Oh my gosh, you’re engaged!

We just want to start by saying congratulations. We are so excited for you both and everything that is ahead! This is a season of excitement, planning, and celebration! We love helping couples capture their love in a genuine and personalized way. We’ve written some of our top tips and advice to help smooth your big day! We’ve photographed (and attended) many weddings and have seen it all!

So let’s get started, so we can plan your big day with no hiccups or stress!

Timeline.

Once you’ve created a general draft of your timeline for the day, our best advice is to send it to your photographer. Whether it’s us or someone else, a professional photographer knows the wedding world well and we can help you if there’s places you need to add time or what adjustments might be needed.

Don’t rush the day.

We can’t say it enough. If photographs are important to you, especially intimate bride and groom shots, do not be stingy on your timeline. Beautiful photos take time and we want to make sure we’ve scheduled exactly the right amount of time to photograph what you need. This day is only celebrated once and we want to help you remember it for a lifetime.

Day of Coordinator.

If you’re not using a wedding planner, we highly recommend finding someone to be a day of or weekend coordinator. Many bride and grooms overlook this and with how much there is going on at once on your wedding day, it’s worth the extra money to have someone that all vendors, family members, and general parties can look to. We have photographed weddings both with and without “Day of Coordinators” and the difference in not only the photos, but the bride and groom’s stress levels is HUGE. Find someone who you trust and keeps you calm to orchestrate the timeline and details of your day so you can enjoy the moment!

Trial Makeup.

If you’re having a makeup artist, use your trial makeup appointment on the same day of your engagement portrait session. It’s a great way to save money, feel beautiful for your engagement shoot, and kill two birds with one stone!

Details.

Pack a bag of all the details (His & Hers) such as garter, invitation, jewelry, cufflinks, shoes, tie, veil, etc. and have them in one place (preferably near the hanging dress) when you get to the venue. That way, when your photographers arrive, we can photograph all the details first thing and we won’t be running around looking for all those pieces. We, of course, will ask separately for your rings and always give those back to you or whoever is in charge of the rings prior to the ceremony.

Along with “details” bags, we recommend having any details you’d like photographed before the ceremony arrive EARLY. This is especially important for flowers. We love to photograph floral arrangements before they get into the hands of the bridal party and sometimes with the rings or other details shots. Typically, we are with you the entire day, so detail shots occur at the top the day while you’re in the early process of getting ready.

Bridesmaids Cottage/Suite.

Ladies have a lot of “stuff” and while it’s lots of fun to get ready for a big celebration with your best girlfriends, it is incredibly difficult to photograph in piles of clutter. The best thing to do to avoid this is to either designate a room or corner for everyone’s things to be kept when they’re not using them or to keep a room open for just the bride and her mother and/or maid of honor to put on the dress when the time comes. Wherever there is a large mirror or beautiful setting in the bridal suite is typically where you want to avoid clutter.

First Look?

This is always a big question from our bride and grooms. Should we have a First Look or wait to see each other at the ceremony? We HIGHLY recommend having a First Look. Having this private moment earlier in the day means that all bridal party and family portraits and most of the intimate bridal shots can happen before the ceremony. It makes the day run super smooth! Of course, this is YOUR day and if a First Look is not something you prefer, then don’t do it. All this means is adjusting your timeline so that all these portraits can happen after the ceremony. Timelines are dependent on 1st Looks, lighting, cocktail hours, and so much more!

Maid of Honor to Assist.

Brides! It’s a great idea to have your Maid of Honor or another bridesmaid assist during the First Look and the Intimate photos. While during the First Look, we’ll ask them to hang back and give you your moment, it’s so helpful to have another hand around to hold your train, hold your bouquet, and be a second pair of hands and eyes on deck.

Shoes.

If your dress is long enough, we always think it’s a smart idea to wear a more comfortable set of shoes for all the photos. Especially for weddings in the Pacific Northwest! It’s a long day on your feet and we want you comfortable and warm because it reflects in your portraits. Once family portraits are over, we typically try to block a break for you to sit down, touch up your hair and makeup, and switch your shoes before the ceremony.

Family Portraits.

Depending on your family, we recommend telling everyone that photos are occurring 15 minutes before they actually happen instead of telling them to come early. If certain family members naturally run late, we don’t want them to think they have extra time. This also helps us run on time and then we aren’t waiting around for one family member to finish family portraits. We organize our family shot list to be productive and efficient so everyone can go back to whatever they need to do prior to the ceremony,

Along with this, when it comes to the family portrait shot list, we only listen to the bride and groom. We plan all these shots out with you prior to the wedding day and if you think of any last minute shots that need to happen in the moment, we are absolutely fine with that! We don’t leave time for everyone else’s family photo requests because this can become a long list and we need to prioritize the timeline. That being said, if someone would like a specific family arrangement, we are always happy to photograph this at the reception in between other moments.

Cellphones.

Consider having your guests put away their phones for the ceremony portion of the evening. It is really disappointing when people consistently are putting their phone in front of the professional cameras. You’ve invested money in professional photography and this helps your photographers have the space and freedom to do their job.

Take Your Time!

When walking down the aisle with your father, kissing at the altar, or dancing back down the aisle after becoming husband and wife, go slow. Taking your time allows us to really capture these special moments and allows your guests and you to soak it all in. This is your day! These are your moments together to cherish, so do just that and we’ll capture your love and happiness.

Remember what’s important.

At the end of the day, it’s about marriage. Your wedding lasts one day, but a marriage lasts forever! Don’t stress about the little things. We are here to put you at ease and help you really take in every moment of the day. Our job is to capture you in these moments and help you celebrate for a lifetime of memories through your portraits. We love the reward of this job and we don’t take it lightly. Your relationship with your wedding photographer is a very personal one and we hope to help you remember this day forever.

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