What they don’t tell you when you’re getting married, eh!?

It seems that everywhere you look, there’s another hint or another tip when it comes to preparing for your big day. And that can be, not only overwhelming but also contradicting! Some say do this, others say the opposite.

When getting ready for your impending wedding, us photographers have a few little things that we’d sometimes like to say to say to you, but can’t or don’t. Whether that’s because timing isn’t right, or we simply don’t get the opportunity, ultimately it’s good to remember that we’re there for YOU.

And hey, I get it. Having your photos taken professionally can be a hugely stressful thing. Having been a Bride, I know that you’ve got enough on your plate already and therefore, never want to add to your stress.

I thought it could be useful to provide you guys with a few of my own personal top tips to consider. By no means is this “must have”, but looking back on my day with Jon, I sometimes wish I’d had this guide. This little pack contains a host of things that I have learnt along the way…

So here goes!

 

 

 

Timing

Timing will play a bit of a part in your wedding, and it’s good to appoint someone within the Bridal party who can help keep things ticking over, especially when you’re off doing what you guys do best!

Let us know who is going to keep an eye on things for you, and providing us photographers with a running order of the day will mean we get to be another pair of eyes for you.

We’ll aim to be there in the morning, to capture you and your loved ones getting ready, and get all of those important detail shots where we can gush over how beautifully you’ve curated your day.

We’ll follow you to the ceremony location and get photos of your guests arriving, any floral decorations you’ve got and see you walk down the aisle.

In some scenarios, we might not be allowed to take any photos of the ceremony itself. This is often due to religious reasons, or we’ll be asked to stand at the back of the room to see we don’t interfere or disturb the proceedings. We’ll let you know what’s going to be allowed on the day in advance so that you are prepared.

We’ll then take some Bridal portraits after the ceremony. This is our time with you and your loved one alone and will ensure you get a moment to breathe and relax! It can often take up to one hour to get these before we ask for friends and family members.

Remember, it’s YOUR day and we want to make sure we get all of those beautifully light and natural photos that can take pride of place on Grandma’s mantelpiece.

We never take photos of guests eating… for obvious reasons; Uncle Tom devouring the leg of lamb in a not-so-elegant-manner whilst dripping gravy down his shirt doesn’t make for portfolio worthy image.

We will however, get the speeches, the cutting of the cake and everything else if you let us know when these things are due to happen in advance of the day.

That brings me to my second point…

 

 

The Details

I mentioned before that we want the details. All of ‘em!

So to ensure I’m not bugging you whilst you’re trying to get your Bridal beauty on, pop everything you want to be photographed into a box. Here’s a little checklist that you’re welcome to use…

• Invitation Suite x2 – so we can capture the front and back at the same time
• Perfumes
• Lipsticks
• Jewellery
• Hairpiece
• Sash
• Shoes

Switch plastic hangers for wooden ones.

Don’t be afraid to make it even more personal, throw in some ribbons, wallpaper cuttings, old photos!

Perhaps consider investing in a pretty ring box?

We adore The Mrs Box (http://themrsbox.com)

 

 

 

 

Suppliers

Last and final point right here. Please let us know who is helping you in planning your big day! This makes it so much easier for us to reach out directly to them for information, rather than come through you all the time and you end up being the messenger.

It also means that we can include them in any social media posts we do when delivering your sneak peeks!