To announce our engagement, we sent the following e-mail to our friends and family:

Dear Friends and Family,

You all have been telling us since high school that we were destined for marriage, and so we write to share some happy, though not totally unexpected news--this Saturday, while on our annual trip to Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare festival, we got engaged!   Juicy details follow:

Jaci: I was completely taken by surprise!  After a gorgeous day strolling through Lithia Park and all the cute shops downtown, Demian and I sat down to dinner at our favorite restaurant in Ashland, Chateaulin.  The evening started out on a great note, as I noticed that we were seated at the only table with flowers--my favorite kind of flowers (orange tulips), no less! 

Taking a walk through Lithia Park.

Demian: Man, so my first thought going into this night was everything should work out fine. I had ordered the flowers a few days beforehand and during the afternoon I got a call from the restaurant saying they arrived safely   (Of course I was with Jaci at the time so I pretended it was the dentist calling…Give me a break, it was the first excuse I could think of!) Anyways, they were supposed to bring out the flowers at dessert but the waitress apparently had no idea what was going on and just left them on the table!

At Chateaulin, 30 minutes before proposal.

Jaci: Despite my cluelessness, I did find it a little bizarre, though, that the waitstaff kept coming up to comment on how beautiful the flowers were and asking if we were celebrating a special occasion.   Demian played it cool, however, and I was none the wiser.  So after a delicious dinner, we ordered dessert and were waiting for it to arrive when Demian said that we needed to talk.   I asked him what about, and he said that he had a confession to make--he had sent the flowers (duh!).  Still not getting the idea, I told him that that was very sweet, but asked him why he had sent them.

Demian: Well, I just cut to the chase and told her how I thought Ashland was a perfect place for us, and that I wanted to ask her something. Then I pulled out the ring, got down on one knee and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Jaci: Well, I was so shocked when I saw him down on one knee that I started crying uncontrollably.   All I could muster between my blubbering was "Oh my god!  Oh my god!"  This was NOT how I thought I'd react to a proposal--I thought I'd be cool and collected and be able to respond with some witty quip.   So much for wit.  I was completely overwhelmed.

Demian: Yeah…she cried…for awhile…

Jaci: Finally, I was able to get it together enough to blurt out, "of course!" and to give him my hand to slip on the beautiful ring.   When it looked like I had composed myself enough, our waitress that night came over to say congratulations and to say that we had the whole staff in tears, which was just an incredibly sweet thing to say.   Then, to top things off, she came back with a cute little bottle of champagne and poured out two glasses.  The thing was that my heart was racing so fast from the adrenaline that I could only manage to take a couple of sips and had to have Demian polish off the rest, lest I vomit lol.  Well, after we left the restaurant, we only had about twenty minutes before the play we were seeing that night, but I just had to call my parents to tell them the good news.   After I got off the phone with my parents, we only had two minutes before the play started and the doors closed, so we ran to the theater and made it in just as the doormen were announcing "one minute!   one minute!", ran up the stairs as an usher called out "thirty seconds!  thirty seconds!"  and fell into our seats, exhausted and out of breath, just in time.   Turned out to be a fantastic comedy--"On the Razzle," written by Tom Stoppard--with lots of slapstick and silly puns, so I was able to let out all of my post-proposal energy through laughter.   Sitting there with Demian, laughing together, was really the most perfect way to cap off a day and proposal that was just right, and so us.

Jaci and me just before On The Razzle.

* * * * * * *

We haven't set a date yet, but we have our eye on sometime next fall, 2008.
       
So that just about wraps it up.   Before we sign off, though, we just want to thank all of you for your love, support, company, and constant ribbing about being life partners/an old married couple--you guys are a part of our story, and you mean so much to us.

- Jaci and Demian

Jacqueline Lew and Demian Lee were married on September 6, 2008 at the Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, California.  In planning our wedding, we were very much inspired by the natural, dramatic beauty of our venue, which is the oldest surviving Japanese-style gardens in the Western hemisphere, consisting of historic buildings nestled amongst hillside gardens, bamboo forests, and koi ponds.  Because September is water lily season at Hakone, our wedding stationery featured a water lily and koi motif.  The fall garden theme reappeared at our traditional Chinese banquet reception, which featured submerged lotus pod, calla lily, and pincushion centerpieces set in moss and river rock-filled containers, as well as a four-tier, two flavor cake covered with sugar paste river rocks, water lilies, and topped with a replica of the garden bridge at Hakone.  Consistent with the regal elegance of the gardens, taiko drums signalled the beginning of the ceremony and entrance of the groom with his groomsmen and the officiant. 

