Photobook arrives – it’s like Christmas in July

The Book & Cover

Some Of My Favorite Pages

Pricing:

I’m a pretty budget savvy person so one of the first things that caught my attention was the price.  Lulu.com Photobooks start at $9.99 for a soft cover, 20 page book and $19.99 for a hard cover, 20 page book.  Very budget friendly!

Sizes and Templates:

I really like the range of options that Lulu offers for their ebooks. My particular book is an 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 square book. I am a huge fan of square albums (its the scrapbooker in me lol) and its generally a more expensive option when it is offered which isn’t often.  I really like that this size/shape was available for the same price.  Other sizes included 8 1/2 x 11, 9 x 7, 5.25 x 3.5 (guest book album?) and 3.75 x 2.5 (brag books for grandmas?).

Lulu.com also offers a great selection of templates that you can use depending on your preferred style: classic, modern, romantic, vintage, nature inspired, etc.   Now – I am a graphic designer and I had already designed the pages for my album so I choose full photo templates for each page and then uploaded my own designs as a photo for each page and for the cover. I love that flexibility – you can use one of their templates if you wish – or if you have some graphic design or digital scrapbook ability you can design your own pages like I did. Just make sure you respect the bleed areas.

Building a Photobook:

I found the Photobook creator very easy to use. You can upload pictures from your computer or from your albums on Flickr, Facebook, etc.  You then choose the layout you want to each page (one picture, two pictures, three pictures, text boxes, etc) and drag and drop your photos into their spaces.  You can save your progress and come back to it late if you need to until you are ready to publish.

Show off and/or sell your Photobook!

The neat thing about Lulu is that it’s both a self publishing company AND a bookstore. You can create your books there and sell them through the website. You set the prices you want to charge and when a book is purchased, Lulu prints and ships directly to the customer. This feature is great for photographers who want to offer their brides affordable, flexible album options. You create the album and set your price. The bride and her family can order as many copies as they wish whenever they wish.

There are a few different options you can pick when you publish. You can choose to keep the album private (so only you can order it). You can also choose to have your book available by link only. This means you can give the link to friends and family so they can preview and purchase a copy if they want. I choose this option – not because I want family to buy my book – but because then family and you guys can go see the preview (Click here to check it out lol). This option keeps your book from being included in their public database – which is the third option if you have a book you want made available to purchase for the general public.

Quality

I am quite happy with my photobook. I choose a hardcover book and it is quite sturdy. It’s only 20 pages thick so it kind of reminds me of a child’s hardcover picture book lol – nice and sturdy.  (Yes, you can add more pages as well).  I was impressed by the color quality as well – the pages were crisp and clear and the colors were bright. My photos came out looking gorgeous on each page.

GIVEAWAY – GET YOUR OWN PHOTOBOOK!!!!

So – we’re going to give away a photobook to one lucky reader! You can use it to create a wedding album or an album showcasing your wedding planning process (showers, parties, etc), your honeymoon, or whatever you wish. You will be able to choose your size, hard cover or soft cover and up to 20 pages at no cost. Giveaway Ends August 4th at midnight EST.

Here’s how to enter:

Sign up for our newsletter in the sidebar – all newsletter subscribers will automatically be entered to win!

You can also earn additional entries by Twittering our giveaway. Send your tweet @CrystalUnrau to ensure that your extra entries get counted!

For this week’s Dress Of The Week I picked a fantastic gown from Bari Jay (Style #69934). It’s a very unique style with a lot of detailing from the ruffled bodice with rosettes to the tiered mermaid skirt.  I know this particular style won’t be for everyone – but I love it. I also love that  you get all that detail with a dress that retails for less then $400 and you can get it on sale for $280 from TJ Formals.

If you’re thinking about doing your own hair – my advice is this:

- Pick a style that you can handle, that makes sense for your hair

- Practice! I actually wore my hair in a similar style for a few events earlier that year just so I could be sure that I could make it look like I wanted and that it would stay all day long.

Martha Stewart has a feature in her Summer 2010 issue showcasing these DIY styles with photo instructions that might be inspirational as well.

Ashley’s View on Cash Bars

Crystal’s Opinion on Cash Bars

This week it was Ashley’s turn to pick a topic and she asked me:

In  case you haven’t seen this hot photography trend – a trash the dress session is a photo session where the bride puts on her wedding gown and has glamour shots done in unique, unexpected locations. The most common location is the beach – with brides rolling in the sand and lounging in the water – but other locations have included back alleys, dumps, car wreckage yards, theme parks and deserts just to name a few

Personally – I LOVE trash the dress photography. I get that some brides can’t handle the idea of doing that to their dresses. But realistically, chances are you aren’t ever going to use it again and the photos you will get from the session will be unforgettable keepsakes that you can display proudly – while your dress sits in a back closest in a box where no one will ever see it anyway.

