Blog viewer favorites - vote for yours today!

Tag Archives: NJ

Kristine & Patrick’s Wedding Slideshow

Thursday, August 19, 2010 Posted in Wedding Photography

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Patrick and Kristine’s wedding from July 17th, 2010. They were married at Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church (very beautiful church in Newark, NJ) followed by a reception at the Park Savoy in Florham, NJ – weddings at the Park Savoy equates to romance and elegance!

Since Patrick decided to get ready at his apartment alone without his two brothers nearby, it was left to me to fill in where I could. So, I told him he looked great in his tux – he did! Plus I made sure that he wouldn’t forget the basket of programs and little bells by putting the them by the front door – nice move And when Patrick asked “Isn’t the groom supposed to do a shot before he goes to the church? Well, I couldn’t let him drink alone – oh, the things a photographer will do for his client….

Attention friends and family: To be notified when the rest of the images are online, please sign the guestbook here.

Despite the heat of a July summer day, it was an amazing and fun day for all! Congratulations Kristine and Patrick!

[slidepress gallery='20100717-golebski-paciorkowski']

View full post »

Preview – Kristine & Patrick’s Wedding

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Posted in Wedding Photography

Here are some pictures from Patrick and Kristine’s wedding from July 17th, 2010. They were married at Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church followed by a reception at the Park Savoy in Florham, NJ. Boy was it a hot day – 95 degrees!!! I’ll post a complete slide show in a few weeks, be sure to check back – an amazing wedding day!

Congratulations Kristine and Patrick!

Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Bride walking down aisle at Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church interior, wedding at Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Ukrainian catholic ceremony Ukrainian catholic wedding traditions, ceremony First dance at the Park Savoy in Florham, NJ

View full post »

Say “No” to a Cookie-Cutter Wedding: How to Find YOUR Inspiration

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 Posted in Wedding Resources

Guest blog: In continuation with my guest blog series, NJ wedding planner Carina Castro shares some ideas on how to obtain the wedding of your dreams.

Say “No” to a Cookie-Cutter Wedding: How to Find YOUR Inspiration

by Carina Castro

floral arrangement by Luxe Events So what is it that makes a wedding day truly memorable? Is it a 6-tiered wedding cake? Expensive floral arrangements? A guest list the size of your arm? Drum roll please…A wedding that is uniquely personal – and we don’t mean personalization as in monogramming everything! Let go of the one-size-fits-all mentality or you’ll end up with a cookie-cutter wedding. You and your fiancé are unique individuals with unique backgrounds, hobbies and tastes. Your personalities will set the tone and direction of your wedding and it will resonate with your guests when they see your personalities reflected throughout the details of your day. So before you begin checking off boxes on your wedding planning to-do list, take a minute to figure out what you are about. After all, your wedding is where you begin telling the story of your marriage.

Here are 4 tips to get clear on your wedding day dream:

Wedding florals by Carina Castro of Luxe Events 1. Forget any preconceived ideas about what your wedding needs to be or should look like. Avoid doing things because it’s how it’s always been done. Don’t be afraid to step outside the wedding box. Question everything…every rule, every tradition and then do what feels right and has meaning for you. If not, you’re just going through the motions and there’s nothing personal about that!

2. Take the time to really explore your priorities. Answer these important questions: What would your dream wedding be like, if there were no constraints? What would you want to experience at your wedding? What kind of experience do you want your guests to have? What would you hope they remember the most? Not only will focusing on what matters most to you, create something truly special and personalized, it will help you allocate your attention and resources accordingly.

3. Discover who you are and incorporate YOU into your day. Where did you meet? How did your fiancé propose? What do you both enjoy doing on your spare time? Incorporating what’s meaningful to you will be fun and all it takes is one single object, memory or emotion to get the ball rolling on designing your story.

4. Think in possibilities, not in limits. Because you’re busy exploring your “fantasy” wedding, you must banish the word “no” from your vocabulary. In a fantasy, anything and everything is possible. When you think in possibilities, you are getting your creative juices flowing. Don’t worry about why it can’t or won’t work for now. It’s those dreams and ideas that will be your guide and inspiration for the reality you’re about to create.