At the end of the day, we had the most fun making our wedding personal, from our music selections to the favors we gave to guests.  Having been best friends since high school, we wanted to add details to our special day to acknowledge the things that we have, over the years, come to enjoy together and love about one another.  By way of example, Demian's parents and Jacqueline's bridesmaids entered to Debussy's "Clair de Lune," the first piece that Jacqueline ever heard Demian, an accomplished pianist, play at a school concert during our freshman year of high school.  Rather than walking down the aisle to "Here Comes the Bride" or Pachelbel's "Canon in D," Jacqueline descended her hilltop perch to the "Portuguese Love Theme" (a song from her favorite movie "Love Actually"), carrying as her "something blue" a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl called "Kiss Kiss."  At our reception, each of our guests was given an envelope escort card containing a table assignment and a little-known fact about the couple.  And on each table setting, we placed for our guests a tin of Earl Grey tea (Demian's favorite), as well as one of Jacqueline's first dessert recipes: Earl Grey chocolate truffles.  Perhaps our favorite detail, though, was the beautiful art piece displayed next to our cake table, drawn especially for our wedding day by the popular comic book artist Aaron Lopresti, whose website Demian maintains.

Even though we had known for many years that we would eventually marry, our engagement and the wedding itself were no less sweet.  One of our good friends from high school, and a guest at our wedding, articulated our feelings simply and perfectly:

"Even when the inevitable happens, it still makes me glad."

This lovely Liancarlo silk taffeta gown was the second dress I ever tried on - it was so comfortable and light, and I felt like a million bucks in it!  I didn't buy it right away, though - I went to a bunch of other salons, tried on a number of different dresses, and in the process, started falling in love with this one.  It was the one I would compare all others to, and the one I would think about wearing on my wedding day.  A few months later, I went back to Marina Morrison, put it on again, and was hooked!

Hair and Make-Up Inspiration

For the longest time, I thought I would wear my hair down, in soft waves, but after my hair and make-up trial with Sherrie Long, really fell in love with an updo.  These photos, from Maria Chang of Professional Makeup Artistry and The Knot were my inspiration for both the updo and fresh, natural make-up:

Hair Accessories

From the get-go, I had my eye on this gorgeous Regina B comb from Perfect Details, but couldn't bring myself to shell out the money...so as a replacement, I purchased some lovely cream moon orchid hair clips from the Late Bloomer Boutique.  But I realized, a month before the big day, that I just wouldn't be happy without that Regina B clip...so I got it too!  I'm terrible! 

Reality: Hair and Make-Up by Sherrie Long

I go on and on about it in my review for Sherrie Long, but I'll say it again - I couldn't have been happier with my hair and make-up on my wedding day.  She hit the nail right on the head, and I have never felt so beautiful!  Here are some of my favorite pics that show off Sherrie's handiwork:

Inspiration

Cake Design by Marina Souza of Just Cake, Cake Servers by Bombay Company

Reality

I worked with the wonderful Stephanie Masquelier to tweak Marina Souza's design to match my fall, Asian garden theme and fell in love with the results.  We eliminated the orchids and added sugar paste water lilies, river rocks, and a chocolate bridge cake topper.  The beautiful tablescape designed by florist Nicole Ha and coordinator Crystal Lequang of Amazae Special Events incorporated candlelight, additional river rocks, and floral elements, as well as my beloved Bombay Company cake servers :)

The Girls

Yep - we are big dorks.  That's my little sister on the left - she was a bridesmaid.  My best girlfriend from college, Elizabeth, on my right - my maid of honor.  It's more often that Elizabeth and I get mistaken for sisters, than for people to think that my sis and I are sisters!

The Boys

I'd like to take this moment to note that the boys were LATE to the wedding because they lost track of time playing video games!!!!  Typical! :)

Yet they found the time to fill up their flasks......

