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OUR WEDDING WEDNESDAYS SERIES CONTINUES...
About to embark on the (marriage) adventure of a lifetime? Congratulations from our family to yours! Planning a wedding can be stressful. At Vardy's Jewelers, we'd to help you beyond the rings and wedding jewelry. We meet a lot of brides and grooms on their way to the altar and are honored to be given an intimate view into such an important part of many people's lives. Along the way, we've been privileged to meet many talents in the wedding industry.
In this email series, we confer with local experts to bring together valuable advice in advance of your big day. Every other Wednesday this summer, we select a wedding-related topic and research it on your behalf. In this second of a 2-part issue, we share some of the most noteworthy Bay Area photographers we've encountered and a few of our favorite wedding photography trends.
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A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
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CALVINA PHOTOGRAPHY
There's a reason we employ Calvina as our primary branding photographer. If you follow us on Instagram, you've seen her stunning work with our models Sasha, Samantha and Sophia (be sure to join our ongoing jewelry love fest at @vardysjewelers). Calvina believes there is a story behind each and every face and she has dedicated her career to capturing the moments that make us unique. Not only is Calvina a wedding, family, and lifestyle photographer, she is also highly in demand as a commercial photographer for some of the fastest growing companies in the Bay Area. Find more of her work at www.calvinaphotography.com.
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JIHAN CERDA PHOTOGRAPHY
Our first glimpse of Jihan's marvelous work came via the engagement photos of one of our favorite Vardy's couples, Ida and Aaron. We were dazzled by their romantic engagement photos (see top photo above) and eagerly anticipated the wedding images. As expected, Jihan captured the intense love and joy emanating from this special couple. Find more of her work at www.jihancerda.com/
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ANNA HOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
We love Anna's elegant and artistic imagery. We queried her about the questions she's most often asked and have one of her best tips to share: If you see a captivating photo (or photos) in a photographer's work, ask what time of day and time of year they were taken (5pm in the summer is very different from 5pm in the winter and summer light tends to be much stronger than the rest of the year, for example). Often, it's the beautiful light in an image that makes it extraordinary. Giving your photographer 'optimal light windows' is essential (meaning that you and your spouse are not otherwise engaged when the light is best). Anna stresses that even 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted time will allow your photographer to capture some of the most beautiful images from your day. Find more of her work at www.annahoganphotography.com
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ALEX ZYUZIKOV / REDSPHERE STUDIOS
Alex is one of our more recent discoveries; we stumbled upon his incredible talent when testing out the search feature at Fearless Photographers. He is one of the most (Fearless) awarded photographers in the Bay Area and one look at his portfolio makes why abundantly clear. Alex is a master craftsman; his imagery ranges from bold and artistic to delicate and ethereal. Find more of his work at http://www.redspherestudios.com/
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WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY TRENDS WE LOVE
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FIRST LOOK PEEK-A-BOO
Surprise, honey! Your first peek at your soon-to-be-spouse in his/her wedding attire is probably one of your more anticipated moments, right? A good photographer will not only scout the best spot at the venue, he/she will shoot up to, during and after the moment in order to capture every nuance of your sure-to-be-charming first glimpse of each other.
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A CREW OF SMALL ATTENDANTS
Want to feel like Harry and Meghan or Kate and William? Make your wedding a bit more royal with a J. Crew- like bunch of small attendants. Having one or two young children navigate their way down the aisle can be daunting (for them), going as a group is a much more comfortable option. The braver ones will typically take shy members in hand and make sure they stay on course. In this case, employing a wedding photographer who puts children at ease is paramount. If you decide to include children in your wedding day, be sure to discuss a plan of action with your photographer.
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FABULOUS FOOTWEAR
While there are many wonderful directions a bride's dress style may go, the attire for grooms and groomsmen is fairly standard (and some might argue, rather plain). One way to dress up the male half of the wedding party in your wedding photography is through eye-catching accents like footwear...red cowboy boots, anyone?
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PROPS TAKING CENTER STAGE
How incredible is this shot by Alex Zyuzikov? We love how the lighted arrows surround the couple and direct your eyes toward the most important part of the composition. Inspired framing, Alex!
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A POP OF BOKEH
Are you familiar with the photography technique known as bokeh? Bokeh is the term given to the way a camera lens renders out-of-focus points of light. It's often overused in wedding photography; however, when used judiciously--to magnify champagne popping, for example--it is absolutely charming. Cheers to the Bride and Groom!
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A FACEBOOK GROUP FOR BRIDES+GROOMS!
Calling all brides and grooms...if you haven't yet done so, we invite you to join our private Facebook group, South Bay Brides & Grooms, to connect with other Bay Area couples for all things WEDDING! Our interest in Vardy's brides and grooms doesn't stop at the rings, we want to be part of this exciting time in your lives and help however we can (mainly by giving you a safe space to connect and chat with each other).
This is a private, moderated and closed group for brides and grooms (no vendors will be invited to participate — we don't want you to be spammed). Our aim is to help create a wedding-oriented community where you can share information with each other — venues, photographers, dressmakers, bakers, DJ's and more. From time to time, we'll add a few of our favorite Bay Area wedding professionals (based upon our personal and professional interactions with them).
If you're getting married and you've got advice you'd like to share with other couples, want to ask a question or simply want to connect with other happy couples, this is the place for you!
To join, log into Facebook and search for South Bay Brides & Grooms — request to join and we'll approve your membership right away.
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CELEBRATIONS: WEDDINGS & ENGAGEMENTS
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Got an engagement or wedding photo for Vardy's Wedding Wall and the Celebrations section of our client emails? Please send them our way! You and your beloved could be featured right here!
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@VARDYSJEWELERS ON INSTAGRAM
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