Meet Kasey!

I wanted everyone to meet Kasey! :) She has shot a couple of events with me over the past few months but I wanted to make the 'official' introduction. She will be shooting a lot with me this year and I know it's going to be a blast! She's also going to be blogging here as well, so check it out... I know the first post is going to be hysterical, she told me about what's she's been doing and I swear I was crying from laughing so much.

A little background on how we met? Kasey was a bridesmaid in a couple of weddings that we shot over the past couple years (her best friends Christine & Tony and Alise & Jim) and we shot her wedding to the absolutely wonderful Jeremy last September, too! And you know what was super cool?? They booked us before they set the date for their wedding!! :) Sweet! (I love it when that happens!)

A great big Kool-aid smile to Kasey! It's going to be a great year!

Val

Facebook!

So I'm finally on Facebook and about time, right? Something tells me this can be soooo addictive! LOL

Ninja Suits

Ok, ok, I know Val and I have talked about our dress code probably a little too often on this blog. We like to blend in. It's the "unobtrusive" part of what we do. So we wear black and we joke about our ninja suits.

Did you ever have a friend that just takes everything a little bit too literally? Yeah, you know, that friend...

World meet Kasey, Kasey meet world. More about her later too ;)

-Bruce

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

So many weddings affected by rain last Saturday but I don't know what everyone was talking about. We had snow at Harkness! Oh, and world meet Kate, Kate meet world. More about her later :)

-Bruce

We Have a Winner!

Thanks everyone, we have our winner for the free portrait session! Stephanie S. (aka Quick Draw) was first, within just a few minutes of the post last night :)

Thank you!

-Bruce

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now

So I was in a hurry for lunch today and I ran to Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee and a bagel. Ok not the most nutritious choice for lunch, but it was a wheat bagel ;) Just ham and egg, no cheese so not too awful bad. Anyway, I got to the window and the manager handed me my coffee and my bag with the food in it.

He said, "I threw a flatbread sandwich in there for you to try, no charge."

Me: "Really? Thanks very much! Why?"

"A lot of people come for lunch and they order a bagel sandwich not realizing we have these new flatbread sandwiches. Just thought you might like to try one!"

Ok, ok I know it was a simple marketing ploy, but hey you know what? I thought it was a cool idea and it sorta made my day! And here I am telling all of you about it ;) so I guess it worked.

But it also inspired me! So...I'm returning the favor. I want to give the first person that emails me (bruce AT thesweetestdays DOT com) a FREE portrait session. Yep, remember that Valentine's Day post about the new portrait sessions we're doing? One of those. For you. Or you and your family. Or you and your dog Guido. Free. Zip, zero, nada. No strings attached.

Just send me an email and tell me you want it. First person I hear from wins! We'll figure the rest out from there. I'll come to your house. Maybe this weekend. Or we can wait for summer and go to the beach. That way you'll have time to get your hair done. You can get Guido's hair done, too. Whatever you want. And hey maybe you can bring a flatbread sandwich for me, those are good!

Ready, set, go.

-Bruce

Seamen's Inne Tasting Event Photos

The photos for the Tasting Event we did at the Seamen's Inne are finally available. For those of you that attended and took a card with the link on it, that link now works. If you didn't get a card you can click here.

My apologies for the delay, we experienced some technical glitches (read that OPERATOR ERROR) that made me think the gallery was ready days ago when in fact it wasn't. I am a dope. I take all the blame. I need to take a remedial reading class...

Anyway, if you pre-registered you should find a coupon in your email for a discount on prints. Additionally there is a special 2 for 1 deal on prints until March 5th.

So there ya go! Sorry for the delay :(

Bruce

Valentine's Day Shopping

Ok guys this post is for you, time to get a move on. Don't fear, all is not lost. Uncle Brucie is here to help. If you've done nothing to this point, well, you're still ok. Plenty of time left but that doesn't mean you can sit around wasting it! Chop, chop! Here's plenty of ideas to get you started, you supply the credit card!

