YOUR LOVE is a legacy- let's make it last forever.
This portion of The Wedding Experience
really sets the stage for the entire wedding
day. The next few pages will share tips and
tricks that will ensure a seamless morning of
bridal preparation and beautiful portraits!
LET THE DAY BEGIN
The Wedding Day
It’s the morning of your wedding! Hopefully all of the little details are taken care of and you’re relaxing with your best friends while your hair is being done. If certain items haven’t been checked off of the to-do list, it’s time to hand them over to someone else.
Delegation is a key part of a stress-free wedding day. I know it’s hard to hand over the decorating duties and all of the last minute things that need to be done but, it really is important to relax the morning of your wedding. The rest of the day is going to be fast paced and filled with a lot of emotions! Take advantage of this down time! There are a few things to consider about the “getting ready” portion of the day.
Do you want to share a “first look” with your dad or any other person who plays a huge role in your life? Will you and your groom be exchanging gifts during this time? If so, who would you like to deliver them?
A few other things to consider.... as you get ready to put your dress on, refrain from putting any jewelry on. We love shooting all of those final steps once you’re in your gown! Speaking of the gown, if your gown is on a plastic hanger, try to make a note to bring a wooden hanger along for picture sake. If you forget, no big deal! We are pros at finding wooden hangers at venues! Keep reading along for more “getting ready” tips to help you prepare!
It’s the morning of your wedding! Hopefully all of the little details are taken care of and you’re relaxing with your best friends while your hair is being done. If certain items haven’t been checked off of the to-do list, it’s time to hand them over to someone else.
Delegation is a key part of a stress-free wedding day. I know it’s hard to hand over the decorating duties and all of the last minute things that need to be done but, it really is important to relax the morning of your wedding. The rest of the day is going to be fast paced and filled with a lot of emotions! Take advantage of this down time! There are a few things to consider about the “getting ready” portion of the day.
Do you want to share a “first look” with your dad or any other person who plays a huge role in your life? Will you and your groom be exchanging gifts during this time? If so, who would you like to deliver them?
A few other things to consider.... as you get ready to put your dress on, refrain from putting any jewelry on. We love shooting all of those final steps once you’re in your gown! Speaking of the gown, if your gown is on a plastic hanger, try to make a note to bring a wooden hanger along for picture sake. If you forget, no big deal! We are pros at finding wooden hangers at venues! Keep clicking + reading along for more “getting ready” tips to help you prepare!
getting ready
By having just a simple window in the bridal prep area, I am able to create beautiful portraits with soft light. I prefer natural light so the more windows, the better!
window effect
The whole day begins with the DETAILS! This is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day because it allows me to prepare and get my creative side warmed up for the rest of the day!
I photograph a bride’s details in a way that matches and showcases the style of the entire wedding day. So, in some ways, the details set the stage for the look of the whole wedding and I love having ample time to stylize and shoot everything from the dress to the jewelry to grandma’s handkerchief!
I ask brides to gather any details they have before I arrive so that I can walk in, say hello, give you a huge hug and then begin with all the goodies!
DETAILS: wedding dress, veil / hair pieces, rings (all three)
, shoes
, bouquet & bout,
jewelry
, perfume,
invitation suite
, borrowed & blue item.
The most common detail missing when I arrive are the rings! Moms, officiants and planners will tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits so that I can shoot some great ring shots in the AM! If you forget, no worries, I can always shoot the ring shot at the reception if there is extra time!
Sometimes, depending on the theme and “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. For example, if you’re having a garden themed wedding, you could include a piece of floral from the garden. If you’re having a rustic themed wedding that includes some wooden elements, maybe save a small piece of wood for me to use when I’m shooting your rings and jewelry. This REALLY makes for beautiful, consistent album spreads!
The whole day begins with the DETAILS! This is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day because it allows me to prepare and get my creative side warmed up for the rest of the day!
I photograph a bride’s details in a way that matches and showcases the style of the entire wedding day. So, in some ways, the details set the stage for the look of the whole wedding and I love having ample time to stylize and shoot everything from the dress to the jewelry to grandma’s handkerchief!
