Tips to Planning Your Wedding Day
1. Engagement Sessions
Engagement photography sessions are wonderful for many reasons. Engagement photography not only provides you with beautiful imagery capturing your pre-wedding day romance, but it also gives you the chance to create a unique presentation at the wedding. By request, we often use engagement session imagery to create wonderful slideshows, guest sign-in books, save the date cards, invitations and more!
In addition, the engagement session also allows you to get to know your photographer a little more prior to the wedding. This allows you as a couple to build a better relationship with your photographer. This relationship will allow your photographer to create more natural and unique imagery since he/she has a good understanding of your unique personalities and tastes.
Here are two tips to get the most of your engagement session. First, think of a meaningful place to the both of you. For example, the place you went on your first date, where you proposed, or another special date place for the two of you. We can also suggest some of our most popular engagement session locations that best suit your style and personality.
Second, plan the engagement shoot session as early as possible. The rule of thumb is at least 90 days from the wedding date. But the further out from the wedding the better. You will be able to enjoy your images in your home, create lovely wedding invitations and stationary, and you won’t be rushing to add one more thing to your already busy schedule. Don't worry if you need to plan your session closer to the wedding day, that's totally okay too.
2. Planning for Hair & Make-up
Poor planning of with the Hair/make-up team is the number one reason for brides being late. As a bride, tell your hair and make-up people that they need to be done a whole hour before they actually need to be done. For example: If your pictures start at 3:00, schedule your hair and makeup to be done at 2:00. And if you do get done at 2:00, then you have that time to relax with your girls.
* If hair/make-up is done off-site, only travel with one other and be sure to schedule that person’s hair and make-up appointments with yours. You will need to be ready for pictures a whole hour earlier than the rest of your bridesmaids, so traveling with all of them in one car is sure to make you late.
Take a look at our Ideal Wedding Timeline post to find out exactly how much time you should have alotted for hair, make-up, etc.
3. Limousines & Classic Car Drivers
Some drivers might not be as punctual as you are. Make sure that you are adamant about pick-up and drop-off times, and also be sure to give them accurate directions. Allow for plenty of time, so the driver is not rushing the photographer to be done before their next job’s pick-up.
4. Brides, Be Responsible for Your Dress
Do not let someone else cart around your dress. For example, we love mom, but, on more than one occasion we were sitting around ready to go, without a dress, thus wasting valuable photography time.
Take a look at our Wedding Preparation Tips post to see how you can be the most prepared the morning of your wedding to help get the day started on a great note.
5. Organizing Family Formal Pictures
If you have family members that you know typically run late in your immediate or extended family, be sure to give them a 30 – 45-minute buffer. For example: Tell family members to be there at 4:15 if their scheduled picture time is 5:00. Be sure to give them accurate directions. Another special thing to do that will also assure that everyone is informed on picture times is to send a personal note, e-mail, and or phone call to each member saying something like, “We really love you and care about you, and want you to be a part of our special day…Here is the time, place, and accurate directions to get there.”