6 Tips For Your Wedding from a Professional Photographer
Along with Spring comes the time to celebrate the beginning of wedding season! Recently I was asked to share my top tips for my couples.
Always have an engagement session with your actual wedding photographer to get to know each other and your personalities. Practice posing and more importantly how not to pose. Every photographer is different and will want to see how you as a couple look your best. Pick a location that means something to the two of you. Do you love to boat or walk your dog at the local park? Where did the proposal or first date take place? Do you want to include your city skyline for out of town guests to see on your save the date? I love getting to know my couples from the first consultation, to the engagement session to the final meeting. Then on the wedding day, your photographer is a friend who happens to have a fancy camera; someone you can trust to do a great job. Your bridal party and family members who have seen the fun engagement images will trust her to make them look great too!
Pick venues that you love. Don’t get ready in the church nursery room with a busy wall mural. Instead think about your locations as the background to your story. Love modern and clean lines – find a hotel close to your venue that has a suite with your style and plenty of room to put the dress on in front of a window. Want more variety for your wedding album? Pick a park, urban scene, or vintage location that has great natural light. If you need help ask your photographer for her favorites and check out the blog or website for examples.
Invest in a professional makeup artist and have a trial before your big day. Your photos will be around for generations and it is nice to feel pampered and beautiful! The Bride and her Mother and Maid of Honor (those helping her get dressed) should go first on the wedding day. If a bridesmaid is added to the schedule, your photographer can start with photos of the Bride and have that bridesmaid catch up at the park. Use matte finish makeup and nothing with SPF – it reflects light and appears shiny in photos. No glitter – it shows up as a small white dot in photos and looks like a mistake. No contouring on the face since it looks like bruising in natural light. Do not go darker in makeup on the wedding day if any of your photos are outside – it will look too dark. Makeup is subjective so make sure you love the way you look in the mirror and you will love your photos!
At your final fitting, try on all of your accessories with your dress. Then put them into a container and have everything you want photographed (earrings, necklace, bracelet, wedding bouquet, garter, shoes, invitation, and all wedding rings) ready for your photographer when she walks into your getting ready location. (Extra tip, if your dress is lace avoid bracelets and shoes that can easily catch on your dress.)
Allow 45 minutes total for photos of just the two of you, so you don’t have to rush to get to the ceremony or reception. If it is going to be a hot or cold day, plan for a few photos at sunset or a night photo to end the album. Time often runs out quickly so pad your timeline to allow for plenty of time for great photos.
Know that every wedding is perfectly imperfect, and that at the end of the day, you are marrying your best friend. Smile and have fun – stop every hour and take in the love and fun that is around you. Plan the day out ahead of time and delegate everything to a wedding coordinator or best friend. Choose the right professionals who can be a big help during planning through to the end of your event. Give your phone to your maid of honor, and enjoy your day!
By Brenda Pottinger, Pottinger Photography
