Wedding Season is Among Us

Here are 6 tips to make your wedding photos go smoothly.

First Look. Decided whether or not you will be doing a "first look" photo before the wedding privately. While you can definitely wait until during the wedding to do your first look, some couples prefer to do it beforehand because it is more intimate and personal. During the wedding "first look" shots are great too. I always shoot the groom before the bride because his expression is priceless. Some couple also like to do a pre-wedding photo together without seeing each other, that is another option.

Be Prepared. Discuss with your photographer any non traditional things that you expect to happen during the wedding, that way they can make sure they are prepared and ready.

Hold the kiss! I highly recommend a long kiss during “you may kiss the bride”, this will ensure that the photographer is able to capture the moment and get multiple shots. I am not talking a minute long kiss but sometimes a quick peck is too quick. And you will want to make sure these memories are captured.

Have a list ready. When it is time for family photos it is much easier if there is a list of all the groupings ready ahead of time. This does a few things, it keeps everything flowing, it makes sure no one is left out that shouldn't be and it also keeps things from getting chaotic when you can say “not right now, we need to go by the list to ensure that we have all the photos that the bride and groom want”. If you are on a strict time schedule it definitely helps with that to. Once you are done with the family photos it's time to have a blast with the bridal party! Also remember these photos can be done before the wedding but make sure to allow time for the bride to hide when the guests start showing up.

Order of events. A lot of Brides prefer to do all the important events back to back when getting to the reception for a couple of reasons, these are the important events the photographer will capture and once these events are are over then the Bride and Groom really get a chance to relax and mingle with family and friends. These events include, first dances, the cake, the garter and bouquet toss and speeches but are not limited to these.

Golden hour lighting. One last thing that I recommend is if possible sneak away during the dinner (depending on time). Some of the photos that I have taken of my couples during the evening sun hours are some of my very favorite photos. This doesn’t have to take long at all usually 15 minutes is plenty of time to grab some great shots while everyone is eating

Things can be a very busy and stressful day but let your photographer help you keeps things flowing smoothly. It’s your day and you need to love and enjoy it. Also remember that things don’t always go as planned so sometimes you just have to go with flow. I hope you have an amazing wedding day and it’s everything you dreamed it would be.