Today I'm sharing with you 5 reasons why you don't want to leave your Wedding Day Photo and Video Taking to the Guests on your wedding day ~ the day that you only get one-shot at

With everyone taking snapshots all day long with their mobile devices these days - you may think "why not just let our guests take the photos at our wedding?". Well, I'm here with 5 reasons why you do not want your wedding guests taking the photos and videos of your wedding. And, I have to give a big thank you shout-out to Focus Productions for letting me showcase their photos {and the most amazing video} in this article. {Focus Productions is a VIP Wedding Member in my wedding directory}

1. Photo Memories

When you have a pro photographer capturing your wedding day, you don't have to think twice about the moments that are so special not being photographed. And, if you have particular photos you want taken - simply let your photographer know. Having the perfect moments captured at just the right time is what the professional photographer is there for. Having gorgeous photos of your special day, makes it easy to relive your wedding again and again.

2. Live Motion Memories

Having photos in an album is wonderful to look back on your day - but having a video is just as special. I mean, just look at this video below - it's absolutely outstanding and certainly not a video that can be put together by a wedding guest. This type of video creation takes professional skill to put together and is such a beautiful keepsake of all the wedding day highlights.

3. Equipment + Lighting

Whether your marrying in a church {where some don't even allow flash} or outside in the bright sun on a beach - the professionals will know the exact equipment and settings for the lighting current lighting situation. I'm almost certain you wouldn't want all dark photos from the church or all washed out photos because of the sun's glare if you let your guests take the photos. The professionals will always know the right equipment for the light that is happening at the current time of photo taking. And, as the lighting situations change as the wedding progresses - the pros are ready for anything and everything.

4. Unobtrusive

You've seen those photos where the photographer is taking a photo and you see all the wedding guests with their iPhones {and iPads sometimes - yikes!} being held in the air to capture the moment too, right? Well, the professionals know the tricks and will be unobtrusive when photographing or videotaping your wedding moments.

5. Unplugged

This last one goes along with number 4, as you don't want your own hired professionals being blocked by a wedding guest trying to jockey for the same photo, do you? The easiest was to avoid this happening is to have an unplugged wedding. Let your guests be want they were invited for - a guest at your wedding. And, of course you can give them access to the wedding gallery after so they can select their own photos that they love - the ones taken from a professionals point of view. Maybe you even gift your wedding guests with photo credit as the wedding favor so they can have the keepsake photos they love.

I'd love to hear from you - whether you're planning a wedding or you are a professional - are there any other reasons to share why you want to hire a professional wedding photographer and videographer?

Thank you again Focus Productions for providing the photos and video to include in this wedding article

As promised, the funny doggie outtakes are back for one last day {see day  1,  2 and 3 here}. The new book "Wedding Dogs : A Celebration of Holy Muttrimony" is not only a great gift, but it's a great coffee table book. I'm not sure of many that don't enjoy looking through a photography book filled with beautiful photos and in this case, one that also includes the cutest dogs.

Since I missed out on sharing an outtake yesterday with you, I have two for you today. My daughter created several "voice-overs" for a few of the dogs in the book {what she thinks the dog is saying or thinking in the photo}.

Don't forget to pre-order your copy of Wedding Dogs {scheduled to be released on April 16th}. This book is perfect for the couple that plans to have their canine companion celebrate their special day with them or for any dog lover out there.

As promised, it's day 2 of the funny outtakes. My daughter loves looking thru the new book, "Wedding Dogs : A Celebration of Holy Muttrimony" and coming up with what the dog in the photo might be saying. I have recorded her doing several of her "voice overs" and will be sharing them with you each day this week. And, now for today's vocal/funny outtake . . .

See Doggie Outtake Day 1

Don't forget to pre-order your copy of Wedding Dogs {scheduled to be released on April 16th}. This book is perfect for the couple that plans to have their canine companion celebrate their special day with them or for any dog lover out there.

PS: this post contains affiliate links, by clicking on them and making a purchase I will receive a small
percentage of the sale which I then use towards creating new and exciting things for you on the blog :)

I recently received the cutest wedding book I think I have ever seen. It's called Wedding Dogs : A Celebration of Holy Muttrimony {the name alone totally makes it a must-read}. This book is filled with beautiful photographs of dogs all fancied up for weddings. Each dog comes with a story about the wedding they were in along with their name {there's even Poopsie the dog}. My daughter is loving this book as much as I am. She's definitely a fan of cute dogs and as she started looking thru the pages, she kept coming out with funny things that it looked like the dogs were saying. So, each day this week, I will be sharing with you one of her "doggie outtakes". Hope you enjoy starting your day off with a smile :)

Don't forget to pre-order your copy of Wedding Dogs {scheduled to be released on April 16th}. This book is perfect of course for the couple that plans to have their canine companion celebrate their special day with them or for any dog lover out there.

PS: this post contains affiliate links, by clicking on them and making a purchase I will receive a small
percentage of the sale which I then use towards creating new and exciting things for you on the blog :)

Starting your Friday morning off with something super fun. Marcella Robin of MRobin Cakes in Portland, OR is a cake baker and designer who is known for her entremet style cakes. She designs the cakes primarily for weddings and they feature decorative outer layers that are covered with unique designs and patterns.

Her modern aesthetic coupled with the traditional European style of cake results in a dessert that is both visually intriguing and delicious.

She recently sat down with the Portland video production company, Cineastas, to share her creative process and the short {amazing} documentary can be seen above {I'm loving the background music, I'll likely be hitting re-play throughout the day to hear it again. In case you're wondering, I found out the song is "Hola Hola Bossa Nova" by a band called Juanitos}.