There are so many things to think about when you’re planning your wedding day! From who keeps the rings to remembering everything you’ll need throughout the day — there is a lot going on that needs to be thought about ahead of time.
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Here are a few tips we’ve complied to help your day run seamlessly, giving you more time to relax and enjoy every little moment!
And while we realize that every wedding is unique and not all of these tips will apply to every wedding schedule, hopefully this will at least have you feeling a little more prepared for the big day ahead.
1. Ask your photographer to help create your timeline. Timelines are intimidating, but they’re the one thing that can make or break your photography! Don’t take on this task by yourself. Your photographer knows the flow of the wedding day, how much time they need for each part to do their best work, travel times for portrait locations and when the best lighting will be on that particular day of the year, so ask them to help you design your timeline before you even start to nail down ceremony start-times!
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2. It’s all in the details. We photograph your details in a way that match and showcase the style of your entire wedding day. In order to have enough time to style everything, we ask brides to gather everything needing to be photographed and set them aside before we even arrive. That gives us time to walk in, say hello, and get right to the good stuff! Which also ensures that we have plenty of time to then focus on you getting ready surrounded by your girls! Not sure what all gets photographed? Ask your photographer for a list!
3. Keep all three rings. Don’t hand over those bands to the best man just yet! This is one of the most common mistakes brides make because we want to capture that beautiful bling! Having your rings in the morning gives us plenty of time to include them in your detail shots and you can get them to the best man during bridal party portraits or right before the ceremony. This also means less chance of them getting lost throughout the day!
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4. Consistency is key. Sometimes depending on your wedding style, there may be some extra elements you can include when you gather your details. If you’re having a rustic wedding maybe that means including a piece of burlap or wood or if you’re having a luxurious affair you may want some silk ribbon or marble. Having these extra touches that tie into your ceremony and reception really make for beautiful, consistent album spreads!
5. Bring the bouquet and bouts. Have the bouquets and boutonnieres delivered to the bride before the first look so that she can have her bouquet in her portraits. Don’t worry if it’s hot outside! We’ll be sure to keep good care of your flowers by keeping them out of the heat as much as possible so they still look flawless for the ceremony!
6. How ready is ready? We always encourage brides to have their hair and makeup done before we begin because we want everyone looking their absolute best! We can always stage a few shots of reapplying mascara or lipstick. Bridesmaids should be fully dressed and ready to help the bride get into her gown. And for guys, they should be fully dressed as well sans any small accessories such as ties and cuff links, and vests and jackets.
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7. Do a “First Look”. As a photographer, I’m a HUGE fan of first looks! There are so many benefits, which we’ll get into in our next post, but they truly give you 40% more photos. If you don’t do them, it’s really hard to get a lot of bridal party portraits and romantic bride and groom portraits just due to time constraints and lack of natural light. Once the reception begins you really don’t want to slip away for an hour or two for portraits — instead you want to spend your time celebrating and spending quality time with all of your guests who have traveled to see you!
8. Create cushions. It’s a great idea to built in an extra ten minutes here and there throughout the timeline. This “cushion” really comes in handy because you’ll find that time just slips away and it gives us wiggle room incase any problems arise. Little things such as buttoning up the bride’s dress or walking from one portrait location to another in high heels can take a lot longer than expected even when practiced.
Lastly, don’t sweat the small stuff because it’s likely that not everything will go as planned, but that’s completely normal! While details and photographs do matter, don’t forget the real purpose of this special day!
Questions? Need advice planning your own wedding? Get in touch!
