Is a wedding planner a good idea?

Well, that depends on the Wedding Planner. One of my favorites is Myrna Grossman with For All Occasions. I just talked with her and she told me that the average bride spends 12 hours a week working on their wedding. On average, it takes 250 hours to plan a wedding from start to finish. Most people don't have 250 spare hours... not to mention the experience and knowledge to do it right. Here's a shot of Myrna helping Susan prepare for her Pyebaek Ceremony.

When a wedding runs smoothly and on-time, no one notices why. It's my experience that most of the time it's because a professional wedding planner is in the wings taking care of all of the little unforeseen "hiccups" that tends to happen on the wedding day. Your guests notice when things don't go as planned, and again, that's usually when there is no professional planner taking care of things, or "Aunt Sally" (who means well) either can't or just isn't keeping up with the day's events.
Myrna Grossman of For All Occasions, Inc. was the wedding planner at this wedding, and all I can say is.... YES! What a difference she makes. I've worked with Myrna at many events so I know that when she's taking care of the bride, everything will run smoothly. Myrna has a blog with lots of interesting and helpful tips... check it out.

Wedding Tip #18: Hire a professional planner !

Jones Photography has won an award!!

I am so excited! For the 4th year in a row Jones Photography has won the WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award™. Thanks to all of my clients who supported me last year and were elated with the services received by me!

This means we are in the top 5% of Wedding Pros nationwide! The WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined solely by the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds.

Mary and Brian in the City....

"We received the wedding album and it's outstanding. The layout of the photos is terrific and we liked how some important photos, i.e., the ceremony, the bridal party on the monkey bars, etc. you prepared large images. We especially loved how you used the Mackintosh tartan as a background for the two pages with the family reception pictures just having fun. Furthermore, you exceeded expectations by adding a couple of images that were beautiful photos that we did not select. You're an artist and we truly appreciate it. We had a difficult time selecting the pictures because you're such a fine photographer.

Thanks for the great feedback. It was my pleasure!
I photographed Mary and Brian at Fairfax United Methodist Church in Fairfax City. This is one of the friendliest churches I've ever been to.

One of the things I love about this church is the abundance of natural light. This shot below of Mary was taken in a hallway with lots of windows.

And here's Brian in the guy's holding room.

The service was performed by Rev. Snow.

Flowers were provided by Rick of Rick's Flowers. I've worked with Rick for many years and I highly recommend him.

All weddings have a few bumps along the way. Without a wedding planner, your guests will notice the bumps. With a wedding planner, most likely your guests won't notice the bumps as they will be taken care of behind the scenes by the planner. Myrna, a Certified Wedding Specialist, of For All Occasions was on hand to smooth out those bumps. I highly recommend For All Occasions to both save you money and make sure you get to enjoy your big day. Yes.... if you choose a wedding planner early enough in the process, you can save money (if you have chosen the right planner).
Brian's ancestry is Scottish. Thus the plaid accessories.

Mary and Brian met at Radford University.

Brian and Mary's reception was held at the brand new Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center, located in Fairfax City. Their brochure says "A venue with Elegance & Style" and I agree with that statement. It was very nice and I will recommend this venue in the future.

The dance floor was large and inviting. Everyone had a great time.

Did I mention that the venue is right next door to Van Dyck Park. How convenient!

Congratulations Mary and Brian!!

Happy New Year!

The start of a new year! 2012 is shaping up to be a very busy year. Many of the popular wedding dates are booking up fast. Most of my business now comes from referrals. I feel honored to have gained the trust of so many of my previous clients. It's not something I take lightly. In 2011 I consistently saw referrals coming to me from past clients. I even booked a client who was referred to me from someone who was not a past client but simply because that person had heard about me from someone else. So "thank you" to whoever has been passing my name around! I don't know who you are, but I appreciate the kind words you have been saying about me to people you meet!

Some of my clients have been kind enough to write testimonials for me. Here's one from Caroline and Kurt:

"Not only did Ron blend in effortlessly with our guests, he took stunning photos when we were not aware that he was even around. Many people have asked if he posed us for our pictures. Other than the formal pictures and the close-ups of our hands and rings, all of our pictures were taken naturally without posing. He simply captured some beautiful moments all throughout the day.

Our wedding happened to be on the one day last January when it snowed about 7 inches, creating a gorgeous landscape of snow-covered fields. Ron captured it all on film, even when a huge glob of snow fell off the roof right onto my head as I was walking out after the ceremony !!

Our album is breathtakingly beautiful and something Kurt and I will treasure all our lives. As promised, Ron sent me all the images on DVD, and posted our pictures on his website (with a protected password) so our guests could enjoy the photos and even order their favorite shots.

I would recommend Ron and his studio to any bride-to-be. His prices are reasonable and worth every penny. In addition, he was very prompt, professional, courteous, and delivered everything promised including gorgeous photos of a very special day. What more could an anxious bride want for her special wedding? "

And here they are enjoying the horse and buggy ride to the reception.

Nik and Christina's Wedding Day....

This week I photographed Christina & Nik's wedding. Christina wore a Casablanca Couture dress that was stunning.

Flowers were provided by Rick's Flowers. Rick always does a beautiful job with the flowers.

That final look between a father and her daughter is so very touching...

Christina and Nik met at Radford University.

Belmont Country Club was at it's finest on this chilly December day.

Kirk Rubley of Kirkabee Deejays made sure everyone was having a blast on the dance floor!

Congratulations to Nik and Christina!!

Grandchildren at your wedding?

St. Bernadette's Parish in Springfield was the site of Jin and Mike's ceremony. They saw me in action about a year earlier at another wedding when they stopped me and asked me for my card. It was a beautiful sunny day.

This turned out to be one of their favorite pictures from the day. It's not often that your granddaughter gets to be a big part of your wedding day.

Jin and Mike met at an event by "Events and Adventures". They plan and host events and adventures (thus the name) just for singles. 1 in 5 relationships now begin with an on line dating site, but this company adds a unique and fun twist to that.

The flowers girls were just too cute.

World famous singer Mark Forrest provided the vocals for the ceremony. I've heard him sing before and actually own a few of his CD's. Mark Forrest is an International Irish Tenor. He has captivated audiences from the White House and Carnegie Hall to Cathedrals and Stages Worldwide.

After the ceremony, we headed over to Washington Golf and Country Club for the reception.

Jin and Mike were so much fun to work with.

Golfing is a big part of Jin's life, so she really wanted a shot of her putting in her wedding dress.

We were able to get lots of great shots in front of and around this great venue.

After about 15 minutes outside, we went inside to be introduced.

Mike and Jin's first dance...

Brought everyone to their feet!

Ed Witles, The Elegant DJ, provided the music for evening. I've worked with Ed a number of times and I highly recommend him!!
Here's a shot of Jin's granddaughter singing a song to Jin and Mike.

Mike's mom passed away about a year ago. Mike and Jin wanted to remember her by placing her bouquet of flowers at her headstone. I thought this was a unique and loving way to include her in their special day.

Congratulations Jin and Mike!