Wedding Photography Tips for Brides and Grooms for Capturing Magical Photos on Your Wedding Day

Your wedding day is one of the biggest and most important days of your life!

Planning ahead for your wedding photos will allow you to look back and treasure every moment over and over again. Am I suggesting that your photography is one of the most important elements of your big day? Yes I am! Your photographs are the ONLY thing (besides your love of course!) that outlast your wedding day. Your flowers will wilt, your wedding cake will be eaten (maybe even smashed in your face!), but your photos are forever. So don't choose your photographer haphazardly. And if you've already chosen me as your photographer, I'd love nothing more than for you to cry, smile and be transported back to that glorious day every single time you sit down to look at your wedding photos. Here are my TOP TIPS that will make that possible for you as you go about planning your wedding day.

• Be Prepared for the Unexpected! Anything and everything is possible during a wedding. Weddings are very complex events and unexpected occurrences are bound to happen! Hair and make-up often run late, the bridesmaids take longer to get ready than the itinerary called for, flowers arrive late, the cake arrives slightly damaged, babies cry incessantly during the ceremony, the ring bearer cannot find the rings (GASP!) OK, you get the picture. Don't fret over it, roll with it, and ABOVE ALL, keep a SMILE on your face and a POSITIVE ATTITUDE! Believe me, it will go a looooong way and IT WILL SHOW in your photos whether you are either mega-stressed or having the best time of your life. You SHOULD be having the best time of your life! So don't sweat the small stuff. Move on and don't let the fact that every detail isn't perfect ruin the rest of the day!
• Trust me! You have booked (or are hopefully considering booking) me because you love my work and you recognise my experience in photographing weddings. I have a lot of experience doing this and I know which lighting scenarios will be the most flattering and will make you look the most beautiful. I only want the best for you and for you to be super happy with your photographs. So if I suggest moving into better light or doing something that maybe feels a bit silly, please trust me! Trusting me also means not handing me with a detailed shot list but allowing me to naturally capture everything as it unfolds. Of course if there are things that are especially important to you that have sentimental meaning such as a brooch or a guest or a pet then please do make sure I'm aware to keep an eye out. Allow me to be creative in the way I work and trust that I will capture every detail.
• I respect that you have spent a lot of money on your dress but sometimes I will ask you to climb over a fence to get into a lovely field at sunset. And you will be reluctant but then thank me afterwards when you receive your photos! And you are likely to get your dress laundered at the end of the day so don't worry about it getting a little dirtied on the day.
• Lighting is the Most Important Ingredient in Photography. We’ll talk about the best and worst times of day to photograph a few tips down, but for now, just keep this principle in mind: Photographers are generally looking for the BEST LIGHT to capture you in, not that cool fountain over there or that neat spot in front of the flower garden. Location is important of course, but LIGHT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT for creating stunning photos. So do yourself a favor, and let the photographer guide you to the best spots for your photos. If I ask you to move around for the best light, trust me that I know what I'm doing! (Yes, the trust thing again, this is really important to me obviously ;) Personally, I search for a combination of 1)THE BEST LIGHT + 2) THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOCATION, in that order. Of course, don’t hesitate to share your own spontaneous ideas, but keep yourself open to the photographer’s expert eye.  
• Golden Hour: The Best Time to Photograph: Maybe you’ve heard of the so-called golden hour? It’s that magical time of day when the sun drops low on the horizon and everything is bathed in golden light. This happens about 1 hour before sunset and it is the IDEAL time to shoot your private couple session photos. If you like the style you see on my website and really want to emulate that on your wedding day, you should really plan to escape with me from whatever you’re involved in at sunset for at least 15-20 minutes of your couples session during this time. Another really nice time to get some creative shots is at what we call the “blue hour” ; this is about 30 minutes to 1 hour after sunset during twilight. It can be an especially unique time to capture beautiful shots with the venue lit-up in the background. (Or lanterns, fireworks, or anything lit-up really). If these kinds of shots interest you, just let me know!
• High Noon: The Worst time to Photograph: When you create your itinerary, please keep in mind that between 12pm-2pm is the worst time to schedule your couple shoot or outdoor ceremony. The sun positioned directly overhead creates unflattering, harsh shadows on the face and it’s also the hottest part of the day. Brides, you’ll be happy that your hours of preparation aren’t melting away in the mid-day heat and Grooms, you’ll be thrilled that you’re not creating big sweat rings on your black tux!