Apple: Yes the computer, iPod, iPhone, iTunes, iTake your money company (oh I'm kidding). The iPod Nano now comes in pink. $199 and for an extra $25 get a groovy Valentine's play list of 25 songs pre-loaded. And they'll even gift wrap it! And if pink's not her thing they have lots of other colors, too.

Proflowers: Get a dozen long stem  red roses for $49.95 with a free ruby vase. Are you a two-dozen kinda guy? $69.95. How 'bout three anyone?? $99.95. Or the Ultimate Valentine's Day Gift including chocolates and a Teddy Bear for $79.96. On a budget? Sweetheart tulips in a vase for $29.99.

Vermont Teddy Bear: Every Teddy Bear under the sun and plenty of Valentine's Day ideas, $49.95 and up.  My favorite? The "Love Me Tender Elvis Bear"!  Bummer, I couldn't find a photographer bear? ;) What's up with that?

Pajamagram: What girl doesn't LOVE pajamas? Lots of cool styles to choose from and plenty of  Valentine's ideas for under $50. And they come delivered in a hat box with some other goodies for her, too! Whether she's into comfortable pajamas or *ahem* something else, you'll find it here!

Victoria's Secret: Speaking of *ahem* something else, there's   plenty of it at VS! And there's an entire "pink" section, just in case you're looking for something to go along with that pink iPod! Shop online or find your nearest store here. (Does anybody know who Victoria is? And what exactly is the big secret??)

Godiva Chocolatier: What more can I say? This is a no-brainer! Plenty of choices and simply the best chocolates! (Ok, ok they're MY favorites, get your own blog!) Easy online ordering and a nice selection of Valentine's Day collections but really it's hard to go wrong with anything on this site. Just find something within your budget and order! (And hope she shares with you!)

Jamie Oliver's Valentine's Day Menu: Ok so you're not a "plunk down the credit card on some impersonal gift" kinda guy? Want to impress her with something extra special that you did yourself? One of those types that just has to go above and beyond, eh? Head on over to Epicurious and check out all the instructions you'll need for a super Valentine's dinner (and it's a great read!) straight from Jamie Oliver!

The Sweetest Days Photography: Yep that's us! We're offering  something new and we thought: why not announce it here because  it just might make a PERFECT Valentine's gift for that special someone in your life. (Ok this isn't just for the guys out there!) Of course you all know we specialize in wedding photography but we're now offering a package especially for those of you that want to get some portrait or family photos taken. Our goal is to create unique, one of a kind portraits that you or your family will cherish forever and without the typical hassles and stuffiness you might think of when you think of portrait photography. So what's the deal? How's this sound:

We will come to your home, or meet you at whatever favorite place you may have in mind to photograph you, you and you're sweetheart, you and your family, you and your sweetheart's family (well you get the idea!) and create beautiful custom portraits.

We will travel a reasonable distance to any site within our coverage area (please double check with us!) Bookings are subject to availability, weddings come first! Again please check with us when you inquire.

This package includes:

• 1 hour photography session on site (not counting travel and set up time of course!) You will be amazed at the amount of shots we can get in one hour's time :)
• All images edited, checked and corrected for color and exposure, some artistic enhancements such as sepia, black and white, "special sauce" (can't tell you about that remember?!), etc. The same relentless quality standards, care, and creativity that you've come to expect from us with our wedding images will be taken with your portraits as well.
• Up to 100 images in an online gallery that can be shared with family and friends (exact image count will vary).
• Online shopping cart for easy ordering of high quality prints, enlargements, and other photographic products at  our standard print prices. (Please note: these are NOT proof prints! These are the same high quality photographic prints that you would get in any of our wedding package galleries with online ordering!)
• Our introductory price for this unique package is $279 and includes a $10 credit towards print orders for you and each family member or friend you invite to your gallery!

