Photobook arrives – it’s like Christmas in July

The Book & Cover

Some Of My Favorite Pages

Pricing:

I’m a pretty budget savvy person so one of the first things that caught my attention was the price.  Lulu.com Photobooks start at $9.99 for a soft cover, 20 page book and $19.99 for a hard cover, 20 page book.  Very budget friendly!

Sizes and Templates:

I really like the range of options that Lulu offers for their ebooks. My particular book is an 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 square book. I am a huge fan of square albums (its the scrapbooker in me lol) and its generally a more expensive option when it is offered which isn’t often.  I really like that this size/shape was available for the same price.  Other sizes included 8 1/2 x 11, 9 x 7, 5.25 x 3.5 (guest book album?) and 3.75 x 2.5 (brag books for grandmas?).

Lulu.com also offers a great selection of templates that you can use depending on your preferred style: classic, modern, romantic, vintage, nature inspired, etc.   Now – I am a graphic designer and I had already designed the pages for my album so I choose full photo templates for each page and then uploaded my own designs as a photo for each page and for the cover. I love that flexibility – you can use one of their templates if you wish – or if you have some graphic design or digital scrapbook ability you can design your own pages like I did. Just make sure you respect the bleed areas.

Building a Photobook:

I found the Photobook creator very easy to use. You can upload pictures from your computer or from your albums on Flickr, Facebook, etc.  You then choose the layout you want to each page (one picture, two pictures, three pictures, text boxes, etc) and drag and drop your photos into their spaces.  You can save your progress and come back to it late if you need to until you are ready to publish.

Show off and/or sell your Photobook!

The neat thing about Lulu is that it’s both a self publishing company AND a bookstore. You can create your books there and sell them through the website. You set the prices you want to charge and when a book is purchased, Lulu prints and ships directly to the customer. This feature is great for photographers who want to offer their brides affordable, flexible album options. You create the album and set your price. The bride and her family can order as many copies as they wish whenever they wish.

There are a few different options you can pick when you publish. You can choose to keep the album private (so only you can order it). You can also choose to have your book available by link only. This means you can give the link to friends and family so they can preview and purchase a copy if they want. I choose this option – not because I want family to buy my book – but because then family and you guys can go see the preview (Click here to check it out lol). This option keeps your book from being included in their public database – which is the third option if you have a book you want made available to purchase for the general public.

Quality

I am quite happy with my photobook. I choose a hardcover book and it is quite sturdy. It’s only 20 pages thick so it kind of reminds me of a child’s hardcover picture book lol – nice and sturdy.  (Yes, you can add more pages as well).  I was impressed by the color quality as well – the pages were crisp and clear and the colors were bright. My photos came out looking gorgeous on each page.

GIVEAWAY – GET YOUR OWN PHOTOBOOK!!!!

So – we’re going to give away a photobook to one lucky reader! You can use it to create a wedding album or an album showcasing your wedding planning process (showers, parties, etc), your honeymoon, or whatever you wish. You will be able to choose your size, hard cover or soft cover and up to 20 pages at no cost. Giveaway Ends August 4th at midnight EST.

Here’s how to enter:

Sign up for our newsletter in the sidebar – all newsletter subscribers will automatically be entered to win!

You can also earn additional entries by Twittering our giveaway. Send your tweet @CrystalUnrau to ensure that your extra entries get counted!

Ashley and I will be going back and forth, debating over a series of topics that brides often argue about (Cash Bar anyone?).  You’ll be able to read my half of the conversation here, and her half on Bride On A Budget. Don’t worry – we’ll be including links back and forth in each post so you can track the conversation and join in with your own views and opinions on the different issues as well!

So – this week we’re going to start off with a topic that comes up often with budget conscious brides: Alcohol!  Alcohol is one of the many things that can carve a dent in your wedding budget. Controlling alcohol costs brings up topics like limited bars, cash bars and dry receptions.  So here is my question for you Ashley – how did you control the alcohol costs at your wedding and how do you feel about the concept of a cash bar or a dry reception?

Visit Bride On A Budget and add her to your feed reader so you don’t miss her answer later this week:) I’ll be back with my side of the conversation after Ashley has her say.

So I figured we’d ease back into this blogging thing with something simple and fun – a cool little internet game. Basically it’s Dress Up Dolls gone digital – with a wedding theme. It’s a fun way to waste a little time – and if you have a flower girl this might be a nice little surprise for her as well.

