BEFORE THE BIG DAY….

W H A T T O W E A R I D E A S:

Now even though we probably just want to get ready in a t-shirt and pj pants like usual haha. But this is your wedding day, and I’m going to be taking photos of you walking around, hanging with your girlies, and then of course i’ll pull you aside for some bridal photos of just you getting ready.

Consider wearing a gorgeous white maxi lace robe/gown. They make for dreamy getting ready photos!

T H E G E T T I N G R E A D Y S P A C E

Make sure to be intentional about your getting ready location. It literally defines the whole mood and feel of your photos, and can make or break your images. For example, if you decide to get ready in a crappy stuffy hotel bathroom with bad lighting and no windows, you might feel stressed and claustrophobic lol.

TIP 1:

Choose a location with large windows.

Getting ready near a large window can bring in A LOT of natural light! It's also the the secret to gorgeous, natural-looking photos! Since, artificial and incandescent overhead lighting creates a weird, un-natural yellow tone to the skin, that is hard to see with the naked-eye but is visible in photos. Plus your makeup artist + hair-stylist will appreciate this while dolling you up!  ;) Consider getting ready in an open, clean room with soft natural light coming through the windows, a place that will make you feel more at peace and in touch with your emotions.

TIP 2: 

Consider renting a stylish + cute looking home from AirBNB.

Well decorated homes and stylish AirBNBs are infinitely better than most hotel rooms. Since hotel rooms can be really stuffy, with questionable carpet and chair choices, non-smoking signs, and un-flattering wallpaper.  Airbnb's have a lot of character and create some gorgeous getting ready shots!! 

Airbnb's can also be cheaper than hotels, too! But keep in mind your getting ready location should be relatively close (within 20 minutes driving distance) to your ceremony location.

Please note: That you don't have to incorporate all these tips into your wedding day to get great photos. Weddings are about the people you are with and the memories you will make. A great wedding photographer, will know how to face any tricky lighting scenario and create a beautiful composition. 

However, any consideration on these tips will usually be more beneficial than not. 

Ceremony Tips

Outdoor ceremonies are my absolute favorite! But try making sure your ceremony is not during mid-day. Mid-day is not only the hottest time of the day, but it will leave harsh shadows under the eyes, making you appear to have dark circles ("raccoon eyes"), and leave un-flattering shadows under the nose ("shadow mustaches!" yes, it happens).

TIP 1: 

Try to avoid the hours between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m for ceremonies. Choosing a time a bit later in the day, when the sun is a little lower and not right over our heads, can create some beautiful landscape photos, and flattering skin tones. The ideal time would be about 2-3 hours before sunset. You can search what time is sunset on your wedding day on google.

TIP 2:

When positioning your outdoor ceremony think of this.. The sun should be setting behind the officiant. When the sun is behind the officiant, then the bride, groom and whole wedding party are not facing the sun. If the ceremony is facing the sun it will then cause everyone to have squinted eyes, and harsh face shadows, which can be really unflattering.  Essentially, make sure the sun is setting behind you. 

TIP 3:

If you're worrying about the weather being overcast on your wedding day. Please don't, believe it or not, but overcast days create such beautiful lighting. They create diffused sunlight, which means no harsh shadows, no raccoon eyes, or shadow mustaches lol. It makes everyone look great with soft, creamy skin tones! 

UNPLUGGED CEREMONY

 I cannot recommend this enough. Over the years, my view has been obstructed with cell-phones, iPads, and even their own flash-cameras. I highly recommend having an unplugged ceremony and letting your officiant announce to the guests that "the lovely couple have requested that guests please turn off their devices and be present in the moment." Because I promise you, my photos will look MUCH better than a photo taken on an iPad!

Here is a funny article of a couple of wedding ceremonies that were not unplugged:  

CLICK HERE TO SEE: 23 Wedding Photos That Will Make You Have An Unplugged Wedding

Even though guests *think* they're being inconspicuous, they undoubtedly ALWAYS step in the aisle. Sometimes their flash will go off at the exact time I take the photo of your first kiss and then you end up with a weirdly lit photo. You're paying thousands for professional, high quality images. You don't need a million zoomed in, grainy and crooked iPhone shots. I got you.

