Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Meet the Intern



Hey everyone! Just thought I would introduce myself since I will be posting quite a bit on Pilster Photography’s blog. My name’s Kim and I am the new intern! I’ve been interning for a few weeks now and I have done some really awesome work for Chad. I’ve been writing “Outside the Ballroom” blogs (which you'll love by the way) so keep your eye out for those. They are all about unique venues and provide some general info about each one.

Right now I’m a junior at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando with a major in Event Management. I would one day like to be an event designer for weddings. I really enjoy picking color palettes, flowers, cakes, i.e. pretty much anything I can get my hands on. I have already been exposed to some of this through my internship with Pilster Photography. I was able to shadow Chad on a client meeting where I got to hear all about the bride and her big day. I was so excited to find out her colors, dress designer, and get some info on the venue! The client meeting has definitely been my favorite part of the internship so far but there is still so much for me to experience. I’m definitely looking forward to attending some of the great events Chad is working on for vendors and visiting outside the box venues.

I recently did a photo shoot with Chad and it was a lot of fun. I used to work for a Portrait Studio so being the one in front of the camera posing was a very strange feeling. But overall it was pretty relaxed and posing actually wasn't that hard. Here are a couple of my favorites from the shoot.







Black and white photos are my favorite! I feel like peoples' personalities shine through more when the photos aren't in color. There is nothing to take away from the smile on your face or that twinkle in your eye. I also really like that classic and sometimes old-timey feel black and white photos have.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

FAQ- Photography on Canvas



Printing photos on canvas is a unique service that Pilster Photography provides to its clients. Canvases are a great way to display some of your favorite and most cherished photos from your wedding. You know, a lot of couples have their photos printed out so they can put them in a scrapbook or pass along to family and friends. Having your photos on canvas is a different and unexpected way to display images from your big day. It looks more like a piece of fine art than anything.

In case you aren't familiar with canvas, this is the same thing that you will find paintings on. It's a heavy coarse woven fabric which can be made of different types of materials. It has a rough texture and will give photos a more artistic look. For these photos it is typically stretched over a wood frame, but there are many different ways to mount it.





A typical size for a canvas print is 16"x20" on a 1.5" thick frame but they can be printed as small as 6"x6" (a little larger than a postcard) or as big as 60"x100" (5'x8').



I have given smaller canvas prints as gifts and the recipients always love them! You know there's so much sentimental value in wedding photos and there's even more in wedding photos that can be displayed like a piece of art. They definitely stand out from framed photos and are really eye-catching.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

We've been featured on Savvy Scoop!

Sara & Bryan's wedding was featured on Savvy Scoop yesterday! They held their wedding at the beautiful Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach.



They were such an awesome and unique couple to work with. Sara did a lot of things herself, like the centerpieces! You can see these and more from Sara & Bryan's wedding in the original blog post here.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Our Trip to Solutions Bridal

A few weeks ago we were invited to spend the day at Solutions Bridal in Winter Park. They are a fabulous bridal boutique that offers gowns and everything a bride may need for her wedding day attire. From dresses to shoes to veils Solutions Bridals offers dresses from designers like Justina McCaffrey, Anne Barge, Romona Keveza, and of course Vera Wang. They also have bridesmaid's, flower girl, and mother of the bride dresses.

Also if you haven't heard the exciting news on their blog, they are about to open another store in Orlando!









I love dresses with lace! They have that wonderful classic and elegant feel. What I also love are veils with lace. If the dress is a little more on the simple side a veil with lace or even a crystal trim adds just enough sparkle.




Each bride gets her own personal bridal consultant to help with the dress selection.





The accessories they offer are fabulous. The hairpiece below is absolutely stunning!







You can find a list of all the designers Solutions Bridal offers on their website.

Our friends from The Invitation Lounge also stopped by! They've got some really unique designs for the invitations they offer. They also do menu cards and save the dates.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Outside the Ballroom: Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant

They’ve got unique event space, great food, and awesome live entertainment. Featuring tiled columns, exposed wood beams, and deeply rich colors they’ve created an authentic Spanish feel right in downtown Orlando.

You can find their menu (and pricing) on their website.

Ceviche serves up tapas to the downtown Orlando area. Now I had never heard of “tapas” before doing some research so I think it’s only fair that I fill you in. Basically a tapas is an appetizer… you order a few of these and put them all together to make a meal. How cool is that!? Now some of the tapas they offer are definitely not my kind of food (fried squid) but Ceviche offers over 100 to choose from. I have never seen a venue quite like this one before.

The bar area can accommodate up to 300 people!

This private dining room (above) is stunning! Those two walls on the left have candles that they light (Yes, it requires a ladder!). The stained glass skylights add tons of character and charm to this intimate dining room. Ceviche features a total of 5 private dining rooms with 3 out of the 5 holding up to 75 guests and the fourth holding 60. Their banquet hall can seat up to 220. Both the private dining rooms and the banquet hall are a fantastic place to have your reception if you want something intimate and unique.

What you need to know about this venue:

Location: 125 W. Church Street Orlando, FL 32801
Phone/Contact: (321) 281-8140
Price Range: $$
Ceremony Site: Yes
Outside Caterers Allowed: No
Parking Available: Yes
Valet Parking: Yes
Outdoor Space: Yes
Capacity (Without a dance floor): Up to 400
Styles: Banquet/Reception Hall, Mansion/Historic Site, Unusual/Alternative, Restaurant

Outside the Ballroom: This is a series about discovering other amazing venues that exist for weddings and other events, ranging from castles, to traditional antique ballrooms, to bed and breakfasts, to anything that cannot be classified as a modern ballroom or meeting room. We also want to hear from you about the venues you've discovered, so please submit them in the comments or email them to info@pilsterphotography.net with Outside the Ballroom in the subject. For more info you can find it at the Introduction.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

We've been featured in the Daytona Beach News Journal!

