All Ping

Every woman has fantasized about her wedding day from the time she was a little girl. It’s supposed to be the best day of your life. But when you’re young, your fantasy was most likely far greater than what you can afford on your current budget. It’s no fun when reality hits. But just because you can’t afford to fly your entire family to the Caribbean doesn't mean you still can’t have a beautiful, memorable wedding while working within a tight budget. You’re just going to have to get creative and think outside the box a bit. The average wedding in 2012 cost just shy of $27,000. Don’t have that kind of money? Let’s get to business.

Make the Hard Choices

Remember your great aunt Claudette that you met one time when you were seven years old? She’s probably not going to be able to go to the wedding. The biggest contributor to out of control wedding costs is the guest list. Remember, for every person that goes you need to provide food and drinks. They also contribute to the headcount that you’ll need to take into consideration when renting a hall. The bigger the hall, the bigger the cost. It’s best to resign yourself now to the idea that you’re going to have to make some tough choices when deciding the final guest list. Invite the people most close to you.

Buy an iPod

With DJ costs being what they are, it makes sense to just program a playlist and have one of your friends keep an eye on the iPod if changes need to be made. Honestly, you’d save yourself a ton of money if you opted not to hire someone to encourage all of your guests to form a conga line. Let them form their own conga line. Besides, don’t you want all of the music to be what you and your spouse like?

Give Your Mailman a Break

By all means, find a business that can set you up with creative “save the dates” that you can send out to your guests. Let them really display your personality. But then, that’s it. There’s no need to follow up with an elaborate invitation. They cost money and people already know when the wedding is. If you break tradition on this one, you’ll save yourself some cash. Save the dates are much more modern and they can break the style rules when it comes to sending an invitation.

Those are just some tips to follow for having a great, cheap wedding. Food and drink are a major expense, so your best bet is to just shop around. See if a local restaurant that you like will do it for cheap. With some research and some footwork, you’ll have a memorable wedding that doesn't break the bank.

Of all the memories we all hold on to, the ones we never learn to let go of are those of our family. They are the people who are there for you from Day 1, there by your side through your cuts and bruises, trials and triumphs. But there comes a day when we have to be independent, stand on our own two feet and move out of the nest, either for studies or for work or to build our own family.

Before leaving, why not make an awesome family portrait that will remind everyone that they are always in your heart.

                                         (Image Source: HANNA MAC)

While the regular family portrait is probably good enough, you certainly want to do something that is out of the ordinary, one that will easily crack a smile when it is looked at, or one that even nana will proudly show off to her bingo buddies.

To inspire you to make really special family portraits, we have prepared awesome family portraits shot by photographers with an intriguing view of things. If you are the kind who never says no to family, you’ll probably enjoy this post as much as I did making it.

Bold Family Portrait. Isn’t this family portrait too badass? Brace yourself, the request for your photo studio’s name from your friends and relatives are coming. (Image Source: Chris Nicholas, Matt Power, Becki Peckham)

Bri, Joel & Indy. I’m amazed at how an impression could drastically change by just holding the photo frame in non-traditional way, and Kevin N. Murphy executed the idea perfectly. 

(Image Source: Kevin N. Murphy)

Coming Soon. Wanna take a family portrait even though the blessed one is still in the womb? A clever combination of vector shape and vibrant typography will do! (Image Source: HANNA MAC

Composite Family Portrait. A magic trick performed by Erick Christian! This is the portrait that will make visitors keep asking you how did you do it, whenever they visit. (Image Source: Erik Christian Photography)

FAMILY. Family, a word that describes the most precious thing in the world. (Image Source:Marianne Wiest Photography)

Family Dog. This is a fun way to put the family pet into the picture. Well, it’s funny for everyone except dad, I guess. (Image Source: Jonne Seijdel)

Family Gallery. A father holding a portrait of mother holding a portrait of daughter, I just love this inception-inspired trick! (Image Source: Jaroslav Francisko)

Family of Dark Side. Spice up generic poses with iconic masks and be boring no more. The Dark Side has never looked so warm. (Image Source: Kessler Fotos)

Family Ties. You just want to stare at this photo and think about how genuinely beautiful this idea is. It’s a must-shoot for the family! (Image Source: Beco G. Photography)

Happy Feet. It doesn’t require clear faces to make the portrait lovely, just a lovely family and their feet! (Image Source: Lumoid)

Mommy, Daddy, Me and Little Sister. Kisses all around for the family. (Image Source: WNCY)

My Family and I. They all sure look alike, and the progression emphasizes their similarities.(Image Source: Martin Bennett)

Our Family Portrait. Remember to take your camera into the family portrait as well; to most of us photographers, we treat it like a son anyways! The scene, the idea, I enjoy everything Capa12 has taken in this photo. (Image Source: Capa12)

Shadow Family. Well-placed sandals, a puddle of water, the right amount of light and there you have it, a reflection of your family portrait. (Image Source: FLIGRAFIE PHOTOGRAPHY)

The Combs Family. If you can hold your children tight, then this is the most fun memory you can shoot in a portrait! (Image Source: Kelsey J Gibbs Photography)

Reflection

Creative family portraits take longer to set up than regular ones, but you will be surprised with how the outcome will always put you in a good mood no matter when you revisit them. It sometimes even serves as the catalyst for you to save any severed relationships you have with your family.

That said, here’s a heartfelt thanks to all photographers that dedicate so much of their time to photograph and demonstrate how inspiring a family portrait can be.

Time for sharing! Have you ever done a cool portrait with your family before? What’s your favorite among these showcased pieces? Share with us!