Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Wedding Photography Coverage

Communication & Planning is Key

Communicate from the start. We invite you to tell us what about our work caught your eye. If there are certain poses or lighting that you are really drawn to, it is important that you share this with us. We will keep this in mind on your wedding day and incorporate what you love about our work into your very own wedding photos.

During the planning process, keep us informed with your plans and do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions! We have many years of experience and might be able to offer some helpful advice or solutions. 

Create a Photography Timeline. You are probably already planning to create a wedding day timeline in efforts to keep everyone and everything organized on the big day, but have you thought about the photography timeline? If photography is important to you, then you must incorporate the latter and we are happy to help with this! About 2-3 months before the big day is a great time to begin discussing a plan for your photography (if not earlier). It is important that the two timelines are in sync with each other and if you have a wedding coordinator who will be taking care of your scheduling, please include your photographer in the communication process. We pay close attention to lighting and will make sure that there is sufficient time allotted for your “must have” pictures. As we have said many times, “You don’t want to miss out on sunset photos because your reception is starting 5 minutes before sunset!” 

Photography Inspiration & Collaboration 101. A commonly asked question is “I need to share my Pinterest wedding board with you, right?” You among many other brides may have been collecting inspirational wedding photos for the last 6+ months, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to share it with your photographer. Sharing your ideas with us is important, but we can easily be overwhelmed (and confused) upon receiving a Pinterest gallery with 20+ photos, all from different weddings and locations that aren’t yours. We want you to communicate your ideas with us, and if you are going to share inspiration photos please be specific. Is it the pose, lighting, composition, or location that you really love in the picture? We want to receive a clear idea of what you looking for and avoid any misconceptions.

Also, if you aren’t an avid “Pinner” don’t worry! We have a short questionnaire which we usually ask our clients to complete a few months before the wedding day. This will give us a general idea of what you like and don’t like, and lot’s of freedom to create something unique on your wedding day! 

Communicate on the wedding day. You might have very specific ideas for what you want us to photograph, or you may want us to capture things in a more spontaneous and natural flow. Either way, it is important that you communicate your desires to all parties involved to avoid  miscommunication via a middle person.

Think Ahead

Hire a professional Hair & Makeup artist. Having an amazing hair and makeup artist is just as important as having a talented wedding photographer. It is key to loving how you look in your wedding pictures. As photographers, we have worked with many different hair and makeup artists and we are happy to recommend the one that can achieve the bridal look you are dreaming about!

Some hair and makeup tips -  

• Address skin issues beforehand. This might be as simple as perfecting your at-home cleansing ritual and incorporating nightly face masks. For more serious issues, think about consulting a professional esthetician. 
• Choose a color palette that compliments your eyes, skin tone, and wedding theme.
• Plan for your wedding day hair style. If you are wanting long luscious locks to complete your bridal look, you may need to start incorporating hair masks and moisturizing treatments into your beauty routine months before, or maybe talk to your stylist about hair extensions. It is important to take into consideration wind and humidity when choosing your bridal hairstyle, but updos aren’t the answer to everything! Get creative by doing a half up/half down look, or wearing a floral crown to keep your locks in place during the photo taking.
• We highly recommend doing a trial before the wedding if possible (and maybe take engagement photos the same day, hint hint!).  
• Have a touch up kit handy (i.e. blotting tissue, extra lipstick, hair pins, hair spray, etc.)
• Don’t forget about the groom! Most makeup artists can quickly coverup any unwanted blemishes or redness, ensuring that you are both looking great on your wedding day! 

Assign a Dress Attendant. You decided to splurge on the designer wedding gown with the ultra long train and you are so excited for how amazing it is going to look in your wedding photos….. Wait a minute, let’s rethink that. It is going to look amazing in your photos if someone arranges it properly! A lot of bride’s assume that this will be an easy task for their bridesmaids, but then on the wedding day your ladies are struggling in their heels and floor length dresses while holding their bouquets and drinks. If you think your bridesmaids might be overwhelmed with the task, it would be advantageous to assign a reliable friend, or family member (who doesn’t mind bending over a lot!), to attend to your dress. If your photographers have the extra help, at the end of the day you are going to have a lot more photos with your dress (and you!) looking amazing in them! So think about who you can actually count on to take care of THE DRESS and keep in mind that you may have to return the favor down the road. It’s a win win for everyone! 

Plan for your comfort. We want you to look and feel amazing on your big day and you feeling amazing will help us get better pictures! First things first. We know you just splurged on those custom Jimmy Choos, but be realistic, do you really want to wear them for the entire day (and night!)? Especially, if you aren’t accustomed to walking in heels, we highly recommend for you to consider having a second pair of comfortable wedges to switch to when your feet start feeling sore. The trick is to have them be the same height as your “real” wedding shoes, this way your dress won’t end up being too long or too short. 

Second. Don’t let the tropical heat damper your day. Stay cool by drinking lots of water and have your bridesmaids bring an umbrella for shade if you will be taking photos outdoors during the day. 

Trust

The nice thing about hiring a professional is that you can sit back and relax because it’s not their first rodeo! We have photographed hundreds, if not thousands of weddings. We know what to expect and have overcome challenging situations in the past. We have learned that despite the best laid plans, you sometimes just have to be flexible on the day. You can trust that as your photographers, we will capture your wedding day as you dreamed it.