Help your Photographer make your Special Day Perfect!

Your wedding is one of the most important events in your lifetime. Once the wedding is over you will be able to relive that day by looking at your wedding photographs. Beautiful wedding photos create a lifetime of wonderful memories. This is what you need to know to get great wedding photographs.

IMG_0069

Be Prepared
  Create a timeline for your wedding day. The timeline is an itinerary that is used to facilitate the events of the day and help keep things on track. A timeline will greatly assist your photographer when preparing for the day. Get a copy of the itinerary to the photographer at least two weeks in advance of the wedding day. Include the names and addresses of all the locations.

Streamline the Process
  The best photos are made through the creative process of the photographer. Avoid the need to micro-manage the process. Instead allow the photographer plenty of creative freedom. Streamline the list of photos that you must have and let the photographer take the photos as she sees fit. A good rule of thumb is to supply a list of five poses that you simply must have.

Don’t Worry About the Little Things  
Don’t let the little things bother you. You hired a professional wedding photographer and you should expect her to do the job well. There is no need to continually oversee the process. The photographer has a plan for the day and in order to do the job properly you need to let go of the need to manage the job.

Be Mindful of the Weather  
Discuss the general settings of your wedding photos with your photographer. Consider the options if the weather fails to cooperate. While you can’t control the weather you can be prepared with a plan if the weather turns bad. Think about alternate arrangements to accommodate the photos even during periods of excessive rain or heat.

Accommodate the Photographer
  The photographer is there to create wonderful wedding photographs. Be aware of the needs of the photographer and assist in any way you can. Be considerate of the photographer’s needs by ensuring that she has time to eat and to take short breaks. Help keep others from making demands on the photographer as this can deter the process.

IMG_0093 copy

So what is an engagement session?  Some know but aren't really sure if they want or need to have one.  They aren't sure where to do the session, what to wear, how to pose and the stress seems to overtake them before we even have a chance to discuss.  An engagement session is basically a "warm up session" before your big day.  We go somewhere fun, outdoors and have a very casual, fun session.  Its a great way for us to get to know each other, for me to see how you respond to the camera and to make you more comfortable so that the day of your wedding I'm not longer "the photographer", I'm “Crissy”!  :-)  I recommend dressing in solid colors if at all possible.  You can dress as casual or formal as you want.  The session usually takes about an hour.  For lighting purposes, I try to schedule them early in the morning or in the evening just before sunset. I really enjoy the engagement sessions.  We aren't dealing with a strict time line, we can get creative and just have fun!

IMG_0434 final

The number one question I get asked by new couples is “How much time do we need for wedding photography?”.

If your wedding timeline goes exactly as planned, you are the minority.  I always tell my couples, expect the unexpected and be prepared!  

Getting married is new to most people, as an experienced wedding photographer I’ve met with many prospective wedding couples over the years, when it comes to photography I’ve heard the same questions repeated over and over again. How much time is needed before & after the ceremony for photography?  I’ll try to break this down as best I can. 

Pre Ceremony “Getting ready photos”

This includes all the special moments with your wedding party & family leading up to the walk down the aisle! 

IMG_0064 copy

Detail shots– "Yes I want all the detail!" (Minimum 20 Minutes)

Dress, Shoes, Bouquet, rings etc    

Untitled-1

The Jewelry. This may include a family heirloom, a gift from your groom or someone special in your life.  

IMG_0043-final

Rings-1

So you see where I am headed.  The list goes on and on. If you want detail photos, you have to allow time for them.  We need a minimum of 20 minutes.

**TIP** Ask a bridesmaid to gather all of these items prior to the photographer arriving so they are ready to photograph and aren’t spending time locating these items.

Make a list of the detail items in advance that you would like to have photographed.  This way you aren’t trying to remember everything the day of.  This will not only save time, it will insure that you get the detail photos you want.

IMG_0102-1 final

Moments!

Allow at least 30 minutes for the photographer to get these photos.  These are moments you will never get back.  Mom helping you with your dress & dad seeing you for the first time. These memories need to be captured.  When I can get a shot of dad wiping a tear after he sees his beautiful daughter in her wedding gown, I feel I’m doing my job.  You must allow time for this though. So many times I arrive and the bride is already dressed and ready for formal photos.  That’s wonderful if you want traditional, posed wedding photography, but not if you want to document the story of the day through your photos. 

**TIP** Be sure to allow your makeup artist and hairstylist plenty of time to do their job. If they feel they will be cutting it close, ask them do your hair and makeup first so the photographer can start your formal photos.  You will be in all of the formal photos, it does no good to have your family and bridesmaids ready when you aren’t.  You can always get "touch ups" after photos.