• For Your Preparation, keep these tips in mind: 
• Pick a large room facing north (if wedding is in Northern Hemisphere) as your preparation room. The light coming in through the windows will be very soft and flattering. Make sure to ask your make-up and hair stylist to position you in front of a window with natural light while getting prepared.  
• If you have a bridal party, have your hair and make-up completed FIRST, and the girls after you. That way, while they are finishing up, we can move on to your bridal portraits. Your make-up and hair can be refreshed before you walk down the aisle.
• If the bride and bridesmaids wear matching robes, it will look VERY CUTE! Sweatpants and pyjamas...ECCCK! Better left for your netflix marathons! 
• When you have a number of girls, hair and make up teams and all their kit, space can get pretty crowded and messy. Try to think about getting ready in a larger space with good natural light. These pictures are some of the loveliest and most natural as you spend the morning with your closest girlfriends. If you are all spread across different rooms of the house getting ready it's hard for me to capture real engagement between you. There is nothing more lovely that the love and laughter of best friends preparing for a day like a wedding and I really want to capture that for you.
• Keep your preparation rooms tidy and clutter free. Make the beds, and make sure the surfaces aren’t cluttered with wedding objects. Cluttered backgrounds don’t look so pretty in your wedding photos. This one is especially important for my guys to keep in mind! haha! Just sayin’ ;)
• Think about light when you plan your outdoor ceremony. From a photography standpoint, the best time for ceremonies is in the late afternoon. If you MUST plan your ceremony between 11-2pm, think about trying to have it in the shade of a big beautiful tree. Everyone looks prettier in the shade and you won't be squinting in every photo.
• Reception Lighting: For indoor receptions, the more lighting you have, the better. Uplighting (lights placed below against the walls instead of overhead) makes a banquet hall look absolutely stunning. The most beautiful uplighting is purple, blue, and orange. The candles on the tables, chandeliers, and string lights add to the mood and will make your photos look even better. Avoid green lighting, it just doesn't look good! For outdoor receptions, please add as much lighting as possible. String lights, candles, and lanterns are all sources of lighting that create a romantic atmosphere and are also essential for our cameras to focus well in low-lit situations.
• Brides, have a pair of flat shoes handy to change into or plan to go barefoot. Especially for your formal photos. I know your stilettos look smashing darling but walking on the grass will be a bit problematic in those Jimmy Choos. Let me just say, bare feet also look SUPER cute during your couples session photos and will allow you to move around naturally in front of the camera to avoid that horrid stiff look! We won’t be seeing your feet all that much in your photos anyways. 
• Build a Timeline and add Time Buffers into your Itinerary. Then, plan for delays, and expect delays. 99.99% of the weddings I photograph tend NOT to not go according to the plan. Leaving time buffers in between the big events will eliminate so much stress! You need especially think about adding in more time than you think you’ll need for preparations. For example, you can almost count on hair and make-up running late. Even if you have 5 hours to get ready, the last half an hour will always be pandemonium! Plan for lots of extra time so that you have a chance to be ready in advance for a glass of champagne, last minute nerve calming and some beautiful bride & bridesmaid portraits.  Bear in mind the time it takes to lace up a bodice, especially with a team of inexperienced bridesmaids! There is nothing worse that feeling rushed on your way to the aisle. You want to turn up feeling calm and ready. I will usually want to leave ahead of you so that I can start photographing the ambiance at the ceremony site. Hey here's another opportunity to trust me: GIVE YOURSELF MORE TIME THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED WHEN PLANNING THIS PART OF THE DAY!
•  Weather: The one thing you really can't control. But you can be prepared for it. Having done many outdoor weddings that have been conducted in heavy rain I know not to assume anything about the weather, even mid-summer when it's generally relatively dry. Having a throw and some flat shoes or other sensible shoes to enable us to go outside is great. And prepare by buying clear umbrellas - not golf umbrellas with big logos but some pretty white/clear ones are best. I still try to shoot outside even when it rains, and crazy weather can result in some amazing shots if you are prepared to be a little adventurous and get outside with me!
