I can’t stress enough how important this is, and how easy your wedding day portraits become. My number one disclaimer I hear from my couples before the engagement session is “we are awkward” or “we don’t know what we are doing,” and honestly you don’t have to! I will teach you everything you need to know to look as beautiful and in love in your photos as you are in real life. My style is a mixture of posed and candid which gives my couples a nice balance of photos they can hang on the wall and photos that make them cry all the happy tears.
My couples who have an engagement session get exponentially more “keepers” on their wedding day since they already know what to do. PLUS you have adorable photos of you two to display at your reception. It’s a win-win-win.
I’m obsessed with details, and I LOVE it when my brides have everything ready when I get to the bridal room. Grab a bag, make a list of the little things you want photographed on your wedding day(invitation, lipstick, perfume, jewelry, shoes, etc), and keep them in your “detail bag.” It makes things so much easier on your photographer, and gives more time to take photos instead of hunting down your wedding fragrance. Also try to keep the bridal room clutter free. It makes for gorgeous photos! ;)
3. Have all rings(and ring box or pillow) in said “detail bag.” There’s nothing worse than having to figure out “who has the rings?!” Put them on your detail list and put them in your bag the night before the wedding. There isn’t always (usually never) extra time after the ceremony for ring shots (and I really love ring shots!)
4. Speaking of the ceremony, have you heard of “unplugged” ceremonies? I have to admit, sometimes I have a little too much fun taking photos of guests taking photos, but sometimes it can get a little out of hand. Go to google.com and search “unplugged wedding.” You’ll thank me later ;) (PS you can find cute signs on etsy!)
They can be the most painstaking part of the whole day. The ceremony ends, Uncle Bob hits the bar for cocktail hour, and he’s missing for extended family portraits. To ensure family portraits go as smoothly as possible, let each family member know to stick around after the ceremony for photos. You can also have the minister make an announcement before releasing your guests from the ceremony.
Give about 20 minutes of photo time for you and your beloved AFTER family portraits, even if you did a First Look. The lighting is glowy, you are on cloud 9 from being married, and this is when you have those beautiful veil photos! I always do these after family and wedding party photos (unless the timeline is behind and we are chasing the light) so you don’t have your whole family staring at you, waiting for for their turn. It also gives time for them to settle in at the reception area.
These are looked over by many, but they happen to be some of my favorites! When your photographer asks you “do you want to do some night shots?” The answer is “YES!” It only takes 10-15 minutes (maybe even less) and you’ll have some awesome art for your walls!
Professional lighting is often looked over and put on the back burner unfortunately. DJ’s often have packages that include uplighting and some newer venues like The Chandelier of Gruene has uplighting included! Oh, and when you have the option of having fog at your wedding, it makes for beautiful first dance photos.
I’m sure you have a cousin or aunt or sister who has graciously offered to help coordinate your day, but hiring a professional is the way to go. Not only do they “know” people (vendors, to be exact) and can pull strings your Aunt Sally can’t. They coordinate weddings for a living and know exactly what they’re doing. These two wedding designer/coordinator teams are wonderful. Check them out!
Viridian Design: http://www.viridiandesignstudio.com/
Jen Rios Design: http://www.jenriosweddings.com/
Weddings can be ARE stressful. The best thing you can do is sit back, relax, let your wedding coordinator take care of everything, and have fun with your friends and family on the best day of your life.
xoxo, Allison
Allison Jeffers is a photographer and educator serving sweet couples and helping other creative entrepreneurs reach their goals. She specializes in wedding photography, elopements, and proposals as well as Bridal and Engagement portraits in Texas. She is available for travel worldwide and has her passport ready!
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