Here’s a screen shot – and you can play the game here.

Brandy will do some wicked amazing editing on the images we chose. The first one is my favorite and the second one is J’s favorite. Unfortunately neither one of us were thrilled with the other’s choice in favorites… but since J has already mastered the art of compromise. We got MY favorite in a wall portrait and HIS favorite in a 5×7! haha! We’ll probably go back and order his favorite in a wall portrait too, when funds aren’t so tight… because, hel-lo weddings are expensive!!

Without further ado, our engagement pics (All from Brandy at Something Beautiful)

I’m sure what I like about both artists is their impeccable photo editing. I mean, photography is a whole different ballgame than it was 10 years ago. I believe that if you learn to edit really well, that is what sets you apart from other wedding photographers. I adore that new “glowy” feel. It’s almost magical!

SOURCE **WARNING** You’ll spend a whole day going through this man’s site!!!

Check out Becker’s before and after shots. Genius!! He takes photos from good to AH-MAZING! See…

SOURCE

Jessica Claire shoots a lot of romantic Mid-Summer Nights Dreamish photos, of weddings with a lot more uniqueness and style than my “I know damask is overdone” wedding. I wouldn’t pick that level of vintagey goodness for my own nuptials, but there’s something about her images that I’m absolutely drawn to! It’s vintage done in a modern way that I love.

SOURCE **Hope you have another whole day to spend on her site!

When I first started planning my wedding, I knew I wanted “classic and timeless”, I know I am having elements of 2010 (such as the forementioned overdone damask), but my hope is that when my kids look at my wedding album, they find little to laugh at! Not that I would EVER laugh at the blue veils my mom made her bridesmaids wear…

SOURCE

Well, not really a Fairy Godmother… really an Aunt. A brilliantly talented Aunt who is serving as my pre-wedding skin care personal trainer. Here are a few of her tips for my normal skin, to get in prime wedding shape by May. Lucky you can find these tips here on Dream Weddings on a Budget… because I think she should package, market and sell her skin care brilliance for a hefty price!!

Here are her tips…

1. Get thee to Walmart, K Mart, or the like and buy a pack of the cheapest, thinnest, nastiest wash cloths you can find.

2. While you are there, pick up a new sheer foundation. Most places will let you return the item if you do not get a good color match. Ask before you buy. I like Cover Girl Smoothers.

SOURCE

Select a color that matches your own skin color just above the jaw line. If you have a break out – just dab a little concealer on the lovely little zit and tap it with your fingertip to blend. Wear your make-up a sheer as possible any place that you are not having a break out. People usually notice the nose, mid forehead, and cheeks. If those are blemish free, the eye assumes that the rest of the skin is clear. If one has heavier makeup in that area, it looks like you need to cover something – and you don’t. Trick the eye.

3. For over-the-counter products, Olay and Neutrogena are pretty good. Pick up a day moisturizer with SPF of at least 30 and wear it every single day. Don’t waste your money on department store brands. You are paying for packaging and ads.

4. For cleaning your skin. Remember that make-up remover and skin cleanser are two different things. Any day you wear make up, you will have to remove the make up before you clean your skin. In my opinion, oil based products work the best for make up removal. So…. Buy a jar of cheap old Ponds Cold Cream . At the end of the day, remove your make up by GENTLY massaging the product into your make up so that it “joins” then tissue it off. Do this as many times as needed – usually only twice is necessary- until not a trace of color shows up on the clean tissue.

5. When you are done removing the make up – take one of the cheap wash clothes and use warm water to remove any oily residue. Use a fresh cloth each day.

6. Do NOT use any kind of toner. Toners are a colossal rip-off. They say that they remove any left over make up. Hello! If the make up has been removed, there isn’t any left over. Also, only 5% of the cost of toner is for actual product. The rest is packaging and profit. Needless to say, most manufacturers train their people to sell toner.

7. Now, you can clean your skin. Yea. At last. Pick up any Skin Cleanser in the Olay or Neutrogena line for normal skin. Just follow direction. This will go very fast because you have already don most of the work.

8. Choose a night cream for normal skin and apply. The whole cleansing process should take less than 5-7 minutes.

9. Now for the big guns…….. After one week of the above routine, use the microderabrasion kit (Olay Regenerist) I sent you.

10. Let me know how your skin is responding as we go along.

11. In the morning – are you a morning shower person? – just rinse your face with water – do not let the shower beat on your face.

