NY Wedding Affair

I just got back from the NY Wedding Affair sponsored by Well Wed Magazine , which I am very proud to advertise in (the only place I currently advertise) and I can't say enough good things about this bridal show...actually, I don't even want to call it a bridal show....it was the event of the season! For anyone that didn't make it this year, put this on your must-do list for next year. Well Wed is by far, the most elegant publication for the New York area, and the vendors that advertise in their pages are by invitation only, so you can be sure the vendors you are investing in are top notch! I didn't get a table this year (they were all sold out....so maybe next year), but I inlcuded some postcards in the wedding library....did you see me there??

I was also really excited to meet the other photographer's in the area and introduce myself. I have to say that for the most part, other photographer's are so warm and supportive. You would think that the competition would make us all cut-throat, but it's not like that at all. It's more like a community of truly giving people who all share a similar passion....I think that's what's helped wedding photography bloom from the posed pictures of yester-year to today's photojournalistic sytle. My own wedding photographer, Rae Barnes has been so supportive! She's always open with tips and advice, lessons learned, and good chats....not to mention that when I second shoot for her not only do I have a blast, but I learn so much! Well, today I met Alisha Clark and Luke Walker and once again, I was blown away by how warm and welcoming they were. These two took time out of their day packed with talking to potential brides to chat with me and show me the amazing products they offer their clients. I didn't realize how much they didn't make me feel like the new kid at school until I got in my car and called hubby on the way home, and the first thing I said was, I met the two nicest photgraphers today! Again, I just feel so lucky to have found my passion and have the chance to be a part of such a great group of professionals!

The Album

Your wedding is unique, a reflection of your personal style...and the album which holds your memories for a lifetime should be also! Each album is custom designed from start to finish to tell your story. Every time you view it, your senses will be alive with the sights, sounds, thoughts and emotions of the day.

I've searched high and low to find the highest quality albums to suit every bridal style and budget. I've chosen my album manufacturer's carefully, looking all over the world to find perfect matches for traditional, modern, rustic, elegant and eco-shic brides, and I can't wait to share them with you. Each day this week, I will be highlighting the albums I've found for each you.

So, what's your bridal style?

The Album | Modern

Renaissance The Book has been proudly handcrafting professional albums in the United States for over 15 years. While their quality is excellent, they've never really had an album that caught my eye....until this year. New for 2008 they have introduced the Mercer book. The Mercer is a fresh and innovative new album which captures the character and essence of SoHo NY, making this the perfect choice for my modern brides. The album is sleek and the full page panoramic spreads are mounted to thin (but sturdy) book bound pages...The front and back cover are fully customizable with your images and a fine selection of silks is available for the binding accent. Sorry, I have no pictures yet...but check it out here... (pages 3 and 4).... I'll post images once I get my studio sample in...

The Album | Rustic

This is my favorite album, and therefore the signature album of Ann Marie Somma Photography. I don't include it in my standard package becuase it is a little pricier, and I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for the rustic bride this album is truley unique!
Available in a variety of timbers and metals, Seldex artistic albums is Australia's leading manufacturer of custom designed wedding albums and photographic presentation products. For the Adirondack bride who loves nature and wants her keepsake album to reflect the rustic elegance of her wedding day, these albums are perfect...see for yourself....













A variety of timbers and metals is avaialable....I especially love the corrugated metal cover for engagement sessions at apple orchards!




















These albums also have hot options such as gatefold and flip pages....











I should also mention that Seldex albums are not just for the rustic bride. In my opinion, Seldex has not only the largest range of albums and presentation products available, but the highest quality as well! The products are handmade in Australia by qualified tradesmen and your options are endless! These albums are truly top of the line!

The Album | Eco-Chic

Green weddings are becoming increasinly popular. In fact, they have become so hot in this area (Lake George provides a spectacular natural backdrop for breathtaking weddings) that they have made it on the itinerary for this weekend's New York Wedding Affair . To complete your eco-chic wedding, I have found an eco-friendly album that who's quality rivals that of the competition. After all, you spent countless hours making your wedding green, shouldn't your keepsake album be more eco-friendly also? Finao ONE albums, are flush mount albums with attitude. Exquisite quality combined with fabulous leathers and options like a Simply Canvas or Perspex (your image your image etched into metal) cover enable each bride to truly customize her own, all for ONE price. In addition, you'll fall in love as soon as you open the box.... The packaging for ONE is completely "green", which scored huge points with me. The One books are wrapped in a heavy sheet of handmade paper made from recycled pineapple leaves. The ribbon is handmade from recycled Mulberry leaves. It's red in the picture but will be black shortly. Ok, enough talk...here's some pictures from the Finao website...


