I Do Events Whitsundays

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” – Edward Steichen

Choosing a photographer for your big day can be one of the most daunting tasks in the wedding planning process. For some, it’s the weight of knowing that all you’ll have after your big day is over (aside from the love of your life) are the memories from the day and the photos that help keep them alive. For others, it is the overload of information and package options. And for most it’s simply, ‘where do I begin?’.

We decided to dedicate the month of March to our talented Whitsunday photographers. This not only will showcase some of their favourite photos but also give you an insight into each photographer’s personality and style while answering some questions you may not have thought to ask.

Our first photographer of the month is Danny Mayson-Kinder from DMK Photography.

How would you describe your style?

I would describe my style as very natural, not intrusive and aiming to capture as much emotion as possible.

In your opinion, what is a photographer’s role on the wedding day? Do you do much direction and/or posing on the day?

I always meet my couple prior to the wedding so I know exactly what they would like and how much involvement they will require from me. Some couples like to be directed to a certain degree but others would like me to stay more in the background and shoot candid rather than posed. I always make sure I know all the bridal party and family names before I begin and try to learn as much history as I can on everyone involved.

What advice can you give to couples when choosing a photographer and planning a wedding?

I think the most important advice I can give is to make sure a couple feels totally at ease with their photographer and can say anything they would like to. Also to remember that I am not only spending time with them but also with their friends and family and therefore the photographer needs to be very approachable and adaptable.

What questions should a couple be asking their photographer?

I think it is always good to ask as many questions as possible, especially to make sure they know exactly what their package includes and what they receive as a finished product.

What type of input do you like from your clients? For example, do you like them to give you photos of different shots and styles they like, just a simple list for group photos, or…?

Some couples say they are happy for me to do what I do, whereas others really want a particular style or certain shot and I am more than happy for them to bring me examples. That way, I know exactly what they have in mind. I always suggest that they do a list for family photographs as it saves so much time on the day and makes sure that they don’t miss any friends/family they wanted a photograph with.

How long have you been a wedding photographer and what are your previous experience and/or qualifications?

I have been shooting weddings for 7 years now. I have been lucky enough to shoot weddings on Hayman Island for a couple of years before setting up on my own company on the mainland in the Whitsundays. I am a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers. I regularly enter photography competitions and constantly take part in online workshops/conferences, which helps ensure my photography develops and keeps me up to date.

What is your favourite place to shoot in the Whitsundays and why?

There are so many incredible places to shoot in the Whitsundays, it is hard to pick a favourite. The diversity is huge, from beach, to bush and everything in between. The light here is always changing and constantly encourages new approaches and angles.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us, and our upcoming couples?

I love being a wedding photographer and am honoured when a couple asks for me to photograph their special day. I give 110% and ensure that my couples have a wonderful photography experience.

Contact Danny

Danny Mayson-Kinder Photography
Phone: 0749483878
Mobile: 0418596278
Website: www.dmkphotography.com.au
Email: info@dmkphotography.com.au

Something a lot of brides don’t think about until quite late, is the timing of their wedding day. There are some important questions to answer. How early do you want your ceremony to take place? When do you want to arrive at your reception? How long do you need for photos? These questions should really be thought about and a rough timing plan made before sending out your invitations; this will ensure you have the most suitable times listed for ceremony and reception start times.

To help you determine the times for your ceremony and reception, the first person to chat to should be your wedding co-ordinator, or the venue’s event planner. You can’t just pull times out of a hat, there are many factors to consider. You can work backwards – find out if your venue has a curfew for noise or music, and what time the event has to conclude. You’ll want to allow yourself at least 1-2 hours for dancing and catching up with all your guests, up to an hour for speeches and formalities like cutting the cake, and 1-2 hours for food. Working backwards from the reception curfew, and in liaison with your wedding coordinator, allocate time to these elements to come up with your ideal reception start time.

