9 Things Couples Wish They’d Known Before Their Wedding Day…
Want to take the stress out of your wedding day? Our experts; UK based Wedding photographers; Wedding Story Makers share 9 valuable and insightful tips to help you get the most from you big day…
1 Type of Wedding photographer…
Essentially there are two types of wedding photographer:
Traditional – i.e. formal shots, posed photos, the sort your parents generation may have had to shoot their wedding. May use a ladder to get that angled shot of you outside the church
Reportage/photojournalistic (like us) – authentic, moment capturing, candid. May include group shots and be flexible to their clients (your) needs, but essentially there to capture the day as it unfolds in all its loveliness. Also captures the details and often overlooked preparation.
We recommend you check your chosen photographers website to make sure you’re happy with their style.
2 Don’t stress about the weather…
Most couples want hot days and sunny skies on their big day BUT just be aware that sunny days mean shadows, which mean panda eyes and shaded faces. Light is key to a good photo and in fact, an overcast, cloudy day (dry of course) proves the best shooting conditions for outdoor photos. SO, if the sun doesn’t shine for you, all is not lost. Equally, it is highly likely that your venue is set up for all weathers anyway, so there’s always a plan B for fun out of the sun.
(ps. Spot the heavy rain in the background – a good photographer will minimize it’s impact for you)
3. All photographers are not equal…
Do you actually like your wedding photographer? Remember, they are going to be at one of the most important days of your life, so you want to make sure you’re happy to have them around. Your photographer needs to be sensitive to your needs on the day, be approachable and discreet. This includes their equipment – have they got a truck load of tripods and cameras or does their kit allow them to blend in to the crowd, so you’d forget they’re there?
We recommend you meet with them face to face at least once before your wedding, and ensure there is open communication between you in the lead up to your day.
4. Make time for the two of you…
One thing we do for our clients is to make sure you get at least 20 minutes for a bit of time out from the craziness of the day, just you two. We take you off for a walk, away from the mad crowd, giving you a bit of breathing space where you can connect as the married couple you have become. It also means we can get some super duper shots of you looking loved up against the beautiful back drop of your chosen venue. Check with your photographer that they will make time for this.
5. Take the stress out of speeches…
If you’re happy to go off piste from traditions, we have two suggestions for helping those who stress about speeches:
Do them early – i.e. after the ceremony, washed down with canapés and champagne
Open mic session – we saw this at one of our weddings in the summer, and it was so so great. It not only shared the stress and responsibility of making a speech, but also meant more people had a chance to share their thoughts and best wishes for the couple. Super lovely.
6. Invest in some heel stoppers…
Two words: Heels, grass.
These pups are a godsend – all you need to do is slip these Heel Stoppers them over your heels and you can shimmy in your Jimmy’s even on the grass. Topshop sell them, Amazon sell them. We supply our bridal parties with them for free, otherwise: Get some.
7. The Truth about Group Shots…
They can have the tendency to look uber formal. If you’re going to do them, make a short list of who’s who for the groups and make sure your photographer knows who they are. This is where your best man can help with the herding. We recommend that if you need group shots, restrict the time allowed to get them. If you don’t fit them all in, don’t worry, they probably wont make the final album cut anyway. Another solution is to do one shot that captures all your guests – that way, you guarantee everyone is included.
8. Have fun – your way…
Edgy, cheesy or plain silly. Be creative, but stay authentic to you. Just because your best mate had a jumping bridesmaids shot doesn’t mean it will work for you. Pinterest and Instagram are great for inspiration but again, be true to you. Wear that biker jacket with Wifey emblazoned on it if it reflects you and you’ll be happy to look back on it in 20 years time. But above all, have fun and enjoy it!
9. Don’t forget the Groom!
Weddings are generally seen as the domain of the bride; its all about her, the beautiful dress, the bridesmaids and flowers. But let’s not forget that it takes two to get married and a key player is the groom. One of our most favourite times of the day is the prep before the ceremony. We get to see both the bride and groom before they see each other on the day. We often find our services as photographers are heavily supplemented at these times, with additional duties such as button hole pinning, message running, timing checks and reassuring. We use this opportunity to get sincere and thoughtful portraits, including of the groom.
We hope you found those useful and if you liked us and want to find out more about our UK wide wedding photography packages fro £999, click here.