This is a great time for candid photos.  Bridesmaids getting dressed. Toasts. Grandparents seeing the bride for the first time.  The Flower girl running around the room pretending to be a princess. These are all moments that should be captured.  These are memories that you will relive through your photographs the rest of your life.  (Minimum of 30 minutes)

bm copy

**TIP**  Try to keep the bridal room as clutter free as possible. Having deodorant and empty boxes in the room will certainly take away from the photo.  I know its impossible to keep it totally clutter free when 12 ladies are getting dressed in one small room, but if at all possible, keep all of that in one corner of the room or in a closet. 

Groom Candid Photos

If you want candid’s of the groom prior to the ceremony, make sure to factor in time for him as well.  If there are two photographers working your wedding (and there should be), the other photographer can sneak over to the groom’s room and take some photos of the guys if they are getting dressed at the same location (which I highly recommend.)  :-) (15 minutes)

Guys

Bridal Portraits!  Lets face it, this day is about you, the bride.  This is YOUR day. If you want gorgeous photos of you with glamorous lighting, you have to give the photographer time. Its not all about the location, its about the perfect lighting.  This isn’t something we like to rush through. We want your photos to be as stunning as you are on your wedding day. Minimum of 30 minutes

IMG_0277-final

Pre-Wedding Formals with Family

When I meet with couples, I give them a questionnaire that lists every combination imaginable.  This is a very useful tool.  It insures that you get the photos you want.  Having said that, I would limit the photos of you alone with various family members to immediate family.  You will want photos with you new husband and extended family after the ceremony so it may be overkill to do both.  It also takes time to gather these family members and most likely will arrive shortly before the ceremony. (15 minutes for family photos)

Bridesmaids

These are always fun and really fast.  We try to take several cute, posed shots and at least one fun shot. 

**TIP** If you have something in mind for a “fun” photo, let the photographer know!  Otherwise we will give you some ideas, but if you already know what you want or are willing to do (in a dress & heels) it will save some time.  (15 minutes)

IMG_0119 final

Groom Formal Portraits, Groom w/ Family & Groomsmen

For the groom alone we like to have around (15 minutes)  Groom with family & groomsmen  (20-30 minutes) (Total 45 minutes)

guys2

“Do we see each other before or not?”

I get this question a lot.  I learned recently this tradition started because of pre arranged marriages and they didn’t want either the bride or the groom “running away”.  Seriously.  I always thought it had to do with superstition.  Not the case.  If you want to see each other before the ceremony, that does get you to your reception earlier, but we take the same amount of photos regardless.  Should you decide to see each other before, we recommend a “first look” photo. (See below)

first look

The Ceremony

IMG_0175 copy

Depending on what type of ceremony you are having, it could last 20 minutes to 2 hours.  Your officiator should give you this information.

After Ceremony Formals

The dreaded posed formals. Never discount the formals, to many people they are a drag but to your grandparents and parents, they are gold! In these photos people will often come together that have never met, not seen each other in years and in many cases will never see each other again. They might not be the most exciting pictures but as the years go on you will become very fond of them.

This is where that list I was telling you about earlier can be a very useful tool.  We can move much faster if we have a list that we can check out as we go along.  Depending on your list this could take 15 - 30 minutes.

**TIP** Make a point to tell your family in advance to remain in place for these photos.  It will take longer if someone has to go grab uncle Bob at the bar.

**TIP** It’s very important that the rest of your guests go to cocktail hour during this time. They will want to visit with you and offer congratulations but that will cut into the photography or make you late entering your reception.

Reception Detail

If you want those awesome reception detail photos of your reception room prior to guests entering, please allow the photographers time to take these. (10 minutes)

details

COUPLE and WEDDING PARTY PHOTOS!

These are our favorite!  If it looks like its going to rain or get dark, we will push these up before the family photos.  We can always photograph those undercover with flash later.  We would LOVE to have an hour for couple photos.  I understand that we normally can’t have an hour, but if you truly want stunning photos, the more time we have the better! These are largely the photos that made you hire your photographer in the first place.  Let your photographer be brilliant for you! (1 hour)

IMG_0097 copy

**TIP** Ask someone in your wedding party grab a drink for you while we begin your couple photos.

NEF_0329 copy

Reception

**TIP** I recommend taking a few minutes to yourself and even eating alone before making your entrance to the reception. If you find that you are running out of time in your package, go ahead and take care of these formalities.

*First Dance

*Parent Dance

*Toasts

*Cake

You definitely want professional photos of these formalities. 

The short of it, in my experience 8 hours covers the average wedding perfectly.  I know not everyone can fit 8 hours of photography into their budget, but the more time a photographer has, the more beautiful your images will be!

If you remember nothing else, remember this...Breathe, take it all in, it goes by in a flash!

last page

GMC20220802-001A

Anita was so beautiful and so very relaxed!

2014debSP-9240 lo-res

Feet of Anita & the beautiful flower girl! lol

Jason was also a lot of fun. Even with all the groomsmen giving him a hard time, he still managed to give us some great smiles!

Jason sees Anita for the first time

Love this barn!

These little ones are just gorgeous! Brother/sister