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

About 2 weeks ago I received the following email from bride, Irla:
"I am a fan of your website and I have a special request that maybe you can help me with. My future husband and I are fans of micro-breweries and would like to have a wedding there. Yet, I can't find any examples of real weddings done at a brewery. Can you maybe do a post one of these days of a real wedding done at a brewery, if you can find one. Thanks so much for your awesome website. It has helped me and many others that I have referred your website to."

And now . . . here is today's Real Wedding (and a few details) . . .

Photographer: Gregory of Belle Images and the Sweet Smile blog
Venue: Faultline Brewery in Sunnyvale, California

From Gregory: "Each step of the day from the toasts to the kiss was followed by the time honored tradition of raising a pint."

Thank You Gregory for sharing this brewery wedding with my readers and Irla.

Photographed by the up and coming wedding photographer Max Wagner. Marissa and David's wedding ceremony and reception took place in Del Mar, CA.

Click here to see a portfolio wedding from Max that was posted earlier today

The following portfolio wedding of Shoko and Julian was photographed by the talented Max Wagner. This couple didn't actually get married {yet!}, but Max choose them for an editorial type shoot to reflect his style as he begins to transition into photographing more weddings. (He's done mostly editorial work in the past)

From the photographs shown below, I think you will agree that Max has a wonderfully artistic eye. For me, each photograph is a work of art. The shoot took place in Studio City, CA.

Please check back later in the early afternoon for another wedding (with a real bride and groom) by Max Wagner.

Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com 

"When picking a photographer, be sure to view complete albums of several weddings that he shot and assembled. That will help you judge the consistency of his work, as well as his ability to tell the complete story of the wedding."

In addition to seeing the complete wedding album - you will also want to look at the album style as each photographer has their own unique way of presenting the photos to showcase the wedding. I recently wrote an article on How to Find the Right Wedding Photographer For You after attending the NJ Wedding Salon that mentioned this. Below is an excerpt from the article and you can see the entire article here.

View the Album Styles
At the show, each photographer had albums on display to give you an idea of how they look when finished. It's great to be able to see all the different options as you visit each photographers booth. There are many different album styles out there, but one that stood out to me at the NJ Wedding Salon was from Romeo Creations. They offer the option to have a one of a kind wedding album that features a handmade metal cover. The album cover images range from landscape to floral to the abstract. An absolutely stunning presentation.

Above Images courtesy of White Wedding Album