I ask brides to gather any details they have before I arrive so that I can walk in, say hello, give you a huge hug and then begin with all the goodies!
DETAILS: wedding dress, veil / hair pieces, rings (all three) , shoes , bouquet & bout, jewelry , perfume, invitation suite , borrowed & blue item.
The most common detail missing when I arrive are the rings! Moms, officiants and planners will tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits so that I can shoot some great ring shots in the AM! If you forget, no worries, I can always shoot the ring shot at the reception if there is extra time! Sometimes, depending on the theme and “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. For example, if you’re having a garden themed wedding, you could include a piece of floral from the garden. If you’re having a rustic themed wedding that includes some wooden elements, maybe save a small piece of wood for me to use when I’m shooting your rings and jewelry. This REALLY makes for beautiful, consistent album spreads!
what to prepare
RINGS, SHOES, JEWELS
DAY OF REMINDERS
RINGS
SHOES
JEWELS
DRESS
VEIL
FLORALS
+
MORE
When you’re planning a wedding day timeline, the best advice I could give is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 20 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. I have seen “getting the bride in her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of a button malfunction. It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there so that we have some wiggle room to work with! This way, if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, I can help you compensate that time in other areas. There are so many different things to think about when you’re planning a wedding day and so here are some tips for the pre-ceremony timeline! I realize that every
single wedding day is different and so not all of these tips will apply to every wedding day schedule. Something else to consider is that not EVERYTHING will go as planned, and I promise you, that is completely normal!!
You will need your Bouquet & Bouts for your First Look! Have them delivered to the room where the bride is getting ready.
Be sure to think about the travel time and TRAFFIC to and from your getting ready location and your venue! Limos/Buses are also slower.
I encourage brides to have at least their makeup done before I start because who wants a ton of shots without their makeup on?!
timing tips
When you’re planning a wedding day timeline, the best advice I could give is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 20 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. I have seen “getting the bride in her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of a button malfunction. It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there so that we have some wiggle room to work with!
This way, if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, I can help you compensate that time in other areas. There are so many different things to think about when you’re planning a wedding day and so here are some tips for the pre-ceremony timeline! I realize that every single wedding day is different and so not all of these tips will apply to every wedding day schedule. Something else to consider is that not EVERYTHING will go as planned, and I promise you, that is completely normal!!
You will need your Bouquet & Bouts for your First Look! Have them delivered to the room where the bride is getting ready.
Be sure to think about the travel time and TRAFFIC to and from your getting ready location and your venue! Limos/Buses are also slower.
I encourage brides to have at least their makeup done before I start because who wants a ton of shots without their makeup on?!
First look
“At first, I wanted to wait to see Sara. But then as we drew closer, I knew that it was important that we spend our time with our family and friends that came to help us celebrate. I agreed to a first look and to getting nearly all the photos taken before the ceremony. Having this first look made it so much easier and I was so much more calm after spending alone time with Sara. We were lucky too, because after the ceremony, it thunder-stormed and hailed at the venue for an hour. We would not have had the time for photos afterwards. I’m really glad that I did a first look and would not change a thing.”
– Rob
I confess I have a deep love for “First Looks” and I tend to
point them out in every blog post that has one. There is
a reason for this. They are AWESOME. However, not everyone
is aware of how awesome they are because they
get caught up in how “non-traditional” it is and they immediately
write it off. I say this because I was almost one
of them. I wanted a REACTION….I wanted Andy to be so
surprised and overcome with joy that he bawled at the
first sight of me! Isn’t that EVERY girl’s dream? Luckily, I
was able to have the most amazing moment, because on a
whim, we decided to elope. We had only invited a handful
of guests to join and it was so perfect for us.
For Andy, he is a quiet and shy person. He doesn’t enjoy
crowds or being in large groups of people, and especially
hates being the center of attention. It just feels uncomfortable
for him and he gets so caught up in what he’s
supposed to do that he isn’t himself anymore. So, he was
thrilled with a small ceremony where he got to be him and
I got to see his true reaction and his love for me come
through his sweet smile in his eyes.