And don’t worry about having a clear-cut vision when you begin planning your day. As you refine your ideas, it will all fall into place!

flowers for your wedding by NJ luxe events

Set a date night with your fiancé and answer for each other the questions above. Take the time to discover who you are and then use this information to add personal touches to your day. Remember to keep an open mind to all the possibilities and options. And most importantly, have fun with the process!

Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement:

Event Planning Entrepreneur Carina Castro publishes the “Luxe Events” bi-weekly e-zine. Get your *FREE report: “How to Plan a Luxe Wedding for Less: 5 Simple Ways to Cut Costs” at www.LuxeEventsNJ.com

About Carina Castro

Carina Castro is an Organizational Psychologist and owner of Luxe Events. She works with busy NJ and NYC brides and keeps them stress-free throughout their wedding planning process and on their wedding day, so they can relax and enjoy the moment.

View full post »

Wedding Photography Contest 2010: New Contest Deadline

Thursday, January 28, 2010 Posted in Wedding Photography

Contest update – effective immediately

Due to an overwhelming response to this year’s contest, the deadline for entries has been extended to February 28, 2010, and the winner will now be announced on March 7, 2010.

In addition, all participants of the contest who do not win, will now be eligible to receive 15% off any standard wedding photography package or 50% off a portrait session.

Why did you change the dates? The contest entries received so far, have been simply amazing! I want to give everyone a chance to have their voice heard. Since there has been an overwhelming response, I decided to extend the deadline in order to give everyone an opportunity to participate in this unique contest, plus I’ve added a new judge.

A new judge! The final winner will not be chosen at random, and the deciding process is one of the most difficult parts of this contest. So, I have now enlisted the help of last year’s contest winner, Shaquia Sessoms, to be a judge with me for this year’s contest.

Shaquia is very excited to help pick this year’s winner. In fact when I asked for her help, she said that by me asking, she felt like she just won again. I also asked Shaquia to share her experience about her winning last year’s contest – here is what she had to say:

What was the experience like by participating in the contest?

Entering the contest was a great experience and scary at the same time. I entered not knowing how many others did as well – that in itself can really make you nervous, because you wonder about the odds of winning. But I would ask myself – what if I won? How awesome would that be? What if I had a photographer come and take hundreds of pictures on my wedding day and I didn’t have to worry about a thing? I thought that not only would winning be such a blessing, it would also become one of many special things about my wedding that I could look back on.

Would you do something like this again?

Since this contest, I have entered everything. I used to feel that people could not win things or that there was always a catch. This contest proved me wrong. Its amazing to me that you have people like Chris Leary wanting to help others out and to give back where they can.

What was the best part about winning?

My husband and I did not have to stress out about the photography. We were able to concentrate on other things and had one less thing to stress about. Chris made the entire process so easy! Almost too easy … it was like, you two won – I’ll see you on the 24th. I still can’t believe I won!

How did you feel when you won?

I was so excited! I prayed about winning. I waited hours the day I knew the winner would be announced and constantly opened my email. When I finally saw an email from Chris Leary my heart dropped. My husband did not believe me until we actually got the contract from Chris Leary that stated that he was providing our wedding photography.

What would you say to other couples considering entering the contest?

Enter! Chris is a great photographer, just take a look at his work. This contest is more than just winning photography, its also about Chris Leary- he is also so nice! I think that Chris’ wanting to help brides out, is truly a blessing. His personality is great! He was so nice the day of the wedding and everyone simply loved him. After the wedding, I received some teaser photos online and a disc with all my pictures as promised. Chris never asked or wanted anything else from us in return. This was a blessing.. a true blessing!

How did this make a difference to your wedding plans?

Winning a day of photography definitely helped us with our wedding budget. Sometimes I look back and ask myself how would we have paid for the photography if we had’t won. I still haven’t come up with an answer to that question. Winning took a load off our shoulders and helped us afford the wedding of my dreams!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interested in submitting an entry to the 2010 Free Wedding Photography Giveaway Contest?

Rules, conditions and application: http://www.chrislearyweddings.com/contest/

View full post »

« Older posts