They do clean up good, though :)

Bridal Party Photos: Me, my maid of honor Elizabeth, and my bridesmaid/little sister Jacquie - they're wearing espresso colored silk faille dresses from J. Crew, which I thought was very flattering on them!  Elizabeth has the "Ella" style dress, while Jacquie is wearing the "Whitney" style dress.  Their shoes are espresso colored Jojus2 shoes from Nine West.

Groom's Party Photos: Demian, his best man Michael and groomsman Sidney (pictured in the top row).  We also had the ushers (Demian's friend Jay are Demian's two cousins, Cousin Victor from Canada and Cousin Ho Chit from Hong Kong).  I love these guys!!!

The Family: I totally adore all the family pictures and portraits that we got on the wedding day - it's so rare that everyone is in the same place, at the same time, and dressed to the nines!  That's my nephew Jaden in the first picture - I love his little round head! :)  I really like the last picture of my father-in-law - he's got this bemused smile on his face that is so him!

Post-Ceremony Wedding Party Photos: WOOHOOOOOO!

Nicole Ha designed all the floral elements for our wedding, and we couldn't have been happier.  We were looking for a natural look to go with our Asian garden theme that would incorporate our wedding colors of orange, brown, and green.  Nicole brought our vision to life and surprised us with some beautiful elements at both the ceremony and reception.

Ceremony

I absolutely loved the custom kissing ball Nicole made to hang over the spot where my hubby and I were married - natural, modern, and elegant.  It's too bad that it totally got OWNED by the ushers who opened the large double-doors for the entrance of the groom and his groomsmen; even from far away on top of the hill where I was hiding, I could see the ball go flying with the impact...you can kind of make out how it became crooked after that in the last picture.  Oh, and this was AFTER the wedding coordinator told them to be careful!  Ah, boys!

Reception

If you've ever been to a Chinese restaurant, you will know that decor is not a number one priority.  When we walked into our Chinese banquet reception, we were totally blown away by how Nicole and our coordinator Crystal had completely transformed the entire space.  I was amazed by the beautiful work Nicole did on the chandeliers (I LOVE the colors!!!) and how she re-used our pomanders to spiff up the head table.  And even hubby was impressed by the great work she did decorating our escort card board!  Of course, we were totally pleased with the submerged lotus pod, calla lily, and pincushion centerpieces (set in a container of moss and river rocks) which Nicole made several versions of until BOTH my hubby and I were satisfied (we have such different tastes that this was quite a task)  We <3 Nicole!

The ceremony was really the part of our wedding I was most looking forward to, and I wanted to personalize it to make it as memorable as possible. 

Music: Music is a big part of our lives, so we made meaningful selections for the ceremony.  A violin, cello, and piano trio played Debussy's Clair de Lune (the first piece I ever heard my husband play, way back at a recital in high school) for the entrance of the groom's parents and bridesmaids, as well as and the Portugese Love Theme from "Love Actually" (my favorite movie) for the bride's entrance.  We hired the San Francisco Taiko Group to play for the entrance of the groom and his groomsmen (fitting, for the Japanese garden setting, and very similiar to the Chinese drums my father enjoyed on our trip to Beijing when I was little).

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue: I had a couple of somethings borrowed - diamond earrings from my now mother-in-law and a triple strand pearl bracelet from my mom.  My something old and something blue were combined in one object - a little blue collection of Roald Dahl short stories called "Kiss Kiss" (which I read to entertain myself - and calm myself - as I waited for my turn to walk down the aisle.  I also stored my vows in there.).  My somethings new - my dress, shoes, and hair piece were all something new :)

Vows: For whatever reason, my husband decided he really wanted us to write our vows.  And despite being the writer in our family, I had a much harder time writing mine.  In true form, in the end, his were funny, lighthearted, and cool.  My were...totally mushy haha.  I liked his better!!!

Images by Kerry Rodgers Photography, except for last image by Gloria Nunez Photography

When I started wedding planning, I didn't have strong feelings about our guestbook and hadn't even thought about having a cardholder.  So when my mother-in-law told us we needed to have a traditional Chinese guestbook (i.e., embroidered red silk cloth) and that a friend of the family was planning to bejewel (by hand!!!) a birdcage cardholder for us, I said: "OK!"  I love the way they both turned out!