After experiencing my own wedding and shooting over
100 others….I’ve come to this conclusion. Some brides
love “traditions”….but what a bride REALLY wants when it
comes to her groom seeing her for the first time is a
REACTION. Those who are not interested in a First Look
usually think that by seeing each other beforehand, they
will lose part of that reaction. They also assume that it will
not be as emotional or as intimate as it would be if they
were coming down the aisle. Here’s what I’ve found.
Everyone knows that wedding days are a bit stressful for
the bride and groom. The whole day is focused on them,
they need to look their best, they need to be on time, the
groom has no idea what side the boutonniere is supposed
to go on and little by little… the tension grows.
It’s before the ceremony and the gravity of what is about
to happen starts to sink in and the calm, collected groom
who was playing golf just a few short hours ago is now
starting to feel a little anxious. So what happens next?
The whole day begins with the DETAILS! This is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day because it allows me to prepare and get my creative side warmed up for the rest of the day!
I photograph a bride’s details in a way that matches and showcases the style of the entire wedding day. So, in some ways, the details set the stage for the look of the whole wedding and I love having ample time to stylize and shoot everything from the dress to the jewelry to grandma’s handkerchief!
I ask brides to gather any details they have before I arrive so that I can walk in, say hello, give you a huge hug and then begin with all the goodies!
DETAILS: wedding dress, veil / hair pieces, rings (all three) , shoes , bouquet & bout, jewelry , perfume, invitation suite , borrowed & blue item.
The most common detail missing when I arrive are the rings! Moms, officiants and planners will tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits so that I can shoot some great ring shots in the AM! If you forget, no worries, I can always shoot the ring shot at the reception if there is extra time! Sometimes, depending on the theme and “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. For example, if you’re having a garden themed wedding, you could include a piece of floral from the garden. If you’re having a rustic themed wedding that includes some wooden elements, maybe save a small piece of wood for me to use when I’m shooting your rings and jewelry. This REALLY makes for beautiful, consistent album spreads!
why first look?
RINGS
SHOES
JEWELS
DRESS
VEIL
FLORALS
+
MORE
The groom waits in a little room somewhere for his que from the coordinator.
It seems like it’s taking FOREVER. Finally,
the coordinator leans her head in and hurries the groom
to get ready. With clammy hands, the groom enters the
ceremony and what does he find? …. he finds anywhere
from 80-300 people and they’re all looking where? RIGHT
AT HIS FACE… because everyone has expectations and anticipation
about his first reaction. This is the farthest thing
from a private, intimate moment. Sure, it’s SO powerful
and SO wonderful…. but when I went to meet Andy… he
wasn’t a nervous wreck…he had spent the morning with
me as my best friend and partner in life and the pressure
was OFF. By the time our little ceremony rolled around he
was ready to ENJOY our beautiful day!
The nerves were gone and when the nerves are gone…
true emotions are free to be expressed.…basically, what
I mean to say is that Grooms normally become incredibly
nervous on wedding days…. even if they seem cool and
collected. (don’t let them fool you)
WINTER
SUMMER
FALL
SPRING
PORTRAIT TIMING TIPS
Winter weddings are gorgeous! However, they do take some additional planning because of the sunset time. The hard part about a winter timeline is the fact that the sun sets around 4pm. This means that all of your portraits have to be done before then! This isn’t a problem if you’re having a late afternoon wedding. However, if you’re planning on having a late evening wedding, you may have a bit of down time from 4pm until the start of the ceremony. You will also need more coverage time as well.
Summer weddings are amazing! I love that there is so much daylight! In some months, the light will last until 8:30pm! So, if you’re having a summer wedding, you’ll need to plan on having a few minutes to slip out of the reception for your sunset portraits! You will NOT regret this! This is the absolute best light of the day and you’re going to want to have portraits during this time period. Usually these portraits happen during dinner or open dancing so that no one even notices that you’re gone for a few minutes!
