2. We are not cheap. Our Creativity does add to the over all cost, but it also what makes us different. If you are looking for a cheap photographer there are plenty of people and photography shops out there that will provide you exactly what your looking for. Just remember though, you will get what you pay for. It is true that with some companies, clients can be rolled through a generic studio as if on a conveyor belt and the one by one all day be placed in front of the same vinyl backgrounds, making the same faces, and doing the same poses over and over. We won’t do that because we don’t want to. At Musebug we take the time and effort to get to know our clients and to provide them exactly what they are looking for, what fits their personality or event the best, and what represents us properly as well. Sometimes we can find what your looking for, even when you did not know they you looking for it.

3. We are busy. That simple. If you need to have us at your Beck-n-Call, well we probably won’t answer. We want to and will do everything in our power to accommodate any and every client that would like to use our services, but we can’t be everywhere and please everyone at once. Part of why Musebug is so unique is because we are all not only Musebug photographers, but also working media professionals, video producers, writers to just to list a few of our many different day-to-day responsibilities. Yes we love what we do, but some of that is because we don’t allow ourselves to get burnt out doing it. No one wants to be some photographer’s 5th wedding in 5 days. You try to do much and the work will suffer. As we grow this will change, we are already in the process of training new photographers that can take on more work load, but until their at a point that we feel confident that they to can provide you with the same Quality images we can provide you ourselves there will be only a limit to the amount of jobs we can do.

4. Your in a hurry. We would love to meet every client that hires us at least once before each job. If its for a portrait, well we want to get to you know you find out what locations would best bring out your personality, talk to you about wardrobe, hair, and make-up, even use what we learn from talking with you to plan how we will light your photos. If your planning an event, well we want to find out what kind of feel you would like our images to represent, who and what you would like showcase, and plan ahead with schedules, maps, even hand-outs for guest so they know certain poses or groups the should be with for photos. The point is we don’t want to do the job if you just want us to show up and shoot. A great Journalist is perfect for that job. They point a lens and capture what’s in front of it. One of the reasons we consistently produce quality images for our clients is that we always plan ahead. So before you call us, please take the time and be prepared to work with us, we will want to meet you, get to know you, and ask you some questions.

© 2010, Anthony Finley. All rights reserved.

When you have a good solid number of the “expected to attends” you should get a start on venue hunting.

No matter where  you’re plotting to tie the knot, it will help to have the 411 on a few things.

There is more to picking a venue than love at first site. Yes, they are all charming but first impressions can be deceiving.  Here is a list of questions to help you make sure.

1.Have the date you want and an alternate date in case the venue you absolutely will not budge on is booked.

2. Have your budget set before stepping foot into any venue. Make sure you have agreed on the budget before hand. You do not want to have to be pinching each other under the table when the check is being signed. Also be sure to find out if there is a payment schedule? What is the deposit amount and always inquire about any upcoming specials.  Venues run specials during slow months, but they do not stamp that information on their for heads, so ask. it’s not being cheap. . .it’s being smart!

3.Know how many guests will be attending. You can take the number of invitations you sent out and make a good calculated guess that only 75% of them will show.

4.Figure out how much effort and cash on your part you are going to need to create the theme or atmosphere in the venue. Flowers, candles, etc. How well does the decor support your colors/theme? Ask what can be taken down or removed prior to your ceremony. A lot of venue decor falls into the same category hotel art, and keep in mind it will be the back ground for a lot of the photos and memories made.

5.Make sure there is room enough for a band as well as space for a dance floor that will fit the amount of guests adequately.

6.Find out what all is available in house. Most venues have in house caterers as well as linen, table and chair services that can often save you time and money to use. Make sure you test the in house caterer though, convenient and affordable does not ensure quality.

7.BYOB spells TACKY! If you are going to allow alcohol you need to make sure  of any restrictions that apply. Some venues allow beer and wine but not hard liquor. Some do not allow alcohol at all. Some are BYOB and others have a full service bar on site.

8.Depending on the location of your venue of choice you need to consider parking arrangements and if you plan to use a valet service or not.

9.If you are planning to have an out door wedding be sure the venue has a back up plan in case mother nature does not cooperate.

10.Once you have made your final decision do not walk away with out a written contract dated and signed by the head of the venue. The contract should include all of your responsibilities and all of the responsibilities offered by the venue. Make sure you understand the contract fully before signing. In most cases you have three days to examine the contract and may cancel with in that time with no penalties.

© 2010, Anthony Finley. All rights reserved.

MUSEBUG will be front and center at the 2009 Wedding Professionals Business Conference. We are looking forward to networking with the inner layer of the world of weddings by meeting with like minded entrepreneurs  in hopes of gaining applicable knowledge for MUSEBUG.

The conference is a business to business only, meaning only professionals in the biz can attend. Hours are from 8:00-5:00p.m. and will be on November 18th and is taking place at Plano Centre. Jennifer Lee will be juggling a table in the vendors lobby and sitting in on a couple of speakers that she feels may have valuable advice she can take back with her.

There will be door prizes and MUSEBUG has donated 2 FREE portrait sessions for the occasion. There will also be a sign up sheet for chances to win further prizes at the MUSEBUG booth.

We look forward to seeing you there!

• For more details please visit the conference web site  at www.weddingbusinessconference.com

© 2009, Anthony Finley. All rights reserved.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can check back at www.youtube.com/musebugmedia for more video to come soon.

© 2009, Anthony Finley. All rights reserved.

© 2009, Anthony Finley. All rights reserved.