B&W wedding photos

Ok. I am pretty new to photoshop and I am trying to figure out how to make better black and whites. I've been looking online and I keep coming up with the same suggestions and I still don't like the way they've turned out. Here are a couple before and after photos. Please let me know what you all think.
These are our(my husband and I) wedding photos so I did not take them a friend did. I am only editing them.

before picture #1
http://www.flickr.com …/91211293@N00/2​950246369/

After picture #1
http://www.flickr.com …/91211293@N00/2​950244083/

Before picture #2
http://www.flickr.com …/91211293@N00/2​951098142/

After Picture #2
http://www.flickr.com …/91211293@N00/2​951096520/

I am also new to PS. I found some software that seems very good with filters for B/W it is called Silver Effects by Nik Software. They offer trial periods for downloading with plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. It is very user friendly and allows for some really quick adjustments.

i would brighten them up a little before you convert them. so they dont look so dark.

shannyD wrote in post #6516085
i would brighten them up a little before you convert them. so they dont look so dark.

I did that in levels and brightness and contrast and then used the channel mixer to turn it to B&W. I tried to make it brighter but then the brighter spots looked blown out.

diveguru wrote in post #6516082
I am also new to PS. I found some software that seems very good with filters for B/W it is called Silver Effects by Nik Software. They offer trial periods for downloading with plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. It is very user friendly and allows for some really quick adjustments.

Thanks! I'll check it out!

diveguru wrote in post #6516082
I am also new to PS. I found some software that seems very good with filters for B/W it is called Silver Effects by Nik Software. They offer trial periods for downloading with plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. It is very user friendly and allows for some really quick adjustments.

OMG! I love it!!

sorry.. but to me personally, they still look incredibly dark.

shannyD wrote in post #6517300
sorry.. but to me personally, they still look incredibly dark.

I agree. They do.