We are so incredibly excited for your big day! So much so, we want you to be able to treasure the moment FOREVER! It won’t take much but we need you to do something small for us on your BIG DAY! If possible, collect all of your details before we arrive so that we can begin quickly getting photos of the smaller details and so that we can have more time for some “getting ready” shots of you and your girls! Gather ALL the goods! And any extra elements! Sometimes, depending on the theme and the “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. For example, if you’re having a country themed wedding, you could include a piece of burlap or lace. If you’re having a rustic themed wedding that includes some wooden elements, maybe save a small piece of wood for me to use when I’m shooting your rings and jewelry. This REALLY makes for beautiful, consistent album spreads! Keep all THREE rings! The most common detail missing when we arrive are the rings! Moms, officiants and planners will tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits so that we can shoot some great ring shots in the AM! If you forget, no worries, we can always shoot the ring shot at the reception if there is extra time! But these are beautiful photos to keep for special memories! Don’t forget the bouquet! Bring it, we want it! Have the bouquets and bouts delivered to the bride before the first look so that she can have her bouquet in her portraits. No worries, if it’s hot, we’ll be sure to keep it in water as much as possible before the ceremony! When you’re planning a wedding day timeline, the best advice I could give is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 20 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. I have seen “getting the bride in her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of a button malfunction. You absolutely do not want that! It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there so that we have some wiggle room to work with! This way, if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, I can help you compensate for that time in other areas. There are so many different things to think about when you’re planning a wedding day, and so here are some tips for the pre ceremony timeline! We realize and understand that every single wedding day is different and so not all of these tips will apply to every wedding day schedule. Something else to consider is that not EVERYTHING will go as planned, and I promise you, that is completely normal!
1 | BOUQUETS AND BOUTS: You will need your bouquet and bouts for your first look! Have them delivered to the room where the bride is getting ready, this will help you save so much running around time!
2 | TRAVEL TIME: Be sure to think about the travel time and traffic to and from your getting ready location and to your venue!
3 | HAIR AND MAKEUP: We encourage brides to have at least their makeup done before we start because who wants a ton of shots with one eye lash glued on? Literally, nobody!
4 | GROOMSMEN PREP: My second shooter and I will photograph the guys getting ready if they are getting ready in the same location as the bride or at least within 5-10 minutes of the bride.
When you’re getting into your dress, we will instruct you to get close to a window. It will be absolutely fabulous to have your bridesmaids dressed and ready when you’re getting in your gown! A 10 minute cushion every now and then is a GREAT idea! It’s amazing how fast time slips away on the day of your wedding!