Taste of the Nation!

Bob attended the Taste of the Nation party on Sunday and let me tell you, we were all quite jealous of him! He came in Monday raving about the food, music, and photoboothlive fun. We will just have to live vicariously through the photos he took. V/Gladieux Catering provided the shrimp and oyster shooter in the photo above. The flowers were wonderful, as expected, from Keith Brooks. Check out some of the funny photos I found from Photoboothlive from the event!

Sarah and Erik 4-18-09

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of shooting Sarah and Erik's wedding. We had gorgeous skies, warm weather, and a stunning bride! Bob and Mary captured the day wonderfully with some phenomenal shots at Historic St Patrick's and the surroundings as well as The Toledo Country Club. We have more photos and more details to come, but here is just a little sneak peak at the images we love so far!

Sunny Skies

Northwest Ohio had absolutely beautiful weather this past weekend! It was perfect conditions for an engagement shoot in downtown Sylvania. Lauren and Erik, who are getting married in August of this year, are so much fun! They are naturals in front of the camera, and you can just tell when you meet them that they are completely in love.

These two photos are just a sampling of the stunning results from the shoot. We can't wait to shoot their wedding this summer!

Wedding Albums

Have you ever thought about what kind of wedding album would suit your style best? I wanted to show you a few spreads from one of my favorite albums that I have designed. This album was so much fun because Bob and Stevie really captured the tiniest details which gave me great images to work with!

What I like the best about our Modern Image albums is that they can convey a feeling for the day. You get an idea of the atmosphere and excitement in the album because it tells the story of the day! Definitely consider getting a Modern Image album for your wedding photos - I would love to design one for your day!

Cakes!

Have you ever check out wedding cakes online? I've been looking through our past weddings for cool cakes, and this is a little collection of the ones I've found so far!

I did find a few cool bakeries in the Toledo area: Petit Fours, Myles Baker Street, and one up in Ann Arbor: Cake Nouveau. That last one has been featured on a few Food Network competitions!! Definitely check out those sites if you are interested in seeing some very creative cakes!

Maternity & Family

I just had to share these images with you. I had the opportunity to do another maternity shoot on Monday that conveniently also became a bit of a family photo session too! This delightful couple brought their adorable son with them and he created some of the best moments.

Real Simple

Calling all brides and grooms to be! I found this great article on RealSimple.com and wanted to show you all this great resource: What to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

Such great questions to ask! I thought I'd take a few minutes to answer this list of questions for you! Make sure you check out the article for added tips and peruse the rest of the site!

Here we go...

1. Do you have photos of entire weddings that I can see?

Of course! We can't stress it enough that when you are 'shopping' for your photographer, you absolutely NEED to see an entire wedding. What you see on websites and in portfolios or sample albums is a showcase of some of the photographer's best work! We'd hate to see anyone hire a photographer for their entire day and walk away with just a few stand out shots.

Make an appointment to meet with us in our studio, and we will show you photographs from an entire wedding. We'd love to walk you through the process so you can get a feel for our style.

2. Do you have references I can call?

We'd be happy to provide you with a reference! Also, you can view some testimonials on our website.

3. Do you post proofs online, or will I receive negatives?

We shoot with digital SLRs, so you will not be receiving negatives. We do post the proofs online and they will stay in your own private web gallery for 12 weeks (which can be extended if need be).

4. Who will be photographing my wedding?

At Grand Lubell Photography, we have six photographers who have been shooting for many years. When you come in to our studio to meet with us, we will show you samples of each photographer and we will find the photographer that best suits your style!

5. When will my proofs, prints, and wedding albums be available?

We post your proofs within 4 to 6 weeks from your wedding. We take time with each and every one of your images to ensure that you are looking at the best quality proofs! With often times over 800 images, this process takes some time but we choose not to sacrifice quality to save time.

Prints are typically available in 2 weeks, but can be rushed if need be. We can't state an exact time frame for wedding albums because each album is designed specifically for the couple, and production times vary depending on the album type.

6. How many pictures will you take?

We don't set a limit for photographs - we'd never miss you first dance just because you've reached a "quota" for the day! Typically, you will receive at least 800 images for full day coverage. Often times, that number can exceed 1000 images if you choose 2 photographer coverage.

7. What happens if you show up late or can't make it to the wedding?

In all of the 38 years that Grand Lubell has been in business, there has never been a missed wedding. We understand that weddings can be very stressful and we do our best to keep your stress-free when it comes to photography! We have six photographers, and generally we only book 3 per day, so we have plenty of backups in the event of an emergency.

8. Can I see a sample contract?

We would love to show you a sample contract upon request.

