I'll stop the world and melt with you....

Lacey and Derick are such an amazing couple, and have some awesome chemistry!We photographed their engagements in St George Utah.  We are looking forward to their upcoming wedding in sunny San Diego!

Let Them Eat Cake

Choosing the perfect cake for your wedding can be a bit overwhelming with all of the choices available. I recently had the oppertunity to asked Heidi Smith from ICING Cakes By Design several questions to help those of you facing the cake matrix. Heidi owns and operates Icing Cakes By Design in St.George, Utah. Her cakes are absolutely Beautiful and can bring a sense of whimsy and class to any event! The above cake photo is not by Icing, however you can see many examples of her gorgeous cakes here


1. What are some national cake trends you have seen that you would like to see more in the local wedding industry?

- Wedding Cakes date back to the Roman Empire. Twists on traditions have evolved. Although we have lost one tradition for some time which is the Grooms Cake. Some of the national trends that we are seeing is Grooms Cakes. You don't really see many here. They seem to be making a come back.
They are so fun! They put the Grooms personality into play.
Also we are loving the cylinder cakes. They are smaller around and taller. Also NY and Chicago Cake Designers are doing a lot of really simple designs, with 1-2 really large flowers or designs on the cake. Tons of piping and detail are not really the trend right now. A-Symmetrical Cakes are also really big, like the middle tier a double stacked cake. So many great ideas! So little time!

2. What is the number one thing that a bride and groom should know about wedding cakes?

- We love it when the Bride AND Groom come in for the consultation and tasting! It is fun for both of them to get involved in the cake flavors and design!
It is tradition to save the top tier of the Wedding Cake, freeze it and then serve it on your 1 Year Anniversary.
We supply an airtight container just for that purpose.
Oh....what is the #1 thing a couple should know about Wedding Cakes? Well, I would say, that it should be the special "ritual" or "tradition" to cut and feed each other the first taste of the Wedding Cake. This is fun and intimate. Your Friends and Family love to watch this event!
Your Wedding Cake should be an amazing "decoration" at your Wedding.

3. Which do you find to be more popular edible faux flowers or fresh flowers topping the cake, and what are the benefits of both?(is one more cost effective than the other?)

- Well of course we love to make flowers for our Wedding Cakes! We offer chocolate flowers, gum paste flowers, all kinds of edible sugar flowers. They are very true to life and Amazing. But we also love the look of fresh flowers on our cakes. As far as the cost difference...They usually run about the same. The Sugar flowers are very labor intensive, but are really fun, because you can color them any color to match your Wedding Colors, Also you can save them. They Don't Wilt! The advantage to using real flowers, is that you can really tie the cake into the same design of your Brides Bouquet etc.

4. How can a bride/groom incorporate their personality or style to the wedding cake? (Are the little bride& groom still seen on top?)

- Well, like I say....I LOVE the Groom and Bride to both decide on the look and flavors of the Cake. Sometimes the Bride will pick the flavor of one tier and the groom will pick the flavor of another tier. It is important to capture the personalities of the couple in their cake. If they like contemporary or elegant, whimsical or simple. This is also where the Grooms Cake comes in....The Bride gets her beautiful Cake and the Grooms Cake can reflect his personality.
You know we are not really seeing a lot of Cake Toppers. It is very popular in our area to top the cake with flowers, which is really nice. We again are really loving the one or two big flowers on the side or top of a really simplistic design.
But really your cake should be your own taste and personality! We like to just guide the customer in designing THEIR special Cake.

5. In todays economy how can a bride keep her budget and still have a memorable wedding cake?

- Keep your budget in mind when looking for Cake Design Ideas. The Cakes with a lot of intricate detail will be in a higher price range. You can have a beautifully designed cake for a minimal price though. If you are planning on serving the cake, that also replaces refreshment costs.
The presentation (Stand, Table, etc.) of the Wedding Cake can really enhance the overall look of your cake without adding extra costs. We also offer cupcake towers, and rental cakes. Both of these popular options are less money than a traditional all cake Wedding Cake. We also offer styrofoam based cakes. They are not edible but more of a decoration. Or you can do some real cake tiers, and some styrofoam tiers on the same cake. This really depends on how many you would like to serve.

   -Thanks Heidi for giving us some insight into the world of cakes!

The Love Bug Is In Full Swing....

“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”  - Lao Tzu
A recent engagement photo in St George with session with McCall and Chase. They have definitely been bitten by the love bug, and it's fun to see how in love they are!

We've been featured!

There is a fabulous new blog in Utah especially for brides and all about weddings, it is fantastic! They have really done a lot of research and the blog is going to be a great outlet for brides to find everything they will need to make their wedding beautiful! They are featuring a recent wedding we had the pleasure of sharing with Maryjean & Cory. Check out there blog here

Dazed and Confused...

