Hi Kelly and Kelly Oshiro fans!

Thank you for the opportunity to guest blog!  My name is Katie Moos and am going to chat with you about what you can do to make the most of your wedding day from a photographer’s perspective.

Here’s a list of tips along with some images for you to enjoy…

1.  I suggest you allow an extra hour for hair and make up then needed.  Example the stylists need 3 hours, allow 4.  REASON:  Buffer in case the hair and make up take a little longer which it often times can as you want to be sure it looks absolutely fantastic!! Worst case scenario your hair and make up run over and you allowed time for it so you are totally relaxed or your hair and makeup is done when expected and now you have extra time to relax before putting your dress on…maybe even eat a little something! You want to start the day off calm…not rushed.

2. Consider what time of day your wedding will be at.  To do that start with sunset and work back (if at all possible).  Example:  Sunset is at 7:30pm, so that’s when it’s going to be pretty dark…so cocktails outside enjoying the sunset from 6:00-7:00.  This is also when you get nice warm sunset light for the photos of you with your husband (or wife).  So the ceremony (if it takes between 20-30 minutes) would start at 5:30.  By doing this you are allowing the best light for your ceremony, photos and cocktail hour.

3. Consider where you are getting married.  Let’s say you decide to get married on the sandy beaches of Santa Barbara…at 5:30.  You may have sun directly in your eyes or your quests eyes…what to do?  A canopy with sheer white fabric will diffuse the light on your faces (making you look great) and reduce the squinting.  As for the guests consider a paper parasol for them…creates great light (for cheap) not to mention a great little favor or prop to use in photos. If you are getting married out at a vineyard often there is a wonderful tree for shade…shade is your friend…. it will keep people cool and provides soft even light for photos.

4. If you want to hang with you friends at the cocktail hour and are worried about spending all of the time taking family photos consider either cutting back your list or simply extending your cocktail hour to an hour and twenty minutes.  You will have all the photos on your list and spend some time at the cocktail hour!

5. Determining how much time to allow for photos…here’s what I suggest…allow 2 minutes per group photo + 10 minutes for the wedding party + 20 minutes for the bride and groom shots.  For example, your list has 10 groups on it…10×2= 20 minutes + 10 for the wedding party= 30 minutes + 20 minutes for the bride and groom= 50 minutes all together.  This is realistic.

This week I will be featuring a series of wedding photographers giving us their thoughts on different aspects of wedding photography. Amongst them, they have had their work featured in magazines such as Martha Stewart, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Your Wedding Day, Inside Weddings, In Style, and Town and Country,  just to name a few. I hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look with these talented wedding photographers!

[photo by Elizabeth Messina]

I found these chic mini ottomans over at Absolutely Beautiful Things. I think they we work great either as a box for envelopes on the present table or you could leave out 5″ x 5″ cards for guests to write their best wishes for the couple.They come in three colors, tidepool, poppy, and moss.

These would be particularly cute at a Morrocan-ish wedding, don’t you think?

I was flipping through the latest Domino magazine and saw an ad for My Deco File. I went online to check it out and I’m pretty sure this little puppy is going to change everything.

Basically its a place online to collect your favorite images, put them into books and share with friends. But that’s not the best part, you can save any image on the web and the ease with which you can do it is freaking awesome.

Basically, you just add a bookmark to your browser and any time you like an image click on your bookmark.

A square will pop up which follows your cursor. Click on the image you want to save and then you will automatically be taken to your decor file.

Save and file the image however you wish (it also remembers where you got the image, handy if you plan on making inspiration boards and crediting your source).

Then click “I’m done” and it takes you back to where ever you were on the web. So simple, so easy, and I think I have a new hobby and business tool.

So this post is only sort of related to weddings, but I just couldn’t resist. I’m a big J.Crew fan (love the shoes, dresses, purses, did I mention, shoes?) and now they are branching out to our furry friends with their collection called Crewmutts. Since so many couples chose to incorporate their dog into their wedding, I’m thinking your puppy needs to look cute right?

How cute would a pearl collar paired with this blue cable sweater be for a fall wedding?

Or maybe an Irish wedding with the men in kilts?

Rainy day in Oregon? Fogetta-bout-it. This little rain slicker could even be modified and used to hold the wedding rings so your dog could be the ring bearer. Like I said, too freaking cute!

Holland Ranch is a stunning location which has a unique blend of a rustic ranch and a 1950′s diner. The ceremony area features spectacular mountain views and the area for the reception is a barn with cool neon signs and even a pool table.

For weddings larger than a 100 guests, the barn doors open onto a large black top area and could accommodate up to 400 guests. [image below by Cameron Ingalls]

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I’m a big fan of little detail shots from weddings (can you tell?) and I particularly love creative ring shots.

This shot from Cameron Ingalls is so indie and cool.

From Jose Villa, I love the ring’s reflection on the blue surface.

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Today’s photo comes for the super talented, Elizabeth Messina. I’m love the vibrant red socks and the feather detail on the pumps.

One of my readers, Lisa, emailed me about Glam For Less. The site has awesome jewelry from necklaces to hair clips and even tiaras. The best part– the pricing is extremely reasonable and they have a sale going on right now.

I love this o-necklace. It was regularly priced at $99, but it’s on sale for $20!

I also love this sparkly head band. With the right do, it could be so pretty and romantic. This was $300, now only $80. Gotta love a good sale, thanks Lisa for the heads up!