Wedding Photographer
Weddings can be stressful enough as it is without having to worry about all the little things that could possibly go wrong. Here are some tips from a professional wedding photographer to get you a little bit more prepared for some of the things that could arise on your big day!
1. Before the wedding ⏳ Prepare as much as you can the week/day/night before. Do your nails, get a spray tan, finish your vows, maybe even wash your hair and shower the night before to save time in the morning. The more organized you are, the less stressed you will feel when you turn in for the night and you can hopefully rely on a restful night’s sleep. ?
2. Wedding prep ? Allow enough time for hair and makeup. It’s important to put a lot of thought into the scheduling of this portion of the day, because everything that happens beyond this point will depend on how close to the run sheet you run for hair, makeup and getting dressed. If you think hair and makeup will take 4 hours, schedule at least 5. If you have 4 or more bridesmaids, add another hour. A lot can happen during this time, and you don’t want to be rushing around and getting stressed before the main event has even begun.
3. Ceremony ?Don’t stress about running late to the ceremony: YOU ARE THE BRIDE! You are allowed to be fashionably late! If you are the groom, yeah you should definitely stress about being late… ?In all seriousness, this has never happened.
If you are nervous about the ceremony and saying your vows, try to focus on each other and the reason why you are there.
4. Photo shoot ? Again, allow enough time for photos. This part of the day can either be really fun or really stressful. The key is to allow enough time for photos with your bridal party as well as the two of you as a couple. If you have one hour or less to your disposal I recommend getting all the bridal party photos out of the way first as then they can leave the two of you to the couple portion for the last 20-30 minutes. This saves time and keeps everyone on their toes to get it all done in the set timeframe.
5. Reception ? ENJOY IT!
6. Budgeting ?
When budgeting your wedding, put your dollars into the right categories. You want to spend your money on the things that really matter, and the things you will get joy from years after your wedding. Here are some guidelines:
?Bonbonnieres $ ?Invitations = $$ ?Alcohol = $$
?Celebrant = $$$ ⛪️Venue = $$$
? Wedding Photographer / videographer = $$$$
Obviously, you literally CAN’T get married without a celebrant, so he/she is very important. Your photographer/videographer provides you with the only permanent memories from your special day; it doesn’t matter how long you spent DIY-ing your amazing table centre pieces if you have no professional photos in which to preserve them. And let’s face it, in our experience every time a couple decides to go with hobby photographer uncle Bob and his new fancy camera in lieu of a professional, they always regret it.
In comparison, expensive bonbonnieres aren’t that important and often the guests end up leaving them behind anyway. The invitations you send out will inevitably end up in the bin at some point; what a shame to spend a lot of time and money on them (in saying that, a great invitation designer is often cheaper than DIY and can save you a lot of stress)! And alcohol seems like a wasteful thing to spend your budget on, right? That’s not to say you should forget about spending money on the fun and more trivial parts of your day! But maybe you could consider having a cash bar instead of a huge prepaid bar tab. People are generally very happy to buy their own drinks after getting warmed up by one or two free beers or glasses of wine. ?
General stuff ?
7. Make sure you don’t spend more $$$ on DIY than it would have cost to order premade. Often we have such great intentions when it comes to DYI-ing wedding invitations and decorations, but in the end it’s very easy to spend more on the things that go into making them than it would have cost to just order them. There are some amazing invitation designers out there who can provide you with lovely budget friendly options, and ditto for decorations.
8. If you’re struggling for something to entertain your guests between the ceremony and reception, have a jumping castle! This is a super fun idea and will make that time fly by while they are waiting for you to get back from your photo shoot.
9. Wear heel stoppers to prevent your shoes sinking into the grass. If you are having a garden ceremony, consider leaving out a basket of these for your guests to wear too – they will love you for it!
10. Don’t forget to eat! The day goes quickly, and you may be a bit nervous and not feel like eating before the ceremony. But please do! Between the ceremony and dinner time you will be starving if you don’t have something in your tummy, and you don’t want to risk feeling light headed or queasy on your big day. Make sure to also drink a lot of water (yes, even if it means you have to pull your dress up into a rubbish bag to go to the toilet).
11. Enjoy the moment. Remember to take the opportunity to marvel in your special day, appreciate each other, and just BE for a moment. ?
12. Don’t stress about the weather. Whatever happens, it can’t be helped. Let your venue or wedding coordinator worry about a wet weather options for your ceremony, and just say “what will be will be”. It will be beautiful no matter what!
13. Delegate tasks. Ask the people around you to help; your bridesmaids and groomsmen are there at your disposal – use them!
14. Grooms: Take everything out of your pockets! ? No dubious lumps and bumps, please. ?Also, take your sunnies off (unless they’re a special feature).
15. Brides: If you’re having an outdoor wedding, use a perfume that’s also a mosquito repellent, such as Victoria’s Secret “Bombshell”!
16. Use magnetic veil weights to keep your veil from blowing away on a windy day.
17. If you get red wine onto your white dress, quickly pour a generous amount of table salt onto the stain. This will draw out a lot of it without destroying your dress and the rest should come out in the dry clean.
18. Offer cold water bottles and fans for your guests on really hot days, and cosy blankets on really cold ones. It adds a bit of thoughtful flair and your guests will love it!
19. Have an UNPLUGGED CEREMONY. This means no phones, cameras or ipads in the aisle making the professional photographers’ jobs more difficult, and more importantly, it means your guests are more present during the ceremony and they end up enjoying the moment with you.
20. Bring thongs for party time (if you’re not Australian I totally hear how that sounds ?)! By the end of the day, your feet will probably be sore from wearing heels all day, so now is the time to let loose and air those toesies. Your dress will most likely cover your feet anyway, and by reception time no one (including you) will care if you’re not 100% in wedding gear.
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