9. Are you part of any professional associations, or do you have extra training in your field?

All of our photographers have at least a 4 year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree as well as additional advanced training in the most recent workshops and seminars. Bob very recently attended a workshop in Vegas where he came back with all sorts of goodies for us (photoshop plug-ins, magazines, samples galore!!)

10. Do you have liability insurance?

Yes. This is very important and you should be sure to ask everyone you hire for that day about liability insurance.

11. What type of cameras do you use, and will you have any backups in case something breaks or doesn't work?

Our photographers shoot Canon Digital SLRs. We recently purchased the brand new Canon 5D Mark II which is the latest in Canon's cutting edge camera line. We always travel with backup equipment and have never found ourselves in a situation where we have no working equipment during a job.

12. How many years have you been photographing weddings?

38 years! If we didn't love it, we would have found something else to do by now!! In all seriousness however, we want to stress that in these economic hardship times it is important to feel confident and secure with your photographer choice. We have a long standing business with a studio and an office that you can reach us at. Please, consider long and hard before you hire a photographer with no permanent studio or office. We have heard too many stories about deposits lost to disappearing companies!

13. What do you charge for overtime?

Nothing! When you hire us for your full day coverage, you can be rest assured that we will be one of the LAST people to leave the reception! We want to capture your day in its entirety, which is why we do not charge 'overtime.'

Dance Party!!

Do you love the 80s!? Then The Toledo Club is where you should be on Saturday. From 7:30PM until midnight, dance your night away to the best of the 80s and be sure to dress straight out of 1987!! The Venyx will be playing all of your faves - check out the details here!

Showers!

One aspect of getting married that doesn't require as much planning from the bride is the wedding shower! So if you are a bride-to-be, pass this link along to your bridal shower planner (the earlier the better)! It's from RealSimple.com and breaks down the to-do list in an effective timeline. Check out the article here!

Also, they have a wedding checklist broken down into a similar timeline! Check that one out here

Karen & Jim

On March 28th, Karen and Jim were married at the Toledo Museum of Art. It was a beautiful wedding (as they all are at the Art Museum!!) and Stevie captured it wonderfully.

If you don't recall, or don't live in Toledo, I will tell you that that particular Saturday was very windy!

The couple chose to have string musicians during their ceremony, which is an excellent touch for added elegance!

They used the wonderful Keith Brooks for their flowers - different shades of purple which make us all very excited for springtime! Even though it's been snowing these past few days, we have to have faith that spring is on its way!!

Congratulations Karen and Jim! Thank you for having us be a part of your wedding day!

Toledo Country Club

To all the bride-to-be's out there - check out the Toledo Country Club! We have photographed dozens of couples there, and all have had fantastic results! It's hard to not have breathtaking photographs with the combination of our fabulous photographers and Toledo Country Club's beautiful grounds.

The building and the grounds surrounding it are always immaculately made up, all the way down to the tiniest detail. Set right on the Maumee River, the Toledo Country Club makes for phenomenal photography. Check out their site here, and make an appointment today!

A Museum Reception

On March 28th, we had the pleasure of photographing Andre and Darya's wedding reception at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. The museum created a very fun, interesting atmosphere for the reception and the guests absolutely loved all of the sports cars and antique cars! You can see in the very first picture the plane in the background which hung above the guests.

Andre and Darya were married in September at home which we also were fortunate enough to photograph. It was a Persian ceremony in which they fed each other something sweet to establish a "sweet marriage." Congratulations Andre and Darya!

A Very Special Session

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of being part of something very exciting. I was able to photograph these three beautiful little girls so that they could use it to help them get adopted! The photoshoot was hectic - it's never easy to get 3 young girls to smile and pay attention at the same time - but the result was more than I could have imagined. We received this e-mail today:

Please tell Stevie that since we posted her photo of the girls on the state adoption website, we have been absolutely FLOODED with calls from across the country from families who want to adopt them. It is amazing the difference that good photography makes for kids awaiting families.

Thanks again,
Julie

Photography is my passion but it is so much more when the result changes people's lives!

Yay!!

Hey everyone! I have to announce that your very own Head of the Department of Blogging at Grand Lubell Photography is ENGAGED!!! Yes, I made up that title just now.

Engaged!! And I was just getting home from work when he asked me to marry him! How exciting!

So now I'm sure this blog will become full of all sorts of wedding advice and tips as I promised earlier because now I can benefit directly too!!!

The Mix UP!

This past weekend, we were able to do Photobooth Live at The Mix UP! The Mix Up was hosted by the Arts Commission and was held in the Secor Building. The whole night was full of music, performers, art, and Photobooth Live fun! I had a great time as the "Photobooth Girl" and I definitely think this year's Mix Up was fun for everybody!