ISES Gala Photo Contest

Here is the picture I submitted for competition at the ISES Gala which will be held on June 6, 2011

My event was the wedding of Joshua and Lena Toti in San Palo, California on October 22 of 2010.  This was definitely not comparable to your typical North Jersey wedding.  Josh is Samoan and Lena is from Hawaii.  This traditional Samoan wedding was marked by colorful Samoan garments and traditional dances from the islands.   For example, one dance that is called in Samoan “Taualuga” - is the traditional dance for the bride.   After the bride begins on the center of the dance floor, the groom enters and dances with his bride.  At one point the bride, as sign of submission, steps on her husband as he mimics swimming on the floor. At this point, his best friends enter the floor and dance with him around his bride.  The groom and his friends are dressed in traditional male Samoan waist wraps as would be worn by Samoan warriors and are dancing to powerful traditional Samoan music.  The mood for the event was festive throughout.  The entire event was colorful, joyful and memorable. 

I had numerous conversations with Josh & Lena before their wedding. Therefore, I knew what they were looking for in regards to their wedding pictures.  I was able to ascertain their likes and their dislikes.  I focused on making them happy and relaxed throughout the day, while at the same time maintaining enough control of he flow so that special moments did not go by unrecorded.  When I found out that we had only one hour between the ceremony and the reception, I spent the day before the wedding scouting out ideal locations where the formal pictures could be taken.  In order to better accomplish my objectives, I then came up with a strategy and time line that allowed beautiful formal pictures to be taken without a rushed atmosphere and an aura of stress.  Several of Josh and Lena’s favorite pictures were from that formal session.

I was able to capture the passion and romance of the day without being intrusive upon the couple.  Samoans by nature are very, very laid back.  Their pace is definitely not that of a bride and groom from the tri-state area.  This required me to make serious adjustments in order to adapt to their pace.  Working within those parameters, I was still able to live up to my contract and get the key shots I needed.  I was able to provide Josh and Lena with a collection of memories they loved which will last a lifetime. 

NJ Wedding Industry Networking Event - Westminster Hotel, Livingston NJ

The Westminster hotel and Bridal Billy put on a great venue last night.  First, I'd like to thank the Westminster staff for being such gracious hosts.  Meet Amy, Loretta, Allison and a cameo by Eric from the Crystal Plaza.

Out of all the pictures I took last night being the official photographer of the event, this was my favorite.  Many vendors visited my booth and dropped off their card for the drawing for a free photo shoot.  And would you believe, Amy Dimes won.  Go Amy!!!.  

I was able to sample some of the food and I must say it was delicious.  Loved the pasta dishes and the desserts were very yummy, especially the chocolate filled brownies.

Next, meet Bridal Billy, the person responsible for putting on this venue.  Notice the loud colorful suit jacket.   No matter what picture he was in, you can easily pick him out in a crowd.  I think it worked for the event.  I might even pick one up LOL!!!

You can view more pictures of the event at the link right here:

bmadrid.zenfolio.com/westminster

That's it for today. Talk to you later.

Bryan

The W Hotel Hoboken NJ

Hello everyone.  Welcome to my blog.  This actually is my first post ever. That's me on the right with the  president of NACE, Robert Frungillo.  I'm their official photographer so I had my good friend Lucmann Pierre of Le Pierre Catereres snap the picture for me.

I have to say that last night's event at The W Hotel in Hoboken NJ  had great support. Many made the trek to Hoboken. This was probably one of my favorite Nace meetings in the past year. I met some students from FDU who are majoring in the restaurant management field.  They absorbed allot and tapped several members of the board for advice.

Several panel members shared their thoughts on where the catering business is heading.  We all agree that anyone who has survived the last three years should be OK.  NYC hotel occupancy from January till May of this year is down 20 - 30 percent. Catering halls and vendors have had to deal with a 30% decrease in revenue.

So we all hope good times are ahead.

That's all for today.