of photographing family portraits for susan whitehead and her adorable family who were then new clients for me. susan and michael are fantastic parents and have a beautiful family of little girls and a baby boy. thankfully we’ve kept touch via twitter since the shoot. however, it just so happens that susan and her husband michael run an internet marketing business and this year we swapped services – portraits for video. :) networking is awesome!

i had the idea that i wanted to put together some tips for couples in order to get better photographs. most couples don’t realize what they can do in order to make their lives (and the lives of their wedding photographer) much easier on their wedding day. so i compiled a list of the top ten things that i see happen the most that couples might want to think about while they plan their wedding. obviously, this isn’t a comprehensive list nor does it absolutely need to be followed to a t… but it’s something to definitely think about!

so we recorded some audio and sent susan some pictures which she gratefully compiled for us and worked her internet magic! and here we are!

hopefully this will be useful to some bride somewhere! i look forward to posting more videos in the future.

special thanks to:

susan whitehead – for her internet marketing abilities and being a wonderful client!

dottie & jon cole – for being awesome and agreeing to let me post their wedding photographs far and wide. :)

tips for brides

day 51/365

shot an awesome wedding this weekend at duke gardens…passed out later that night only to wake up on sunday to go into the office w/ geoff all day to fix the MLB scores in time for opening day. in short, totally neglected the 365 this weekend. obviously i’m a terrible example for a daily blog. but here i am! back on track (until full-on wedding season starts and i have a few more days like this). :)

and while i know this shot isn’t from today, i have to use it…

geoff “assisting” at the hair salon. :) *note: geoff does actually assist! just…not really at the salon. ;) this salon, wavelengths in durham, is SO COOL.

raleigh wedding photographer

why 365?

interview with abigail’s bake shop: raleigh wedding cakes

i love these interviews with wedding vendors! this week i was super excited to come across sarah bisher’s awesome website for her cake baking business, abigail’s bake shop (see contact info below)! sarah does amazing work in raleigh and the triangle for not only weddings but all types of cakes and cookies. her website makes me extremely hungry. :)

sarah happily agreed to a vendor interview! she also supplied me with the following photographs from her shop…yummm!

abigail's bake shop abigail's bake shop

*ps – how cute would it be to serve these at your wedding instead of cake?!

Sarah Bisher – Abigail’s Cake Shop

website – www.abigailsbakeshop.com
blog – www.abigailsbakeshop.blogspot.com
facebook – www.facebook.com/abigailsbakeshop
twitter – http://twitter.com/abigailbakeshop
flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/abigailsbakeshop/
1.) How did you get into the cake baking business?

I’ve always enjoyed baking and cake decorating as a hobby – it wasn’t until about 5 years ago when my husband had the idea to create a website showcasing some cakes I made.  Quickly after that, people starting contacting me after stumbling across the site and I began to take orders.  I never imagined it would get to where it’s at today!

2.) There are a lot of cake bakers in the area. What do you think sets you apart from them?

There are a lot of wonderful cake makers who do an amazing job in the Raleigh area.  I love looking at the cakes they make and I feel proud to be associated with them.  I think every cake decorator brings their own style to the table, mine being more colorful and whimsical.  We make it a point to keep our orders per week low so that we can give each cake the careful attention that it deserves.  We never want to become a ‘factory’ that just cranks out cakes.  We also bake everything from scratch using the best possible ingredients.

3.) When someone tells you that they’d like a wedding cake, where do you go from there?

I schedule a complimentary tasting/consultation.  It’s here that we take a concept and put it on paper to create their dream wedding cake.  We look through swatches, invitations, color schemes, pictures, and anything else that draws inspiration.  And the best part of all, we eat cake!

4.) Where do you draw your cake inspiration from?

I draw cake inspiration from everything!  My kids clothes, gift bags, greeting cards, even dish towels.  I can be walking through Target and something will catch my eye and I immediately think of what a pretty cake it would make.  I spend a lot of time online looking through pictures and at design websites.

5.) What’s your favorite flavor of cake that you offer?

This is a really tough question!  I created them because I love them all.  But with a gun to my head, I would say southern red velvet.  I make it with imported Belgian chocolate and the most delicious cream cheese frosting.  The most requested flavor is lemon berry, which is lemon cake with fresh raspberries baked right in.  We layer the cake with cream cheese frosting and more fresh berries.  It’s definitely a crowd pleaser.

6.) What was the most fun request for a cake that you’ve received?

I had a bride recently who requested a custom, gourmet dessert table in shades of grey and yellow.  I made french macarons, mini cupcakes, decorated sugar cookies, and a beautiful tiered cake right in the center of it all.  I kept thinking that if I could get married again, this is exactly what I would want.

7.) What was the most challenging cake that you’ve done?

I once made a cake for Kenny Chesney when he was playing here in Raleigh at the Alltel Pavilion.  I was so nervous!

8.) What would you recommend to a bride who is shopping around for a bakery to make her wedding cake?

Try to find a baker whose style matches your own.  Your wedding is a once in a lifetime event and you want to be sure that your cake maker understands exactly what your dream cake looks like and can make it a reality.

**thank you so much to sarah from abigail’s bake shop for participating in this interview! i hope her amazing cakes and fun style can help a bride in the area get her idea wedding cake! :)