Fall weddings are my favorite! This is probably because of all the colors and the perfect temperatures! Most of my fall brides worry about color and I just want to encourage you that all I need is one tree with some color in order to make it look like fall! A little bit of color can go a long way!! Your portrait time will vary depending on your wedding date! We’ll be sure to discuss this when we approve your final timeline!
Spring weddings are wonderful because they are the perfect temperature! However, I recommend having plenty of Claritin and Zyrtec on hand just in case allergies start to flare up during portrait time. Spring weddings normally mean the potential for some blooms! If we happen to find any type of blooming tree or plant, it will be worth it to give us a few minutes for a few portraits with it! You’ll LOVE the result!
WINTER
SPRING
FALL
Summer
Summer weddings are amazing! I love that there is so much daylight! In some months, the light will last until 8:30pm! So, if you’re having a summer wedding, you’ll need to plan on having a few minutes to slip out of the reception for your sunset portraits! You will NOT regret this! This is the absolute best light of the day and you’re going to want to have portraits during this time period. Usually these portraits happen during dinner or open dancing so that no one even notices that you’re gone for a few minutes!
Fall weddings are my favorite! This is probably because of all the colors and the perfect temperatures! Most of my fall brides worry about color and I just want to encourage you that all I need is one tree with some color in order to make it look like fall! A little bit of color can go a long way!! Your portrait time will vary depending on your wedding date! We’ll be sure to discuss this when we approve your final timeline!
Spring weddings are wonderful because they are the perfect temperature! However, I recommend having plenty of Claritin and Zyrtec on hand just in case allergies start to flare up during portrait time. Spring weddings normally mean the potential for some blooms! If we happen to find any type of blooming tree or plant, it will be worth it to give us a few minutes for a few portraits with it! You’ll LOVE the result!
Winter weddings are gorgeous! However, they do take some additional planning simply because of the sunset time. The hard part about a winter timeline is the fact that the sun sets around 4pm. This means that all of your portraits have to be done before then! This isn’t a problem if you’re having a late afternoon wedding. However, if you’re planning on having a late evening wedding, you may have a bit of down time from 4pm until the start of the ceremony. You will also need more coverage time as well.
If we’re being honest, all of the wedding day images are important but the real favorites are almost always from my time with the Bride and Groom! These romantic portraits of just the two of you will be the images that you frame beside your bed or over your mantle and they will also be the images that will fill your album for generations to enjoy. These images are always my favorite not only because of their beauty but because this is such a sweet portion of the day. For this brief moment in time, you will be alone with your groom on your wedding day. You will have a chance to love on each other and really connect before the craziness begins! Romantic portraits are normally done before the ceremony (after the “First Look”) and then I LOVE shooting a few “we’re married” portraits after the ceremony as well! This is when the light is low and golden! It’s such a romantic time for bride and groom portraits! If you’re not interested in a first look, we will make sure to include a lot of time after the ceremony for these portraits, so keep that in mind when planning your timeline!
romantic portraits
trusting portrait locations
One of my favorite parts of my job is taking something so ordinary and making
it look absolutely amazing! This happens most often when it comes to picking
portrait locations! If there is one thing that I love and appreciate about my
couples, it’s that they trust me! Sometimes I select portrait locations that most
people wouldn’t consider attractive. For example, the image on this spread
was taken enroute to the reception on the side of an apartment building complex.
I pulled off on the side of the street waved the limo down and asked the
bride and groom to step out for this photos. The light was just perfect! There
was nothing special about this place. It was boring and seamingly “ugly” from
everyone else’s point of view except mine! However, because my couple
trusted me and they were willing to pull off the road and run across the street,
they now have the most amazing portraits! So my encouragement is to just
trust me! You don’t have to worry about a thing! Trust my locations and I
know that you’ll LOVE the results!
