70's Inspired Styled Shoot
Mid Century Modern and the 70s certainly are taking the world by storm all over again, and I am here for it! Warm tones, dresses with sleeves and of course artsy decor! I had such a blast dreaming of this idea and was finally able to bring it to life!
How did this all come to be you ask? Great question! Well, while thrifting at our local Amvets, my talented friend Chelsea, from Chelsea Victoria Photography, and I came upon this beautiful dress that just HAD to come home with us. It was then we decided we were going to make a pretty funky styled shoot out this. Thus the idea was born! Fast forward to getting the dress cleaned and getting Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House on board, we started getting all the fine details into play for our big adventure! From Hair & Makeup, with Amanda Lee Shamrock, Florals from Marigold & Vase, and a drop dead gorgeous ring from Heidi Gibson, we were well on our way to magic.
A few days before the shoot, I saw on Facebook that a friend of mine just happened to own a Herbie Car. Yes, you heard me! The LOVE BUG himself! I just had to ask her if we could use it, and sure enough he was ours for the day! He even had the original petal from the movie! SO COOL. It couldn't have been a better day, and everything just fell into place. How stinking cute are these? Future brides, you know what to do, get at me ;D I wanna live all the 70s, boho, funky vibes!
Niagara Falls Helicopter Wedding in the Sky!
Hey guys, Sarah here!
While traveling Italy last year with my mother, I had received an email that asked if I would be interested in shooting an intimate wedding high in the sky. I literally almost burst into tears I was so excited! Of course I couldn’t have been more thrilled, and it would also be the first time I had been in a helicopter.
Katelyn & Darius had such a perfect, unique idea that turned out to the best day ever! While I had been to Niagara Falls a bunch of times, I had never seen the view from the sky before — boy was it breathtaking.
As we stood outside waiting for our ride to land, the wind whipped up our hair and made her dress dance giving us chills of excitement! After it landed we were then escorted towards the chopper for a photo-op while our ears were trying to adjust to the loud roar of the engine. Buckled in, headphones on, and greeted by the pilot in less than a few fast minutes, we were OFF!
Up, up, and away we went. Just like that, we were over the falls! As the officiant started, I could tell how happy they were as the moment had begun. Their vows were simple and sweet, and within a few short minutes it was time to kiss as our copter soared above the misty falls. What a sweet moment it was as they exchanged rings to one another and for the rest of the ride we took in the beautiful scenery around us.
After we landed and made our way through the hustle and bustle of the Falls, we took a moment to realize the epicness of what we had just witnessed. The beauty in this world we take for granted everyday, but its times like this that gives us the wonderment that we live for.
For the rest of the day we explored the downtown Falls and Buffalo areas, finding some cool murals on the way and ended up enjoying some bubbly champagne to celebrate! Then it was GAME time!
You heard me right! ( or read me right?! lolll) Their reception was at Dave & Busters! We gamed, ate delicous snacks and of course got some pretty awesome photos too. I am beyond thankful I got to be apart of this magical day. If you get a chance to go on a helicopter, don’t even think twice! DO IT!
Catch ya on the next adventure!
-Sarah
How working as wedding coordinator helped me become a better wedding photographer
Hey All,
I wanted to tell you guys a bit about what I learned during my time in Boston being a wedding coordinator and how it helped me learn how to be a better photographer. This doesn’t really have to do with learning the camera or anything, but more about the preparation and understanding of a whole wedding day. Let me explain.
During my consults with couples I always am asking the couple about their timelines, even though they may not have even thought about some of things I ask. Why ask these questions right away you may ask? No, not to put you on the spot. But, to help you have enough time for everything that you want your day to be. Let’s be honest, most brides haven’t done this before and frankly, we love to help. Timing is the most difficult part and the part that brides really don’t know. How would you if you have never done this before? You have no idea how much time do you actually need for photos…morning prep, family photos…etc. and nor should you.
Being a wedding coordinator before I was a wedding photographer really gave be a inside look at setting timelines and how things looked behind the scenes of a wedding day. You would be so surprise to know how many moving parts there are to a wedding or event. Who better to help you plan than vendors that have been in the wedding industry for years and years and have done 100’s if not 1000’s weddings. I personally have over 10+ years in this industry.