A sign at the ceremony is also something some clients have put up and has been effective. Your wedding ceremony will be so much more beautiful when everyone is listening to your words, enjoying the moment and being true witnesses to your vows.

Family Photos

Please provide a detailed family photo list in your wedding questionnaire where asked to list it.

List the groupings of family photos you would like taken after the ceremony.

Ex: Bride & Groom with Groom's Parents (actual names).

Having a complete list of all requested family photo groupings will save so much time & make the process so simple! The reason I ask for names of family members is because it saves from any family dynamic awkwardness! I’ve also never met your family so having full names will help me call out and find individuals I need for the shot. So instead of saying "bride with dad & step-mom," I can just say, "Sarah with Tom & Sally." It’s much more professional & family are more likely to respond to hearing their actual name called. I always get so many compliments at the end of family photos for how easy, organized, & seamless it was!

TIP 1:

Whether it's an indoor or outdoor reception, adding Italian string lights are a beautiful way to add pretty bokeh (the blurry, sparkly orbs in the background of photos).

TIP 2:

If you're considering up-lighting, note that the color you choose for up-lighting will set the color tone of your photos. For example, if you're uplighting is pink, than anything that is white (hence your wedding dress) will have a pink hue on it. 

T H E G R A N D E N T R A N C E

This is when I’ll be shooting candid photos of you and your bae walking in the reception!!

Please communicate with your wedding planner or DJ to turn off any colorful lighting, strobe lighting, and any other distracting lighting. And to ONLY leave on the warm, ambient lighting for the entrance, first dance, any special parent dances, and during cake cutting.

I just don’t want you to look back on your photos and think “wow I wish I would have turned off the blue lighting, cause now i look like a smurf” Hahaha. We don’t want that! Also if your uplighting is blue, then anything that is white (hence your wedding dress) will have a blue hue on it. 

D I N N E R

Since no one wants photos of open mouths full of food! Jon and I will be eating at the same time as you. You better believe we will be starving by the time dinner rolls around. Also, make sure to coordinate this with your caterer, they sometimes will put me in a back room, which is not ideal, since I won’t be able to see any important events happening, if we are seating in a hall or another random room. So keep us in the party! I promise we behave ourselves!

P A R T Y

Yes, we will sing along, and dance with you all night long! Plus, we will take all the dancing + drunk photos of your wedding party, family + friends! haha

I strongly recommend to clearly communicate with your DJ that you only want colorful/party/disco lighting during the party/dancing portion of the night and to turn off any colorful lighting for the first dance and special parent dances. Colorful lighting can take away from a beautiful moment such as the first dance. It can also cause discoloration to your skin and attire during sentimental moments. I just don't want you to look back and think "I wish, I had turned off the lasers and party lights during our first dance, cause now all i see are blue/pink on our faces.."

But other than that, go crazy with the lights for the dance/party portion of the night!! It creates fun looking photos and guests love it when they're dancing the night away!

SPARKLER EXIT:

If you decided to have a sparkler exit, I recommend purchasing sparklers that are long enough. If your sparklers are too short, they might burn out by the time all your guest light up their sparklers. Try getting 10-12 inch sparklers, they are more effective. Purchase enough sparklers to give to your guests, and make sure to have a couple of lighters that way people can get their sparklers lit quicker. Sparkler exits usually take about 15 min. I may ask you to run up and down twice! We do this to get a variety of sparkler exit shots!

Choose a dark place to have the sparkler exit, since the sparkler will have enough light to illuminate you both :) 

ALTERNATIVE EXIT:

If you're venue does not allow sparklers, then consider having a confetti-popper exit, or even making your final wishes with sky lanterns or getting your wedding party to tag along with you to a donut shop, or chick-fil-a haha!! Whatever you choose will be amazing because at the end of the day it will be with people you love and cherish :)