Saturday, September 25, 2010

Mayacama Golf Club wedding by Peter Bruce Photo & Video




Nestled in the heart of northern Sonoma County, not far from the charming town of Healdsburg, Mayacama is a private golf and lodging club where Peter Bruce Photo and video were lucky enough to shoot the video for Nicole and Glens wedding.

Hope you enjoy this, please view more photos at

www.peterbruceweddingphotography.com/blog

and please check back to see the full video


Cheers Peter Bruce Photo

Wente Vineyards in Livermore California by Peter Bruce Photo




What a fun wedding at the great Wente winery in Livermore for Jessica and Bryan.
Hope you enjoy the photos and please view more at this link

www.peterbruceweddingphotography.com/blog

Best Regards
Peter Bruce Photo

Saturday, September 18, 2010

San Francisco Napa wedding by Peter Buce Photo






What a fun wedding I did the video for this week end.
Cherie & Mark were great. It was a wedding that took us from Down town San Francisco to the wine area of Napa
To see more photos please visit...

Peter Bruce Photography or click on this link


Cheers Peter Bruce Photo & Video

Monday, September 6, 2010

Golden gate park,Shakespeare Garden wedding by Peter Bruce Photo




Golden Gate Park the ultimate haven away from urban chaos and great for a wedding. It was deeded to the people in 1870 out of the prescient notion that San Franciscans would one day feel overcrowded. This foresight proved invaluable, as 13 million people now visit the park every year.

Finding the land was the easy part. Someone still had to make grass and trees grow out of sand dunes blasted by harsh oceanside winds.

The person to do it was William Hammond Hall, a 25-year-old civil engineer who was appointed the park's first superintendent in 1871. Over the next five years, Hall established the park's original design — including the Panhandle — and began introducing grass, trees and numerous plants in an environment most thought too barren for lush foliage.

Many of the park's iconic buildings arrived with the 1894 Midwinter Fair, a sprawling expo and carnival meant to boost the economy and increase tourism. S.F. wanted to prove that it had culture — so a fine-arts museum was built. To prove that outdoor activities could be pursued, horse stables and vast, unlandscaped greens were preserved. And to showcase the exotic and quirky atmosphere of the city, several theme areas were developed, including Cairo St., Japanese Village and an Eskimo habitat.

The fair succeeded at what it set out to do. Millions of people visited San Francisco, business boomed and locals found renewed pride in their formerly sand-covered park.

I think out of all the places in the Golden Gate park the best is the Shakespeare Garden .

Let me know what you think

Peter Bruce Photo

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Do They Hate Your Mate by Peter Bruce Photo


So you've met The One you both laugh at the same jokes, you like the same books, and you don't wrangle over the remote control. But what if your parents don't feel the same warm and fuzzy affection for your sweetheart? My advice? Don't get defensive,try these 6 ideas to bring the most important people in your life together before the wedding...


Get the Facts right

Ask your family members why they disapprove. Open discussion can defuse a volatile situation, and their reasoning may surprise you. Perhaps they misunderstood something your future husband said, or perhaps they've misinterpreted your soon-to-be wife's shyness. Let them know how much you love your mate and they may try harder to accept him or her into the extended family.


Alter Your Angle or point of view

Remember that your family wants the best for you and be open to the fact that people in love (and lust!) sometimes choose to ignore their partner's faults. Have an open mind and be certain your feelings ring true.


Shower Them With lots of love

Show your family that you care about them. They may worry that you're leaving them behind and may feel jealous of your spouse. After all, your married status may mean you won't make every Christmas gathering. They'll see less of you and you'll have new priorities. Make sure your parents and siblings still feel cherished and irreplaceable in your life, and they may learn to love your spouse.


Roll With the Punches

Don't take everything your relatives say at face value. Don't harp on insults made in the heat of the moment. Wait until family members chill out before asking about stressful moments. They may realize their words were hurtful and think before they speak next time.