We're really excited to offer this to our customers as a way of getting some unique pictures of you, whether it be at your home, or a favorite park, the beach, whatever! Maybe that spot you drive by on the way to work each day that you've always thought would be a perfect place to take some pictures; we're up for it! Give us a call at 860/376-5566 or email  us at "info AT thesweetestdays DOT com" and we'll be happy to answer your questions!

So there you go, plenty of Valentine's shopping ideas for you guys and hey girls, don't be shy, send this link off to that guy in your life who may not be one of our regular readers. A little nudge always works! ;)

Enjoy!

-Bruce

Off To Work

Well we call it work but it's gonna be a BLAST! We're headed to the Seamen's Inne today for the tasting event for couples that have booked there for the 2008 season and we can't wait! We'll be chit-chatting with everyone, have some stuff to hand out, oh AND we'll have a sample of one of our brand-spankin' new products, CANVAS PRINTS! (Think "upscale, trendy, your-picture-printed-on-canvas and mounted-to-a-wooden-frame, ready to hang in an art gallery" kinda cool!) More on that later this week :)

If you're one of our Seamen's Inne couples that have already booked, please be sure to stop by and say hello! Also, we're taking pictures today too so let's have some fun and do a little mini-photo shoot! We'll put the pics up in an online gallery in a couple days for everyone to see and order prints if you want to. No pressure of course, we're mainly doing this because we thought it would be FUN!

See ya there!

-Bruce

Albums - Leather Craftsmen!

Much could (and has) been written about the quality and history of Leather Craftsmen albums, so I won't get into that much detail here on the blog. But I will say that Leather Craftsmen has been manufacturing and selling wedding albums here in the U.S. since 1942. Their philosophy is simple: use the finest materials and skills honed from generations of bookbinding experience to make high quality wedding albums.

We are proud to offer two different models of Leather Craftsmen flush mount albums here at The Sweetest Days Photography. The 300 Flush Series Albums and the 3500 Flush Coffee Table Series Albums.

The time honored Leather Craftsmen 300 Series is the original wedding album from Leather Craftsmen and has been offered by them since all the way back to their beginning in 1942.  It features same size prints expertly hand mounted flush to the page and separated by a linen hinge. Several sizes can be bound in genuine leather covers or non-leather premium fabric alternatives.

 

Also with same size prints hand mounted flush to the page, the 3500 Series Flush Mount album comes in several sizes with several cover options. The difference with this contemporary album is that it features no linen hinge which provides full panoramic spreads that can either be split or folded.

While we have been offering Leather Craftsmen for quite some time, we are thrilled to showcase these models and re-introduce them to you!

So whether your choice is the Capri drop-in, or one of the Sequoia or Leather Craftsmen flush mount albums, we think you'll love the results and most importantly the QUALITY of your wedding album! Hey we didn't didn't do all that work at the Photo Plus expo for nothing, ya know!! ;)

So if you have been waiting to get your album on order, please give us a call or an email. We'll be glad to get your album design started and also send you more info and pricing for each of the products.

And that's not all! (But wait, there's more!) We still have a few more new products that we can't wait to tell you about!

Talk to you soon!

-Bruce

Albums - The WillowBook Sequoia Flush Mount Album!

The Sequoia is a "flush mount" album which is the most popular album style going these days. This classic album is characterized by a seamless center and storybook layout that evokes tradition and elegance.

Professional prints are carefully mounted flush to the page and can be square, vertical or horizontal, each in several sizes. This classic album in your choice of leather or for that extra bit of flair, try brushed aluminum!

All of your images are carefully mounted on durable hard-backed pages with a beautiful book-style binding.

A narrow binding seam allows us to design a variety of cross-page layouts, giving us the freedom to be as creative as we want (and as you'll let us!) with your album design.

A large selection of colors and fonts for imprinting text are available. You're sure to find a combination that fits perfectly!

Our customers wanted flush-mount and we listened! With everything this beautiful Sequoia album has going for it, you will not be disappointed!

Next up? The Leather Craftsmen collection right here at TSD!! Can ya stand it?!? ;)

Enjoy!