The awesome packaging...

















































Your choice of a rounded or square spine...

Your choice of standard or ultra-thin pages...

The perspex cover (your image etched into metal)

and a canvas cover..

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I can't wait for you eco-chic brides to get these!

The Album | Elegant

Cypress Fine Handmade Albums & Boxes is an exclusive archival image presentation company dedicated to designing and creating unique albums, presentation boxes and folios. Every product is individually handcrafted by artisans to highlight photojournalism with understated elegance! I can't say enough about this company....it was established in 1996 by a bride and trained artist searching for a unique and elegant album to display her own wedding images. Unable to find what she was looking for, she went out and designed it herself! There is nothing that I don't LOVE LOVE LOVE about these one-of-a-kind products, espeically the exquisit ribbon from Switzerland used to bind the albums and accent the boxes and folios-my ancestors are from Switzerland and I travelled there after college and it captured my heart forever! I truly believe they are the finest available for my elegant brides.

The Cypress album is their exquisite signature matted album,
which includes a presentation box to store and protect the album...

The "C" by Cypress is the latest creation in understated elegance by Cypress. The covers of this unique, sophisticated album are enveloped in beautiful Japanese bookbinding fabrics. THe rich smooth pages are interleaved with parchment allowing prints to be mounted on both sides of the page. The armth and texture of this album reflects those special moments in your images.

The presentation box is an elegant and less expensive alternative which blends old and new traditions. The boxes are covered in your choice of Japanese bookbinding fabrics with an exquisite ribbon in the center of the box that allows mats to be lifted easily.

The Folio is again, covered in Japanese bookbinding fabric and accented with a Swiss ribbon. It can be displayed as a small book or open on a table as a frame. The folio's can be ordered to hold 1-4 photographs in a selection of sizes. These make perfect grandparent and bridal party gifts!

For more images of thier exquisit products and to view swatches, visit their website.

The Album | Traditional

Leather Craftsmen has been producing what is generally considered to be finest quality traditional album available. Their albums are created by using traditional book binding techniques and high quality materials. The elegance and fine craftsmanship of these albums make them my number one recommendation for traditional brides. There's a good chance that your parents and grandparents albums are all Leather Craftsmen! That said, Leather Craftsmen works hard to please the modern bride as well. Their albums are offered both as traditional matted albums and the more modern, flush mount coffee table book style album. Both styles feature high quality leather covers and exquisite linings such as rice paper and cork. Each book is custom bound for durability and has a well finished look.

The company was founded in 1942 and has two manufacturing facilities in California and New York. Incorporating learned skills from a fifth generation custom bookbinder, combined with the use of the finest quality materials, Leather Craftsmen has been proudly producing wedding albums for over 60 years. The demand for these albums from so many of my brides and Leather Craftsmen's famed reputation among the world's top wedding photographers made it easy for me to decide that this was the album to include in my 2008 packages! Take a peek...

Happy New Year!

OK, so this post is a few days late...but I've been hard at work deliberating over my New Year's resolutions! I don't usually keep these, and I'm definitely the person you see buying a gym membership on 1/1, only to have abandoned the gym completely by 1/31! I am hoping though, as I get older, my drive and determination will mature as well ;-) This year I pledge to:

1. Get a crappy point and shoot camera and do a better job of documenting my own life
2. Lead a more active lifestyle
3. Make a daily effort to eat healthy (note-this is not a pledge to diet-I am looking to make a lifestyle change here)
4. Debut a new look and brand image to Ann Marie Somma Photography
5. Go on vacation with my hubby
7. Introduce a line of Adirondack fine art prints on my website
8. Take better care of the planet

OK, well there are more things on my list, that's all I dare put in writing! I'm thinking that since I've never ever kept one resolution, it's better to set the bar low than to overwhelm myself! And, to ensure that I'm on track, I'm going to follow up on these periodically throughout the year!

So, what are your resolutions??