The most important thing that I have discovered for a wedding day is the timeline. This is key to fitting all the things into your day so that you have get everything done and have enough time to hit every check on your checklist. Not to mention have a non stressful day. Planning out your day with the itinerary that Seventh Arrow or hopefully your photographer provides is key to making that happen. Let’s run through general line up for a wedding day…
Prep.
Ceremony or first look.
Family formals.
Bridal party formals.
Reception including but not limited to intros, first dance or toasts, dinner, parent dances, party.
Okay, most brides know this based on other weddings that they have been to or in, however there are two things that are the most important aspects of the day and that we base the whole timeline on; time of ceremony and reception. Ceremonies and receptions are generally set by the church and/or reception hall that you choose. With those two times” in your pocket” already, we then get to work. If you have the time in between the ceremony and reception, great. Just be sure there is enough time for photos in between the travel to location to location to location and back in time for the reception.
If your ceremony is at the place of the reception hall and cocktail hour is right after, I would probably recommend that you do a first look. That is a whole other blog post of the pros and cons of a first look so I won’t get to into too much detail about that, but it is worth talking about in this at least a little. I’m going to give you the facts here. The moments after your ceremony you are whisked away for family formals. Family formals generally can take 10-20 minutes depending on the size of your families (and how well they listen for there names, haha). Once families are done, we have my favorite part, bridal party photos and formals with the new couple. On average, bridal party can take 10-20 minutes depending how big and then the rest of the time is for you both. Now, what the djs and venues sometimes don’t tell you is that they need you lining up to be introduced 5-10 minutes before the start of the reception to make sure names are correct and everyone has a plan.
That leaves very little time for you photos with your new husband or wife, plus not even enough time to get a few drinks and celebrate. Which just isn’t fair in my option. We want to give you what you paid for, photos that you can hang in your house of you two together! I know, this all sounds so stressful if you have your ceremony and reception back to back and if you aren’t a client of mine, talk to your other half and see if a first look would be an option. If so, great, plan on two hours before the ceremony so you have time to get to the ceremony location and hide before it starts! If not, prioritize what you want done first and talk with your vendors to make it work, maybe even extend your cocktail hour by a half hour. Remember, this is your day, don’t let anyone tell you what to do, including me. I’m just trying educating you on the general time it takes to get these things done.
That said, it must be mentioned if your wedding day after day light savings, I would recommend looking at the sunset times because they are later and is not a lot of light to play with. Photographers need light. The word “photography” literally means “the study of light.” We cannot make your photos shot in the dark the same as if they were shot during the day. The photos are going to have a completely different feel to them if shot after sunset. That’s just the facts. If you are doing the ceremony after sunset, please please please highly consider doing a first look. You’re photographer will love you for it. Okay, okay, I said I wasn’t going to get into too much detail but I couldn’t really help myself. It is important to think about, especially when planning a timeline.
Switching gears a bit and back to the itinerary that I mentioned and basically the whole point of this blog. Once we have that itemized itinerary in hand and we go over it from start to finish and I ask you all the names and who’s who and what’s what about your day, we are good as gold! I share this detailed 13/14 page (don’t laugh, I’m serious) with my second shooter so that she knows what’s up and we can know what’s happening when and most importantly what is supposed to happen when.
Being a past coordinator i’ve seen a lot; but not more then I have in my time being a photographer. I have fixed dresses, sewn on buttons, fixed hair, put in veils, created a bouquets on the spot, tied on trinket of loved ones on to an item, reminded brides to use the toilet and put deodorant on before putting her dress on, and that’s just the girls prep! I cannot tell you guys how many times I’ve fixed melted cakes, I’ve sewn the grooms pants back together, bustled, fold napkins, super glued shoes, been a therapist, I’ve even held the brides dress when she is going to the bathroom. Yep, I did that. Wanna know why? Because most of the time, we, the photographers, are the only people with the couple the ENTIRE wedding day. All of it, the good, the bad, the ugly, the exciting. We are there for you, start to finish!
Some people may ask…why would you do that? The answer is simple, I want your wedding to be perfect for you and these things that happen… just happen, and sometimes are out if anyones control. It then become our jobs to try and fix them to alleviate stress from you. Do we help to fix them? Yep, we sure do. It’s our pleasure and we will do everything possible to make sure that we plan the itinerary for the what if’s and just in cases.
