Tips for the Wedding Day

Your wedding...it's an unrepeatable event. We photographers only get one "shot" at capturing it, so, it's very important that we do what we can to make things go smoothly from a photography standpoint. These are some tips to think about before the big day!


Being ready for photography
If possible we recommend that everyone be ready for photos 2 or more hours before the actual ceremony. With so many people involved, it’s a fact that someone is almost always late. At least this way there should still be ample time before the ceremony to do the photos.

Hair is usually the main cause of a bride running late.
If you are getting your hair professionally done, see if your salon offers a trial run. This way you can accurately time how long it will take for your hair to be done. If you or are friend is doing it, do a trial run a few weeks before the wedding.

To see or not to see
If you choose to see each other before, we can do all the formal shots 2-3 hours before the ceremony, which means everyone can go strait to the reception afterwords. Opting not to see each other before the ceremony generally means most the picture taking is taken between the ceremony and reception. To cut back on this we try to photograph the separate formal shots before the ceremony, and then only the formals that include both bride and groom afterwards. We also suggest putting aside at least 30 minutes for you both to be alone for just bride and groom portraits. By alone, we mean no other family or friends. This gives you two time away from being the “hosts” and we get genuine relaxed photographs.

Maintenance at your wedding venue
Double check with your venue that they are not scheduling any maintenance on the day of your wedding. The last thing a couple wants is to be doing their portraits and the sprinklers turn on, or pieces of mowed grass catching in the wind and getting all over the place.

Bridesmaids & Groomsmen

An up-do that has hair pulled flat to the head tends to make people look stouter, and on fuller bridesmaids this effect is 10 times worse.

Remind them to smile and look at the photographer, at least for 2 shots (in case of a blink). No one likes pictures of everyone looking at the ground.

Grooms, remind the groomsmen it’s your day. If they can be patient, cheerful, not complaining or drunk for a few hours the photos will turn out better.

Ceremony
Smile! Smile! Smile! We know putting a wedding together is stressful, but don’t forget this is a happy day. If you get overwhelmed don’t forget to delegate to other people, so you can relax.

Proper space between the wedding party members as the walk down the aisle is the key to getting everyone’s photograph. If they are all clumped together, the ones in front will block any photos of the ones in the back.

For the Bride when entering, stop for a few seconds at the very end of the aisle. This will give your groom a minute take in how beautiful you are, and at the same time let you calm down so you can walk NOT run down the aisle.


Courtesy to the officiate
The officiate may have other obligations they need to attend to, so it is a courtesy to them to take their pictures with the bride and groom first.

***If your getting married in a place of worship double check with the officiant (priest, minister etc). Some have strict rules, no flash, photographers having to be all the way in the back...and sometimes the photographers are not even allowed to photograph the ceremony at all! So make sure you ask so that there is not surprises***


Weariness from lots of photos
Remember when your stopping every few minutes for family and friends to take photos, that means either less time for the hired photographer or a longer time to complete all the photos. Also continually smiling for 10 different people will get stressful, and then your smile will not longer look genuine in your portraits.