Our lovely bride Sarah Henneveld has entered the Bride of the Year competition over at True Bride. We had a fabulous time doing her wedding which was relaxed out of town affair and beautiful shots taken on the beach and vineyard. A gorgeous and fun loving couple! Click here to vote for her!
For a bride, shoes are an interesting and perplexing area. Most bridal dresses are super long so it almost seems inconsequential what shoes are worn, but, on the other hand shoes, are often what makes a woman feel sexy, desirable and glamourous. So what to do? You love 6 inch sillettos because you feel you can take on the world in them but also realise existing in them for 12 hours + may well turn your most special day into a torture fest worthy of the Saw films? Well, as a self confessed shoe addict I have some tips culled from years of experience wearing shoes that most pediatrists would faint at the sight off. So here are my 8 tips! fee free to add more on our facebook page.
1. Break in those suckers!
Wear your shoes BEFORE the day. Do not, I repeat DO NOT try to break in your shoes on your wedding day, it will only lead to tears and not of the good kind. This also applies to flat shoes.
2. Make like a ballerina!
Some brides choose to go flat, some are tall and feel more comfortable that way, some just like the look and some want comfort (I went flat for the look, I am not that tall at only 168cm) but even if you don’t want flats to be your main shoe, have a flat pair of shoes that you can wear after the ceremony for the photo shoot (if you have much walking to do) and also for dancing the night away. Ballet flats are so pretty these days, or if you can’t find anything sparkly/unique enough buy plain ones and jazzy them up with diamontes etc (ebay is a good cheap source for gems, ribbons, buttons). Some go even more casual and get jazzed up thongs!
3. Take it down a level
Consider a slightly lower heel. I know, Blasphemy! But before you start cursing my name many shoes are available that are just a little lower and look fabulous. A lot of retro inspired styles fit into this category.
4. Wedge it
One of my height challenged friends on Facebook said “God only lets you grow until your perfect, some of us reached perfection far earlier than others!” so if you don’t like ballet flats or are not willing to sacrifice height loss for comfort on your wedding day, what about wedges? There are some gorgeous wedge styles out there and they are far more comfy then stilettos (plus they don’t sink into the grass or sand).
5. Size does matter
Make sure they are the right size! I know its painful to walk away from the perfect pair of shoes because they just don’t quite fit but its not worth trying to squeeze your poor toes into a shoe thats just not made for them and then hoping you will survive the entire day and night in them. Or, if you can’t let them go go a size up and use gel heel liners, insoles etc to get them to fit nice.
6. With a little help from my “friends”
Use insoles, heel pads, heel liners, toe pads whatever you need! And please realise that many of these options do make the shoe fit snugger, so take that in account when your shoe hunting. Also go see an expert, the shoe repair guy can make shoes more comfy and heels last longer etc, he/she is more than just a pretty face. Mad Tip: sometimes I get ballet flats that fit but are a bit high near my ankle, so I put in a heel lift to make my foot sit higher in the shoe. I have found that this also makes snug ballet flats more comfortable plus I am also just a little taller which can’t hurt 🙂
7. Its custom, honey.
Custom make your shoes. I know sounds outlandish to some but these day you can custom order your shoes in a variety of widths, colors and requirements all online. Try Shoes of Prey for a start, which are awesome.
8. Don’t forget your entourage
All of this goes double for your bridesmaids! They are glorified slaves after all and will have to walk at least as much as you do.
To help you on your journey here are some web links:
- Shoes of Prey
- Etsy – Handmade bridal shoes
- eBay
- ZU shoes
Also look through sites like pintrest and instagram for inspiration if you want to customise your shoes.
Wishing you a foot friendly, comfy shoe wedding day!
Most Fridays I will be covering a celebrity wedding. As you can see from this post I am quite loose in my use of the term of “celebrity” to cover historic personalities as well.
