Congratulations Maya & Andy!  From the PAA, to the Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Chapel, Phipps, and back we sure made the most of Pittsburgh’s crazy weather.  A magic summer wedding in January!   Thanks so much to you and your families for making us a part of your amazing day.  Thanks for being so much fun too!!  All of our best to you and yours.

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Photography by Ovation Images, Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers

Have clear goals for your wedding day schedule–and then time things accordingly. Do you want more time for fun with your bridal party? A special photography location? More time alone with Mr. Right? At Ovation Images, we can’t tell you how to plan your day. But we can tell you four common time traps you can avoid!

2. Don’t Allocate Too Much Time For Family Reunion Pictures. Mom wants all the uncles on this side, then that side, then all the nephews and nieces, then…..and YOU have to be in every picture. This is called the “how to miss your own wedding” trap. If Mom has a big family reunion photography agenda, get one of the new breed of “Open Air Photo Booth” where a live photographer takes the pictures and any size group can be accommodated (as offered by Ovation images). Have the DJ tell everyone to be sure and get their picture taken at the Photo Booth. Mission accomplished with no time lost. And everyone will have big fun with it!

3. Don’t Shortchange Your Limo Time. You have smartly allocated extra time for photography at the park or the pillars or your favorite spot in between your wedding and reception. But when that time comes, your limo driver says “well, if we do that, we’re going to run over time and I will have to charge you $175.” Don’t lose your precious photography for want of a ride. Make sure you have enough limo time reserved to accommodate your favorite location photography between your wedding and reception.

4. Don’t Schedule Reception Events Too Late: Don’t put off the dances, garter and bouquet, bridal dance, anniversary dance and any special reception events until late in the evening. People will start to lose focus and leave. At Ovation Images, our recommended reception schedule is: Grand Entrance, cake cutting, first dance (interchangeable), followed by toasts, blessing and dinner. After dinner, do your parent dances, anniversary dance and any events involving the old folks (grandparents dance, memorial dance, etc.).  Now have an open dance floor for 40 minutes. After that, do all your remaining events: garter/bouquet, bridal dance, and so on. Finally, now let your DJ or band open the dance floor for the night. Par-tee!! This is a schedule that ALWAYS works for all your guests–young and old.

Andy & Maya,  January 12, 2013

Ceremony held at:  Heinz Chapel
Reception held at: Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Caterered by: Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Flowers by: Blooming Dahlia Florist
Cake by :  Bonnie Joyce
Bride’s Dress by: Bridal Beginnings 
Bride’s Hair & Make Up by: EnV Hair Studios

There is nothing more beautiful than a huge smile, and this sure was the case at Maya and Andy’s wedding! These two were all smiles all day long, and you could just tell they are so in love. They had a beautiful ceremony at Heinz Chapel followed by a fun, unique reception at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. They had a bunch of fun surprises at their wedding including a choreographed dance, acoustic serenade by the groom’s brother, and the shoe game! Thank you both so very much for allowing us to capture your perfect wedding day! Wishing you all of the love in the world!

One of the many exciting things you can do with your gorgeous Ovation Images engagement photography is create delightful and memorable save-the-date cards. Engagement Photography at your choice of location is included with every Ovation Images wedding photography package specifically because the pictures are so useful–and fun! Here’s what you need to know about save-the-dates:

• When do I send out save the date cards? Five months before your wedding date is about right for people that need to make travel plans–especially if your wedding is on a holiday weekend.
• What if I don’t have my guest list ready five months ahead of time? This is a problem because you could end up sending save-the-dates out to people who later can’t be invited because you have maxed out your space. So you pretty much have to have your guest list done in order to send out your save-the-dates.
• Is there a formal structure for save-the-date cards? No. The formal structure comes in when you send your invitations. Have fun with your save-the-dates! Send them something they will want to keep up even after your wedding!
• Do I want cards or magnets? Cards are less expensive but magnets have become popular. Check the price difference before deciding.
• Can I use my engagement photos on my cards or magnets? If they are Ovation Images photos, the answer is yes–regardless of whether we supply the cards or magnets or you get them elsewhere. With other photographers the answer may not be so clear–check with them.
• How do I design my cards? You can pay a designer or do them yourself online on any number of web sites. With Ovation Images, you have the option of using our designer to custom-design your cards or magnets at no charge, provided that you purchase the cards or magnets from us. Ovation Images custom-designed save-the-date cards and magnets are designed to your exact specifications. You work directly with our designer to get the card you want–even coordinated with your wedding colors if desired! The only limitation is that you must buy the cards and magnets from Ovation Images if we design them.

Here are two examples of Ovation Images custom-design save-the-dates:

Sometimes the little things make a big difference. Here are some little ideas we have seen at Ovation Images that made big positive impact for our brides.

1. Massage: If your hair stylist and makeup artist are coming to you instead of you going to them, hire a massage therapist to be there for you and your girls. It will create a spa-like atmosphere–comfortable and fun. And it will give everyone something to do while they are waiting for the other girls to get done.

2. Relax Your Schedule: Plan the itinerary for the whole day…and then insert ADDITIONAL time above and beyond what you have planned, as follows: 30 minutes before the ceremony, 60 minutes between the ceremony and reception, and 20 minutes to “duck out” during the reception. Leave those time slots open. Let the fun and happiness of the day spontaneously fill that extra time. That is your special time for each other or for whatever you want or need to do that may come up unanticipated.

