Congratulations on your engagement! Whether you got engaged yesterday or last year at some point, you will need to start planning your wedding. In this article, Chris from Maple Bacon Photography will provide tips on planning your wedding and help provide guidance that will keep the stress away.
Planning your wedding does not need to be stressful, especially in Calgary and southern Alberta. With so many unique venues and scenic backdrops to choose from, the sky is the limit.
VENUE:
Speaking about venues, this is a great place to start. Most couples have a rough idea of when they want to get married, and many people have an idea of where they want to get married. Some people have known where they wanted their wedding to be since they were kids. So, it makes sense to lock down your venue early. Once your wedding venue is locked down, you can build everything else around it.
It is important to clarify if your venue provides food and drink or if you need to hire a caterer. Also, ask about liquor licenses, outside food (think your cake), what kind of audio-visual equipment they have, and what your access to power will be (your DJ may need a lot).
If you don’t know where to start your venue search, here are some great Calgary wedding venues:
- The Inn on Officers Garden – A fantastic intimate venue with a luxurious and elegant atmosphere.
- Calgary Zoo – Many great venues are located here for ceremonies to receptions. The Zoo also offers an excellent place for wedding photos and provides something for your guests to do between the ceremony and reception.
- Heritage Park – A truly unique place for your ceremony and reception with fantastic food and a very cool atmosphere. Like the Zoo, it has several different venues to accommodate weddings of all sizes.
- Teatro – A trendy restaurant located in an old bank on Stephen Ave. Perfect for ceremony and reception
OFFICIANT:
You need someone to officiate your ceremony. If you’re having a religious wedding, this is often taken care of with the venue. If you are not having a wedding in a religious center, you will need to find an officiant. There are many great officiants.
Recently we worked with Jacqueline Hoare at an intimate wedding in Kananaskis.
Vows by Judy is another great Calgary option.
Jane Paterson is another Calgary commissioner who does fantastic weddings.
PHOTOGRAPHER:
OK, we might be biased, but you should book your photographer early. Unlike all your other vendors, you will spend most, if not all, of your wedding day with us. It is essential to find a photographer whom you like both as an artist and as a person. If you like and trust your photographer, you and the people most important to you will be relaxed around us, and we will be able to capture natural and authentic images of real moments on your big day.
Not a fan of us and our work? Not to worry, check out these other outstanding Calgary and area photographers.
Crush Photography. Jason does fantastic work and, when not shooting his own bookings, often shoots with us at Maple Bacon. In fact, Jason shot our wedding!
Two Mann. A solid argument could be made that Lanny and Erika are the best wedding photographers in the world. We enjoy taking their courses and seminars in our downtime to enhance our work. They are worth checking out.
Red Bloom Photography is another fantastic local photographer. She has shot many friends' weddings and does fantastic work.
VIDEOGRAPHER:
Video is becoming more popular. Making a creative and memorable wedding video takes time, effort, talent, and often several people. It is outside what your photographer can do, and you should find a videographer you click with.
We have shot weddings with Summit Weddings; they are amazing to work with and make a great product.
FLOWERS:
Flowers become a big part of your wedding, from the bouquet to the centrepieces and decorations. We have always been blown away by the work that Flowers by Janie does.
ALL THE REST:
There are so many vital vendors and services you may need.
Decorator: Do you want your venue to be dressed up? Consider hiring a decorating company to make your wedding pop.
Hair and Makeup: If you want to look your best on your wedding day, consider hiring someone to take care of your hair and makeup. This is not just for the ladies; the men may enjoy a morning at a barber for a shave and haircut.
DJ: A good DJ can really put the party in your reception.
Featured FAQs
We want to be able to fully commit to your day. We don't want to be watching the clock or checking off a list of events/items we will or won't shoot based on a package that you selected. Weddings are unpredictable and it is impossible for you to know where or when the best and most touching moments are going to happen, and we don't want to miss these. Maybe it's grandma helping do up the dress, or the surprise arrival of a cherished loved one who you thought was not coming. Regardless, we want to be there for you, and be fully committed so that we can live in the moment and capture it. This also makes it simple for you and for us; no complicated packages to sort out, no guessing on what you need, no regrets for not getting more coverage, no surprise bill after the wedding. It's simple and straightforward.
The most obvious answer is to look for a photographer who takes photos you like. But, there are a few more things you should consider.
Do you like them? This is critically important because you will spend most of, if not all of, your big day with your photographer. If they take great photos, but you want to gouge your eyes out just being near them, they aren’t the photographer for you.
Do they have backup gear and backup plans? If you hire a professional photographer, they should plan like a professional. At Maple Bacon Photography, we always have backup gear and backup people. We can’t simply re-shoot your wedding on a different day, so we plan for foreseeable problems.
How do they handle data? At Maple Bacon Photography, we take data storage and security seriously. We always have backups and backups of the backups. We understand how precious your photos are, and we take great care in securing them.
Yes! You should absolutely meet them given how much time you will spend with your photographer on your wedding day. You can assess their work through an online gallery, but you can’t assess their personality and whether or not you will work well together.
At Maple Bacon Photography, we believe in this so much that we always offer to take prospective clients out for a cup of coffee, on us, of course.
Yes! Obviously, we are biased, but we genuinely believe wedding photography is important. Capturing the story of your wedding and the special moments that happen throughout the day through the art of photography is worth it!
It gives you a visual and permanent record of a significant moment in your life and the life of your family. Wedding photographs and albums become heirloom items that can be passed from generation to generation, allowing the story of your love to be told and remembered as if it happened yesterday.
Hiring a professional wedding photographer ensures you don’t have to stress about your photos. A professional will be able to capture your wedding and all the moments, big and small, and the details so that you can remember the whole day for years to come. You can be guaranteed results and won’t have to worry that your uncle Ned forgot to charge the battery on his camera.
Maple Bacon Photography offers an all-inclusive wedding package for large weddings and a small wedding package for a several-hour photo shoot. Both of these options give the couple flexibility of time and will create beautiful photos.
Happy Moments We've Captured!
Maple Bacon Photography is proud to have worked with many families and happy couples. Since the creation of our company in 2015, we have established ourselves as a reliable and trustworthy business among our clients. But don’t just take our word for it!
Maple Bacon Photography
Photographs are more than just taking a picture while everyone smiles, it’s a way to capture a special moment in time and preserve it for yourself and your family to reflect on for years to come. At Maple Bacon Photography, we know that photos are important, sentimental items and we understand the immense value they hold. That is why we work with our clients to not only photograph them during their wedding day or family outing, but to understand their journey and perfectly encapsulate it through honed photography skills and photojournalism.
Contact Us
When you’re ready to book your photos with one of our professional and artistic photographers, contact Maple Bacon Photography at 1-587-880-2045 or by filling out this form.