I love BuzzFeed. It's a guilty pleasure of mine, and one of those sites that sucks you in and doesn't let you go for hours if you're not careful. Most of the time I don't find myself reading anything of substance, but once in awhile, I come across something like this, and BuzzFeed redeems itself. These are all great tips to keep in mind for outdoor summertime weddings, especially beach weddings. There are inexpensive ways to include a lot of these in your wedding day! Outdoor Wedding Ideas

While not wedding related, Bald Head Island has made it into the news for....wait for it....croquet! See the news story here.

Wedding Photos

One of the most common problems I run into with BHI weddings is photography hours. Most photographers set a standard number of hours in their contract, typically between 6-8. While I have found that with the right photographer(s), this produces PLENTY of photographs, there's always the issue of those missed moments. The rehearsal dinner, the beach day, the bridesmaids luncheon, or even the time spent getting ready with friends and family before the photographer arrives. Here's the thing--you know that all those friends and family are taking pictures all weekend. But the challenge is getting all of them to share those photos with you, the bride. You have to make it easy for them...if it's too much work, they won't take the time. I've seen a number of solutions over the years, through both weddings I've worked or weddings I've attended. At my wedding on Bald Head Island, I made self addressed stamped envelopes, which contained a blank CD inside. I put them in a basket at the reception, and posted a sign next to them, asking people to take one, upload their photos onto it, and stick it in the mail back to me. No addressing, no posting---just download, seal, and toss it in the mailbox. I ended up with as many pictures from friends and family over the weekend as I did from the photographer in the 6 hours outlined in the contract, and they caught moments that I never want to forget. Some were moments I didn't even know were happening at the time. My dad made a huge arbor for us to be married under on the beach, constructed out of bamboo, and decorated with palm fronds and seashells. It was beautiful. Little did I know, while I was getting ready, my friends were on the beach, carrying this down in pieces and helping construct it and anchor it into the sand. The photos captured of that moment remind me of how special these people are to me and how much love we had surrounding us that day.

I've seen other options over the years to get these photos. Printing business cards with login information to a Shutterfly or Snapfish or other photosharing account, or a weblink where the photos can be uploaded. This past March I attended my cousin's wedding, in which she had discovered (what I believe) to be the best option to date. It's called Wedding Party. It's an app, for your smartphone. The bride and groom create a profile for their wedding, with a login name and password, and provide that login information to the guests of the wedding. You login and upload all your photos right there. It uploads them based on metadata in the photo, so it knows the date and time the photos were taken, and puts them in chronological order. Additionally, it allows you to flip through all the photos that others have taken and uploaded at any time. When the weekend is over, the bride and groom have all the photos everyone has taken at their wedding, not missing any special moments. The best part is that it couldn't be easier for your guests. They don't have to do anything other than add the app to their phone and select the photos of their phone. No uploading to a computer, then a website, or a disc, or putting anything in the mail. The best part about it? It's FREE! Enjoy!