It's such an exciting time for you! You have so much to plan for the big day and you want to make sure everything is absolutely wonderful. Through the many weddings I've shot and being a bride myself, I know how challenging it can be to make sure all the details are exactly right. I have some very helpful tips that will help you get the most out of not only your photography but every part of your wedding day.
The Theme:
When choosing a theme find one that mirrors who you are. I feel like in today's weddings it is so much more than just a color pallet. Find a style that makes you giddy and is close to your heart. I love it when brides go off the beaten path and do something that isn't in the "This is How a Wedding is Suppose to be Book" lol. Go for a mood or style such as vintage, earthy, country, romantic, whimsical, fantasy, glamourous, or whatever you feel fits you. I have heard many people say that they are just normal and boring, but I don't believe that at all. I believe every woman has something that makes them special, they just have to search within themselves and find it. Okay, so once you find what your style is then start thinking about colors. I think colors for a wedding can be related to an outfit. I think the most impact full is neutrals with a pop of color. Once you know what neutrals you want think about a color you love, suits you and is the style you want. At this point your pop of color can almost be anything! Your wedding day is such a happy day and I feel the lighter colors around you can make it that much more spirit lifting. Darker colors like maroons or plums are perfect to give more of a dramatic and romantic feel to your day. The main piece of advice I will leave you with when it comes to choosing a theme is don't choose a theme because that is what everyone else is doing. Some of the most spectacular themes that are truly original can be found on wedding blogs such as Green Wedding Shoes, Style Me Pretty, or Wedding Chicks. Find a style that speaks to you!
P.S. If you should need any help what so ever on what makes a room pop, how to establish a theme, or need unique ideas to wow your guests. My creative mind and experience in the wedding industry is at your disposal. I LOVE this part of weddings. If I could be a wedding photographer/wedding stylist I totally would! If you want to see some of my work on styling check out my styled shoots I have done in the past on my portfolio tab.
The Importance of Hiring a Wedding Planner or Even Just an Organized Person:
I truly can not stress the importance of a wedding planner or even just an organized person other than family members or close friends to help you with your big day! Okay I will be the first to say I was that bride that believed she knew it all and didn't need a wedding planner because that was just something that people without a budget got. I was so wrong, wrong, wrong! I see it time and time again brides doing the same mistake I did. I am a very organized person and can plan something in such detail it's almost ridiculous. But now looking back I realize my wedding was my first actual wedding to plan. In most cases it's a lot of brides first wedding to plan. I think it's safe to say the first time we do anything we make mistakes. But what if we could have someone to eliminate over half of them on our big day? Ah!Ha! A Wedding Planner, they have been around the planning of wedding way more than the average person. I'm sure they have made mistakes but have had the chance to learn from them and know what to plan for. You know how we can envision a masterpiece in our head but can't necessarily paint it (Unless your an pro painter of course). It's the same thing. Having a wedding planner doesn't mean you don't get to have what your envisioning but you have a professional interpreter that can do not only what your vision is but do things you didn't even know you wanted! Okay so of course how can you choose a person you have to pay vs. your mom, aunt, sister, cousin, best friend and ect. when they are for free? Most likely they will be in your wedding plus it should be an enjoyable day for them too right? Okay now when the wedding planner really earns their keep and when you would have thrown money at anyone at this point to come help you talk to the caters, settle the mess with something being late, find the best man, all while hiding out because the guests begin to arrive 30 minutes early. It's you wedding day and as crazy as it sounds stress shouldn't be apart of it. It should be a day full of love and laughter. I'll get off my soap box now and just simply say hire a professional wedding planner, it's so worth it.
Engagement Session:
These are the pictures you will have not only hanging at you wedding but also through out your house. I know how important it is for you both to look your best so here's some easy tips to follow. Try not to wear too baggy of clothes. I am a woman and I myself am not always proud of my body but when you wear bigger clothes it can make you appear bigger than you really are. When it comes to colors for your outfits the best to do is neutrals with a pop of color. Don't stress to much about your outfit, just try to stay away from bright-bright white (This will loose detail in the picture and bring the viewer's eye to it instead of your face). I would also recommend staying away from neon colors. Even the most professional printer's only have so many colors and will most likely not reproduce a bright neon color. It can also cast a color shadow on different parts of your body, making it appear you have an odd color of skin. Here is a Pinterest board I have made to help you know what photographs well: http://www.pinterest.com/d2theanielle/hope-photography-outfit-inspiration/ I want to make sure I capture what you are wanting out of your engagement session. To help me do this feel free to send me pictures that you like that you found of Google, Pinterest, or what have you. I want to hear all of your ideas! If you have any props you have seen on the internet in a picture or maybe something that is very special to the two of you, please feel free to bring it. Let me know ahead of time and I can begin to think of ideas on how to make the best use out of your props. I love it when couples bring me props or items, it makes their session that much more unique.
Preparation for Your Wedding Day:
The best advice I can give you and is to be organized, organized, organized. Don't feel like you are alone in this because I help all of my brides to create a photographic timeline for their wedding day. I want to make sure we are always on the same page, so I find working together to create a timeline that establishes what I will be doing from arrival to departure is one less thing you have to worry about. This will help you know that you do in fact have time to do everything and will give you ease through out your wedding day. This timeline can be given to the bridal party and (caterers, florist, pastor, cake maker, and wedding planner). In your timeline I would make sure to give yourself time for a few bridal shots, you with bridesmaids, groom with groomsmen and ect. for before the ceremony. If you would like to wait until the ceremony to see each other we can take family, bridal party, and pictures of just the two of you after the ceremony. If you decide to do a first look we can do all or some of that before the ceremony, leaving less down time for the guests in between ceremony to reception. Just remember to leave about 30 minutes of down time before the ceremony starts so guests wont see you. This is all customizable and I am with you every step of the way to make sure we get it all how you want it. The only thing that I can not be in control of is the time of day. If you are wanting the beautiful sunflare pictures like we take on your engagement shoot you must think of the time of day. The best pictures will be an hour before sunset. You can find what day the sun will set on your wedding day on google (It changes throughout the year). I can promise you if you make the picture taking time within this time frame it will be completely worth it! If you need more than an hour of the gorgeous light just subtract however much time you need from the sunset time and the closer to sunset you get the prettier it will be. If I were you I would leave the last 30 minutes of light for right after the ceremony is done. We can take all the important pictures then. But to be completely honest it is different for every person so that is why I meet up with each of my brides figure out what's best for you.
Wedding Day:
After plenty of planning and hard work all you need to do is sit back, relax, and live out your fairytale. I will have your back and do my upmost best to document such a magical day.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me, if you can't tell I love to talk weddings:)
