Susssex Weddings: Darren Charles Holloway Photography is Attending the Eastbourne Wedding Show

Wedding Photographer, Darren Charles Holloway has signed up to attend the Eastbourne Wedding Show and i asked him to write a few words about his business, what he offers and some advice about selecting the RIGHT wedding photographer.



Darren:

I am really looking forward to exhibiting at Eastbourne’s Wedding fair in January.

Wedding photography is one of the most important aspects of planning any wedding day. Getting the right photographer who will undoubtedly capture the day with images that will last the test of time is not an easy task. Wedding photography in general has become an over saturated market with many new photographers appearing on a weekly basis. So to some Bride and Groom’s the choice can be a daunting one. Choosing a good photographer should be an easy task if you stick to some simple guidelines:



Images that appear on photographer’s websites can often be made to look better than they actually are! I would suggest never choosing a photographer until you have actually seen their work in portfolio albums. Only in photographic printed from can you really judge the quality of their work and hopefully the result that you will end up with. I always insist that couples view my work so that they can see for themselves the high quality of albums and prints I produce.

Make sure the photographer is a true qualified professional photographer. My photography has been judged and assessed by two professional photography associations and I have passed qualification with the Master Photographers Association (MPA) and the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP). This means that you know my work is of a very high standard. A prerequisite to joining both the MPA & BIPP is that I have both public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Make sure if you are choosing a photographer that they are fully insured.

You cannot beat experience!! Asking a member of your family or a friend to photograph your wedding because they have a good “expensive” camera is no substitute for a truly talent professional photographer. They may only have the one camera, what happens if it malfunctions on the day? What would they do if the weather is bad or is an extremely sunny day? What happens if they are ill before your wedding? There are lots more scenarios I could use to justify why having a professional photographer is the correct thing to do. A true professional will put you at ease on your wedding day and will capture images you will treasure for the rest of your life. Throughout my wedding photography career I have received numerous compliments on my work and how I approach each and every wedding. One couple even said "it was like having an extra guest at our wedding".


My style of photography is a mixture of formal and causal with the emphasis on fun not fuss. Feel free to come and say hello at the Eastbourne wedding fair and view examples of my work and ask me more questions regarding my wedding photography.

I look forward to meeting you there.

Darren Charles Holloway



To see Darren's portfolio please click here.

Sussex Weddings: Cakes and Catering: Sylvia's Kitchen

Another exhibitor at the Eastbourne Wedding Fair is Elizabeth Chatfield of Sylvia's Kitchen and i asked her to write a few words about her business and what she can offer.



Hi, my name is Elizabeth Chatfield and I am the owner of Sylvia's Kitchen, Specialist Cakes & Catering in Hailsham, East Sussex. I started the company eighteen months ago and it is now growing well, covering local areas including Eastbourne, Uckfield, Lewes, Heathfield, Seaford, Brighton and even recently delivering as far as Guildford.

Sylvia's Kitchen is not only fulfilling orders for wedding cakes, but celebration cakes too. I am very passionate about wedding cakes, they are a beautiful and romantic statement and a wonderful centrepiece to the Wedding Reception.

The Eastbourne Wedding Fair will be my first Wedding Fair so I am really excited about meeting not only all the prospective brides and grooms, but all the other suppliers attending as well. It is going to be a great opportunity for me to showcase my work and offer delicious samples of the various cakes on offer.



If you would like to view any cakes made by me, please visit my website at http://www.sylviaskitchen.co.uk. If you would like to contact me for any details, please do not hesitate to contact me on http://Liz@sylviaskitchen.co.uk and I would be more than happy to help answer any questions you may have.

Please come and find me at The Winter Gardens on the 7 and 8 January when it will be a pleasure to meet you all.

Sussex Weddings: Looking for a Harpist for Your Wedding? Come and Meet Fiona Hosford

Fiona Hosford, harpist will be exhibiting at the Eastbourne Wedding Fair in January. Read all about her here.


A local professional Harpist, Fiona has played the Harp since she was six years old and has developed her own style and carved her own niche with prestigious Hotels and venues within the South East of the UK and beyond.

She plays for weddings, corporate events and private functions and is unusual as a Harpist in the fact that she specialises in playing outside the 'Harpbox of tunes' and welcomes particular requests!

This means that her flexible attitude with clients ensures that they can rely on her to listen to their specific musical needs and to play their requests. Such requests so far to date have been: The 'A' Team, Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Match of the Day, Radiohead, Guns 'n' Roses and many others!

Her experience in playing means that she can cater to the clients' taste in music, whether it be classical, jazz or more modern and contemporary pieces and her full-sized statuesque gold Harp adds an air of refinement.

Her strong sense of humour and personality has served her well and she is affectionately known for her professional, yet down-to-earth style, not just amongst clientele but also with venues.
Having performed in the UK and abroad, she is the resident Harpist for many local Hotels and venues and she prides herself on providing a first-class service from start to finish.

Do contact her for further information and her demo CD is available:
PO Box 129
Hailsham
East Sussex
BN27 1ZE
01323 442935
07866 698566
www.Harpist.uk.com

Sussex Weddings: Why Hire a Toastmaster

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.

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.