We held our Chinese banquet reception at the Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae, CA, and my parents-in-law really went all-out with the menu.  Everything tasted and looked WONDERFUL!  The restaurant was especially accommodating in agreeing to individually plate each dish, after displaying it to the table.  That way, we were able to do away with the lazy susans and had room for a larger centerpiece.  Our menu consisted of:

Lobster Sashimi
-
Pork Platter
-
Shark Fin Soup
-
Conch
-
Sea Scallop with Broccoli
-
Fresh Abalone with Bok Choi
-
Steamed Chicken with Ham and Vegetables
-
Steamed Australian Coral Trout
-
Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf
-
Assorted Desserts
-
Lotus Soup

...and

WEDDING CAKE!

+++

Here are some photos taken of our meal:

Speeches: We had speeches from our sisters, maid of honor, best man, and our mutual friend Howard.  All our friends say that I look exactly like my mom in these pictures where we're both laughing!

The Slideshow: My hubby spent hours putting this beautiful slideshow together, with pictures of us as babies, growing up together, and engagement photos.  I helped with song selection :)  (If you look closely, that first picture says: "A Lew-Lee Production."

Bouquet and Garter Tosses: Bouquet toss was done to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack; the garter toss was cued by the theme song from "Indiana Jones" hehe.  To entice our single ladies and men to the floor, we offered the winner of the tosses a gift card to Victoria's Secret and a Wii, respectively...turned out to be totally unnecessary (surprisingly!), but I think people got a kick out of it!

Getting Our Groove On!!!

Our wedding day was September 6, 2008, just over a week ago, and already we are so antsy to see pro pics!  Thank goodness for our lovely friends and family who took photos at the wedding, which we received on the first day of our honeymoon in Australia.  As promised, here are some pics below!

Walking Down the Aisle with My Parents: All three of us were crying the whole way down the aisle, and this picture is the only one where my poor parents don't look absolutely miserable haha!

Walking Back Up the Aisle: With my new hubby!

Post-Ceremony Pics: This is my favorite of the whole bunch!

More Post-Ceremony Pics: Pretty much the same picture, but zoomed out a couple of times :)

At the Reception: With our good friend Eric.  I'm in my cheongsam, which I got custom-made at Ling's in Oakland - it fit perfectly!

Cake Cutting Photos: I am absolutely in love with our cake, from Flours SF in San Francisco.  The cake topper is a chocolate replica of the bridge at the Hakone Gardens where we had just gotten married.  Our baker, Stephanie, also put sugarpaste lotuses and river rocks all of the tiers of the cake, to add to the theme.  Our brilliant florist, Nicole Ha, decorated the table with moss, river rocks, lotus pods, and orange flowers - it looked absolutely gorgeous!  In these pictures, I'm also wearing my third and final dress of the evening.  In the corner of the photo, you can also see a framed piece of art, drawn and given to us as a gift by a talented comic book artist whose website my hubby maintains - Aaron Lopresti.  He drew us a picture of Iron Man and X-Men's Rogue, our two favorite comic book characters...yes...we're nerds haha. 

The Garter Toss: Done to the Indiana Jones theme-song haha.  The prize for catching the garter?  Not only imminent matrimony but also...a Wii!!!

Hubby 'n Me with Cousin Mandy: Isn't she purty?  She is so sweet - for my bachelorette party, she MADE me a veil and bouquet!!!  So crafty!

Dancing with Papa: One of my favorite photos - we are having so much fun!

I originally thought I'd get a super fancy wedding album because they are sooo beautiful, but after my wedding, I realized that I wanted an album I'd actually let people TOUCH :)  I had sooo much fun putting together my Blurb photobook (software was really easy to use - much better user interface, in my opinion, than MyPublisher), and it cost a tiny fraction of the price of the albums I had been looking at before.  In fact, I've ordered 5 more books (a couple more hardcovers, a couple of softcovers) for members of our family because we were so satisfied.  I thought I'd go ahead and post pictures, to help all the ladies who are considering getting flush-mount photobooks :)

Pictured below is a 11x13 hardcover book with premium paper (very nice and thick!), total of 100 pages front and back (so 50 physical pages)...forgive the flare and bad photography!

Our wedding highlights video, by the inimitable Justin Fone.  He's the best!

Jacqueline & Demian from Justin Fone on Vimeo.

