Davids Bridal

[Breezy]

Thanks Holly.
I have actually gotten several requests and think I will stick with the way it is going until I atelast get to VA and settled. Cause at this point I have no clue when I will be there even though dh will be there in just over 2 months.
Once I get there or atleast have a time frame I will go full force. I am having to turn people away here though as the requests have been july well into 2009.
Thanks for the luck I will need it lol.

Originally Posted by HotHolly

$350 isn't bad. It depends on what you're getting. Even if the weddings aren't big. If you had one bride that month, it should more than pay the expense. Since they are intertwined with Bella its messy. If you just want a brides list, you can always buy one or do your own capture. Then you don't have the monthly commitment. You can also try local bridal shops. WOM is usually the best referral anyway, but it takes a lot of cultivating. Good luck girl!

[Breezy]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

info capture! and you may want to think about a disclaimer - no brides were hurt in the making of this business. lol.

hahaha

[HotHolly]

Just got a DB email containing info on Bella:

"The free wedding package will include one Bella Certified Photographer, unlimited photographs, digital negatives and online proofing. You will also receive a 30-page 10" x 10" flush mount album as well as three 8"x 10" prints and three 5" x 7" prints."

They are giving away a wedding photography package. Nice looking ad...but kind of shoots your ads with DB in the head.

[Breezy]

Right
I will definately be looking else where.

[FreshPhotography]

Just a quick side note because I always see comments like "David's caters to budget brides that want cheap things" whenever this comes up.

That isn't always the case.

I'm not a skinny size 4, so when I wanted a wedding dress 4 years ago, I started at Brides Mart, the equivalent of David's Bridal, because I knew they would have dresses ON THE RACK that fit me and that I could try on. No guessing what it would look like once they ordered my size. I found a dress that I loved for about $500. I was happy, it fit my needs, it fit me with no alterations, awesome! I'm not the type to spend $$$$ on a gown.

On the other hand, I am the type to spend $5000 on my wedding photography. I hired a local photographer *and* flew a second photographer in from Canada for my wedding. Paid for in part with the money I saved by not buying a $$$$ dress.

Different people prioritize their wedding spending differently. There are brides out there that want to spend tons of money on photography, but not on dresses. I know, I have two of them as clients this year, and one is my second largest booking to date.

Just because someone doesn't want a crazy expensive dress to wear for one day doesn't mean they aren't willing to spend tons of money on incredible photography that will last for the rest of their life.

I'm just saying... YMMV.

[rott]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

The bottom line with what a bride will pay usually has more to do with how much they value (or think they value) the photography.

I'll agree with this too, based on what we did for our wedding. My wife valued photography over everything else. We had our wedding at my dad's house (a nice setting, but obviously much cheaper than renting anything), ate catered Salt Lick BBQ (surprisingly cheap) with 100 guests in his garage and under a tent, but did not skimp a bit on photography. You never know...

The septic system took a beating.

I'm not really weighing in on the David's and Bella's thing, just saying brides aren't always predictable.