Free wedding printable with the vintage, shabby chic and burlap era bride in mind.  Stationery is the perfect way to set the tone for your upcoming nuptials. Your Save the Dates will be the first glimpse your guests will have of your upcoming wedding. Why not take the communications back to suit the area of your theme?

Telegrams were brief in details, as your Save the Dates should be. They were typically printed on yellow paper, folded and delivered in a 6 3/4 window envelope. Actual Western Union telegrams were 8″ x 6.5″ and were folded as pictured below.

Stamp the return address with a custom telegram stamp, such as this one. You may visit this Etsy store to order your own customized telegram return address stamp.

I insert my 3/4” PVC into the pocket and roll my backdrop to the perfect length for my stand. I use simple A-shaped spring loaded clamps (can be found at any hardware store- I got mine for .89 each at Harbor Freight) to secure the excess rolled fabric. 

Here’s where our backrops are unique and help create the most wrinkle-free setup possible! I have built my PVC stand to accomodate a bottom cross-bar, but even without being secured on either side, inserting a straight pole (like PVC) will help keep tension on your backdrop and keep it from going anywhere you don’t want it to! This is much easier to transition from one backdrop to another than tucking it under your floor and baseboard. 

 For the best, wrinkle-free storage of your Serendipitous Sisters Photography Backdrop, simply roll it up onto the PVC and secure with a tie, rubber band, or clamp. I keep mine in a closet, but another good option would be under a bed or couch, or hang horizontally on a desegnated wall (if you’re lucky enough to have that kind of space!)

I store mine with “wrong sides” out so that the front “pretty side” doesn’t get dusty, dirty, sun-damaged, etc. 

Preparation for pictures

Camera: Digital cameras are pretty much the normal these days, which is great because you can take as many pictures as you want and upload them straight to the computer. Your camera should have either a built in/pop-up flash or external flash. Something that is a must have for your camera is a self timer or a wireless remote. Most self timers can be set for up to 10 seconds. A wireless remote works by triggering the shutter of your camera from a small wireless remote that you hold in your hand. My preference is the wireless remote because you can take several pics and not have to run back to the camera each time to set the self timer. 

White bed sheets: I used my dark bed sheet set for my first set of shots and am far more impressed with the quality, lighting, and punch of my second set of shots that were done on a white set of bed sheets. White sheets also create great contrast against your skin tone and your can use them by hanging them from the wall and running them across the floor or you can hang them off your headboard and across the bed, or just cover your normal bed set with them. 

Undies & Shoes: Bring out the cute ones! What ever you are comfortable wearing go for it. Think sexy! Try out several outfits, I used 3 and ended up with a huge array of shots to choose from. Don’t forget nylons, garters and a sexy pair or heels or boots.

Makeup & Hair: I didn’t think that doing my hair and makeup any different then my day look would matter much but I was wrong. For hair you can go and have it styled at a salon or do it yourself. I simply straightened mine and it looked great. As far as makeup remember that the camera can find every imperfection, red spot, and dark circle that you have. So I would strongly recommend doing your makeup slightly heavier then normal. A great website for makeup tips and tricks was suggested by Kristin: http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/diy-makeup-video-for-b-pics-or-going-out

Necklaces and props: Many ladies have added beaded & pearl necklaces to their shots and they look fantastic. Without looks great too. Don’t forget to try and incorporate some of your fiances items to make it more personalized. Bring in their dress shirts & ties, work clothes, baseball caps. Whatever they love use it! I used my FI’s work overalls for one pic and it turned out pretty cute. If they do construction why not put on their work belt with some tools??? Let your imagination run wild with ideas. 

Taking of pictures

Give yourself at least 2 hours for a successful DIY photo shoot because it takes a little bit to figure out lighting, focus, and posing. 

Background: Keep the sheets bunchy, don’t try to iron them perfectly or you’ll be fighting a never ending battle.

Setting up the camera: If you have a tripod use it, if not try resting the camera on a stack of books, on a shelf, handheld gets good pics too. For an overhead shot I discovered that if your camera has a strap hang it from your ceiling fan…..trust me it works, just make sure it’s secure:)

Lighting: There are two types of lighting, natural and artificial light. Natural light is the best light to use for photographing, so open all your windows and let in the sunshine! If you don’t have enough natural light then use your ceiling light and lamps for additional light. I strongly recommend using lights in the room before using the built in flash on your camera. A built in flash has a habit of creating the “deer in headlights” look. If you have a pop up flash you can still use but decrease the strength of the flash so it isn’t so harsh. If you have the ability to bounce the flash of the ceiling do so as it creates a much more natural look. 

Focusing the shot: Most cameras have a focus lock which is when you push the shutter button down half way the camera locks its focus for the shot. For your shot I recommend placing an object like a teddy bear in the shot, in the location where you will be in the picture. Then set your self timer, focus on your bear…..then jump in the pic and throw the bear out:) One of my pics in my bio you can see I didn’t throw the bear out of the frame….lol If you don’t place a prop in the shot for the focus you will most likely end up with unclear blurry pics:(

Posing: It takes awhile to figure out which angles work for you, so try as many as you can. Check out websites online such as PW and you’ll find lots of examples of different types of poses for b-pics. 

Editing: Check out online for free editing software if you don’t have any. This software can often fix skin flaws, convert to B&W, crop, and creating lighting you might not have captured in your pics:)

My final piece of advice is to have fun. Your by yourself when you do these so you can do what ever you want and only you will know!