Just a quick intro: This Post is not about Wedding Photography. This is the first of many of our guest vendor blog features. The extremely talented Laura from Forever More Events has written an informative article to help all of you brides who are sitting on the fence about what to do next with your wedding planning. With Laura it is truly all in the details, from a photography point of view... a well put together wedding is always a pleasure and a bride who hasn't gone crazy from taking on every aspect of the wedding is always plus :)

Why hire a wedding planner?

•We’ve all seen them in the movies… Jennifer Lopez prancing around with her earpiece, managing the most extravagant weddings you’ve ever seen.  Oh yes, and let’s not forget the wedding planner in “Father of The Bride” and the new movie “Bride Wars”.

•People have been led to believe that wedding planners are a luxury only afforded by brides and grooms with unlimited wedding budgets, and that hiring a wedding planner is an extravagance.  The truth is that wedding planners are not just for the rich and famous.  In fact, they can save you money and give you the assurance that your wedding day will be as beautiful as your dreams.

•Let’s start with some of the nightmares that your married friends have been sharing with you since your engagement.  The planning process was draining and miserable.  Their florist made them cry.  Trying to fit everything into their shoe string budget was impossible. Their invitations were printed wrong, their wedding cake melted and they overspent so much that they are still paying for their wedding five years later!  Some of your friends probably told you that they don’t even remember the day…that it was a blur and that they did not even get to sit down and enjoy their food or cake.

•Now, go back and ask those friends if they hired a professional wedding planner.  Probably not.

So should you consider hiring a professional wedding planner?.....

Please click to continue reading

And The Winner is................

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the photo session contest give away is the blogger known as:  Fashionably Kate! Congratulations!! Please call right away to schedule your free photo session with Gideon Photography. Thank you to everyone who participated, we extend to you a 20% discount on your next photo session booked within 30 days. We will be having more contests with many different vendors so please keep visiting and passing along the word!

"A loving heart is the truest wisdom" - Charles Dickens

Rachel and Jimmy looked timeless and beautiful recently at their temple wedding and Entrada reception. What a fantastic couple!

Come out Come out... Where Ever You Are!!

Come out, Come out… where ever you are!!!
Typically this is what follows counting to ten and then searching for two little boys hiding in the same spot of our closet they are always hiding in. This search …however is for a winner! This is the first give away of the new blog. A Free photo session from gideonphoto.com! A family session, senior portraits, an engagement session, or if you just love yourself a head shot could be an option aswell ☺ If you are not in the southern utah/ las vegas, san diego area but will be traveling our way this summer, you can still enter! We’d love to see you!

HERE’s how it works: to enter... post a comment, become a follower of our blog, and add a link on your blog to our website/blog and your set, the more posts/links with mention of your referral (the more entries you get). Winner chosen by random selection. Feel free to forward giveaway info to family& friends. So come out from your closets or where ever you are and start posting!! Winner will be Announced apriil 14,2009. At 8pm mst



This cute couple is Stacy and Jared these two had a great time and the laughter was contagious!

THE TAKE OVER HAS BEGUN!!

THE TAKE OVER has officially begun! As with the Launching of a new web site, we have decided to continue you the same “out with the old/ in with the new “theme with our blog…..enter…. Lauren!! Also known as Jimmy’s other half, ready to take over the reigns of the bloogging world in a different form. Adding a bit extra to the beautiful photography we will take this blog to a new place. Pants are always optional while reading this blog! Tune in for tips and ideas from all around the web, in hopes of enlightening and helping with a bit of the wedding madness! If you have any advice or websites you have found to be helpful, please email me or post a link, I welcome all to join in the takeover!

Sarah and Austin

Sarah and Austin made the trip down from Salt Lake for a fun Engagement session. On another note: As anyone who follows my blog knows Im not a writer. My wife lauren just got out of the hospital, and in the next few days when she takes over the blog, there will be a lot more content, for you readers out there :)

The New Site of Gideon Photogarphy!!

WWW.GIDEONPHOTO.COM

Okay everyone, well this is what has been taking all of my time lately, and why the blog has been so sparse. The new site is up and running, and my email is good now too:) A couple quick notes: if our having trouble viewing the site, make sure you have cleared your cache on your internet, and that you have a recent flash player installed. Also, if you are viewing the site on anything smaller than a 13 inch screen, its a good idea to view it in full screen mode( there is a button below the slideshow) Please feel free to visit the site, and share it with everyone you know. In the future my wife Lauren will be taking over the blog, and will be doing some really cool stuff with it... so stay tuned, and tell your friends! Thanks so much for the support, and thanks for stopping by! -Jimmy

Site Down

Just so everyone is aware, my website is down, and will be for a day or two until the new one goes up. Also, my mail is not working quite right so it might be best to email me at gideonphoto@me.com until I post again with an okay. Thanks everyone for the patience... I hope it will be worth the wait.