Category: Fab Fridays

Fab Fridays | “The Somethings” | Wedding Traditions

So I was sitting the limo with one of my fabulous brides and her fabulous sisters/brides maids a few weeks ago on the way to her ceremony. We started chatting about the “somethings” traditions, and I realized I had no clue what they meant! So of course I had to figure it out ASAP and share my findings with you!

This tradition comes from an Old English rhyme: Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A sixpence in your Shoe.

The four objects that the bride adds to her wedding outfit or carries with her on the big day are just good luck charms…

Something old represents continuity and can be anything from your fathers old watch, to a piece of your mothers wedding dress, to your grandmothers pearls…

Something new offers optimism for the future and this one is easy because almost everything you wear on your wedding day is new!

Something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness and can be your best friends bracelet, your mothers pearls (that she isn’t ready to give you yet), a beautiful brioche for your hair…

Something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity and your blue can be your shoes, flowers in your bouquet, your panties and so on!

and Sixpence in your shoe is a wish for good fortune and prosperity (although this remains largely a British custom).

In my years as a wedding photographer, I must say that the “sixpence in your shoe” is much less common than the other traditions, but what I love is the different ways in which brides chose to implement these traditions. Underwear, garter, “I Do” on the bottom of their shoe, jewelry, fabric, hair pieces, veil…you name it.

The fact remains that it’s just a tradition (a fun but not necessary one). I’m constantly telling my couples that there isn’t a rule book for your wedding to follow or not follow; it’s YOUR wedding! So if traditions make you happy then do them… and if you think they’re silly, then by all means don’t. Just remember that at the end of the day, your wedding is about one thing….the love you share with the person you’re marrying. When you focus on that, then I believe that everything else falls into place and works its self out.
Xo,
CJP

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Tags:advice blog, something blue, something borrowed, something new, something old, tips, wedding blog, wedding traditions

Fab Fridays

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Fab Fridays | How to take Awesome Family Portraits

With the holidays basically at our door step I figured now was as good a time as any to share some fun tips I’ve learned over the years to help you get the most bang for your buck with your next family portrait. The way I see it, is if you’re going to take the time and spend the money to have a professional photographer do your family portraits (SEARS doesn’t count! J/K…kinda) then make sure you do your homework before hand so that you love your images for years to come!

I used my good friends the Smiths as examples for a lot of the tips because they do a great job brainstorming, being creative and color coordinating (not matching…very different). These days there are so many resources out there to help you come up with fun, silly, adorable memories so use them.

Your clothes represent your style and personality so make sure that comes into play when your choosing you and your families outfits. I don’t recommend “matching” as much as I encourage coordinating (see the image above). But like I said this is all a personal preference and my goal is to help you create your personal memories…so do what feels right to you!

Wear your favorite color! You want to look like yourself in your photos so let your personality shine through! Slightly darker shades will ensure that the focus is on your face, not on the bright shades in the photos. But be careful of large or bold patterns, they can be distracting, as can text on shirts.

Wear something that flatters the part of your body you love the most. If body conscious, try wearing shirts with sleeves instead of tank tops and tube tops. Avoid clothes that are too tight, show panty lines, etc.

Girls, accentuating your waist with an accent belt or A-line shirt/dress can be very flattering.

You want your pictures to appear timeless, so try not to be too trendy.

Layers can be flattering on both girls and guys.

Wear something you are OK with getting dirty (you never know!)

Makeup looks best when natural, especially when it comes to foundation and bronzer. It’s best to accentuate your eyes and lips with some great eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.

Avoid clothes that look too casual, fraying, tears, etc.

There are so many fun ideas out there but you can’t depend on your photographer to know what they all are so do your research. You may have heard of this new website called Pinterest? It’s amazing for helping you brainstorm ideas (it can also get overwhelming so be careful not to over do it!).

Ask your friends for fun ideas (we all have that really creative friend…this is a great time to use them!)

I always encourage parents to let their kids bring the thing they are really into that year because it’s all part of making great memories. It doesn’t have to be in every picture either, just a few. Plus it can help be used as great bribery!

I had a stuffed bunny when I was kid and I LOVED her but alas I lost her, and I would love to have a picture of it somewhere. So whether is a bunny, a truck, a crown or guitar bring it, so you can pull out the picture when your kids bring home their first boyfriend or girlfriend and really embarrass them!

Bring fun props with you, if you’d like. Anything that represents you! I’m always up for any ideas you have to make your session unique!

Props and costumes can be a fun way to break the ice and help get everyone out of the awkward stage of stale smiles and personally I think that fun/funny pictures make the best memories anyways!

