2017 Ayres Photography Client Gift Boxes

Last year, after much thought, consideration and months of careful planning, we were finally ready to send out our very first round of client gift boxes. This project is something that we had been thinking about for quite a long time and it felt amazing to see it all come together! Showing our brides and grooms just how much they mean to us is of the utmost importance. After all, where would we be without them?! We were SO excited to send each 2016 couple a beautiful box jam packed with gifts from a handful of our favorite Buffalo makers. Click here to see last year’s surprises! Thankfully this labor of love turned out to be quite a success! We couldn’t wait to start planning out what we were going to send this season!

This year, as we started selecting some new surprises to fill the boxes with, we began to realize that we were gravitating towards items that make us feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside. From tasty treats to relaxing scents, this year’s boxes were filled with things that we could totally picture our couples enjoying together on a slow, cozy Sunday morning. And, so evolved our theme for this year, “A Cozy Sunday Morning.” Taking the time to relax and soak it all in with the one you love, especially during the often hectic time of wedding planning, is definitely something that we find to be super important! In most cases you only get married once, and there are so many things that need to be done during that time. All of a sudden you blink and it’s your wedding day and you wonder what the heck happened to the year?! We wanted this year’s gift to be something that would encourage our couples to make sure they take some time out of their busy schedule and really reflect on the many reasons why they’ve decided to share their lives together. And so…. *drumroll* ….here are the contents of The Ayres Photography 2017 Client Gift Boxes:

When they open the box, the first thing our clients see is a declaration of truth, “You’re the best!”, because they are! These amazing couples sought us out to document one of the most important days of their lives! They trust us to capture their wedding day in a way that truly reflects them as individuals and as a couple. They value our advice and our expertise and they are confident in our skills as professionals. They saw past our photographs straight into our hearts and they feel the passion we have for our craft. Now, if that isn’t the best then I don’t know what is!

On top of the crinkle paper there’s a simple card that says, “Thank you so much for choosing us! We’re so excited to work with you!” The back of the card (not pictured) says “These are a few of our favorite things,” and gives a list of each item enclosed along with the names of the makers and their IG handles so that our couples know right where they can go to get more of these amazing goods!

These are the gifts (and amazing makers) that we chose to include in our 2017 gift boxes:

1. Linwood Candle Co. – We used Linwood Candle Co in our boxes last year and it was such a huge hit with our clients that we couldn’t help but include them again! Their Sweet Grapefruit Soy Candle is one of the greatest things I’ve ever smelled; I don’t know how she does it!! They’re made with soy wax, essential oils and cotton wicks, so they’re safe for the environment and they fill your home with the most incredible scent imaginable. We definitely get tons of great feedback every time we send these candles out. They are seriously the best.

2. Butter Block – Last year we sent out Colleen’s amazing homemade Oreos and after those bites of heaven we knew we definitely wanted to include a Butter Block offering again this year. We decided to switch it up and went with her homemade Pop Tarts and let me just tell you, it was really hard not to eat them all ourselves! If you’re a sucker for light and flaky, super buttery, melt in your mouth pastries filled with decadent fillings and topped with delicious glazes then you will not be disappointed with these. In fact, they’re so popular that they often completely sell out!! Follow Butter Block on Instagram to see where their next pop up shop will be so you can grab your own! Don’t sleep on these, folks. These are the real deal. You’ll never buy Kellogg’s again.

3. TeaLeafs – This shop was new for us this year and we’re really happy that we decided to include them! Sydney, the shop owner, is such a wonderful woman and her passion and sense of community mirror all of our own values in business. Her delicious tea bags filled our boxes with a wonderful warm and cozy scent of roasted almonds and cinnamon- perfect for cozying up on the couch!

4. Sweet Fields – We couldn’t send out lovely teas without including it’s partner in crime – honey!! We knew we wanted someone local who could provide us with the best raw honey possible. This beekeeping family of Sweet Fields has been working with honeybees for over 30 years and their farm is right here in Erie County. They sell it at the Hamburg and Lancaster Farmer’s Markets, so go check ’em out and tell them we sent you!

5. Zandra – We included Zandra’s incredible all natural Big Balms in our boxes last year and we knew we needed to include them again. Not only are her skin care products natural and amazing for your skin, but this girl is just that – a girl! A teenage girl with an insane talent for making wonderful skin care at an affordable price. Oh, and she’s a Buffalo native of course. We can’t figure out what is sweeter, her products or her personality. Let’s just call it a tie. :)

6. Rust Belt Love – We’ve worked with Alyson on a number of different projects in the past, including our 2016 gift boxes. I may be slightly biased because I love her so much as a person, but I really think she’s the best of the best in our city. If you want your invitations designed by someone who has Buffalove coming out of her eyeballs, then Aly is 100% your girl. She’s a genius. This year we chose to include her beautiful note cards showcasing drawings of different Buffalo landmarks such as the Grain Silos, Hotel at the Lafayette, the Peace Bridge and a whole bunch of other incredible and historical Buffalo buildings that are near and dear to our hearts.

7. Love By Bean – Have you ever heard of a seed bomb?? Well, you have now! Eileen’s Organic Pollinator Wildflower Seed Bombs are the perfect thing to bring beautiful flowers to any yard! Each seed bomb is made with post-consumer paper and hand-selected, high-quality, organic, non-GMO seeds. You can pretty much toss them out your car window and they’ll grow colorful and amazing flowers just about anywhere! You don’t even need to bury them! Perfect for anyone, whether you have a green thumb or not.

And that completes our 2017 Ayres Photography Client Gift Boxes! Tune in to see what we come up with for next season! We believe so strongly in things that are handmade with love in small batches, and there is no shortage of products that fit this description in our beautiful city. We already have so many great ideas!! If you have a locally made product in mind that you think we should check out, let us know in the comments!

