Wedding Day Tips

Tips and tricks I have picked up while photographing weddings.

Your wedding day…

As someone who recently got married, I didn’t realize how many little things not all brides know! I made this page to help my future wedding clients with their big day.

xoxo

The morning of tips.

  1. When designing your timeline, give yourself more time for travel, traffic happens at the worst times!

  2. Think of a list of physical items that hold sentimental value. Doesn’t matter if its a locket or a teddy bear. If it matters to you and your love story, it should be photographed.

  3. Speaking of special items, clean your engagement ring(s)! Let it SHINE!

  4. If you would like a flat lay with invitations, shoes, jewellery, or whatever is important to you, please make sure it is all in a box so I can grab and shoot without you or someone else having to run around to gather everything.

  5. When getting ready, wear a shirt with buttons or a slouchy neck for easy removal.

  6. Keep a Tide Stick, sewing kit, scissors, and safety pins handy at all times (lol).

  7. Have someone in charge of getting ready music! This is so easy to forget!

  8. Keep the getting-ready room relatively tidy. If you have a room specificity in mind for putting your dress or suit on, make sure there is a good amount of natural light and, of course, the room is tidy.

  9. Before handing out the flowers, be sure to dab the stems on a towel so they don’t leave water marks on your dress!

  10. If you or your partner is wearing a tie or bowtie - please practice putting those on before your wedding day.

First look tips.

  1. First looks are helpful for lots of reasons but not necessary - make sure your wedding day reflects YOU.

  2. First looks can be just you and your partner or it can also include your bridal party, parents, or close friends. Again, this day is to reflect you and your love for your partner.

  3. First looks are a great opportunity to set nerves at ease, reflect and take the moment in with the love of your life.

  4. If you do decide to include family, first looks are a great opportunity to get family photos done and out of the way before the ceremony so you can get newly married couple photos AND you can enjoy cocktail hour.

  5. In terms of family photo list - don’t get too granular with it.

  6. For family and/or extended family photos, dedicate a close family member or friend to round up the people we will need to photograph. This keeps things moving quick so you can get back to the party.

Ceremony \ Reception tips.

  1. If you don’t want your ceremony photos full of cell phones and iPads (yes, it happens), ask your officiant to announce an “unplugged” ceremony (it’s not enough to just have a sign). If you would like your guests to snap some shots, designate a time in your ceremony for photos so your family and friends can get their shots. Usually, people will do this after they sign their marriage certificate.

  2. Talk to your officiant about the first kiss moment. Let them announce the first kiss and then ask the officiant to step out of frame. I’m sure your officiant is lovely - they all are! But, when going through your first kiss photos 3 months after your wedding day… and seeing a random person standing behind you, well, it’s not the most romantic.

  3. Adding on to point number 2, you can ask your officiant to stand to the side of the aisle so they aren’t between you and your partner for the ceremony. This creates a beautiful opportunity for you and your partner to hold hands and look into each other’s eyes, without anyone talking in the background… So dreamy :)

  4. The reception is completely up to you and what you want. So if you want to do first dances at the start of the night, go ahead! When I got married, my husband and I got all of our dances out at the start of the night AND we did our speech first. Neither one of us was looking forward to speaking so getting it done first helped us enjoy the night so much more.

  5. Add a little time in your timeline for “you” time. 5 minutes to step away, take a breath and to just be with your life partner. The day will go by way faster than you expect it to, so scheduling in 5 minutes will help slow the day down a little and give you a chance to breathe it all in.