Remember this! Maybe you don’t need to family pictures every year once your kids are in their teens and early twenties, but I totally recommend doing it every couple years…it’s memories people…this is your life flashing before your eyes so make sure that when you’re old a grey you have something to look back at to help you remember how good your life was!

I hope this has been helpful and I really, really, really look forward to helping you make some amazing memories with your family this year…it’s never too late to start!

xo,

CJP

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Tags:advice blog, family photographer, family portraits, tips

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Fab Fridays | 4 Money-Saving Insurance Tips for Couples | ET w/ Farmers

So you’ve survived the planning…had a fabulous wedding with all the people you love and now you’re ready to start a new chapter in your life with the person you’ve just promised to love forever… but now what? You’ve signed a piece of paper that makes you marriage official in the eyes of the law, but what does that mean and what do you have to do beyond opening a joint checking account and changing your last name at the Social Security office? Well today we’re going to talk about insurance and some amazing ways to save money as a married couple because who doesn’t want to save money?

Guest Feature
Elbert Taylor with Farmer’s Insurance

When you first get married, there are so many exciting new experiences to look forward to as a couple. Insurance likely is not on that list. Couples, however, are often able to access better rates and better coverage than either spouse would have individually. Some of the benefits of combining insurance policies include discounts for having multiple policies with the same company and getting the same coverage for less. Here are the most common types of insurance and some of the marital benefits.

1. Car Insurance
You might not think that a 25-year-old single man is any different than when he gets married the next day. In the eyes of insurance underwriters, however, he is a completely new man and a much lower insurance risk once he says “I do.” Married men attract much lower car insurance rates than their single counterparts. Statistically, they get into fewer accidents. When you get married, one of the first telephone calls should be to the insurance agent to obtain a new quote.

If both spouses have vehicles and have insurance policies with different companies, bring them both to one company. Many insurers offer discounts for multiple-car families. Be sure to ask for several quotes, both from your existing insurers and from their competition to get the best price.

2. Life Insurance
Life insurance premiums are also based in part on marital status so renewals may be less expensive after marriage. Your combined income replacement needs may also change. For example, if you each owned a home with a mortgage while you were single, after marriage you may choose to sell one of the houses and pay off that mortgage. That leaves you with less overall debt to pay off if one of you dies. If either of you came into the marriage with minor children, your life insurance needs may also decline as the spouse’s income will help contribute to the financial needs of the kids. When you get married, it is important to sit down with your insurance agent and review both of your policies together. Don’t forget to think about plans with savings benefit for the little ones.

3. Health Insurance
If you and your new spouse both have group health insurance plans at your places of employment, they are likely to be very different in their coverage and their premiums. It is often less expensive to add a spouse to a group health plan than to maintain separate plans. Compare both plans and choose the one that most closely matches your needs. If either you or your spouse is self-employed and the other works for an employer, covering the self-employed spouse under the group plan will usually be less expensive than maintaining an individual plan

4. House Insurance
House insurance consists of both insurance on the structure itself (if you own the home) and insurance on the contents – all of your “stuff.” Contents insurance is needed whether you own or rent. The first way that you and your spouse may save money on house insurance is if you go from two homes down to one. One entire policy goes away. The second reason why it may be less expensive is because it is cheaper to cover your combined contents than it was under separate policies. Let’s say that you have about $200,000 in furniture, clothes, kitchen equipment and everything else that is in your home. The contents portion of your insurance policy may be $300 per year. Your spouse may have $50,000 in contents and is paying $75 per year. Combining the $250,000 in contents into one policy may only cost $325, saving you $50 per year.

The Bottom Line
It may not be the best part of getting married, but saving money on insurance is one of the best financial benefits of matrimony.

Elbert Taylor
Farmers Insurance
386 29th St
San Francisco, CA 94131-2305
License Number: 0E09797
415-285-4800 (Office)
415-285-4801 (Fax)
etaylor1@farmersagent.com
http://www.farmersagent.com/etaylor1

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Tags:advice blog, insurance tips, tips, wedding blog, wedding photographer

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Fab Friday | This Is Your Life!!!

My Aunt always says: “This isn’t a dress rehearsal honey, it’s your life” and she’s right. I think it’s easy for us to forget to enjoy each moment, embrace every day, and appreciate all the amazing things that life has to offer. Yeah shit get’s hard sometimes, really hard in fact, but if we never know hardship then how could we ever appreciate the good? So I challenge you to LIVE your life. To choose to embrace it…to stop talking about the things you aren’t doing and to start doing the things you WANT to be doing. The possibilities are endless.

Changing your whole life for the better can seem a bit daunting, so together we’ll take baby steps. Together let’s take a deep breathe…take a moment to reflect and decide to do at least one thing over the next seven days that will make us truly happy, or something that will make someone else happy and lets see how good it feels when we consciously decide to love the life we’re living!