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Woohoo! You're engaged, you've started wedding planning, and you're starting to think about your wedding photos. Consider this your ultimate wedding photography planning guide for getting those real, honest photos you've always dreamt of. Together we'll go over all of the tips and tricks I've picked up over the years for how to make your wedding go smoothly from start to finish and get stunning photos. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can refer to it throughout your wedding planning process.
Let's get right to it, shall we?
THE SECRET TO GETTING AUTHENTIC PHOTOS
Before we can get into the logistics of how to get those REAL moments and make a wedding day run smoothly, we gotta touch on something that is even MORE important. It is easily the most important part of planning your wedding day, and that's mindset.
Your mindset is going to be the number one factor that determines how your photos are going to look. You have to be ready to let go and just be you. Don't self edit in the moment and stop yourself from experiencing those deep emotions because you think they're not going to "look good" on camera. Those are the moments that you'll cherish ten, twenty, thirty years down the line. Let yourself laugh and cry, and snot all over your partner. Let yourself be goofy. Let your weird shine through. Because that's who you really are. And that's what makes great photos great. Not beautiful backdrops. Not your photographers poses. It's those beautiful moments that you allow yourself to let go.
Let me guess. You're here because you're tired of seeing wedding photos that are all fake, right? The ones of couples perfectly posed. Everything just so precise and styled. Void of any personality. Because life isn't that perfect, is it? It's full of imperfect moments. And those messy, blurry, imperfect moments are what make life so beautiful.
You're here because you want photos that are of who you really are. Photos that feel true to your personality and your relationship. The thought of doing all of those stupid characterless poses makes you want to barf. I get it. Because that's how I feel too. Your wedding photos should be more than just walking through a list of shots that your photographer runs through with every single one of their couples. Cookie cutter photos.
BUT WE'RE AWKWARD IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA, HOW ARE WE GONNA LOOK NATURAL?
It's something I've heard from literally like 99% of my couples when they first reach out. "We're super awkward in photos so we're sorry in advance". But it's never turned out to be true.
In fact, it's not you at all. It's just that you've never worked with a photographer that took the time to let you just be yourself. You've never worked with a photographer that took the time to get to know you. What you love, what your love language is, how you interact with each other, what is it that makes you feel alive.
Working with a photographer that understands how to create moments instead of just poses is what is going to give you those real, candid feeling photos you've always dreamed of.
THE PROCESS
WEDDING DAY
Did your package include an engagement session? We can get rolling with your shoot anytime between contract signing and your wedding day. Just send me an email when you're interested in scheduling it.
So you signed your contract and made your depost. What happens next?
Engagement Session
Timeline Planning
Delivery
Contract + Deposit
2-3 weeks after wedding day you'll receive sneak peeks, and 90 days after is full delivery.
You signed the contract, made your deposit, and secured your dream photographer.
About one month before the big day, we create a day-of timeline together and plan family photos.
THINKING ABOUT GETTING READY OFF-SITE ON WEDDING DAY?
Be sure to be intentional about the space you're getting ready in. Your getting ready photos are what is the visual jumping off point for telling your story for the day. Renting a cute Airbnb, an aesthetic hotel room, or a cozy bed and breakfast, is a great way to bump up the style for your getting ready photos and you'll be so much more comfortable than in a boring stuffy hotel.
BOUNDARIES
Many people can feel particularly nervous while getting ready because there's so much anticipation before such an important moment! If you anticipate that you'll find yourself stressed or frazzled by family or friends (or yourself), it can be extremely helpful to communicate exactly what you would like to happen during this time beforehand so that you can feel your absolute best. Whether that be communicating that you need some alone time, maybe time surround by friends or family, or maybe just reiterate an all around positive atmosphere!
WEDDING DAY TIP
One way to help out your photographer is to have all of your detail items you'd like photographed (like jewelry, invitations, shoes, dress, rings, any sentimental items, etc.) set to the side before they arrive so we can spend more time focusing on the big emotions instead of hunting down each item.
detail photos + getting ready photos
2:30pm
FAMILY PHOTOS
For the standard 8 hour wedding day, this is what your timeline could look like. For couples that have an average of 5-8 wedding party members each, a moderate sized family (10-20 people), this is pretty average.
3:00pm
3:30pm
CEREMONY
COCKTAIL HOUR
4:00pm
WE SNACK, WE DRINK, WE CHILL.
5:00pm
RECEPTION
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!
7:00pm
SUNSET PORTRAITS
THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET? LET'S TAKE 15 MINUTES TO SNAG SOME PHOTOS OF YOU!
9:00pm
DEPARTURE
WE BID YOU FAREWELL. WE USUALLY DON'T STAY TILL THE VERY END UNLESS YOU'RE DOING A SEND OFF. WE'LL MISS YOU!
ARRIVAL
1:00pm
detail photos + getting ready photos
For the standard 8 hour wedding day, this is what your timeline could look like. Couples that have an average of 5-8 wedding party members each, a moderate sized family (10-20 people), this is pretty average.
2:30pm
WE BEGIN SOME SEPARATE FAMILY PHOTOS TO GET YOU TO COCKTAIL HOUR EARLIER
CEREMONY
3:30pm
4:00pm
COCKTAIL HOUR
5:00pm
RECEPTION
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!
7:00pm
SUNSET PORTRAITS
SUNSET PHOTOS OF YOU TOGETHER.
9:00pm
DEPARTURE
WE BID YOU FAREWELL. WE USUALLY DON'T STAY TILL THE VERY END UNLESS YOU'RE DOING A SEND OFF. WE'LL MISS YOU!
Not sure how to approach bridal party and family photos for wedding day? Make a detailed written list of what combos you would like! As mentioned in the first look section of this post, these photos can be done either before or after your ceremony based on if/when you're doing a first look. Family photos typically take 20-30 minutes based on family size, and bridal party about 15-20 minutes based on group size.
Groups of family photos can be broken down however you'd like, but these are my typical groupings for example:
TIPS FOR A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE
+ I can't stress this enough, but communication is key! Family photos are often the most intense part of the day for couples, especially if your family has a lot of strong personalities. Communicate with your family members beforehand the importance of focusing on the task so we can get them to food and drinks as quickly as possible!
+ Communicate a meeting place for your family to gather for photos before wedding day so there's no confusion about who should be where.
+ Make sure that you're as detailed as possible with your combinations of people in your family photo list! This ends up saving you the headache and lots of time on wedding day so we can just call out peoples' names.
+ Designate a "people wrangler" in each of your families. This could be a sibling, cousin, friend, anyone that knows everyone in your family and/or friend groups to help identify and gather people so you can spend more time relaxing and less time trying to find your missing aunt.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
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Ask your guests to leave the phone behind and have an unplugged ceremony.
Try to avoid scheduling your ceremony between the hours of 11am and 2pm. This is when the sun is at it's highest point in the sky and leads to some really harshly lit photos.
Worried about weather? Don't sweat the rain. Overcast and drizzly days lead to BEAUTIFUL photos. Cloudy weather softens the light and makes skin tones look creamy and soft.
If you have a choice is ceremony location, choosing one with the setting sun behind your officiant will help you and your bridal party avoid being squinty in photos and will give you that beautiful glow.
My Philosophy