How awesome is this!? Not one, but two of our weddings have been featured by the Daytona Beach News Journal! A third one was mentioned, but didn't have photos in the article.

This stunning photo of Beth made the cover! Her wedding was at the amazing Shores Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach. You can see more of her beautiful beach wedding on our blog.



The second wedding featured is of Tracie and Scott. They were an awesome couple to work with and they did some really unique things for their wedding like a pedicab parade. The photos from this destination wedding in Key West can be found here.



The third wedding was Brett and Ashley's at the Serenata Beach Club, and even though there are no pictures in the article, you can find it here.

Also our really good friend and another amazing photographer, Tab McCausland was also featured for her fun boudoir work!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Outside the Ballroom: The Introduction

Ballroom weddings seem to have become pretty standard lately. Most major hotels have a modern ballroom or giant meeting hall. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but more of a necessity as weddings and conventions have gotten bigger.

When you have over 200 people it's hard to find anything besides a ballroom or a tented reception (Then you take your chances with the elements). Ballrooms are great for a bride who wants to start from scratch, it let's you be an artist and paint the walls your own color. The only thing already there is the curb appeal on the outside.

The problem comes when there are so many weddings held in these ballrooms and meeting halls that they tend to lose their elegance. They also lose their originality.

We are creating this series because we want to point out, and discover, other amazing and different venues that exist. The venues we are exploring range from castles, to traditional antique ballrooms, to bed and breakfasts, to anything that cannot be classified as a modern ballroom or meeting hall. We also want to hear from you about the venues you've discovered, so please submit them in the comments or email them to info@pilsterphotography.net with Outside the Ballroom in the subject.

These are going to be places where someone else has already taken a paintbrush to the easel, but you have the opportunity to add to it. You will have a chance to build on what someone else has done, which there is no way you could have created yourself, and to make it your own.


Many of these venues are going to be for much smaller and more intimate weddings, usually less than 200 and some smaller than 20. You will have to tone down your guest list if you want to have a wedding at many of them. We are also going to make it a goal to find some of these places that CAN hold larger wedding parties though, but that will not be our main focus.

We are going to start this feature this Thursday and continue it every other week on Thursday, so be looking for it this week!



One of the features that we plan to include is "What you need to know about this venue". This will break the info down to the basics

Address and Contact info: We want you to be able to find it.

Price: Price will definitely be in this list since I know it can be one of the biggest factors. It is also one of the most confusing. You always see $-$ on websites but how are you supposed to know just how much that really is? Well I recently ran across a website with some useful info on the subject. I took the liberty of modifying it from their highest price of $$$ to $$$$$. We plan to use this in our information to you about ballrooms.

$: $50-$250

$$: $250-500

$$$: 500-2000

$$$$: $2000-$4000

$$$$$: $4000+

Your $2,000-$4,000 range sometimes includes things like tables and chairs, linens, flat/stemware, and a per person catering fee.

The more upscale hotels will be in the $4,000 and above range and typically include the rental of ballrooms but not catering costs.

Ceremony site: This will let you know if there is a place designated for you to have your ceremony.

Catering: Please note that a lot of venues require you to use in-house catering or other preferred vendors.

This can also effect the price of the venue.

Parking: Be aware that although some location say that parking is available you may have to pay extra for it. Most, but not all, downtown venues have limited on-site parking so be prepared to pay a small fee to park in a garage or other lot. Additionally, some churches charge a $200 fee to utilize their space.

Outdoor space: If you are thinking about having any part of your wedding outdoors, this could affect you. Many venues in the downtown areas don't have this option.

Capacity: This can vary depending on if you add a dance floor and it is usually for the entire venue and not individual rooms. Sometimes rooms can be sectioned off or you can use multiple rooms for your reception. This may be a problem if you want everyone in the same place to hear announcements and hear the music.

Styles: You want these places to reflect you!



Friday, March 12, 2010

We are on the Florida Brides Blog & mentioned on the Rock N' Roll Bride!



The wedding of one of our favorite couples (Who are we kidding, they all are our favs!), Jess and Blake, was featured on the Florida Brides Blog today! It was an awesome wedding with so many cool little details like an Iphone cake and Starbuck like coffee cups with a "Jess and Blake" logo on them.

If you want to see the original blog posts you can check them out here.



We were also amazingly lucky to get a mention in the Thursday treats post on, one of our favorite blogs, the Rock N' Roll Bride. Kat loves to feature quirky, rock and roll related and outside the box weddings and events. This is the type of stuff right our our alley!

Our recent e-session with Paul and Stacy apparently fit into that definition with some Fender guitar ring shots and Stacy's really cool foot tattoo. Plus the couple was a ton of fun to hang out with and shoot in my favorite little town of DeLand.

You can find our one mention near the bottom under "♥ Fender ring shots & a foot tattoo"

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Downtown DeLand e-Session with Paul and Stacy: Part 2 of 2






After DaVinci during the first part of the e-session we just kind of wandered. I love colorful walls and downtown DeLand does not disappoint. Paul and Stacy's outfits went perfectly with the colors.












Stacy had brought along this awesome selection of shoes and I was excited to show them off. We started with some dancing in front of the Athens Theater.














These two were hot, but the cold caught up to us. It was time to get a couple beers and warm up at Norville Barnes.










We then made the hike to this little alleyway we had seen behind Boston Coffee. DeLand just has this great ambiance everywhere. Even a back alleyway has some great light fixtures.












Our wandering then took us to the Stetson University Campus, which we probably could of spent the entire afternoon at, but did a few more photos before the cold caught up to us again.













We hurried back to the car to go make some ring shots, but when I saw this red wall I just had to make them stop.







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