Chris N C Photo

Hi there! I'm a photographer, and my partner and I offer custom wedding websites for our clients. It's really handy because they don't have to worry about learning how to set it up or anything. And once the photos are ready, we just post them online. We're even developing a system where we can add a photo gift registry to their site, so friends can make a donation towards the cost of their photography, or buy them a print or an album. I don't know if many other photogs are offering this sort of thing, but it never hurts to ask them!

And the winner is... Here's that website: whatitsworth.nandcphotography.com Thanks again to everyone who entered!

Wow! We've had some fun times in our studio before, but this just might take the five-tiered cake. Last night we projected all the love stories onto the wall of our studio and read them all aloud. What a treat that was. It was like a cabaret of romance that we watched in our pyjamas. It was not easy, in fact we were up rather late getting it done, but we have narrowed it done to a shortlist of finalists. Nora is contacting all of them today to arrange a time that we can speak. If all goes well, we will be able to announce the grand prize winners by the end of the week. THANK YOU EVERYONE for sharing your stories. We felt genuinely touched by all of them. Stay tuned for some more exciting announcements... Really. I'm not just saying that! Chris

Oh man! These are fantastic! Only one more day to enter, and then Nora and I will start contacting the finalists via PM. We'll set up a time with each finalist to chat, find out a little more about each other, and go over some details Good luck everyone!

We are loving these entries! Keep 'em coming! Here's a little hint: Nora and I are photographers, so, obviously, we love photos... We are also poets, so we loooove poems too! Go ahead and share that love poetry Here's one of my favourites that I blogged about recently, by Khalil Gibran: http://nandcblog.com/marriage-by-khalil-gibran

You might want to be careful where you say that! The other day, Nora, my fiancee, said to me in a conversation about moving some furniture: "Yeah, I am married to it... But not THAT married." ...I hope she gets THAT married to me! Chris

Neither can we, Tammy!

Well, I'm not a lady. BUT... What has been done at other resorts (and EDR if you read way back in this thread) is add your photographer to your guest list and put them up in the hotel one night, making them your guest. We haven't had any problems using this method yet. Good luck!

Hey there! I would concur with Tlseege about local photographers vs. flying in your own. Here is something else I've noticed. With local vendors in any busy market, there's an element of-- I don't really know what to call it-- weariness, I suppose, that sets in. Your wedding is probably just like the other 4 they shot at your resort this week. And you can't blame them, really, when it's just their daily job! but I know for me and my partner, and other non-local destination photographers I've seen, travelling adds an element of excitement and makes the work that much sharper, the images more original and surprising. Those are my two cents! Good luck! Chris

I'm happy to travel to PR.

That is so sweet of you and your boyfriend, and the whole family! That's touching, actually. With that sort of support and love behind it, I don't see how the wedding could be anything but perfect. Here's hoping it's not your first wedding on the forum! ... that would normally be a pretty awful thing to say, wouldn't it? But you know what I mean! :-D Cheers! Chris

Hey there! Congratulations! I love the Barcelo and Playa Grande in Cabo San Lucas. Playa del Arco is also nice, though I don't know what their all-inclusive or wedding packages are like. It might be mostly owners... I didn't even realize there were resorts not doing same-sex weddings (come on Mexico, you used to be cool) so I don't know for sure about if those three will. Sure hope so. Holla at me if you have photography questions! Gooooooood luck! Chris

Thanks! Maui is our favourite place on the planet, and we have some good friends there, and others with whom we are due a reunion there... But we still have no concrete plans; we've been pretty pre-occupied with other peoples' weddings! I'd love to get Blue Petal to coordinate our wedding though. Those are some classy ladies Good luck with the planning. You'll find lots of great resources here. Feel free to pm or email me if you have any photography questions.

Hi Meghan! Congratulations on your engagement! Good call on the destination wedding. I think it's totally the way to go. It's what my fiancee and I are going to do, that's for sure. I always recommend hiring an expert to coordinate things. I have spent so many hours of my life trying to connect and coordinate with various people in tropical places and, man, I think life just goes at a different speed or something. (I personally think Hawaii is actually in a different dimension!) I'd gladly pay someone to do that for me. Especially when it's your wedding, and you want everything to be perfect, easy and fun. Good luck! Chris

Oh man, those are great stories! Here's the video of me proposing to my fiancee. It was at a poetry slam in front of about 400 people. We're working on a video for our website that will share how we met, cuz that's quite a story too... Enjoy! -Chris

Hi modizzle! I love the Barcelo, and I believe they let you party until well after 11pm. (Though I could be wrong...) I'd be happy to show you a full wedding shot there so you can get an idea. PM me! Good luck! Chris

Hi Lex, Good call on the Grand Solmar! It's beautiful there! I've never had the chance to shoot there, but did consider getting a timeshare there... In my experience, a good quality wedding photographer will have the equipment needed to provide light for such a situation. However, increasingly few on the market meet that standard... While I don't know any of the Gand Solmar's photographers, the general results that I've seen from resort photographers in the area are mediocre, and their equipment minimal. I suggest learning from the shortcomings that you see in other people's photos. Look for a destination wedding photographer, and make sure they are aware of the low light situation and make sure they have what they need to compensate. Outsourcing the photog may cost you a little more, but you really don't want to cut corners on your memories... Good luck! Chris

That is, we've photographed there. Oops!

Hey there! We've at the Barcelo before and have only heard positive reviews. It's definitely one of the top resorts in Cabo! PM me if you'd like to see the slidshow from a full wedding. Good luck!

Haiku is really beautiful. The north shore of Maui is def our fave place. We often frequent Baldwin Beach or Pai'a. (+ we love going into Mana foods after the beach!) There are some charter bus rental companies on Maui. http://www.promptcharters.com/city/maui-charter-bus.html For lighting: http://www.islandrentsmaui.com/welcome/lighting For flowers in Haiku: Avas Flowers. http://www.avasflowers.com/hawaii/florist-haiku-hi/ If you have any other questions, feel free to drop us a line. We're happy to help in any way we can. Nora and Chris.