Tips + Suggestions for Weddings
There are always tips and tricks to share from every wedding site and vendor out there. These are just a few for you to keep in mind for you big day.
A great wedding planner or day of coordinator will automatically make sure you have the great tools and ideas for half of the wedding and the photographer for the other half.
Your venue will also play a large part in what to plan for along with the time of the year. I have a 100,000 other tips and tricks but we will keep it simple for this post.
The key word here is lighting. Lighting plays a huge role in photography and sometimes makes or breaks a photo.
As your wedding photographer and good friend, I don't want to take over your wedding day timeline, nor do I want to change anything about your wedding day. Because it is your big day as bride and groom :)
But, I do want to "shed-some-light" on some tips and suggestions that will help me and ultimately help you get those dreamy, creamy, and beautiful photos along with that picture perfect movie perfect day to remember forever in the best way possible.
So let’s do this!
Getting Ready
What are getting ready photos?
Getting ready photos are just that, photos of you getting ready before your ceremony. Usually couples choose to have coverage start when they’re nearing the end of actually getting ready. For brides, this can be an entire process and typically no one wants photos before everything is coming together and hair and makeup are 90% complete. Adjusting your timeline to reflect the photographer and videographer showing up about an hour before your hair and makeup is complete will make sure you don’t waste precious coverage (and money).
The getting ready location is the perfect way to start the narrative of your wedding day. From the moment your getting your hair done, to your mom lacing up the back of your dress, and the moments you share laughing with your best girl-friends!
My tip is have great snacks and dishes for them. Chilled drinks and nice glass or plasticware. It’s not the big moment but the getting ready is a memorable time with girlfriends and family that makes for such great moments and memories.
Some brides don’t care for professional photos of the “pre-party”, and that is TOTALLY OKAY! This is your day and you get to have it the way you want to! Make sure you communicate exactly what you want because I want to make it happen for you the way you want. Either way, these tips are great with or without your photographer there.
Tip 1:
Choose a location with large windows.
Getting ready near a large window can bring in A LOT of natural light! It's also the the secret to gorgeous, natural-looking photos! Since, artificial and incandescent overhead lighting creates a weird, un-natural yellow tone to the skin, that is hard to see with the naked-eye but is visible in photos.
Plus you're makeup artist + hair-stylist will appreciate this while dolling you up!
Tip 2:
Consider renting a stylish + cute looking home from AirBNB.
Well decorated homes and stylish AirBNBs are infinitely better than most hotel rooms. Since hotel rooms can be really stuffy, with questionable carpet and chair choices, non-smoking signs, and un-flattering wallpaper and funky art. Airbnb's have a lot of character and create some gorgeous getting ready shots!!
Airbnb's can also be cheaper than hotels, too! But keep in mind your getting ready location should be relatively close (within 20 minutes driving distance) to your ceremony location. They are also usually great for rooming more people together, and having room for everyone and wedding supplies!
Please note: That you don't have to incorporate all these tips into your wedding day to get great photos. Weddings are about the people you are with and the memories you will make. A great wedding photographer, will know how to face any tricky lighting scenario and create a beautiful composition.
However, any consideration on these tips will usually be more beneficial than not.
TIP 3:
Play music for chill vibes
Having a photographer bouncing around with their camera can be weird. The majority of people don’t having cameras following them around and it can be slightly intimidating. One way to ease nerves is to have a getting ready playlist! Leading up to your day, put some of your favorite songs into a playlist and have it playing in the background. It seems like it wouldn’t make a huge difference but it totally does.
CEREMONY
Outdoor ceremonies are my absolute favorite! But try making sure your ceremony is during the best time of day for the season and location. Harsh overhead 12PM Alaska sun can leave harsh shadows under the eyes, making you appear to have dark circles ("raccoon eyes"), and leave un-flattering shadows under the nose ("shadow mustaches!" yes, it happens).
Tip 1:
Try to avoid the hours between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m for ceremonies in the Summer. Choosing a time a bit later in the day, when the sun is a little lower and not right over our heads, can create some beautiful landscape photos, and flattering skin tones. The ideal time would be about 2-3 hours before sunset but because we don’t really have sunset, later in the day or a spot that can be shady is ideal unless you want the sunglasses or squinty eye look.
Tip 2:
When positioning your outdoor ceremony think of this.. The sun should be setting behind the officiant. When the sun is behind the officiant, then the bride, groom and whole wedding party are not facing the sun. If the ceremony is facing the sun it will then cause everyone to have squinted eyes, and harsh face shadows, which can be really unflattering. Essentially, make sure the sun is setting behind you.
Tip 3:
If you're worrying about the weather being overcast on your wedding day. Please don't, believe it or not, but overcast days create such beautiful lighting. They also create a giant soft box, which means no harsh shadows, no raccoon eyes, or shadow mustaches lol. It makes everyone look great with soft, creamy skin tones!
