Pro Tips.
Magic doesn’t just happen.
We work together to make it.
Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life—and planning a wedding can be daunting.
You’re sure to have a few questions as you plan… Hand-in-hand with your wedding planner and designers, we’re here to help guide you along the way.
Everything you need to know.
Pro Tips For Your Wedding Day…
Work with a talented wedding planner.
Weddings are once-in-a-lifetime events filled with elegant details, timelines, loved ones, and lots of emotions. A wedding planner can take your vision and enhance it beyond what you can imagine, allowing you to enjoy the stress-free wedding day of your dreams.
We work closely with our couples’ wedding planners to ensure we are afforded the opportunity to capture all the beautiful elements of your wedding day. Photographing your wedding is much more efficient and smooth when we work with a talented planner, as we are able to focus solely on creating captivating imagery while the wedding logistics are safely in their hands.
You really do need an engagement session.
Being an international studio, we do not always have an opportunity to meet in person during the booking process. An engagement session is the perfect chance for us to get to know one another, for you to feel comfortable in front of the camera, and for you to experience being photographed together.
And, honestly, it’s fucking fun. We usual just turn it into one big date. By the end of it, I always hear the same thing, even from my couples who were on the fence or even against doing one… “hell yeah! that was so much fun! I’m so glad we didn’t skip this.”
And then, when the wedding finally comes, you’re both at ease and excited about what we’re going to create for you throughout your big day.
Create a realistic wedding day timeline.
Keeping to a wedding timeline is a key factor for maintaining a relaxing and photographically productive day. Things like delayed hair and makeup can drastically change the day’s schedule and impact your time for portraits prior to the ceremony. (We highly recommend a hair and makeup trial prior to the wedding.) Adding buffer time (up to an hour) around the important elements of your wedding preparation allows for delays. The best case scenario is that you finish on time and have a moment for a glass of champagne before the ceremony. Tip: When alerting the family and bridal party of their times to be ready for portraits, give a time 15 minutes prior to the start of portraits to ensure timeliness.
Your getting-ready location really matters.
The first few hours of wedding photography take place as you get ready. Whether you choose a bridal suite, hotel room, or other location to prepare for the wedding, consider the backdrop for these images. This location is where we photograph the majority of your details and initial portraits. Poorly lit rooms with no natural light can result in less-than-ideal getting-ready photos. We recommend selecting a spacious, open location with ample natural light and similar decor or feel to your wedding so the images flow with the rest of the day.
Details matter
Please prepare all of your wedding details in advance for photographing while you’re getting ready. These details include the full paper/invitation suite in perfect condition with your preferred calligraphy/addressing/stamps, welcome bag, favor, all paper products, dress, shoes, all wedding rings, and any other details from your day that you would like photographed. We love to style still life shots, especially with meaningful elements that you provide. Consider family heirlooms, jewelry, ribbon, fabric and other items that can enhance your images. Please have your wedding and bridal details in the bridal suite where you’re getting ready so we can capture them when we arrive.
You really do need a first look.
While we do respect that some couples value the tradition of not seeing each other until the grand march down the aisle, we highly recommend taking the bulk of your portraits prior to the ceremony. Not only will this allow us more time to create beautiful portraits of you and those who matter to you most, but it will allow you to enjoy more of the post-ceremony festivities. Couples often become impatient and frustrated when they are forced to spend their entire cocktail hour taking portraits, as they would rather enjoy the party with friends and family. We get it! This is why we advise leaving only the absolutely necessary group portraits for immediately after the ceremony.
This is also a perfect time to be with your partner in an intimate way on your wedding day. Most couples don’t realize they don’t really get significant alone time one-on-one with each other. The first look is a great way to be present with each other and enjoy their company without the pressure (and sometimes overstimulation!) of your family and friends buzzing around you.
Unplug your ceremony.
It’s getting to be a harder and harder ask, and many guests simply refuse to honor going phone-free for a little while. But in my opinion, it’s worth it. Keep your guests present and in the moment. Keep their phones and tablets out of your photos as you’re walking down the aisle. Having your officiant make an announcement before the ceremony begins is a great way to get everyone on the same page.
Trust us.
To ensure we are the perfect fit for one another, it’s very important for us to get to know as much as possible about you and your wedding day prior to booking. We love to learn about both of you, your personality, your family, and your background so we get a solid sense of your love story and who you are. After the experience of your engagement session, you will know what to expect on your wedding day. It’s now time to relax and enjoy – be yourselves and leave the rest to us.
We can’t wait to meet you.
More Tips…
(After nearly 400 weddings, I’ve got plenty.
Get plenty of work from your potential photographer up front.
Any decent photographer can take a few good shots from every wedding, put it up on a pretty website and make themselves look like a top wedding pro.
You need to be seeing full galleries, not just a “best-of” portfolio.
And you need to be sure these are real weddings, not styled-shoots (many photographers do these to pad their portfolio). You want to know what you’re getting from start to finish.
Make sure your potential photographer is taking the time to really get to know you.
And that they understand your wants and needs.
Are they really trying to get to know you as a couple, and understand your aesthetic and vibe, or are they only asking surface-level questions about you and your wedding?
A strong connection and rapport leads to trust, which leads to great photography.
Give your photographer as much wedding inspo as you can.
A strong, confident photographer loves seeing other wedding work that inspires and moves you.
I’m always excited to try to recreate a cool shot you saw on Instagram or TikTok.
Some photographers might see this as insulting to their work, but I just see it as a fun challenge.
Your wedding photography should be a collaboration between yourself and your photographer.
This is where the magic happens.