Do I think the wedding dress is sacred? No – I don’t. I think that wedding vows and marriage are sacred. Everything else is just icing on the cake. If you wear a paper bag – does that make your wedding somehow less sacred? No – the dress is just ornamentation. Don’t get me wrong – I think every bride should look and feel amazing on her wedding day and a dress is part of that. But to call it sacred seems to take away from what is really sacred about that special day in my opinion.

Should you trash your dress? Well – I am. I have an appointment later this summer lol. I can’t wait.  Should you? If its something that appeals to you and you would enjoy – do it! Don’t worry about the dress! You’ll never wear it again anyway. After all- you just vowed to spend FOREVER with your guy right?

So Ashley – what’s your thoughts?

I also enjoy the story my bride tells about it. Apparently, the bouquet was so real looking that the caterer decided to put in a vase of water. Oh… I forgot to mention… they’re artificial… or as I like to call them “Eternal Botanicals”.

Posted by Mary Baum

Mary owns The Silk Canopy and specializes in creating spectacular arrangements using eternal botanicals. She always says that the 3 most important elements of a good arrangement are “Design, Balance and Color”.

This week’s Dress of the Week comes for the Divine Collection (Style D602) from Elegant Gowns. I love the detailing on this dress – from the tiered ruffled skirt to the lace accent bodice and the floral accent.  It’s a gorgeous, unique design but still romantic and feminine.  Oh – and did I mention it’s  $399? Not kidding!   LOVE LOVE LOVE this one.   This gown is considered an informal style because it does not have a train but Elegant Gowns does offer customization on many of their styles so you may be able to have a train added if you prefer a more formal look.

Rhinestone Teardrop Sandal $44  &  Wraparound Rhinestone Sandal $35

written by: Joe Baum

Joe & his wife Mary own The Silk Canopy — a silk floral business specializing in bouquets, destination wedding flowers and other personal flowers. If you ask Joe, he’ll tell you that his wife is the real talent behind their awesome designs… he’s just the guy in the back room.

This dress is being offered for $75 – it is used and needs to be dry cleaned but for $75, even after dry cleaning it’s a great deal! It’s a size 14 with a train that bustles and a tie back and includes a garment bag. Check out more pictures of this great wedding dress here.

Okay, this one is a little more expensive at $400 – but it’s brand new. The seller purchased it 6 months ago and never wore it. It’s a size 4 and has amazing embroidered detail on the bodice and skirt. There are more pictures of the dress and embroidery details here.

Earlier this week, I introduced you to Ashley and our Cross-Blog Conversation. I started the conversation by asking Ashley how she felt about Cash Bars/Dry Receptions and what she did for her recent wedding.  Ashley responded and shared her views on the issues as a recent budget bride.

Alcohol is one are that can really sink a budget and also one area that raises a lot of controversy as well. In my opinion – there are three ways you can cut down the cost of each – and each one is appropriate in some instances and not in others.

1. Cash Bar – Ah, the ever controversial Cash Bar lol. To be honest – when I first started in the wedding industry I was surprised at the response you get online when you mention a cash bar. In the area that I live in – cash bars are standard. Every single wedding I have ever attended here had a cash bar – with the exception of a few that were dry. EVERY SINGLE ONE – from $5000 weddings to $25000 weddings.  To be honest – I have no idea why it is that way here – it just is – and when we were married 11 years ago, we had a cash bar. It wasn’t even something we discussed – it was just the way it is here.  My opinion on cash bars is this: IF its what your guests are expecting. IF it’s acceptable in your circle of friends/family. And IF you are still providing plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. IF you meet those three conditions – then go for a cash bar and save your money for something else. BUT if having a cash bar is going to offend or shock your guests, don’t do it. Move on to option #2 or #3.

2. Dry Reception – AKA – an reception sans alcohol.  When we renewed our vows last summer, we had a dry reception. This worked for us because we were having a much simpler reception this time around with a dinner and dessert but no dance.  My younger sister was married earlier this year. Her fiance and herself choose to have an early afternoon wedding followed with a snack/dessert and punch reception.  Because the wedding and reception were both during the day,  no one expected alcohol anyway.   When it comes to etiquette, you, as the host, are required to provide food and refreshments. That does not have to include alcohol.  Keep in mind though that if you want to have a party and have your guests dancing late into the night – an dry reception is probably not the way to go.

3. Limited Bar – I think a limited bar is often the best compromise.  I’ve seen this done a number of ways. Some brides go the way that Ashley did with a limited bar selection. This allows you to offer a selection of signature drinks while maintaining more control over the cost of the alcohol being used.  If you want to have a wider selection for your guests, you could have a selection of signature drinks available for free and then have other options available through a cash bar. Guests are not required to buy their own alcohol – but if they want something different then you have offered, they do have the option to purchase their own.  Another option is to have an open bar during set times. For example, you might offer wine at the tables during dinner and then open the bar after dinner for 2-3 hours.

So that’s my take on the issue of alcohol at weddings   Ashley will have her final say and introduce our next topic early next week.

In the mean time – have your say in the comments. What are you doing to help control the alcohol costs at your reception?