For those of you who are working on slideshows to show at the reception, here's the one that we made using the Pro Show Producer program.  It was just about 9 minutes long, broken up into 4 sections: baby pictures, high school pictures (we went to the same high school), college/adult pictures, and engagement pictures.

http://teamsiudemian.com/slideshow/

Pardon the poor quality - we had to compress the slideshow so that we could upload it online :)

I recently got married on September 6, 2008 in Saratoga, California, and I am now selling the items below:

:::: NEW :::: SOLD!!!

BCBG MaxAzria Strapless Flower Applique Dress, Size 2, in Ivory

I am finally getting around to posting for sale my BCBG MaxAzria Strapless Flower Applique Dress, which I wore at my reception.  It's a size 2 and in great condition, as it's only been worn once for a couple of hours.  I found it to be a super comfy, fun dress to wear for my cake cutting and to dance in.  It retails at Nordstom for $398.00, plus shipping, but I'm willing to sell it for $250.00, plus shipping.  (If you're in the Bay Area, pick-up is available as well).  Here are some photos of me in the dress, as well as the stock photo.  PM me if interested.  Thanks for looking!

J. Crew Ella Silk Faille Dress, Size 6, in Espresso:

New without tags, never been worn. I had originally purchased this dress for my maid of honor to wear at the wedding, but she unexpectedly lost weight before the wedding, so I had to buy one size down. The cut and fabric is very flattering! I bought the dress on sale for $140.00, but would be willing to part with it for less. Make me an offer :) I will ship anywhere within the U.S. Pick up from S.F. Bay Area available.

3 Cream "Moon" Orchid Silk Hair Flowers from Late Bloomer Boutique (Custom Sized): SOLD!!!!

• Finding "the" dress.  Not everyone has a moment of epiphany that drives them to tears of joy when they find "the" dress.  I certainly didn't.  Like some, you may recognize your wedding dress right off the bat, or, like many others, you may find it, like it, keep looking, and then realize that the dress you tried on 30 dresses ago is the one you've been comparing all others to, the one you felt best in, and the one that's been on your mind all this time.  I've never been a love-at-first-sight, fall-fast-and-fall hard type of girl about relationships (it took two years from the day we met for my husband and I to even become friends!), so it didn't come as a surprise that I was the same way about dress shopping.  Bottom line: everyone will have a different experience when it comes to finding her wedding dress, and that's okay!

• The first fitting.  I am so glad someone told ME this before my first fitting: the dress is NOT going to look the way you remember it, and you may very well be underwhelmed.  Just remember that the dress hasn't been fitted yet, and it has likely been a long time since you first tried on and purchased the dress.  Pre-wedding bliss does funny things to the memory, so if you really want to remember what the dress looks like - take a picture!  Or, once you purchase the gown, request that the salon send you a picture.  So don't freak out!  You will feel much better after the alterations are all done and the dress really becomes yours - made to fit you. 
  

• Engagement session(s)!!!  Many lucky ladies are inherently photogenic, but I am not one of them - particularly when it comes to taking photos with my hubby.  We're the couple in pictures where one person looks great while the other one looks like s/he has something in his/her eye haha.  How to practice for the big day?  Take lots of engagement pictures!  In addition to our official engagement session with our wedding day photog, we took did two additional FREE engagement sessions with photographers we found on craigslists, trying to build their portfolios, to get the practice.  These sessions were SO helpful - we got comfortable taking pictures with each other, with the traditional portrait poses, and even learned how to kiss photogenically...ha!  So for every couple who needs practice being photographed, there's a photog out there that needs practice photographing!  Take advantage of that!

• Timing make-up trials.  Many ladies will schedule make-up trials (always a good thing!) to test drive their hair and make-up artists, as well as various looks.  After the session, you will probably look GREAT - don't waste the opportunity to piggy-back your make-up trial with another wedding-related opportunity.  Schedule your make-up trial, for example, on the day of your engagement or b-pic shoot, or on the day you are going to try on dresses or your first fitting, so that you can get a sense of your entire wedding day look.  At the very least, schedule a hot date with your FI that day :)

::: Work in Progress :::

• Stand up straight!  I am slouching in so many of my pictures - don't let that happen to you!!!

