apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

An August wedding? Take them outside somewhere -- a park, in front of an historic building, church, or other place of significance to the couple. I am often astounded at the number of asian weddding couples I see being photographed in Central Park -- in very cold weather! The Botanical Gardens are another hot spot for wedding photos. Back in my hometown, the gardens of the Crane family were always open to townsfolk (sound so quaint . . . ) for wedding photos. I am sure there are lovely places near your home for these photos.

But this does beg the question -- if you don;t like the way you home looks, why aren't you changing it so suit your day-to-day living?

stay in a hotel room the night before and use their good decorating as your back drop...either downstairs or the actual rooms

or have the photographer hang up a seamless [backdrop] so it looks crisp and professional.

I'd say custom be hanged. Photoshop in a space you really like--Blenheim, St. Mark's Square or Machu Picchu. Better out and out fantasy than renting some stuff that has no connection with how you really live.

should have read: But this does beg the question -- if you don't like the way your home looks, why aren't you changing it to suit your day-to-day living?

aw. congrats! you need a picture in his old room (if it's still in old room style, in front of your car (because it's a traditional shot nobody does anymore and I love it), and then the rest outside in front of your house. forget the house and get the lawn in shape.

I was married in puerto rico and I must say everyone looks great with those old mustard and red walls in the backgroud, so try to get some color in there somewhere

Oy, August pics outside?!?! PLEASE don't do that to your suited groom (or yourselves!!)

Are you sure your son shares the concern? He may LOVE the idea of having the pics in your house "warts" and all... sentimentality rules at this time of life, so perhaps he may insist on the pics in the space, as is.

If not, just share your concerns with the photographer in advance, and perhaps scout out the best corner of the room(s), then work to "style" that view... pull in flowers, maybe swap out a drape, borrow stuff from other rooms, etc...

Oh, and perhaps consider black and white shots, in a more photo-journalistic, less portrait-y style... this way, the people, expressions, emotions will take center stage (as they should) and the interiors will fall to the background... and, with select focus, the photographer can even assist in making that happen...

I just went to see the Seydou Keita photographs on display in Sean Kelly a Chelsea gallery. They are beautiful black and white images in which vibrantly patterned cloth form the backdrop. They are loved by the art world for the modernism of the layers of pattern - you could have invest in a large piece of , lets stay william morris print textile and cover one wall with it, using tacks, and then you could up the 'art' factor of the images, or make it seem as though you were in a period room with period wall paper etc.

patrick, has a point august outdoor pics could be a wilted sweaty mess. a swank hotel suite sounds great and less expensive than decorating.

You could look one generation forward or back for the groom's family home photo. Does the groom or either pair of his grandparents have a place with a design style you'd like represented in the photos? One of those three places might be a place full of happy memories for him, and it would still be a family home.

On the other hand, if you wouldn't mind going furnitureless in the photo, you could take your picture in your very own home in an empty room in front of clean, bare (architecturally interesting?) windows looking out on your garden or streetscape. It would be air-conditioned indoor session, but it would also have an outdoor effect in the photo, depending on the size of the windows and the angle of the shot.

My family Christmas photos in front of my big, arched multi-pane window with my magnolia and huge lilies outside were wonderful (San Jose, CA in the winter). The only feature of my house was the big window and the garden, that's it. Lighting was a little tricky for amateur snapshooters (we couldn't be flat against the window -- we were at a slight angle), but once we figured lighting out, we were good to go.

Posing a portrait subject to the side of a window is in all but all the photographers' sample books, but... I believe it could still be done well. As long and no one has their chin resting on their fist while they stare wistfully out the window...

Best of luck, and congratulations!

Easy. Just because something is "customary" doesn't mean you actually have to do it. (What if the groom's parents don't live in the same town as the wedding?) I'm getting married in October, and we're certainly not going to do photos like that.

Do it if it's important to you; if not, skip it; even if you want such a photo, it doesn't matter where it's taken. Maybe try some pics outside the ceremony venue right after you get there.

Take the pictures in a hotel suite. It will cost a lot cheaper than change your furniture. Ask the hotel manager if they could let you in the suite for only a few hours and pay half the fee.

Am I cynical to sense an attack of the-wedding-must-be-perfect, oops! we're-not-perfect jitters?

Why isn't the photographer framing the three of you for a tight portrait shot against the most visually neutral background in the house? These photos are about people, not decor, so there's no reason to show much of the room.

Simple solution: have the family photos done at the wedding site.