I know from experience that all brides want their closest friends to have an AMAZING time during their big day and I will make sure that happens! Bridal party portraits should be a ton of FUN! After you share your first look, depending on the locations and the timing of the day, your bridal party will join us for portraits! If all goes well, we will be able to accomplish ALL of your bridal party portraits BEFORE the ceremony.
This means that your guys and gals will be free to mingle at cocktail hour if they wish! If there are flower girls and ring bearers involved, they can either join us for the pre-ceremony portraits or we can take one final group photo after the ceremony, before family formals. Be sure your groomsmen arrive with boutonnieres and your bridesmaids arrive with bouquets!
bridal party
Ceremony lighting is really important. If you get married outdoors at 12pm, the lighting is extremely harsh and not only will there be harsh lines of light on your faces, you will also be squinting. I suggest planning an outdoor ceremony 2 hours before sunset if you are having a FIRST LOOK. If you are not interested in sharing a first look, then I would suggest having your ceremony 3.5 hours before sunset to ensure that you will have plenty of time for all of your portraits afterwards. The lower the sun, the more romantic the lighting. If you are having an indoor ceremony, it is always best to have EVEN lighting at the altar. If there are two spotlights on the bride and groom, I will not be able to expose the rest of the bridal party. It is better to have soft, even light acorss the whole altar.
I have seen so many couples do so many AMAZING things during their ceremony. I’ve photographed couples washing each other’s feet, symbolizing that they want to serve each other for the rest of their life. Some couples share in communion while some light a unity candle. I’ve seen sand ceremonies, rope ceremonies and planting a tree. The options are limitless!! As you plan your ceremony, make sure you design it to be exactly what the two of you envision it to be. This is your day!! If you have the freedom to be creative, then by all means, be creative!! Andy and I had a less than traditional wedding. He coordinated our ceremony and I bartended our reception. Many people advised against a non-traditional wedding, but this was just who we were.
THE CEREMONY
LIGHTING
ORDER OF SERVICE
Here it is! The moment everyone has been waiting for! The music is playing and the guests have been seated. Ushers make their way to the back of the church/ceremony area and the coordinator is lining up the bridesmaids while giving the musicians a 5 minute warning. The bride is about to walk down the aisle to the love of her life..... and if she’s like most girls, she’s dreamed about this moment for a long time! Vows will be shared and promises will be made... this is what it’s all about!! In a world full of wedding blogs, Pinterest and bridal magazines, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and consumed by the “prettiness” of the event. While details do matter and planning is necessary, it’s important to never lose sight of the real purpose of this amazing day!
Here it is! The moment everyone has been waiting for! The music is playing and the guests have been seated. Ushers make their way to the back of the church/ceremony area and the coordinator is lining up the bridesmaids while giving the musicians a 5 minute warning. The bride is about to walk down the aisle to the love of her life..... and if she’s like most girls, she’s dreamed about this moment for a long time! Vows will be shared and promises will be made... this is what it’s all about!! In a world full of wedding blogs, Pinterest and bridal magazines, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and consumed by the “prettiness” of the event. While details do matter and planning is necessary, it’s important to never lose sight of the real purpose of this amazing day!
The BEST advice I have for the program making process is to remember that not EVERY guest needs a program! My sister printed a program for everyone attending her wedding but quickly realized that most families only took one. We ended up with over 100 extra programs! Yikes! Also, before ordering your programs, have SEVERAL people check it for spelling and grammatical errors. Programs and the ceremony decor are things that the bride can plan in advance but then deligate the actual job of setting it up to a friend or coordinator. The last thing a bride needs to be doing the morning of her wedding is running around setting up floral arrangements! This leads me into my next column!
Hiring either a full event planner or just a day-of coordinator is SO important!! Brides realize very quickly that if they do not have someone in charge of the coordination of the day, that responsibility will automatically fall on the mother of the bride, the photographer or the BRIDE! When a photographer is in charge of the timeline and the coordination of the day, the images will suffer. In my experience, couples that have the most stressful wedding situations were caused by a lack of organization and coordination. It’s so important to make this a priority. If you need any recommendations on wedding coordination services I would love to share some of my favorite vendors with you!
