… before she plans her wedding.
Have you just said yes to “the question”?! If so – we know you are super-excited to begin (or continue) planning for the big day – the dress, the cake, the venue… and, of course, the photographer.
That’s where we come in. And since we think you’d agree that the photos captured throughout the day are a pretty important takeaway, we’d like to share some prepping insight we’ve gained over the years.
Here are four things to consider when planning for the best possible photos of your day.
1. Yellow Walls and Dingy Basements
You may have heard people talk about location a million times, but the end result of the photos is always impacted by where you choose to celebrate the big event – especially where you and the bridesmaids plan to get ready. When possible, plan for you and your girls to prepare in a room with as much natural light as possible, as little clutter as possible and as little brown and yellow décor as possible. Yes – as photographers, we can work in any lighting situation and even mask much of the décor… but nothing can beat the added magic of natural light, and a clean, organized and inviting space.
2. Midday Hour Doom
Outdoor weddings are some of our favorites! Surrounded by stately trees, emerald green grass and delicious golden sunlight… unless it’s the middle of the day when the sun is mostly a blazing, blinding white fireball in the sky. If you do choose to have the ceremony or outdoor photos during late morning/mid-afternoon, be sure there is some kind of shaded option available! Not only will you, your groom and bridal party look less like bedazzled, melting popsicles, your faces will be free of harsh shadows, sweat beads and squinty eyes. Everybody will thank you.
3. Family Photo Circus
Ah, yes – the family photos. It’s truly a wonderful day to capture all the long lost relatives who have come to celebrate with you! If we can give any advice for this part of the day it would be to plan, plan, plan ahead! We always ask that our brides provide us with a list of must have family groupings before the wedding. We also ask that they designate a friend or family member to help corral everyone together. This portion of post-wedding photos really doesn’t have to take that long, provided everyone is on the same page. A post-ceremony announcement is always a great idea to ask family members to stick around. In fact, after-wedding family and bridal party photos should really never take more than an hour – if that! It’s usually best for the bride and groom to slip away for some shots together while everyone else is eating (provided the season of daylight allows). At this point, the lovebirds have had time to relax, get some sustenance and are gearing up to party with their guests.
4. Reception White Out
It seems that everybody has a camera these days – and while some brides and grooms have begun requesting unplugged weddings (guest’s cell phones and cameras are collected upon arrival), many actually prefer to have as many photos as possible of their day. We leave the choice up to you, but be warned, you may end up seeing some important moments photo-bombed by hands, cell phones and excessive flash lighting from your guests. Just something to consider as your begin to plan all the details for your day.
Whether you’ve shot a wedding, attended or played a starring role – is there anything else you would add to this list?