Most of the time, wedding coordinators are not hired. I get it, I didn’t have one either, my budget just didn’t allow for it. If I could go back in time and hire one, would I? 1000% Absolutely! While everything ran smoothly, I was slightly more stressed about things that were happening beyond my control. My photographers, they was fantastic. I’m pretty sure she fixed a bridemaids dress behind the scenes without me even noticing. She helped me with anything that we need, but I can’t help but wonder what moments were missed photography wise and how my wedding would have ran smoother if I have a coordinator. I can’t change the past, nor would I because it was a great day, but photographers cant be in to places at once. It’s not physically possible, unfortunately. We wish it was! With a coordinator there, the photographer can do the job that they were hired to do; capturing your wedding day and make it the best day ever. If you do not have a coordinator, not to worry. WE GOT YOU. I promise, I will give you tips and tricks and fix what I can, and if you need me to— hold your dress while you use the bathroom. WE GOT YOU!
This is not an ad for wedding coordinator, that being said, I have a few Buffalo wedding planners that I trust to make your run smoother. If you want my list, you can email me at seventharrowstudio@gmail.com and I can recommend so to you.
Hopefully this blog will have a great affect on your wedding and everything will be just as you envisioned it.
Bre and Matt
All I can say about this elopement is wow.
Bre and Matt, both Buffalo natives, have traveled the world. In their travels, they had fallen in love with Scotland (who wouldn’t am I right) and decided, one day, they would be back for their wedding. Because of a job offer for Matt, the big wedding plans were cut and Bre and Matt planned their elopement in 8 short months. There were eight people total at this wedding; half were vendors.
I would be lying if I told you that we were not excited about this wedding. Not only did Bre work with Seventh Arrow, she had become a very very close friend. We were beyond thrilled that she had chosen to bring us with her to capture her day.
Justin and Vanessa, Matt’s brother and soon to be sister in law (we are also shooting there out of town wedding this upcoming July), had also traveled to Scotland to be part of these great moments. Bre and Matt were married on a random hill on the Isle of Skye, just how they imagined their wedding. These moments and this trip will forever be in my heart.
It was perfect.
Location | Isle of Skye, Scotland UK
Invitations | Hoopla House Creative
Dress | Bliss Bridal
Hair and makeup | AMM Beauty
Floral | Wild Flower Workshop
Robe | Etsy
Videography | Plume Creative
Hayloft in the Grove
Photography: Seventh Arrow Studio
Venue: Hayloft in the Grove hayloftinthegrove.com
Decor: Hayloft in the Grove
Makeup: Lexi Dilorenzo
Dress: Pronovias at Bliss Bridal in Hamburg blissbridalwedding.com
Floral: Wild Blossom Hollow wildblossomhollow.com
Erin + Joe
Photography: Seventh Arrow Studio
Venue: Events at the Foundry
Dress: M A Carr
Designer of Dress: Allure/ Hailey Paige
Bridesmaid(s) dresses: Jasmine Bridals
Tuxedos: Men's Warehouse
Cake: Paulas Donuts
Videography: Countryside
Disc Jockey/Band: H & H Entertainment
Flowers: Flowers by Nature
Makeup: Salon Elizabeth
Hair: Salon Elizabeth
Decor: Emerald Detail & Design
Invitations: Hoopla House Creative
Mandy + Matt
Mandy and Matt's story could make even the biggest cynic believe in fate. They managed to find each other even though they were born thousands of miles apart (Matt hails from Hawaii- not exactly near Buffalo) and, as fate would have it, found themselves in the same gym in Western New York. I was lucky enough to be present when they tied the knot on November 18th, and the rest is history.
The wedding was held at a beautiful church in East Aurora, and followed by a reception at Avanti Mansion. Distance couldn't stop them from finding each other, and a little rain on their wedding day couldn't dampen the mood or stop us from getting amazing photos. Instead of the usual outdoor shoot we decided on Hotel Henry to take their formal shots after the ceremony.
I enjoyed every moment of photographing this beautiful couple and was reminded yet again why I love my job so much. It is such an honor to be able to capture some of the most important memories of peoples' lives and to know that they will be able to look back on these photographs for years to come.
All of my best to Mandy and Matt!
XO,
Amanda