PROGRAMS + DETAILS
COORDINATION
I absolutely love meeting my couple’s families on the wedding day! Family formals are normally my first interaction with them and so I love to have a game plan for this part of the day! A few months or more before the wedding, you’ll receive a questionnaire from us that will ask you to list out the family formals you want us to capture. Here is a sample family formal list to help you start preparing what shots you need. I do have to limit the family formal time in order to ensure that we have plenty of daylight for your romantic portraits. However, any large family group shots that we don’t accomplish during family formals, we can be sure to capture at the reception!
- B&G with Bride’s Immediate Family
(Parents, Siblings, Grandparents, Nieces, Nephews)
- B&G with Bride’s Parents
- Bride with her Parents
- Bride with Mom, Bride with Dad
- B&G with Bride’s Grandparents
- B&G with both sets of Parents
- B&G with Groom’s Immediate Family
(Parents, Siblings, Grandparents, Nieces, Nephews)
B&G with Groom’s Parents
Groom with his Parents
Groom with Mom, Groom with Dad
- B&G with Groom’s Grandparents
B&G with all family members if time allows
I absolutely love meeting my couple’s families on the wedding day! Family formals are normally my first interaction with them and so I love to have a game plan for this part of the day! A few months or more before the wedding, you’ll receive a questionnaire from us that will ask you to list out the family formals you want us to capture. Here is a sample family formal list to help you start preparing what shots you need. I do have to limit the family formal time in order to ensure that we have plenty of daylight for your romantic portraits. However, any large family group shots that we don’t accomplish during family formals, we can be sure to capture at the reception!
family photos
sample list of family photos
reception details + tips
- GUEST CONSIDERATION : Take your guests into consideration when planning your timeline. If you have a lot of elderly guests that will not be staying until the very end, make sure you schedule the cake cutting at a relatively early time so that they can be a part of it. Grandma’s love seeing this sweet tradition! Plus, this gives the kitchen time to cut and plate your cake in time for dessert.
- KEEP IT MOVING : Chat with your coordinator about how you can plan your reception in a way that will keep guests engaged and moving all night!
- DON’T GET CAUGHT UP in the formalities and the details. Sure, details are pretty and fun to photograph, but they can steal the joy of the day if you get too caught up in them. (Just speaking from experience here) Plan your centerpieces, welcome table, etc. well before the wedding date and teach your coordinator or family friend how to set them up so that you aren’t even thinking about those things the day of!
The party is here!! Receptions can be a blast! However, it’s important to make sure that you have your event well thought out. This is the job of your coordinator and your DJ/Band. Your caterer will also play a big role in the design and set up of your event. Every aspect of your reception affects the overall outline of the evening. For example, if you’re not having a plated meal, your reception will need to be set up in a way that allows movement. Guests will need to be able to find the food stations easily and there will be a mixture of dinner tables and hightop cocktail tables. This will encourage guests to mix and mingle. If you are having a plated dinner, you will more than likely need escort cards, full place settings and space for all of your guests to be seated comfortably. Whatever the style of your event, make sure that you plan out all of the aspects of the evening. Your coordinator and DJ can help you set up the evening so that guests won’t leave early or experience long periods of waiting for the next thing to happen.
The party is here!! Receptions can be a blast! However, it’s important to make sure that you have your event well thought out. This is the job of your coordinator and your DJ/Band. Your caterer will also play a big role in the design and set up of your event. Every aspect of your reception affects the overall outline of the evening. For example, if you’re not having a plated meal, your reception will need to be set up in a way that allows movement. Guests will need to be able to find the food stations easily and there will be a mixture of dinner tables and hightop cocktail tables. This will encourage guests to mix and mingle. If you are having a plated dinner, you will more than likely need escort cards, full place settings and space for all of your guests to be seated comfortably. Whatever the style of your event, make sure that you plan out all of the aspects of the evening. Your coordinator and DJ can help you set up the evening so that guests won’t leave early or experience long periods of waiting for the next thing to happen.