A second factor to consider is how much time your photographer recommends, particularly for your bridal party photo tour and how many photographic locations you wish to visit. Again work backwards, from your ideal reception start time allowing ample time for photos and half an hour for your ceremony, to come up with the perfect ceremony start time.

Before setting these times in stone (or in writing ), there are a few other factors to consider;

Should you wish to get sunset photos, you’ll have to work out what time the sun is forecast to set on your wedding day. You can find sun set times for many years in advance from Willy Weather. You’ll have to work out if you have enough time to get your sunset photos, and get to your reception in plenty of time. One idea to get the best of both worlds is to arrive back at your venue before sunset and get your sunset photos at your venue.

If your arrival is going to be quite late, you might like to keep your guests entertained with music, while enjoying canapes and drinks as they wait for your grand entrance.

Do you like the idea of a morning ceremony? Remember you will need at least 3 hours for hair, make-up and getting ready, depending on the numbers in your bridal party, so don’t plan on a 10am ceremony unless you are an early riser!

If you are having a beachfront ceremony or reception, you will also need to take the tide times into consideration. Each location is different, but some work best at low tide, others at high tide. Ask your wedding co-ordinator or venue for guidance about the best tide position at your selected location, and how the tides will affect the timing of your wedding day.

Finally, it’s your special day, so think about what is most important to you. Talk to your photographer, your wedding planner or venue, and unite all of this information to finalise a ceremony and reception time that suits you well.

And don’t forget to invite guests to arrive half an hour before your ceremony arrival, and plenty of time before the reception grand entrance, to ensure no late arrivals!

There are so many traditions tied up in weddings, that it’d simply be impossible to follow them all. But do you know the origins of some of the more popular traditions?

Many wedding traditions come from the idea that nasty spirits would try to disrupt the wedding and bring bad luck to the bride and groom. This is where the tradition of wearing a veil comes from, the veil was to hide the bride from the spirits. Likewise, the reason why bridesmaids and groomsmen became part of a wedding party was so that the spirits would be confused as to who exactly the bride and groom were! Originally, bridesmaids were dressed the same as the bride. Perhaps that’s why Pippa Middleton wore ivory, the same shade as her sister Kate’s dress, at Kate’s wedding to Prince William!

Have you heard of the phrase “three times a bridesmaid, never a bride”? That’s linked in with this too, as the thought was that if a woman had been a bridesmaid, and therefore an evil spirit decoy, three times, she would have attracted enough spirits to herself that she would never marry.

There are a couple of sweet traditions that are easily done today, whether intentionally or not. It is good luck for the bride to be woken by birdsong. So maybe that cacophony of cockatoos one sometimes wakes up to in the Whitsundays is a good omen! It’s also considered lucky for the bride to travel over water on her way to the wedding. If you elope to Whitehaven by seaplane, it’s not only an amazing location for your ceremony, it’s also good luck.

There are also a couple of traditions we can probably do without. It is said to be good luck for the bride to find a spider in her wedding gown! No thank you! In the common theme of bridesmaids also trying to “land husbands”, old wives tales say that the chief bridesmaid should carry around a piece of the wedding cake in her pocket, for the entire duration of the honeymoon, if she hopes to marry soon. Imagine what that would be like after a 3-month-long European honeymoon! In this day and age, our local Whitsunday wedding cake makers are so fabulous, that we doubt there’d be any of the cake left!

What other traditions have you heard of? Do you have any special family traditions? Are you going to do something completely untraditional? We’d love you to share your thoughts with us below.

When thinking of wedding traditions, what’s the first thing that comes to mind for you? For me, it’s “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” Even if you don’t consider yourself traditional, you’ve probably considered following this tradition and it is one of the most widely recognised and most popular wedding traditions.
The four elements are said to bring different positive aspects to the marriage.

Something Old

What it represents: continuity and a link to the bride’s past and family.
Traditional: many brides choose to wear a piece of antique family jewellery or a mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown. Other idea is to incorporate e a piece of your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown or veil, such as a piece of lace, or some of the original beading. Ask us about vintage table décor ideas.

