WEDDING TIPS
After shooting over 200 weddings I have learned a lot! I want to share a few helpful tips to make your day go smoother!
HELP WEDDING TIPS
Make a schedule of the day and give a copy to anyone involved in the wedding. Make sure it has arrival times, ceremony, reception times etc.
When you make your schedule make sure to enlist help from your wedding planner or photographer. What you might think is enough time for say portraits or getting dressed might not work. You will be shocked how fast the time goes by so always plan for extra time. If you want the wedding party to be ready by 1:30pm, tell them 1:00pm!! I didn’t tell you that!! LOL
Find a responsible and not shy person to put in charge. Someone who is not afraid to say “HEY time for pictures, eat later” kinda of person. This person is very helpful during the portraits to help the photographer find people, help get then lines up for shots etc!
The first Look: If you heard about these but are not really sure what it is here ya go: The bride sneaks up behind the groom and taps him on the shoulder and he turns around and gets to see his beautiful bride BEFORE the ceremony! It is a sweet moment between the couple and the bonus part is now you are free to do 90% of the portraits BEFORE the ceremony. That leaves more time after the ceremony to spend time with your guest. This however is not for everyone and don’t ever feel pressure to do this!
Speaking of portraits time: Make sure you inform everyone you want pictures with to hang out after the ceremony because they will sneak off fast to grab food at cocktail hour! Also, skip the receiving line after the ceremony, this can take up to 20-30 minutes depending on how big your wedding is. You will have time to chat with them at the reception.
One little thing to throw in here, when scheduling the bride and bridesmaid hair and makeup team, make sure the bride does NOT GO LAST! I have seen this happen so many times, where the hair and makeup team are running behind and now the bride gets rushed since she is last!! So don’t schedule the bride LAST!!
This may sound a bit strange but have a plan for your cell phone. The couple will be so busy doing this and that and as far as the bride she will have no where to put her cell phone but will really want it later at the reception. Have either the mom or a bridesmaid keep track of you phones.
Have an emergency kit available: Lots of lists on the internet but examples: Sewing kit, hairspray, safety pins, scissors, super glue, tide-to-go, steamer, band-aids, tums and lots more!!
Provide snacks and drinks for your wedding party. Try to limit the alcohol at least until the reception. Have special treats for the kids, snacks and toys/games.
Make sure your mom or someone else special to the bride is available at the time she is putting on her dress and that that person is also dressed.
Ceremony time: If you have a friend or someone who is performing the ceremony they might forget a few things. One is to make sure they tell everyone to sit down. Sounds silly but I’ve been to a bunch of weddings where they forget and the poor people are standing there looking at each other “like should we sit?” Another thing if possible to ask the officiant to move to the side during the kiss!! Speaking of kisses, always a bonus for the photographer if you kiss long and even go in a 2nd time for more kisses!!! WHOOO
Ceremony time: After you say “I do” don’t forget to grab your flowers (Bride) and cheer down the isle and stop and kiss! These all make for amazing shots!
Reception: I think it works out nice when after everyone introduced the bride and groom go right into their first dance and then speeches and dinner. I do suggest not waiting too long after to do the cake because people sometimes start to leave after dinner.
ATTENTION BRIDESMAIDS: This is a little note for you. Just remember this is the brides big day so make sure she is treated like she is the most important person in the world that day. If your hair and makeup are not perfect, it is not the end of the world it is about the bride!!! I did one wedding where all the bridesmaids ignored the poor bride and I actually helped her get her dress on!! NO NO NO!!!!
Just remember no matter what goes wrong that day, you are marring your best friend and rain shine, hurricane who cares!! It is just one day and you have a lifetime to make amazing memories together!!