WHY HIRE A TOASTMASTER?
We asked one of Sussex’s top Toastmasters Paul Smith for his thoughts on why to hire a Toastmaster.
He started by answering some of the questions/comments he gets when talking to couples at Wedding Fairs:-
The Bestman has a loud voice.-80% of what a Toastmaster does is not seen by the majority of attendees. However things like, organisational skills, management, stress relieve, good humour, tradition, organising and working with all other suppliers are all part and parcel of the Toastmasters role. Yes the Bestman can shout and organise photos but this is only a small part. A Toastmasters management of any day normally starts a minimum of one hour before any guests etc. arrive and is 100% focused on your day until the agreed time to leave. Can the Bestman really do that?
No my Dads going to do that- Again does Dad not want to relax and enjoy the day? If he is fulfilling the role properly then he will not be able to, as it means working closely with the Photographer, Kitchen Staff, Venue Staff, and Disco etc. not a 5 minute job.
No don’t want one of you that’s too formal- It mystifies me why organisation is seen as formal. Consider the role in modern terminology as an Event Manager, people don’t consider them formal. I have yet to come across a couple who have not put hours of planning into their big day, yet they lose site of the fact that on the day they are the centre of the attention and cannot be running it as well. I am often told by Brides that we couldn’t have done it without you.
We want a relaxed day, not formal - So does every Bride, however a fact of life is there is a lot to be fitted into your day and certain times have to be adhered to if you want your day to run as you planned. For example the time you agree with your caterers to sit down for your meal or the time your evening guests are arriving need to be adhered to unless you want a ruined meal or guests turning up half way through as you have run late.
Cor I can have a Chocolate fountain for that price - (Unlikely in this day and age). But a Toastmaster will be with you somewhere in the region of 6/8 hours, I doubt if a Chocolate Fountain will be there for that time or offer the Added Value a Toastmaster will.
So to round up, a Toastmaster should be seen as a Service Provider who pulls your day together and runs it the way YOU WANT IT adding value with dignity, experience and good humour. Remember a Toastmaster has seen many different functions and Weddings and has lots of tips on timings, way to-do things etc. but they are only ideas the Day is Yours.
Anyone who has worked with me will tell you that I am passionate about my job and always try to go that extra mile to ensure the Couple and the guest’s day is as perfect as it can be. Don’t just take my word for it have a look at my web site where live testimonials are posted and if you meet me I have lots of Customer Surveys you can review and even provide you with clients references points.
Well thank you for spending the time reading this and I hope in some small part I have helped your understanding of what a Toastmaster offers even if you decide it’s not for you in the end.
Paul G Smith
Professional Toastmaster
Click here to view Paul's website.
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Thursday 4 August 2011
Sussex Weddings: How Do You Get Great Wedding Photos?
We asked Eastbourne's leading award winning wedding photographer Peter Prior for his thoughts and advice on how couples can ensure they get the very best wedding photos on their big day,
"What is my advice to couples wanting to get the very best wedding photographs they can? I get asked this all the time.
I have an idealistic vision that every couple would have amazing wedding photographs to look back on for the rest of their lives, but the reality is very different.
Of late there has been a lot of opinions and comments being spouted on so called "super blogs" giving tips on how to ensure you get the very best wedding photographs, how to pose and how to avoid being disappointed with the results.
Unfortunately, while there has been some positive and good posts, as with everything there is an awful lot of nonsense and misinformation being written. The apparent power of some of these "super blogs" means there is a real danger of damage being done to the wedding photography industry and there being some very upset and disappointed couples who may have elected to follow the advice of the misinformed.
Now i am not saying that all these blogs and bloggers are guilty of this and i know that many are a good place for tips and ideas as well as offering good entertainment for brides who have the enormous task of organising their wedding day. However, i have been alerted to posts on a number of these which are plainly more about personal egos and power trips than actually offering well educated advice to brides.
Let's face it, a wedding day is probably the most important day of that couple's lives and with all the planning and expense its only natural that they expect the photographs produced to be way beyond the very best images they have ever seen of themselves.
Even at the cheaper end of the market place, wedding photography is a big investment and as with most things you only get what you pay for. A good wedding photographer with a great reputation is generally in high demand and as such they usually command higher prices. However if great photographs are important, spending good money on photography is a sensible investment.
It still surprises me that some brides are happy to waste a few hundred pounds on inexperienced, poor photography when they wouldn't dream of skimping on unreliable cars, amateur catering and an ill fitting dress!
So, going back to my original question: what is my advice to couples wanting to get the very best wedding photographs they can?
Simply, having a quality photographer and feeling comfortable and relaxed with that photographer is the prime requisite for getting fabulous images.
I am passionate about my work and imagery and put all of my skill, experience together with my heart and soul into producing the very best i can for each and every couple."
You can see Peter's wedding portfolio of images taken at real weddings on his website by clicking here.
Keep up to speed with all his latest work by following my Blog.
"What is my advice to couples wanting to get the very best wedding photographs they can? I get asked this all the time.
I have an idealistic vision that every couple would have amazing wedding photographs to look back on for the rest of their lives, but the reality is very different.
Of late there has been a lot of opinions and comments being spouted on so called "super blogs" giving tips on how to ensure you get the very best wedding photographs, how to pose and how to avoid being disappointed with the results.
Unfortunately, while there has been some positive and good posts, as with everything there is an awful lot of nonsense and misinformation being written. The apparent power of some of these "super blogs" means there is a real danger of damage being done to the wedding photography industry and there being some very upset and disappointed couples who may have elected to follow the advice of the misinformed.
Now i am not saying that all these blogs and bloggers are guilty of this and i know that many are a good place for tips and ideas as well as offering good entertainment for brides who have the enormous task of organising their wedding day. However, i have been alerted to posts on a number of these which are plainly more about personal egos and power trips than actually offering well educated advice to brides.
Let's face it, a wedding day is probably the most important day of that couple's lives and with all the planning and expense its only natural that they expect the photographs produced to be way beyond the very best images they have ever seen of themselves.
Even at the cheaper end of the market place, wedding photography is a big investment and as with most things you only get what you pay for. A good wedding photographer with a great reputation is generally in high demand and as such they usually command higher prices. However if great photographs are important, spending good money on photography is a sensible investment.
It still surprises me that some brides are happy to waste a few hundred pounds on inexperienced, poor photography when they wouldn't dream of skimping on unreliable cars, amateur catering and an ill fitting dress!
So, going back to my original question: what is my advice to couples wanting to get the very best wedding photographs they can?
Simply, having a quality photographer and feeling comfortable and relaxed with that photographer is the prime requisite for getting fabulous images.
I am passionate about my work and imagery and put all of my skill, experience together with my heart and soul into producing the very best i can for each and every couple."
You can see Peter's wedding portfolio of images taken at real weddings on his website by clicking here.
Keep up to speed with all his latest work by following my Blog.
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