Bruce

Albums - The Capri!

Ok, as promised, it's time to start talking about wedding albums. Val and I attended the Photo Plus Expo in New York City back in October (it's an annual event for us!) with the main goal of determining who we were going to use as our primary album suppliers. It was TOUGH! There were so many vendors to choose from and so many incredible products, we spent hours walking around, taking notes, taking photographs, comparing prices and styles and QUALITY from the companies we were most interested in.

Then we took a much-needed hot dog break, compared notes and in a flurry of hot dog grease and splattered Gulden's mustard we cobbled together our Master Plan! (Insert maniacal laughter here...)

Our first candidate and the topic of today's post is the Capri drop-in album. This is the MacGyver of  wedding albums; versatile, durable, been around for many years and still getting the job done. This is also our most affordable album, but don't let that fool you. This is a very elegant and stylish wedding album that you'll love.

 

The drop-in (or slide in) style album works like this: photographic prints are made in the correct size to fit your requested album and slid into the album pages. The pages are sized to hold the images snug and there is even a little lip inside to trap the image so it can't unintentionally slide out. The drop-in style album allows us to be flexible with the design yet still keep things affordable.

Covers come in various materials including "Mooless" leather, various fabrics and of course leather. The front cover can have an opening to insert a cover image. Pages come in several color options and several gilding color options as well. There is a maximum of 35 pages for this album which is 70 sides.

So that's the Capri! Simple, affordable, yet elegant. This album will look wonderful on your bookshelf for years to come!

Coming next: the flush mount!

Enjoy!

Bruce

First Video Post!

Check it out! Sorry about the Steelers hat but here at TSD we bleed Black and Gold! GO STEELERS!!

FREE Wedding Photography Contest Announcement!

Yes, you read that right! As we have said here on the blog for the last few weeks, we have so much cool new stuff to tell you about (getting sick of hearing that yet?!) and I get the honor of telling you about one of  THE coolest things of all!

Val and I are thrilled to announce that for one lucky couple in 2008 we will be shooting your wedding for FREE! We wanted to do something to give back to all the folks that have supported us for so long now and, well to be honest we had heard of a few other photographers doing this sort of thing and we thought it sounded like a GREAT idea. So here's the deal:

We want you to email us the story of  a couple who, in your opinion, REALLY deserves free wedding photography for their wedding this year. If you like, you can even send in your own story!

Here's what we are looking for:

• A couple who has a wonderful story or who has overcome great odds
• The couple must be getting married somewhere within a reasonable driving distance of Connecticut (say the Northeast in general) and it must be for a date that we are available for
• The couple must be willing to have their story told here and/or on our web site (www.thesweetestdays.com)
• The couple must not be able to afford an extravagant wedding

And here is what we're NOT looking for:

• A couple who is having an expensive or extravagant wedding and is just looking to win something for free
• A false story
• Couples planning destination weddings

The winning couple will receive:

• Up to 7 hours of photography coverage with 2 photographers (Val and Bruce)
• 400 images presented in an online gallery for sharing
• 400 printed proof images in a proof album
• An 8 x 12, 20 page flush wedding album especially designed for them

Contest deadline for all entries is February 29, 2008. Please email your story to info@thesweetestdays.com and include a picture of the couple. The top three entries will be posted on our web site and/or blog and a decision on the winning story will be made by March 15^th, 2008.

So come on folks, get those typing fingers warmed up and ready to go! Inspire us, move us, make us laugh, make us cry, but just get those stories in!

We really want to pass along a special thank you (and some link love!) to Jessica Claire for her permission to use her idea as inspiration for our own contest. Hey when we see something we like, we go with it! She is an uber-talented, California-based wedding photographer who is running a similar contest right now. When I emailed and asked if we could "steal" her idea for our own contest her answer without even a hesitation? "Go for it!!" Thank you Jessica, you ROCK!!

Good luck everyone, we can't wait to read the stories!

~Bruce