Something New

What it represents: optimism and hope for a long and happy marriage with a bright future.
Traditional: the wedding gown is often chosen as the new item, but jewellery or a purse is also a fun way to have something new. New things could also be the flowers or the rings.

Something Borrowed

What it represents: to remind the bride that friends and family will be there for her when help is needed. Borrowing an item from a happily married woman is considered important, as it symbolises sharing some of the happiness from the friend’s own happy marriage. Of course, whatever you borrow, must be returned after the wedding!
Traditional: the borrowed object might be something such as a lace handkerchief or a piece of jewellery.

Something Blue

What it represents: blue is the ancient colour representing faithfulness, loyalty and purity.
Traditional: brides often opt for a blue garter. If you don’t want to wear a garter, you could put a blue pin in your hair, wear blue earrings, blue shoes or toenail polish, choose underwear with a hint of blue on them, or have your bridesmaids wear blue! We have so many wedding décor items in blue to choose from!

What other ideas can we add to the list above? How can you follow this tradition but in an unconventional way? We look forward to hearing your thoughts! Please share with us in the comments below.

Eco weddings: can your dream wedding be an eco wedding?

Being concerned about the environment is part and parcel of life in the 21st century. A wedding is a huge event, and there are lots of things you can do to make your wedding day eco-friendly, without compromising on style or quality.

There are so many little ways you can make a difference, and here are just some of the myriad ideas out there to offset the carbon footprint of your wedding…

• If you’re flying here for the wedding, purchase carbon offset for all your flights and encourage your guests to do the same

• Send your invitations out online and encourage RSVPs the same way

• Reduce the need for printing and paper by having shared table menus and a table seating plan but no name cards – guests can be directed to their tables and select their own seats.

• Buy a second-hand or vintage dress. It’s been made once, but rarely do they get worn more than once! Find a gorgeous dress and have it tailored to suit, it’s not only eco-friendly but will save you money too and it’s so chic right now.

• Organise a bus to transport all of your guests from their hotels to the ceremony and the reception in one vehicle to reduce emissions, they’ll also appreciate thesocial atmosphere on board.

• Remove the need for transport altogether by choosing a venue that can host both your ceremony and reception, and accommodate your guests as well! Have a look at Hamilton Island, or Déjà Vu on Water’s Edge as a fabulous wedding venue with accommodation.

• Choose simple, elegant, fold-out chairs for your ceremony, instead of chair covers and wraps to save on laundering

• Choose all local suppliers, eg. Celebrants, photographers, florists, it will save significant travel miles. Find local Whitsunday wedding suppliers at www.weddingswhitsundays.com

• Have your ceremony and reception outside in daylight, it’s the cheapest form of lighting! For energy-efficient night-time lighting, have your wedding by candlelight, and/or opt for energy-efficient fairy lights.

• Choose local flowers for your bouquet and decorations, not only is it helping to reduce transport costs, it will also suit a wedding in the tropics perfectly to choose locally grown blooms. Speak to a local florist about what will best suit your theme

• Steer away from disposable items such as balloons, streamers, straws, paper serviettes or decorations.

• Rice or confetti can endanger local birds and wildlife if used as a throw at the ceremony. Have rose petals instead, they’re bio-degradable and beautiful at the same time.

• Have a Whitsunday honeymoon! You won’t need to fly to your destination, saving further carbon emissions. There are some beautiful environmentally conscious resorts on the islands, in Airlie Beach or have a honeymoon on the water by chartering a yacht, or experiencing Reefsleep.

Of course, if you’ve always dreamt of a honeymoon overseas, don’t stress too much about it. It’s your special time after all. The environment, and your guests, will appreciate all the little touches you are doing to make your wedding more eco-friendly. Imagine the impact if everyone took on just a handful of these little things each!

Here’s our challenge to you: can you incorporate at least 3 of these eco-friendly ideas into your wedding?

We welcome your thoughts, so if you have more ideas you think we could add to the above list, please leave a comment below.