8 WEDDING TIPS
Wedding Day Tip #01: Trust me.
My process is one that's built on connection, experience, artistic vision and genuine care for my couples. On the day of your wedding we will have spent so much time communicating, planning, dreaming, scouting and capturing your engagement session photos that when I walk through the door it will feel as though an old friend has arrived. I will approach your day with total joy and total focus, supporting you both while remaining completely absorbed in my role as your photographer, documenting your precious memories.
On the day of your wedding fully relax into the moment. Feel that excited nervousness and memorize each and every crushing embrace.
Be present... and leave the rest to me.
Wedding Day Tip #02: DON’T SKIP THE ENGAGEMENT SESSION.
Engagement sessions are an invaluable part of the wedding prep process. They're incredibly fun and give us a chance to get to know one another, as well as work out some of those pre-wedding jitters.
Your session will provide you with an opportunity to experience what it's like to have your photo taken by me: you'll see how I use locations, approach posing, give encouragement and how I utilize light. It's also a great way for me, as your photographer, to explore what puts you at ease and what type of direction you best respond to as a couple.
In addition to that, engagement sessions are a wonderful way to put your hair and makeup trial to good use and to utilize locations that you may not be able to on your wedding day.
Wedding Day Tip #03: WORK WITH A WEDDING PLANNER.
A wedding is a once in a lifetime event brimming with gorgeous details, loved ones, and complete joy. Working with a wedding planner will ensure that you're able to remain fully present throughout your celebration and enjoy the months leading up to it as you work through the planning process.
An experienced planner will listen to what you want and then run with it, elevating each detail to create a magical experience far beyond what you'd even dreamed of. They will also ensure that the process is stress-free, leading your day and ensuring that you're able to soak up each and every moment with those that you hold dearest.
Looking for wedding planner recommendations? I would be overjoyed to share my list of trusted industry members, including incredibly talented wedding planners.
Wedding Day Tip #04: CREATE A FUNCTIONAL AND REALISTIC TIMELINE.
Ensuring that you have a carefully crafted timeline and keeping to it is incredibly important when it comes to having a relaxed and photographically productive wedding day. Adding buffer time in for portions of the day that can more commonly 'run behind' (the getting ready process, travel etc) will ensure that we're able to maintain your timeline and capture your photos in light that has been carefully chosen for each element of your day. By doing this you allow yourself a little breathing room and ensure that your photographers have the necessary time to fully capture your day- and if everything runs perfectly as scheduled (which is the goal) you have a little extra time to enjoy your company and sip champagne.
Wedding Day Tip #05: KNOW WHERE THE SUN WILL BE.
I always encourage mapping out where the sun will be while building your timeline. It's something that is often overlooked but will elevate your experience on the day as well as your photographs. There are two critical elements of the day that we'll want to pay special attention to: your ceremony and your portraits.
-Having the light in a flattering position during your ceremony will mean (quite literally) that you're both able to see one another while you say your I-do's and will ensure that you have beautiful photographs. Often ceremony locations are chosen with a specific backdrop in mind so I encourage couples to choose a ceremony time where the light illuminates in a way that enhances rather than distracts.
-When scheduling your portrait time we'll want to take into account the temperature as well as the sun. It's ideal to capture portraits when the sun is lower in they sky (often this is the most flattering light) and when the temperature is a touch more comfortable (for you and your wedding party).
Some celebrations have less flexibility in their timeline and in those situations I will always work to find locations and options that will give us beautiful results despite harsher lighting and temperature conditions.
Wedding Day Tip #06:
SELECT A BEAUTIFUL LOCATION TO GET READY.
The morning of your wedding day is a special part of the process and a wonderful opportunity for us to photograph the getting ready process, your details and genuine moments of you enjoying the company of your loved ones. The location for your getting ready process is one that I suggest choosing carefully and I recommend a space that is spacious, compliments the decor and feel of your wedding day, and that has ample natural light. This will be the location where we capture wonderfully important details and portraits so I always encourage couples to select this backdrop with intention.
Wedding Day Tip #07: DETAILS ADD TO YOUR STORY.
You'll want to gather your details together on the morning of your wedding, creating a basket of items that tell the story of your wedding day and speak to your history together.
Items to include would be: your bridal suite (any paper items), rings, jewelry, perfume, lipstick, shoes, veil, dress, hair accessories, loose stems from your florals, fabrics and ribbons that tie together your wedding day aesthetic, favours, stamps, and any other details that hold history or meaning for you.
I'll use these items to create beautiful flat lay images that add to the overall story of your wedding day and document each and every element that you chose to incorporate into to your celebration.
Wedding Day Tip #08: WE DON’T WAIT FOR THE MAGIC TO HAPPEN, WE MAKAE IT HAPPEN.
Yes, once every millennia or so the sun hits a bride's hair at just the perfect angle as a wave crashes behind her on the beach and a unicorn appears out of nowhere, laying down at her feet. Sure, those picture perfect images and frames can happen once in a while when the stars align.
It's a beautiful thought, truly. But the reality is that these incredible, golden, emotional and larger-than-life cinematic images don't just happen. These images are actually the result of months of careful planning, location scouting, timeline updates and styling details which all come together to create the perfect environment for iconic and real photographs. When all of this hard work and careful preparation is combined with your complete and utter wedding day joy... that is when we see the magic that we all crave. That is when the unicorns show up. So listen, trust and invest in the process—because if you do I guarantee we'll make magic happen.