• Your Guests and Photo-Bombing: Just before your ceremony begins, kindly ask your guests to stay seated and out of the aisle. Ask them to please be considerate of your paid professional photographers and to be aware of jumping in front of us during key moments throughout the day in an attempt to capture their own shots. I have experienced guests jumping in front of me while the bride was coming down the aisle, while I’m trying to capture the first kiss, while the bride and groom are exiting the ceremony, etc., and it makes it REALLY REALLY hard if not impossible for me to capture those moments. During Group Photos the guests will be eager to take their own photos. Please ask them to either refrain all-together, or to wait until the photographer has captured the professional photos FIRST. Keep in mind that if you allow your guests to take photos during this time, this will eat up A LOT of time, and so you need to plan extra time for group photos into the itinerary.Your guests will have access if you so choose to the professional photos that we send you in your gallery, so there’s really no reason for them to incessantly take photos throughout the day.
• During the Ceremony: 
• Walk Slowly Down the aisle. Cross your legs when you walk and it will force you to slow down and it will accentuate the curves of your body. There is a reason the models cross one leg in front of the other as they walk down the run-way! 
• Leave enough time in between each couple/group that walks down the aisle together so that we have time/ sufficient space to capture your entire wedding party.
• Look at your beloved, look at your guests, look at us for a FEW shots perhaps, but MOSTLY stay connected with your loved ones during the ceremony. Do not look down and do not look into the camera all the time with a cheesy grin! 
• Let your first kiss linger! Give us a kiss that lasts at least 3 seconds so that we can be sure not to miss it!
•  Ring Exchange: Please do not cover the wedding ring/band with your hands or body and be sure that other wedding guests including the officiant and the ring-bearer are not blocking you or your hands. I won't be able to capture the ring exchange if your hands are not visible!
•  Group Photos: We've all been to weddings where the group shots have seemed to drag on for half of the reception time - that's no fun for anyone. Ultimately (if you want them at all) you want them to be pretty snappy so you can get back to your party. I always recommend around 20 minutes if you want to have up to around 8 combinations including the bridal party and both sides of the closer members of the family. Start bringing in cousins and aunties into the equation and you will spend half an hour chasing down great aunt Mabel who's disappeared to chug down the champagne fountain. I usually time group photos to take place soon after everyone has arrived at the venue, so enough time to have found a drink but not so long that everyone has scattered! Have a list of group photos prepared beforehand, and stick with it. I will email you my suggested list a few weeks before the wedding if I haven’t received one from you before then, and you can make changes as necessary. Designate one representative from each family who knows everyone well to gather the people who will be photographed. THIS WILL SAVE YOU SO MUCH TIME! Plan to do all group photos, including bridal party and family photos before the ceremony if you are having a first look, or else plan to do half before the ceremony, half at the START of the cocktail hour. If you put these photos off for later, your guests will start mingling around, drinking and chatting, and it will quickly become a fiasco to try and find & gather everyone for their photos.
•  Church/Venue Rules: Please ask the officiant if there are any rules for the photographer during the ceremony. Sometimes venues limit where the photographer can stand and move about or whether they are allowed to use flash photography. Please inform me in advance of any rules so that I can plan accordingly!
• First Dance: Ask the DJ to avoid laser lights, especially during the first dances. Otherwise it will look like the SWAT team just showed up for your wedding!
• Tell me who and what are the most important for you so that I can focus on those aspects/people/details.
• Feeding your photographer I love food and there is nothing worse than watching your guests feast on delicious food and then being presented with some bread and salad by the overworked caterers. To avoid any embarrassment, and a hungry photographer (not recommended), please add me to your guests numbers so that I can eat a full meal whilst your guests do. If I can eat when the wedding party eats that is best, that way I can eat quickly and be prepared to shoot again when the speeches are about to get started. I'm often working non stop for a very physical 8-12 hour day plus travel and if I need to go and find food elsewhere (not really practical) then I will have to leave site for an hour and miss out on potential photo opportunities. 
• Please enjoy the day and forget the photographers are there! We try our best to be unobtrusive and use our best photo ninja skills to capture candid moments but you can do your part by staying connected to your loved ones and to what’s happening and forgetting we even exist - unless we deliberately ask you to say cheese of course!
•  Communicate with me! Both before the wedding day and once the big day arrives! If there are photos/poses that you absolutely want or people that you really want your photos taken with, just let me know! Never just assume that those photos will get covered on the wedding day. I would love to have crazy superpower mind-reading skilllzzzz but sadly, I do not, so just TELL ME!
• Finalize your timeline/itinerary as soon as possible and email it to me so that I can give you feedback and tips to reduce your stress on your wedding day. I have a PDF wedding guide and questionnaire that will help you tremendously with this. If I’ve forgotten to send it to you, please let me know!

If you found these wedding tips helpful, feel free to forward the link to your friends who are getting married!