Act Fast don't wait

Don't wait too long to address the issue at hand . If it takes years to broach the topic with your parents, it may be too late. Once a behavior pattern or opinion has been established, it can be difficult to change. Speak up when issues arise or your resentment (and your spouse's) may build to such levels that the familial relationship will never be mended.


Stand By Your Partner

Whatever happens, stay committed to your spouse. Ultimately it's the two of you who will spend your lives together. Present a united (yet friendly) front, and you'll find the road a lot less bumpy.

Good luck out there and let me know if it helps

Peter Bruce Photo

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Why Does the Bride Carry Flowers?... by Peter Bruce Photo


Why does a bride carry Flowers at her wedding...

All birides carry flowers,but do you know why,well Peter Bruce Photo & Video is here to tell you why and show you some great samples of bouquets.



For centuries, flowers have stood for a variety of emotions and values. Roses for love, lilies for virtue and so on. In ancient marriages, the brides carried herbs beneath their veils to symbolize fidelity. Greek brides carried ivy as a symbol of never-ending love. Orange blossoms, (the world renowned wedding flower) were chosen by the Spaniards to represent happiness and fulfillment, because the orange tree flowers and bears fruit at the same time. During even earlier times of "primitive marriage," when the fear of demons was most prevalent, the brides carried stinking garlands of herbs and spices for the purpose of frightening off evil spirits.

Today, brides carry flowers in the color scheme of their wedding, bringing beauty and elegance as well as old world customs to their special day. Have you considered spelling out the name of your groom in the flowers of your bouquets?

We hope you enjoyed this,plesae let us know and let us know about any you want to here about.

Best Regards Peter Bruce Photo & Video

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Tipping at weddings by Peter Bruce


Over the years Peter Bruce Photo & Video has been ask a lot about tipping at wedding and there does not seem to be much good info out there,so I am stepping up to the plate.Here you go.

Though you may think you've accounted for every imaginable wedding expense, there is one fee that might elude you: the tip. Rewarding vendors with a tip is expected, and it will serve as a thank-you for a job well done. But figuring out whom to tip, how much to pay, and when to offer it can be tricky.

While some vendors include gratuities in their fees, many will leave the amount up to you -- and the level of service they provide can influence what you give them. Tips can add up quickly, costing you a few thousand dollars. Gratuities for caterers alone can be $200 to $600 or more, for example, depending on the number of guests, your catering costs, and where you live. Most tips should be handed out the day of the wedding, so it's wise to assign the job to a friend or family member. A follow-up thank-you note is often a valued tip in itself, as your word can be a recommendation for the vendor.

Officiants...
While it isn't necessary to tip priests, ministers, rabbis, or other religious officiants (many of them, in fact, won't accept cash tips), if you want to thank them for their services, consider making a donation to their organization or house of worship. A typical amount is $75 to $100, separate from any fee you may be charged for the officiant's time.

If you belong to a church, your own minister or priest may perform the wedding at no charge. In this case, you could make a donation to the church, and as an extra thank-you, consider sending something personal, such as a gift certificate to a nice restaurant.

If your wedding is performed by a civil employee such as a judge, clerk, or other nonreligious official, then forgo a gratuity. Such officiants are paid a flat rate and are usually not permitted to accept tips or donations -- local law may actually prohibit it. A thoughtful card, however, is always appreciated.

Catering Staff...
Many caterers include a gratuity in their contract to be divided up among the workers, but be sure to ask. If the gratuity isn't included, plan on tipping all staff members, including the catering or banquet manager, waiters, bartenders, chefs, and other essential workers who help serve guests.

"Most catering staff members receive a decent hourly wage, however, so you needn't go overboard on their tips," says Joe Piane, sales manager and executive chef at Piane Caterers in Wilmington, Delaware.