12. If you want to be really aggressive, while you are in the shower (or when you get out, I guess), use the exfoliator I sent you very, very, very gently. This will give your skin a beautiful surface for make up application. Most professionals will tell you to use the exfoliator once or twice a week but that is because people are too rough. I have been exfoliating almost daily for over 30 years and have never had any irritation. But you must be very light of hand! Note that the product I choose did not have any “natural “stuff like crushed apricot seeds etc. These “crushed” products have sharp edges and can cut the skin. Always choose a product that has “spheres” or “beads”.

A. Impulse buys as a result of finding a great deal on something I simply can’t live without or

B. Making a purchase that I’ve put lots of time and effort into by researching consumer reviews and trying to find the product for the lowest price possible.

Registering didn’t seem to fit in either category. Leaving me stumped. Do I really have time to research every slotted spoon I’m hoping to get as a gift? Come on, who has time to research? I did the next best thing. I recruited my Mom to help. She’s been a wife for almost 40 years, I knew she’d have the best insight on what I REALLY needed and what would likely end up in the basement.

First stop, Target. We sat Dad in the snack bar and J had to get a few groceries so Mom and I got started on our own. We scanned the heck out of that store! I would ask my mom what she thought about a certain item and every time her reply was “Scan it”. hehe! We found some lovely things at great prices. BUT we were treated like we were an inconvenience to the Target staff. I even had to ask them how to use the scan gun. I felt like saying “I’m telling 200 people to shop in your store, BE NICE TO ME”. Eventually J joined me and Mom joined Dad at the snack bar. J was a little half hearted about the small appliances and baking sheets so I asked him if he wanted to use the gun. Good thing I was pretty much done, because once I gave it to him, it was the point of no return! I practically had to pry it out of his hands! Haha! What did he scan? A $250.00 surround sound thingy. Boys.

Next stop, Bed Bath and Beyond. Mom and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond by ourselves and left the boys at home. I’m sure they watched sports. And probably scratched themselves! Haha! As shoddy as the service was at Target, the staff at Bed, Bath, and Beyond made us feel like royalty. Seriously. They knew what they were doing. They explained everything in detail. They offered us bottles of water. They told us that if we had any questions or needed any information on a product to just ask. Every time we saw an associate they asked if we needed any help. When I did have questions, they were knowledgeable about the products and offered great advice as to why one product was better than another. OH AND they kept the store open until 11pm. TWO extra hours just so we could finish. (yes, it took us FOUR hours to register! hehe!) Maybe the “Beyond” in their name has more to do with service than it does with vacuum cleaners. They really went out of their way and I will do WAY more shopping there from now on. Our consultant, Mike, even had our registry printed out and ready to go by the time we were done. He plopped it down on the table and mom and I lost it in a fit of giggles. It was EIGHTEEN pages long. We’d scanned pretty much everything in the whole stinkin store. EVERYTHING. I didn’t even think we NEEDED very much.

So the consensus. It wasn’t so bad. If you’re looking for places to register, forget the clichéness of it and get thee to Bed Bath and Beyond. (Especially the new on Manchester Road in Ballwin, MO… ask for Mike). I’m sure you’ll go to Target too, I don’t regret going there, but I do think they could use a lesson from Bed, Bath and Beyond when it comes to customer service… at least their return policy has improved. And by the way. If you’ve had a good experience at a Bed Bath and Beyond you can call 1-800-Go-Beyond and brag on your consultant… they’ll get some sort of bonus.

Scott is a dear friend. I worked as his assistant for a summer during college. He taught me more about photography than I could have ever learned in a classroom.

When J and I first got engaged Scott was one of my “must haves” when thinking about our wedding. I was thrilled when he said he’d photograph it. I’m extremely picky. In fact, whenever someone asks my mom who will be photographing our wedding she says “don’t you feel sorry for that guy”.

Well, apparently Scott found out that I’m rather hard to please because the phone call in the midst of my hectic week was to inform me that he could no longer photograph our wedding. Our wedding which takes place in FOUR months. Our wedding which has a UBER tight budget. OUR wedding, where a picky photographer and a picky videographer get MARRIED. I was devastated. Thankfully I was too busy with work to focus too much on the grandeur of this announcement at the time. But now it’s sinking in.