I thought Queen Vic’s wedding was an appropriate beginning because, well, she started the trend that nearly all brides follow to this day: The white dress. Before Queen Victoria married Prince Albert (a match based on Love more than anything else *) women generally wore their best gown to be married in. Of course, for those who came from noble and aristocratic backgrounds this gown would be especially made for the occasion but it was almost never white. The gown would often be made of gold, silver, silk, brocade; heavy and rich and denoting the status of the wearer and what bounty she brought to the marriage. Poorer women could never dream of such riches but they would wear their best gown.
Princess Charlotte Married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg in 1816. An elaborate cloth-of-silver empire line dress embroidered with flowers and trimmed with Brussels lace.
Queen Victoria, the first ruling queen England had had since Queen Elizabeth, sought to break this trend. She wanted a dress that would suit her romantic imagination and hence a dress was made of white satin and silk with lace and orange blossoms. Queen Victoria was not the first to wear a white wedding dress but her example inspired a nation and beyond. Funnily enough she was criticised by here choice, as “At the time, Victoria’s choice was criticized for being too conservative, since she did not wear jewels, velvet, ermine furs, or a crown, and the color was unusual”(Wikipaedia). Clearly she was a woman ahead of her time.
Within a decade wearing white at the wedding was so common that “The Godey’s Lady’s Book, wrote: “Custom has decided, from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue, whatever may be the material. It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one””(Wikipaedia), even though it was a really recent innovation!
Times may have changed since then but brides still wear white on their wedding day and most love a puffy princess dress, although we are less into puffy sleeves than Queen Vic’s version!
I love the shoes she wore, you can still imagine a bride today choosing those sweet ballet flats with ballet like lacing.
Enjoy the pics below from her wedding! I love how the artists “airbrushed” her in their illustrations – somethings never change!
Till next time!
_____
* After his untimely death Queen Victoria went into permanent mourning for her beau. If you visit Osborne House in the Isle of Wight and go to her bed she actually had “on the headboard of the bed …Prince Albert’s pocket watch and alongside it … a tinted photograph of the Prince after his death. Queen Victoria always had these two objects hanging on the headboard in each of her royal residences…Beside the bed is the Queen’s favourite painting of her husband as a young medieval knight.” (Open Learning)
Filip Welna Photography had the privilege of being the wedding photographers for Cari and Dave. The lovely couple were married in the beautiful Laurance Wines in the stunning Margaret River. With blue skies and the sun shining it would have been difficult not to take some amazing photos of these two. We met the bride during her preparations in stunning accommodation that came with a spa bath so tempting that it had to feature in the wedding pics. Cari’s ruffled dress did an admirable job of doubling as bubbles!
The couple said ‘I do’ within the grounds of Laurance Wines with bowers of roses all around and a lake in the background providing a fairytale picturesque setting. This seemed very appropriate since Cari truly looked like a fairytale bride in a gorgeous dress complete with silver and lace bodice and, of course, tiara (Dave had tears in his eyes when he saw here coming down the isle!).
After the ceremony we took our photography to the extended grounds of the winery allowing for shots around a tuscan inspired house and of course rows and rows of vineyards. Then we quickly dashed to the beach, where an obliging surfer allowed us to use their surfboard as a prop!
The reception was beautiful and even allowed for some more stunning shots of the bride in their doorway replete with chandeliers.
Congratulations to a very much in love couple, may all of your future days be as perfect as your wedding day
Francesca and Michael were married at St Pauls’s Anglican Church in Fremantle and had their reception at Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Peppermint Grove.
Photos were taken in the wild areas of Fremantle, from ramshackle old buildings to fields of gold reflecting our bride’s love of the vintage look.
Don’t these photos just reflect the dreamy, timeless and nostalgic feel that vintage often inspires?
Congrats to a gorgeous couple!
Melissa and Toby were married on a most gorgeous 31st of March. Our stunning bride chose the Matilday Bay Foreshore for a picturesque wedding ceremony, followed by photos at UWA and a reception at the Matilda Bay Restaurant.
