With over ten years of experience, as you can imagine, I have seen it all. We love that our clients are so trusting and even look to us for advice. After all, this is likely your first wedding and how are you supposed to know how to suddenly be the expert? We want to help!

There are some really simple things that I wish everyone knew when planning their wedding because they make a significant difference in not only your photos/video but also in your experience as well as your guests!

1. Plan around natural light! Especially if you are hiring a film photographer like us, you’ll want to be sure you have plenty of light for the times of the day that are most important. Film loves light. Even if you plan to do most of the portraits earlier in the day (which we recommend for a more stress free day), our favorite is when we get to use that soft golden light (usually during your cocktail hour) for a few more photographs of the two of you (after mom and dad get the family photos they have their heart set on, of course.) Whatever you do, please please please make sure the timing of your outdoor ceremony will have even light like this: It is a photographer’s nightmare to have bright sun on a bride’s face and the groom in a total shadow. It makes it nearly impossible to show both of your expressions in the same image (without using a flash anyway, which we choose not to do during a ceremony because we feel it is too disruptive.)
2. Choose a color pallet and stick to it. I can’t tell you how many times we have arrived to a wedding and as we are trying to sort through all the elements of the day to mentally design how we will capture it all (especially with details), there are just too many colors or styles going on. If you want to just go with what you like and don’t care, more power to you. Just know that the final product may be a little all over the place as well and you may not be as happy with it as you had hoped. Send us your design inspiration and even style choices like wedding dress, bridesmaid dress colors, flowers, invitations, etc. It helps us imagine the day ahead of time and even know what to bring to help tie it all together as we capture it. The design elements Hannah and Alex chose for their day were carried all throughout their day beautifully:
3. Plan enough time! I promise, the last thing you want on your wedding day is to feel rushed! It is the worst. You want to stay relaxed, calm, and able to enjoy one of the happiest days of your life. Planning enough time to get ready, take a moment to yourself before you see your groom, and plenty of time for beautiful portraits is key to a stress free, gorgeous wedding day. It sounds so basic, but it actually makes a huge difference not only in the pictures (and video!) but even in how your guests will view you on your wedding day. If you are stressed, it will show! Plus, having enough time allows us to spend an extra minute finding the perfect angles, perfect lighting, and not rushing you through some time to enjoy being together in front of the camera. You can thank me later.