This weekend I am in Maine for Seth and Maggie’s wedding. They really wanted me to come for their rehearsal dinner, and now I know why. These two hired a live band and contra caller to treat their guests to a contra-dance (= “New England Folk Dance”)! I’ve always seen fliers up at MIT for contra-dance, and I even saw one happening after-hours in a classroom once, but I wasn’t sure about what to expect. I have to say, the event was AMAZING! Everyone in the room was laughing and participating; even the few who didn’t dance were having a great time. The caller was talented and talked everyone through every step, so even people who don’t dance could do this easily.

I recommend it! Why now throw a contra-dance for your rehearsal dinner?!

Also, does anyone know about contra-dance opportunities in Boston or north of Boston? I hope Lowell has something.

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This afternoon, Ali and I are headed out to Lawrence for an exhibit opening by Robin of  Accidental Beauty.

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International Wedding Festival 2009 – Modesto

I was very recently in California to attend the International Wedding Expo in Modesto. I was crazy excited to find an event that caters specifically to ethnic weddings, and decided to bring famed Sacramento wedding photographer Sarah Maren along as my date (she’s kind of a big deal). Since I had considered buying out a booth to advertise to this crowd, I decided to attend the show as an audience member before committing the $1500 for a table. I’m glad I went as an observer, because I was able to walk around freely and enjoy the fashion shows, vendor booths, and checking out the other photographers who decided to advertise at this particular show (advertised as “Under one roof, you will find rows and rows of the Valley’s most elite talent from caterers to henna painters, officiants to pundits, photographers to mandaps, and more!”).

I did love a few people we met in our journey around the large showcase room.

Kevin Flanagan of California Photobooth
(kevin@caphotobooths.com – 559.676.1955)

Kevin has a great booth he’s built complete with pullback curtain; he had it set up to output a convincing strip of four BW photos for you and a friend to take home. We went in twice; the second time doing a scandalous yet fully clothed faux-boudoir shoot. It was pretty funny actually, especially after being petted down with some latex mitt covered in lotion by one of the passion party ladies! (Hopefully Kevin won’t decide to use our little faux-boudoir in his sample gallery!)

Ajooba Events
(ajoobaevents@gmail.com – 209.606.9430)

These ladies know how to work a party! They had a beautiful booth and had managed to wrap a tent frame in beautiful material they have hand-chosen in india… using only zip ties. We were impressed and wanted to take these ladies home with us right then and there. They’ll be an asset to any ethnic celebration!

Kanchan Kapadne – MeriSakhi Mehndi and Makeup
(info@merisakhi.com – 925.216.0568)
Not the best website at the moment (gah! sound effects! “call center” stock photos!!), but this woman seems very talented. She’s based out of Tracy, CA.

Ailin Yadegarian – Yonan’s Floral
(209.664.9325)
Ailin (pronounced like “Eileen”) put together a couple of organic-looking displays with a brown, green and white color palette that would look fantastic in many of the eco-friendly wedding plans people seem to be making these days. Sarah and I have seen a lot of arrangements in our time, and I’m not kidding when I say we walked by a couple of times just to look at that display again. It was beautiful. Yonan’s Floral is based out of Turlock, CA.

A few vendors that I found funny and quirky:

• an older lady in some sort of european country dance costume representing the Modesto Folk Dancers / Village Dancers of Modesto advertising simple $25 dance classes to couples.

• not one… but TWO passion party tables, products advertised by ladies in low-cut shirts.

• “Minister on Wheels” – nondenominational ministers who provide wedding flowers too, offer to wear appropriate attire for themed weddings, and will completely coordinate your wedding – videographer to limousine to catering, to church venue that holds 250 people. Hand-written show special on their 1/2 page inkjet printouts promise “1/2 off wedding flowers.” Extra points for the clip art logo with the monk crazily driving a bicycle wearing gladiator sandals. (link)

I have to be honest and say that I do not usually like wedding shows. I always feel kind of gross after seeing all the vendors trying to lure in customers with show specials and low, low prices. The DJs who show their videos and set up lights… the couples who are conditioned to grab all the free food samples, feign interest to get the candy you put out, or quickly flip through all your material while making snarky comments to their companions, and the “competition” vendors feeling one another up on the sly. I have not had any positive experiences with wedding shows, but I do enjoy the fashion shows that have now become a regular part of the event.

That said, I am on a quest to bring boudoir into the spotlight, so I’ll be representing at the wedding showcase on Sunday, March 8 in Boxborough. If you’d like to come out and meet me, talk about boudoir or wedding coverage, or just get a good laugh at all the little tables of vendors, come on out! Word on the street is that the Holiday Inn Boxborough (wooohooo!) is hosting some wine and cheese event simultaneously which is meant to draw in the crowds.