Toby couldn’t stop smiling from the moment we first met him on his wedding day, and with a bride like Melissa it’s not hard to understand why. Beautiful Melissa looked amazing in her gown and it’s easy to see where her gorgeous kids get their looks from. Her lovely daughter,Aleisha, was a fantastic assistant and I can honestly say I have never met a more helpful flowergirl/bridesmaid. she was a joy to photographer and talk to and was truly enjoying this day easily as much as the bridal couple ( she shyly reveled to me that she had been waiting 2 years for this day to come!).
The bridal party was a hoot to work with, and this is probably the first time I could safely say that getting them to stop smiling was the problem ( what a happy problem for a wedding photographer). Michelle and Lee were champs to the end!
Toby and Melissa, you guys were a riot, we were privileged to be your wedding photographers. It’s easy to see that you guys will have many happy years ahead of you. Congrats!
Aleisha and Scott were married in garden ceremony and progressed to having photos taken at Cottesloe Beach before moving on to their reception held at the Indiana Tea House, Cottesloe, Perth. A beautiful clear day was the perfect backdrop to this couple’s wedding day. The bride looked flawless throughout and the groom looked smitten every step of the way. Congratulations to the lovely duo!
Not even rain could dampen our lovely couple’s enthusiasm on what was a drizzly 8th of October. Ariana and Chad were married in the Hillary’s boat harbour foreshore and had their recpetion at AQWA.
Their photos were taken on the beach, where all involved were slowly (and later quickly) drenched by the persistent drizzle and rain.
Ariana and Chad proved that even when the weather is less than perfect, you can still have great photos, provided your ready to smile and work through it. A silver lining to this little story is that the rain cleared in the evening which allowed for some stunning jetty shots (rain does wonders to old wood, making it glossy and beautiful) as you can see below.
Congratulations Ariana and Chad!
Angelica and Brett were wed on the 17th Sept 2011, a (mostly) clear and lovely day. They were first married in their local Kingdom Hall before moving on to have pictures at the Cottesloe Civic Centre and a Reception at Villa Pourzand, Cottesloe. A gorgeous couple who just couldn’t take a wrong photo!
Black and white photography is often referred to as one of the most elegant and refined forms of photography, and with the right image, its easy to see why. When we do black and white its far more then pressing a button in our photo processing programme, we spend time creating the right black and white effect (yes, there is more than one) and then finessing it to the picture itself. Preferring a high dynamic range (so the black and white doesn’t look gray), we like to produce black and white images that play on texture and light.
Below are a few examples from two weddings that came up with some truly beautiful black and white images.
Leanne & Terry
Leanne and Terry were married at the Belvoir Reception Centre in its lush gardens. For their pics we did a slightly warmer toned black and white (almost sepia but not quite) as well as a more traditional look. Black and white is usually very kind to skin-tone, and as we can see here our couple looks flawless. Their eyes look crystal clear, and really connect with the camera. On another note, we enhanced the folds of the bride’s dress to create an almost painter like quality to the black and white.
Michelle & John
Michelle and John were a very different wedding. Married in the gorgeous St. Michael the Archangel Church they had their wedding photos on the streets of Fremantle, which was very fitting considering the bride is an architect. Her dress, with its swirls of satin and tulle, really responded to black and white, with a little help from us. In fact we were so inspired that we even created a monochromatic colour effect just for these photos. Yes there is colour but we have kept it muted to still keep a black and white aesthetic (and we really wanted to show off these pics!).
While black and white is sometimes prone to over use, in the right skilled hands it can be used to produce wonderful, memorable and timeless images.
What our Couples say….
Thank you very much for being our wedding photographer. You and your beautiful wife have done an amazing job. From the onset of our first meeting we were very confident in that choosing you as our photographer that we had made the right decision. We applaud your work, from the way you conduct your business, the countless hours and effort you put in, right down to the fine detailed spectacular finished product. Please know that as well as monetary gain, you also have our copious appreciation.
We will recommend you to everyone we know, and probably even people we don’t.
Mark & Sarah