Tips for your wedding day
I have had the opportunity to make many observations that you might find helpful as you plan for your big day.
Take them or leave them, here are just a few tips for your wedding day.
Tips for during Prep:
• If you are wanting to have both of your preps photographed and you have not booked two photographers then I would suggest that you choose getting ready locations that are not far from each other. This will allow for travel between the two locations without wasting too much coverage time.
• As much as possible remove clutter from your prep rooms. I know that your morning will feel like a rush, but taking 2 minutes to tuck bags away in a corner or closet and remove any loose items, dishes, towels, etc. will not only help make your photos look more interesting, but it will also make your prep feel a bit less hectic for yourself. (*Hint: Make one of your bridesmaids responsible for this)
• If it works for your makeup artist and for the space, always have yourself facing toward a window for natural light during your makeup and hair prep.
• Speaking of makeup and hair, don’t wait until last to have yours done. Preferably, aim to have yourself getting done right around the time that I am scheduled to arrive. By doing this you can have your makeup and hair prep documented, but also by doing this you can look your best for all of your candid prep photos.
• Have your accessories, invitation, and other relevant items gathered together to be photographed.
Tips for during Ceremony:
• Look at each other during the ceremony. It may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many couples spend a lot of the ceremony looking at the officiant instead of each other.
• Don’t be afraid to touch each other during the ceremony. Hold hands, wipe away tears, touch each other’s cheek, you get the idea. This physically reveals how you are feeling and its pure gold from a photo perspective.
• Stand close to your partner. This also might seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many times, after the processional, the couple finds themselves a bit of stretch apart. Standing stationary at that time and not moving may feel right in the moment, but trust me when I say you will want to move closer together. If you find that you are stretching your arms uncomfortably far to reach your partner than you are too far apart. Generally, even if you found yourselves side-by-side, you can never be too close.
• When choosing a location for your ceremony consider the lighting. Shade is reliable lighting and is nice. So is light that is behind you. What you want to avoid is situations were one of you is in shadow and the other is in full sun.
Tips for during your wedding photo shoot:
• The ideal time for photos is golden hour (roughly 1.5 hours before and right up to sunset). If your scheduled time for photos is not around this time you might want to consider scheduling in 15 minutes at sunset to grab a few more shots during this time.
• The length of time to schedule for your photo shoot ultimately comes down to preference, but generally I would suggest that you leave roughly 30 minutes available for family photos and 1 hour for wedding party and couple photos. If there is also travel time (either driving or a decent amount of walking), consider this time as necessary extra time to also include.
• Consider delegating someone to be responsible to gather your family for photos. This will make the time run more smoothly and will help keep yourself from needing to think about it on the day. I am happy to work from a list and call out names, but it always helps if someone is there responsible who knows who everyone is so that they can get their attention or gather them ahead of time.
• As I said before about during the ceremony, don’t be shy about touching each other. Small physical touches go a long way to tell the story of your love for each other and make for beautiful moments to capture.
• Rain is always a possibility for your wedding day. I have a blog post that discusses some of your options for this situation. That can be found here.
Tips for Your Reception:
• The ideal time for me to be provided with my meal would be immediately following when the bride and groom are served. This will allow me to eat while the guests are being served and starting to eat themselves and free me up for candid photos are more ideal times.
• See note above about scheduling a few photos at sunset.
Some blog posts I have done with more tips and suggestions