• The bouquet is going to be BIG and HEAVY!  My coordinator gave me some very helpful advice - hold the bouquet so that your arms kind of rest on your hips.  That way, your arms don't get as tired, and the bouquet won't block the pretty top of your dress during pics!

• Bring a snack to the ceremony!  At the last minute as we were leaving for the ceremony site, I grabbed a box of Triscuits - saved me and my bridesmaids from starvation during pre-ceremony and post-ceremony photos!

• Wear the right sunscreen!  If you're having an outdoor wedding, sunscreen is a must - but which one?  My make-up artist Sherrie Long suggested Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 because it doesn't have a certain compound (can't remember...zinc oxide?  titanium dioxide?) that reflects light when flash photography is used.  I actually liked the moisturizer so much that it's what I use every day - it's light, leaves my face feeling moisturized all day, and gives good everyday sun protection without the stinky-ness of most sunscreens.
  

Before each vendor visit, I drafted up a short list of questions to take with me.  These are non-exclusive and somewhat repetitive across vendors, but hopefully provide a good starting point for your visits.

TIP: To the extent the information you find out is NOT in the contract and is important (e.g., what happens if the vendor cannot make it on your big day or how long until the photographer gets you your photos), request to ADD that information into the contract.  If the vendor is resistant, consider why that might be.

Consultant / Coordinator

It's a good idea to try to book your consultant/coordinator FIRST (sometimes even before you book your venue).  Why?  Because she likely will have great venue and vendor recommendations to give you, regardless of whether you end up booking her or not.  Also remember to take time during your interview to consider how you feel about your conversation.  Anxious?  Comfortable?  Confident?  Your coordinator is someone you want to be able to put full trust in and have confidence in on your big day.  That said, here are some questions you might consider asking:

• How many weddings have your coordinated?
• For how many years have you been coordinating?
• Can you hold the date for my wedding while I decide?
• Which package is your most popular and why?
• What time do you start/stop coordinating?
• Who is your assistant and what does she do?  How do you divide responsibility?
• What is included in your emergency kit?
• How much (if anything) do you charge for vendor referrals?  (To the extent you can, try to get some referrals from her during your first meeting)
• What is more cost effective - vendor procurement through you (coordinator), or for me to do it myself?
• What is your hourly rate if we go beyond the time specified in the package?
• Will you inform me when we are running out of contracted hours before charging overtime?
• Have you coordinated a wedding at my venue(s) before?  What are some of your ideas off the top of your head for styling my venue?
• (For brides having a cultural wedding banquet) Have you coordinated a _____ wedding before?  Has this posed any challenges?  How have you dealt with them?
• What is your back-up plan if you are sick/unable to make it on the day of my wedding?  Will you provide a replacement?  Who?
• What form of payment do you accept?  What is the payment schedule?  Does the price include tax?
• Do you have any questions for me?  (The more questions she has, the better - she is showing that she wants to get to know you and your wedding better)

TIP: Review your coordinator's brochure and description of packages; if any terms are unclear, ask her to define what they mean

Photographer

• How many weddings have your shot?
• For how many years have you been photographing?
• Can you hold the date for my wedding while I decide?
• Who do you recommend for _____ (fill in the blank with various vendors - a photographer will likely be very helpful in picking out your make-up artist and officiant)
• How long is the engagement session (if included)?
• How far in advance are these taken?
• How long will portrait sessions (couple, family, wedding party) take on the day of the wedding?
• Do you recommend taking portrait sessions before or after the ceremony?
• Do you have an assistant?  Who is he/she?  What does he/she do?
• How do you plan to capture parts of the wedding that happen in parallel (e.g., cocktail hour and couple portraits)?
• Do you have a suggested shot list that you provide?
• What is your back-up plan if you are sick/unable to make it on the day of my wedding?  Will you provide a replacement?  Who?  (This may provide a lead for other potential photographers to check out)
• How long until I receive my photos after the engagement session and wedding?
• Do you help put together the album?  How much is it?
• Have you photographed a wedding at my venue(s) before?  If no, do you do a walk-through of the venue to get familiar with it?  If you have, do you have samples you can show me?
• What form of payment do you accept?  What is the payment schedule?  Does the price include tax?
• Who owns the copyright to your work?
• If you plan to use our wedding images in your portfolio, can the photos you choose be run by me first?
• Do you have any questions for me?  (The more questions she has, the better - she is showing that she wants to get to know you and your wedding better)

TIP: Make sure you ask to see photographs from an entire wedding.  Almost anyone can put together a portfolio of great pictures from a variety of weddings (one beautiful shot from each), but you'll want to see how she documents a wedding from start to finish.