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“fashions for every women, no matter her age, the size of her waist of her pocketbook!”

a fashion show in Warwick, RI.
Sunday, February 22 @ 3:00pm
[ more info ]

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We had a table at the Dulhan Expo this past weekend in Long Island (Hauppage, New York) in an attempt to connect with more desi couples. Although we were disappointed at the turnout at the show, we had fun at the end watching a fashion show and some belly dancers, and one of the other vendors provided henna!

Here’s a photo Laura Ryan, another photographer who helped me with my booth, posted of me getting henna application:

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We have one last opportunity to get in on a reduced rate Boudoir hotel session this year*! We’re planning a special day of mini-sessions on Sunday, November 2 (with a few slots on Saturday, November 1 if there’s enough interest) at a hotel in the Boston area.

These are unlike our other sessions and aimed specifically at giving a special gift of one or two photos to your man for Christmas this year, whether you are married or not yet. These mini holiday sessions are ideal for women who have been through a full boudoir experience with us previously, or bold women who are up for some hilarious and fun photos. Since each session is so short and lacks the normal ‘warm up’ time, this holiday mini session is probably not for girls on the shyer side who are hesitant about the idea of boudoir… you should schedule an individual session with us for lots of time and attention.

Here are the details:

• Session fee of $125 includes light styling during the shoot.
• Location is a hotel in the Boston area.
• One outfit for the shoot.
• Each session will be 20 minutes long (you can buy two slots if you want an extra ‘look’).
• Session fee includes a sexy 5×7″ holiday card with the image of your choice.
• Seasonal wear and holiday trappings are highly encouraged.
• Email rachel@mergeweddings.com to sign up for a slot.

*We’re still taking a limited number of individual sessions, with the full experience (2 hours, 3-4 outfits, lots of photos and lots of attention) as the holidays approach. Email for scheduling and be sure to ask about the full mergeweddings boudoir experience!

RHODE ISLAND women: we just secured a room at brand new, hott little boutique Hotel NYLO in Providence/Warwick RI (one hour southwest of Boston). We have just a couple of slots at $350 each for full individual sessions on Saturday, October 4.

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I’m excited to see what’s going to happen at the International Wedding Festival on March 1, 2009 from 11:00am – 4:00pm. It’s at the Modesto Centre Plaza (1000 L Street – Modesto, CA). It looks like it’s going to be a really interesting day, and in particular I think the fashion shows will be beautiful!

If you’re out in California, you should check this event out!

Posted in ethnic wedding, event 1 Comment »

I’ve not been so amused by wedding reception photos in a long, long time. Last weekend I had a chance to try out a photo booth option at the end of Sofia and Mike’s wedding reception, and it was hilarious. It’s not actually a booth – it’s a big red panel that gets clipped to stands and serves as a background. I also bought a box full of costume props in case people wanted to be silly. So we got this eclectic range of somewhat-solemn Chinese family photos to large groups of friends in various states of craziness.

[ see more photos here - funniest ones are at the end ]

Who should do a photo booth? I think it’s best if you have large groups of friends coming to your wedding but not necessarily the time to get formal photos with everyone during the earlier part of the day. It was so funny to watch people come out of their shyness for some fun photos and I have no doubt these will make a fantastic addition to Mike and Sofia’s wedding album!

Next time I would like to bust it out a little bit sooner and get more of the grannies out in front of the photo booth. I can just picture my mom and her friends (not necessarily correlated to the grannies comment) having a really good time with those feather boas and groucho marx glasses!

ETA: here’s a link to another cool “crazybooth” done by some fun photographers.

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Today Meg and I had the pleasure of photographing Jessie’s bat mitzvah. All of her friends were wearing these beautiful, colorful dresses. It was a fun day. And the Codman Carriage House in Lincoln, MA is a really great place to have an event. I loved the grounds and the way the event space opens up into a meadow (seen above).

I have to give props to two spectacular vendors. The DJ, Paul Madden with A Goodtime DJ, was the best I have ever worked with on an event. They had all of these games and dances that really were cool and interesting, and he didn’t try to tell bad jokes or anything. He kept the kids active, laughing, and dancing for like five hours straight. You can tell DJ Paul is a sincerely talented guy who lets his personality come through when he is working, rather than just putting on a game face and announcer voice. We really liked the music he chose, too… although seeing 13 year olds bust a groove to that apple bottom song was a tiny bit eyebrow-raising, that was the only sketchy moment for Meg and I when it comes to today’s DJ, which says something.

And the food! You guys have no idea, Sue Zahner of Tastings Caterers really knows her stuff. I was excited to meet Sue because Jessie and her family had such a good experience working with her in the preparation of the event, but it wasn’t until I tasted the perfectly prepared, flavorful dishes that I knew for sure that if I was going to get married again tomorrow in Boston, I would hire her. There’s something about eating food that was prepared for 100 and feeling like somebody was trying to impress you by creating a gourmet table spread… everything was so delicious. If you’re still looking for a caterer, you have to give Sue a call. She’s got a great personality to back that food, too.

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