You can calculate the tip as a percentage of the cost of your total catering bill. Figure on paying about 15 to 20 percent of the amount for the banquet manager to share with the kitchen and serving staff. Another way to compute the gratuity is to offer a flat amount for each worker, which is often a more economical method, especially if your catering company is expensive. You'll want to give roughly $100 to $200 for the catering or banquet manager, $50 each for chefs (and bakers), and $20 to $30 each for waiters and kitchen staff, divided into separate envelopes.

Tips can be paid in advance to the director of the catering company, or you can hand them to the banquet manager toward the end of the evening.

Musicians & DJs...
Tipping customs vary, depending on whether you hire an independent band or deejay or book through an agency. For independent bands that book their own gigs, tipping is not customary.

"No matter what your deejay or band is charging, the money is going right into their pockets, so don't feel like you have to give extra, unless of course they really went above and beyond," says Kelly Scriven, owner of the Bride's Maid, a wedding consulting business in Whitman, Massachusetts. Valerie Romanoff, owner of New York City--based Starlight Orchestras, adds, "We're always pleasantly surprised when clients tip us and recognize the entertainment value of what we provide, but it's not expected."

If you employ your band or deejay through an entertainment agency, the company will usually either include a gratuity in the contract or suggest that you give each band member or deejay a little extra in cash. If your contract includes a "service charge," don't assume that it is the gratuity. "The service charge often goes right back to the company," says Scriven.

Musicians should be tipped about $20 to $25 apiece; deejays get at least $25. Many bands offer a vocalist for the ceremony at an additional cost. Tip him or her the same amount as you would one of the other musicians. Hand out the tips in cash at the end of the night.

Stylists & Makeup Artists...
Even though it's a particularly special day, you can still tip stylists and makeup artists as you would for a regular appointment -- 15 to 20 percent. For each assistant who helps with secondary tasks, such as shampooing, plan on giving a gratuity of $3 to $5.

You can hand out tips in envelopes directly to stylists, or leave them at the salon's front desk. If you're short on cash, it's fine to tip by check or include it on a charge. If a stylist comes to your home or the wedding site, tip as you would at a salon, but in general, makeup artists and hair stylists who own their own businesses are not tipped.

Photographers, Videographers, Florists, & Wedding Coordinators...
For people who own their own businesses, as many of these vendors do, tipping isn't necessary. For photographers, videographers, and florists who do not own their own businesses, tip $30 to $50; wedding coordinators should be given about $50 to $100.

If you feel that the service you received from one of these vendors was extraordinary (say, if the videographer stayed and took footage of an after-wedding party even though it wasn't in his contract), an additional 10 percent tip would be a nice gesture, Or you might send a thank-you gift such as flowers or a print from your photographer showing the vendor in action at your wedding.

Site Staff...
Wherever you have your wedding, there will likely be many behind-the-scenes workers, such as coat checkers, powder-room attendants, or parking valets. Make sure you do not overlook these people -- while you may not have much contact with them throughout the celebration, they help keep guests happy. Sometime before the wedding, ask the site manager to instruct workers not to accept any tips from guests. Instead, plan on tipping them yourself. At the end of the evening, pay coat checkers a total of $1 to $2 per guest, which they can share. Powder-room attendants should receive 50 cents to $1 per guest, to be divided among them. Set aside $1 to $1.50 per car to give to the parking manager, who can then divide up the cash among the valets.

Seamstresses, Delivery People, & Drivers...
Though they won't actually be at the wedding, these workers' preparatory roles are just as important, so be sure to thank them in some way.

The people delivering the flowers and cake should receive at least $5 each at the time they make their deliveries. A gratuity for your limousine driver may already be included in your bill, but if it's not, consider giving a tip of 15 to 20 percent of the cost (pay it in cash when the driver picks you up). For seamstresses, a cash tip is not expected, but sending a small gift such as a photo of you in your dress is a wonderful way to show your gratitude.

I hope this has help with an item most people don't know much about

Best regards Peter Bruce Photo & Video