The Williamsburg Wedding Blog

Blogger's Day of Silence - For Japan, With Love

I'll be observing a Blogger's Day of Silence on Friday in support of Japan during this terrible crisis. You can read about my personal experiences with Sendai and the Japanese people, as well as the day of silence on the Weddlady blog: http://www.weddlady.com/2011/03/bloggers-day-of-silence-for-japan-with-love.html.

Shayna Walker, Williamsburg Wedding Design

Wedding Planner Secrets for Choosing the RIGHT Photographer

Photographers and wedding planners have something huge in common – both work in an oversaturated industry (especially in Williamsburg and the surrounding areas). Even if you were able to clearly eliminate the “obviously bad” ones in either category (and with all of the smoke and mirrors, I dare you to try), there are a lot of decent to great ones leaving you a ton of choices.

Know that in both categories, a fancy website can be an indication of great quality, or could be hiding something like: “I woke up yesterday, decided to become a planner or photographer and my boyfriend/college roommate/superhero pet rabbit is really good at web design”.

I’ve worked with tons of local (and non-local) photographers over the years. There are plenty of guides in magazines (some good, some sketchy) to tell you what to look for in contracts, packages, pricing and more. But here is my list of trade “secrets” to help you further narrow the field and find a photographer who is truly going to help make your big day feel magical:

Is he a team player? Great photographers know that their role is as part of a team. You might laugh at this, but if I had a dime for every diva with a camera who ended up causing tears because they didn’t understand the delicate balance between capturing a beautiful moment and creating an excruciating one, I could retire today. 

A professional photographer works WITH the professionals around him not against them. You’ll understand the importance when your wilted salads are served to your angry dining room full of guests because your photographer just needed one more shot at the expense of another hour of shooting.

A great photographer communicates with the couple and the planner or other pros, in advance, so that plenty of time is scheduled at the necessary moments to get the great shots – and respectfully adheres to the schedule to the extent humanly possible.

A great photographer doesn’t dismiss critical guest comfort unless you (the bride and groom) specifically order him to.

Does he understand what you love about him? Maybe you think you’ve selected a photographer for one reason, but he has a different understanding. To be fair and ensure success you need to communicate this clearly.

Tell your pro if you chose him because you love his candid shots.

Explain that you’ve never seen more exciting looking formals and that’s what you’d like to see in your albums.

 Be honest if you just liked his price (not a reason for hiring, by the way) because he might think you’re all about the “guests eating at table” shots (ick!), and you should probably give him (a lot) more guidance.

Pay a ton of money for or invest hours of DIY time in your décor? Make sure your pro knows that those detail shots are critical to your enjoyment of his photos.

Photographers are not mind readers (if they are, they should charge even more). Avoid those with artist egos – the ones who are sure you hired them because they are gods among men. No matter what your priorities are, you’ll end up with their vision of your day (that’s okay if that’s what you want – but be sure it’s what you want).

Great photographers know who they are. If you’ve heard rumors that a particular photographer is a time hog, or doesn’t “do” formal photos, it’s imperative that you ask him point blank about the reputation. A great photographer will understand where those rumors are coming from, and will probably explain to you what it is about their style that might lead people to feel that way.

A less-savvy photographer will look at you blankly, or get extremely defensive. Guess what? Bad sign.

Great photographers have a body of work, bought their cameras more than a week ago and have great references from pros and happy clients alike. Enough said.

There are some great photographers in and around Williamsburg, Virginia. Seek them out, tell them I sent you and reap the rewards when you open your stunning albums (real or virtual) for decades to come.

Call me if you want some of those great names too – I am more than happy to share!

Shayna Walker (757-592-3365), Wedding Planner

Williamsburg Wedding Design

Local Expert DJs - Advice from a Williamsburg Wedding Planner

I've traveled some over the past couple of years, on wedding-related missions, and I've seen some absolutely jaw-dropping work from DJs and entertainers. In major markets you will find everything - my favorite is combinations of live musicians and DJs that make for seamless event experiences. There are markets where you can't swing an i-Pod without hitting an awesome, outstanding DJ or entertainer, and if you live in those markets you are extremely lucky.

Williamsburg, Virginia is not a major market compared to New York, Los Angeles or the like. But we do have access to two fabulous, professional and consistently wonderful wedding entertainment companies, and since I'm asked about them all the time I figured I'd take this opportunity to share.

The first is DJ On the Side. Owner, Chris Phillips, and I have worked together for the last several years on weddings of all sizes and in all kinds of venues. His team is professional, dignified, polished and reliable. My personal favorites are Ryan and Chris himself, but everyone on the team has his awesome attributes.

You have likely never seen someone so deeply invested in pleasing his clients as Chris is. The man has absolutely no (evident) ego and is meticulous with creating engaging, appropriate and wonderful playlists. I tease Chris because we have a sort of non-verbal connection during an event - he is constantly looking for crowd reaction and possible issues and resolving them before anyone has a clue they are coming. Planners, caterers, photographers and videographers alike all love working with Chris (and his guys) because DJ On the Side understands what it means to be part of a team.

The second company is Arch Entertainment, and particularly DJ Rodney Charles. Another consummate professional, Rodney shares with Chris a kind of passion for serving wedding clients that you just don't see in every entertainer. He reads a crowd with expertise, predicting what will work and encouraging everyone from your 80-year-old grandmother to your college roommates to engage and enjoy. He is classy and dedicated, and a pure pleasure to work with as a colleague.

I was lucky to be introduced to Rodney by Missy at Antonia Christianson Events (southside) - anyone in the industry who knows me knows that it practically takes an act of a higher power to get on my "list" (which isn't actually a list, but that's another story) of refer-able vendors. Rodney proved hands-down in interviews and in performance that he deserved to be there though, and Williamsburg couples are lucky to have him as a resource.

There is only one other Williamsburg-area DJ who I recommend (who doesn't advertise, so I'll keep him my best-kept secret...however you can call me if you want to know) - that's it. After 7 years planning in this region only 3 have made the grade enough to be considered my go-to guys.

Yes, I have had the pleasure of working with other good DJs who aren't listed here (the best have gone out of business, sadly!). And yes, I've had the "other" kind of experience as well. With confidence, however, I share with you this planner's real secret for entertainment success: call Chris or Rodney. You won't be sorry. 

Shayna Walker, Wedding Planner

Williamsburg Wedding Design (757-592-3365)

This is not a sponsored post. DJ On the Side is an advertiser in a sister publication that I publish - the Where to Wed guide. Arch Entertainment is not. Both deserve the accolades in this article based purely on the results of their hard work.