See, Scott was planning on photographing our wedding with his own private company. He also shoots for a big name portrait studio in St. Louis. Despite Scott asking specifically for that day off, the big name studio tyrant is forcing him to work. Scott has found another girl to photograph the wedding and has said that he will be able to shoot the ceremony. Unfortunately, I have to say, I feel like I’m totally getting the shaft. I guess I should be grateful that he’s found me a backup, but I’m hesitant since I’ve only seen a couple of her images, and that I don’t have a personal relationship with her, like I do with Scott.

So, I’ve been tooling around online looking for a new photographer. And guess what? They’re EXPENSIVE. The cheapest decent photographer I found charges TWICE as much as Scott for HALF the service. The more I think about the whole ordeal, the more I want to sit in a corner and cry.

I have my mom’s voice echoing in my head “everything happens for the best”. I’ll keep repeating that to myself and go with the replacement.

Meanwhile, here’s some of Scott’s work for you to feast your eyes on….

Scott

So, we bought ourselves a $149 honeymoon and high tailed it to the closest internet connection to find out if we got ourselves a good deal.

First place I checked was Trip Advisor. My “go-to” website whenever I take a trip. I love that the reviewers can post their own pictures, what a good way to get an idea about what the resort or hotel REALLY looks like. Sans Photoshop and airbrushed models. The reviews weren’t great. But I’ve found that most reviewers are hyper critical about things that wouldn’t bother me. The pictures were fine. Not the most gorgeous beach resort I’d ever seen but for the price we were willing to overlook that. Then we read that the beach resort wasn’t really on a beach, more of a rocky hill near the ocean, or a boat dock. That frustrated us. And then after a wee bit on Trip Advisor we discovered that flights out of Birmingham were really $400 rather than the $300 that we thought they might be. The reviews and expensive airfare meant two things.

#1. It wasn’t nice enough for the most spectacular and romantic trip of our lifetimes
#2. It was too expensive for a “hey, let’s go to Cancun” spur of the moment trip

Which meant the very next day we were back at Sam’s Club returning our honeymoon. Ya know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Oh well. On to bigger and better.

All pictures Traveler Photos on Trip Advisor

Wedding photography is important – it’s capturing those once in a lifetime memories you don’t want to miss – and you can’t do it over again.  So how do you ensure that you’re getting what you want no matter what you’re budget may be? Choosing your wedding photographer is a process that should include plenty of research. To help you out, here are the top 6  mistakes brides make when choosing a photographer:

1. Failing to do the research – In just about any urban area there are hundreds of wedding photographers. Don’t limit yourself to 2-3 or “the photographer your cousin used” just to save time. Take time to visit bridal shows and local photographers’ websites to view as many photography portfolios as you can find. Narrow down your list to only those who’s work interests you and then start calling to find out which photographers are available for your date. Book consultations with photographers who are available on your date.

2. Hiring a photographer based on price rather then past work. There are exceptions but 90% of the time what you see in your photographers portfolio is what you’ll get. Many brides make the mistake of hirer a photographer because he offered a cheaper price and promised he could produce pictures just like her favorite photographer does. If you don’t love your photographer’s past work – there is a good chance you won’t love your wedding photos no matter how much you paid.  Ask your photographer to see a complete portfolio or sample album from a recent wedding and  immediately remove any photographer’s from your list if you are not impressed by their portfolio.

3. Forgetting to ask for a contract. If you learn even one thing today let it be this: ALWAYS have a contract. For every vendor you use – musicians, florists, venue, etc – you need a contract. This contract should include your package details, prices, any additional fees that may be incurred, etc.  Having a contract helps to protect you from vendors who cancel at the last minute or fail to show up.

4. Not asking about emergency arrangements. What happens if your photographer is seriously ill on the day of your wedding? Who is their alternate? What does their work look like?

5. Not knowing the options. Many brides have regrets because they see friends with albums or other products from their wedding photos that their photographer did not offer. By taking the time to research a wide range of photographers, you will have a better idea of what your options are and what options are important to you.

6. Failing to negotiate! I am sure I am going to get hell from photographers for this one but yes, you should consider negotiation possibilities. Remember – your photographer’s time, skill and experience are worth money but each package will include different amounts of coverage, final products, etc. If you find a photographer you love, you may be able to negotiate price based on the type of package you want. For example: if your package includes more albums or prints then you need, ask if you can have those items removed for a savings.

Do you have other tips? Leave your tips and ideas in the comments section!