Videographer

• How many weddings have your shot?
• For how many years have you been photographing?
• Can you hold the date for my wedding while I decide?
• Who do you recommend for _____ (fill in the blank with various vendors)
• Which package is your most popular and why?
• Do your hours include non-filming time (e.g., travel time)?
• Can we see samples of 8 mm filming vs. HD film vs. standard film?
• How long is each 8 mm roll?
• What is your back-up plan if you are sick/unable to make it on the day of my wedding?  Will you provide a replacement?  Who?
• Who are your assistants and what do they do?
• Do editing hours including viewing?
• Please describe the editing process.  Is an assistant involved?
• How do you coordinate with the photographer so as not to interfere with each others' shots?
• Are you familiar with my venue(s)?  If not, do you do a walk-through beforehand or attend the rehearsal?
• What kind of a different does 100 vs. 140 hours make to editing?
• Can we do a custom package that has fewer hours/DVDs/etc. to stay within budget?
• What form of payment do you accept?  What is the payment schedule?  Does the price include tax?
• What kind of mic or A/V equipment do you use?
• How long is the final edited product?
• Do we keep the master tapes?
• How long after the wedding until we receive the video?
• What is your back-up plan if you are sick/unable to make it on the day of my wedding?  Will you provide a replacement?  Who?
• Who owns the copyright to your work?
• If you plan to use our wedding images in your portfolio, can the photos you choose be run by me first?
  
• Do you have any questions for me?  (The more questions she has, the better - she is showing that she wants to get to know you and your wedding better)

Florist/Floral Designer

Use your meeting with your florist to explore her creativity - have her brainstorm on the spot with you the ways she would suggest styling your venues.  Also explore whether she is willing and able to work within your budget.

• How many weddings have your done?
• How many weddings do you do per year?
• For how many years have you been a full time/part time florist?
• Can you hold the date for my wedding while I decide?
• Who do you recommend for _____ (fill in the blank with various vendors)
• Do you use an assistant?  If so, what does she/he do?  Do you oversee the day of?  Who is the one who actually works on the wedding?
• What is your back-up plan if you are sick/unable to make it on the day of my wedding?  Will you provide a replacement?  Who?
• Are you familiar with my venue(s)?  What are some of your ideas off the top of your head for decorating my venue?
• Will you do a walk-through my my coordinator of my venues?
• Will you do set-up and take-down of the flowers on at my venue(s)?
• How long are your on-site?  (Arrival and departure time)
• How many weddings do you do per day?
• Do you assist with rentals?  (e.g., tapestry, linens and lighting)
• What form of payment do you accept?  What is the payment schedule?  Does the price include tax?
• What is the cost of delivery?
• What is the average amount your clients spend on flowers?
• Can you work within my budget?
• What do you suggest to stay within budget?  (e.g., do you reuse flowers?  What are some less expensive flowers to use?)
• Will you provide a trial centerpiece/bouquet?  When?  Is there a charge for this?  Are you willing to make changes to the trial run for the big day?
  

TIP: Bring in photos of floral inspiration for your florist interview, as well as a list of DO NOT USE flowers (e.g., no fragrant flowers because my FI has allergies, or no tiger lilies because I don't like them) or colors.  (Make sure this latter part is in the contract).  Be prepared to tell your florist your color palette and your theme (e.g., rustic, elegant, avant garde, minimalist etc.)

Invitations

Most important in your interview of your invitations vendor is to look at the portfolio to determine whether you like that person's body of work, as well as that person's suggestions for staying within budget (e.g., just one color invitations, but a colored belly-band to add a pop of color).  Also take this opportunity to brainstorm different ideas for your invitation if you are doing custom invitations.

• What is your turn-around time for invitations?
• (If applicable) Do you have experience with bilingual invitations?
• How many different drafts will you create?  Is there a cap on revision?
• Can we ensure that our design is not used again?
• Can you custom make ink colors?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

More to come!