3. Cappuccino and Craft Beer: A cappuccino bar and craft beers in bottles are delightful, fun additions to any wedding reception. It is just these kinds of touches that send people home all warm and happy from a great day with friends and family!

4. Friends With Talent: Dad sings? Brother is a singer/songwriter? One of your bridesmaids writes poetry? Invite them all to be included in the pageant of your day! That personal involvement will make your day extra-special–for them and for you!

Thinking through the little stuff will take your wedding day to the next level!

Ben and Danielle are a cute couple with such creative ideas! We had a great time shooting a fall engagement shoot with them, and they came with great ideas for their save the dates. We loved the Penn State one, but the one with their dog was by far our favorite- we are suckers for a furry face! We can’t wait to spend their wedding day with them on August 31,2013. Congrats you two!

Mary and Eric are an adorable couple and you can’t help but smile when you are around them! They are so in love and it just shine’s through in their engagement photos! We had a lot of fun shooting their engagement session in Pittsburgh’s North Shore and cannot wait to photograph them again at their wedding on June 6, 2013. Congrats you two!!!

You definitely DO want two photographers for your wedding. That way one can focus on you while the other one can capture all the things around you that might otherwise go unappreciated–saving those moments for you to enjoy later.

There are dozens of examples of why you want two photographers. Let’s look at your Grand Entrance. One photographer will have to be locked on your and your bridal party coming into the room. But a second photographer will capture your parents cheering wildly, your bridal party sharing the joy, your Aunts hugging and crying–and all the wedding reception mayhem that goes by in one brilliant, white-light flash. If you want well-done, candid story-telling of your day, then you want two photographers.

Two photographers also provide built-in backup for one another. In the case of Ovation Images, we believe that TWO is the magic number for your wedding. So the two of us, both full time wedding professionals, travel in separate cars, each carrying a full set of backup equipment, both fully insured, and both exceptionally well-trained and experienced. We work together hand-in-glove. But in an emergency, either one can act alone to ensure that you have everything you want from your big day. This is what “two photographers” means to us.

Be sure your wedding photography passes the Two Photographer Test. “One photographer and an assistant” will not get the same results as two trained pros. Two photographers traveling in the same car is a risk–what happens if the car breaks down on the way to your wedding? And finally, are both photographers insured? Most insurance policies do not cover anything when only one photographer has insurance. Be sure to ask your wedding photographer what “two photographers” means to them.

Your wedding hair stylist has a dirty little scheduling secret. She told you to come in at 8:30 AM so she could focus on you and your girls and you could bring some snacks and drinks and make an event out of it! Wow! What fun! Well, not exactly.  This is what she really meant to say “I want you to come in at 8:30 AM because that won’t interfere with my prime time schedule from 11-2. My goal is to get you into an early time slot that none of my other clients want and that way your wedding won’t conflict with my regular schedule.” So what happens? You get your hair done at 9:30AM for your 4PM wedding. It starts to fall out before anyone even sees you! And you have to walk around on tippy-toes all day to take care of your hair. By the time your DJ gets the dance floor jumping at at 10PM, your hair has been in for over 12 hours–and looks like it!  Well, that’s a worse case scenario for sure.  But don’t be fooled.  Be sure to set the time that best suits you and let your hair stylist plan around that. For a 4PM wedding, noon is the right time to get your hair done. For a 2PM wedding, 10AM is about right–later if you can swing it. It will still be a fun event with your girls. Only now it will be on your schedule instead of someone else’s.

Jeremy and Bethany are a cute couple with a great sense of style. We took their engagement photos in the park surrounding Phipps Conservatory and  the river walk on the North Shore. These two looked amazing for their engagement shoot and made our job easy! We can’t wait to shoot their wedding on March 23, 3013! Congrats you two!!

Planning your wedding? As you know by now, the devil lurks in the details. Your wedding florist may need some guidance to avoid flowering foolishness. Here are four problems that we want to help you avoid. At Ovation Images, we have unfortunately seen all of these issues dozens of times.

1. Delivery: “All flowers go to the church” does not work if you want pictures with your girls before your ceremony. In that case, you will need the girls bouquets and yours with you wherever you are getting ready. Insist on it.

2. Arrangement Choices: A florist that specializes in weddings and events will have a MUCH larger selection of arrangements and options than a regular neighborhood florist. Talk with your local specialist and you will immediately notice the difference.

3. Boutineer Whoops: Who pins on the boutineers? If your florist won’t be there, make sure they train someone in advance to correctly pin on the boutineers SO THAT THEY STAY PUT. Thee is nothing worse than stepping onto the dance floor with your new husband and realizing that he is dancing with you with his boutineer hanging upside down!

4. No Head Table Vases. Flowers have to lay down on the head table, not stand tall. Anything standing tall in front of you will interfere with your guests seeing your reactions to your toasts, seeing you kissing when they tap their glasses, and those tall vases will ruin all your pictures at the head table. You do not want any floral vases at your head table.

Were you naughty or nice this year? Either way, if you got engaged this holiday season, Ovation Images has a gift for you- Pittsburgh’s Best Wedding Photography! Many couples will be engaged over the holiday season, but only a few will be lucky enough to get the Best Wedding Photography in Pittsburgh, so be sure to contact us soon as bookings are filling up fast!