Unplugged Ceremony
I cannot recommend this enough. So many times, my view is obstructive with cell-phones, iPads, and even guests own flash-cameras. I highly recommend having an unplugged ceremony and letting your officiant announce to the guests that "the lovely couple have requested that guests please turn off their devices and be present in the moment." Because I promise you, my photos will look 100x better then a photo taken on an iPad.
Here is a funny article of a couple of wedding ceremonies that were not unplugged:
CLICK HERE TO SEE: 23 Wedding Photos That Will Make You Have An Unplugged Wedding
Even though guests *think* they're being inconspicuous, they undoubtedly ALWAYS step in the aisle. Sometimes their flash will go off at the exact time I take the photo of your first kiss and then you end up with a weirdly lit photo. You're paying thousands of bucks for professional, high quality images. You don't need a million zoomed in and crooked iPhone shots.
One time, grandma brought the largest Ipad that she had a coat pocket that it fit into! It was a small ceremony but you either saw the Ipad out or in the jacket pocket.
A sign at the ceremony is also something some clients have put up and has been effective. Your wedding ceremony will be so much more beautiful when everyone is listening to your words, enjoying the moment and being true witnesses to your vows.
A great way to help guests feel good about putting their phones away is have a moment where the officiant says “everyone get their phone out and get photos of you two up there” and then remind them all to “turn off or silent phones, tablets and electronics” and then “that it is an unplugged wedding" so please be in the moment and let everyone enjoy the special time without their phone.”
Reception
When it comes to lighting during the reception each venue is different, but I always suggest natural-looking, warm light. Warm light creates such a beautiful and dreamy ambience in photos.
Tip 1:
Whether it's an indoor or outdoor reception, adding Italian string lights or Cafe lights are a beautiful way to add pretty bokeh (the blurry, sparkly orbs in the background of photos).
Tip 2:
If you're considering up-lighting, note that the color you choose for up-lighting will set the color tone of your photos. For example, if you're uplighting is pink, than anything that is white (hence your wedding dress) will have a pink hue on it.
I strongly recommend to clearly communicate with your DJ that you only want colorful lighting during the party/dancing portion of the night and to turn off any colorful lighting for the first dance and special parent dances.
Colorful lighting can take away from a beautiful moment such as the first dance. I just don't want you to look back and think "i wish, i had turned off the blue/pink lighting during our first dance, cause now all i see are blue/pink on our faces.."
But other than that! Go crazy with the lights for the dance/party portion of the night!! It creates fun looking photos and guests love it when they're dancing the night away!
Special Exits
There are so many special exits!! Such as the sparkler exit, confetti exit, the last dance, and so many more. I can't wait to see what you choose to end the night with :)
Sparkler exit:
If you decided to have a sparkler exit I recommend purchasing sparklers that are long enough. If your sparklers are too short, they might burn out by the time all your guest light up their sparklers. Try getting 10-12 inch sparklers, they are more effective. Purchase enough sparklers to give to your guests, and make sure to have a couple of lighters or butane torches that way people can get their sparklers lit quicker.
Choose a dark place to have the sparkler exit, since the sparkler will have enough light to illuminate you both
These are harder to do in Alaska Summer weddings due to the constant daylight, but they still look great!
A wedding planner is a great person to make sure they are lit on time and for everyone and they are disposed of properly. If you don’t have a planner make sure someone brings the lighters, fireworks, and a large bottle of water in a 5 gallon bucket so that after the send off they also have a bucket of water to dispose of the fireworks safely.
Please keep in mind fire bans and venue rules.
Other amazing exits:
Glow Sticks
LED tubes
Sequins
Bubbles
Confetti Poppers
Large Glitter
Whole flowers
Leaves
Ribbon Wands
Release Butterflies
Release Doves
Large Glitter
Lavender
Ring Bells
Wave Hankerchiefs
Champagne Showers
Getaway on Boat
Getaway on float plane or bush plane
Getaway in Classic Car
Whatever you choose will be amazing because at the end of the day it will be with people you love and cherish :)
As a plea please don’t use toxic materials for wildlife or nature. Also no sky lanterns as they can cause house and wild fires and dangers to cars and animals. They are also banned in Alaska.
Remember, as you’re choosing your exit, consider biodegradable options or plan for someone to clean up after your exit. Some venues have very strict policies on what you can and cannot do for an exit.
Also, don’t have anyone throw things at you until you are ready to leave if you don’t want rice, lavender, confetti, or anything on you, your flowers, your hair, for the rest of your photos
In the Moment
At the end of the day, I want you to be in-the-moment.
These are only tips and suggestions to help guide you through the creation of your wedding day. But what really matters is the time you will share celebrating the connection between you and your love, with your family and friends by your side.
The Final Tip:
The day of your wedding, I want you to feel the moments in your soul. The moment you are walking down the aisle towards your love, the moment you read each other's vows and promises to one another, and the moment you have your first dance as husband and wife. These are the moments that count, and these are the moments I will capture for you...that way they will be with you forever :)