6 Reasons Why You Should Rent THIS Photo Booth!

So you’ve decided to rent a photo booth for your wedding, hm? EXCELLENT CHOICE! Photo booths are seriously awesome and are always an incredible addition to any party – especially a wedding! (If you’re still deciding on whether or not a photo booth is for you, click here to check out our many reasons why we think it’s absolutely 100% a great decision for everyone). Now that you know this is something you simply MUST have, it’s time to make the difficult decision of which company to go with. As photo booths are becoming more and more popular, there are tons of choices as to which one to rent for your big day. We’re here to make that decision just a little bit easier for you, because, simply put, Boothtastic is just the best option there is. And here’s why…

1. It comes with the greatest props ever. Props bring out a side of people that nothing else seems to be able to unleash in quite the same way… your inner child. Sure, it’s fun to make silly faces and give kisses and smeyes for the camera with your greatest ever America’s Next Top Model impression (thanks for the lessons, Tyra), BUT, have you ever had your own personal photo shoot while wrapped in a feather boa and sporting a tiara on your head? Do your guests know just how amazing it is to completely forget that they’re 31 years old (or 27 according to their Tinder profile…) because they’re wearing a pirate hat and sunglasses that are 5 times bigger than their face? Props have the uncanny ability to make anyone and everyone (even you’re grandparents!) feel like they’re a kid again. Lucky for you, we’ve got some of the best props in town.

2. It’s sleek and modern design. Think about it. Do you really want one of those ominous, unattractive, clunky, dark and dated looking boxes taking up space in the corner of your gorgeous reception?? Complete with that garish, gigantic logo running down the full length of the side which somehow keeps making it’s way into the background of all your wedding photos {insert angry face emoji here}. If you’re the type of bride who pays attention to details and took the time to make sure that every piece of your wedding fully represents you and your man’s style and vibe, then certainly you wouldn’t want an old mall kiosk style booth sticking out like an eye sore. Boothtastic’s clean and modern design is not only beautiful (yes, we used the word beautiful to describe our photo booth) but it’s discreet and classy looking. Which brings us to our next reason…

3. Freedom to move. Boothtastic’s design is an open-air “booth”. That means there’s no cramming yourself into a tiny, confined space with this one. Grab a friend or two or three and still have more than enough space to dance around! Let loose! Jump in the air! Do the funky chicken! Whatever gets you going! Instead of uncomfortably trying to squeeze into a too small space with all 3 of your siblings, with Boothtastic you have the ability to comfortably fit up to 10 (or more!) of your friends and family in the booth along with you. We promise not a single one will be passing out from claustrophobia or heat stroke (unless of course your reception venue forgets to turn on the AC on a 90 degree day – yikes). And because Boothtastic is not an enclosed style booth, it’s impossible to be ignored. While you and your wedding party are having a blast channeling your inner five year old, all of your other guests are getting wind of just how much fun you are having with those moose antlers on your head. It’s addictive and contagious! Being able to visibly SEE people having an absurd amount of fun in the booth will entice even your shyest and most reserved guests to forget their inhibitions and jump on in themselves!

4. Fancy and customizable backdrops. Because Boothtastic is open air, the backdrop you choose is actually a great accent to your reception decor! Use one of our many options, whether clean and simple or glitzy and glamorous, to add that extra pizzazz to your already beautiful surroundings. Or, if you’re creative, create your own usable custom backdrop to fit your theme! If your venue has amazing exposed brick walls or a cool industrial vibe we can use that as a backdrop too! The options are endless and whatever you choose will look perfect, not only behind your guests in the photos but also as a compliment to your venue and decor choices!

5. Customizable, personalized print outs. While we’re on the subject of customization, we have to touch on how infinite your print out options are. You get to choose a print layout using either 1, 2, 3 or 4 photos and from there we will customize exactly how you want it to look. Turn it into an awesome souvenir for your guests by adding your names, the date, even the location of your wedding! Pick the font, the color and the style! Heck, add a cute little Buffalo in the corner to remind your guests what city is the best city ever!! (Ok, we’re a little biased, but still). However you want your print outs to look we can make that happen!

6. It’s socially connected. Are you and your friends all about being plugged in? Well, so is Boothtastic! With wi-fi capabilities, you can actually email your photos to yourself right from the kiosk itself! Your guests can instantly acquire their hilarious photos on their phone and in seconds be able to share their high quality image with all of their friends on social media. (Warning: we are not responsible for any jealousy that may ensue due to their friend who is at home scrolling through her Instagram only to come across the best photo booth photo EVER of her friend and some gorgeous bride having the time of their lives at that very moment, while she is already on the couch in her jammy jams at 9pm on a Friday night). Or maybe you and your guests are having too much fun (or had one too many cocktails…) to worry about remembering what the heck your email address even is let alone messing around with social media uploads. No worries! Download ALL your photos a day or two later when the gallery goes live on our site! That also means no more fighting over who gets to keep the photo strip to hang on their fridge (seriously though… if there are 3 people in the booth… and only 1 strip prints out… do you rotate who gets to keep it like it’s the Stanley Cup? Or maybe just cut it up into little tiny separate photos? But wait, EVERYONE looks good in that one… and no one wants to get stuck with the other one where Stacy blinked, so what’s a girl to do?!). With Boothtastic everyone can download and print as many copies of their photos as they want! Crisis averted :)

Want to see this amazing booth in action?? Check out this super cute 1 minute video shot at one of our very own Ayres Photography weddings!

Ready to rent this booth?! Click here to find out if Boothtastic is available for your big day!