When a Bride Trusts Me…

Amy and Barret’s country club wedding this past weekend is a fabulous example of how perfectly wedding elements from lighting, to details, to location all can come together and make the lighting and photography angels sing happy, happy tunes. Aside from coming to the table with fabulous details, vendors, and locations, Amy trusted me completely with the schedule and creative direction of her day. Oh, AND her guests were very polite as to use no iPhones, iPads, or flashy cameras in the aisles to take away from the photographs and intimacy of her ceremony! Woop.

When choosing quality vendors, putting full trust in their recommendations as professionals, elements can come together to create your perfect day–the one you’ve envisioned, the one you’ve seen in on Pinterest, the one you’ve seen in other weddings they’ve advertised. After all, that’s why you chose them. (:

Here’s a tiny peek at a few of Amy’s impeccable details that added to the perfection of her day. Stay tuned for a blog with her full wedding and vendors…

In the meantime, I’ve listed a few things to keep in mind when you hire a professional photographer that will help in getting you those Pintrest-esque photographs you’ve probably envisioned since you said, “I do.”

GETTING READY LOCATION: While beautifully lit hotel rooms, country clubs, and plantations are another added cost for your already growing wedding day budget, they undoubtedly add a bright and airy picturesque feel to the start of your wedding day that sets the tone for your photographs. They are already clear of clutter and often well-lit, which helps eliminating distractions that you may not even realize take from the emotion of a photograph. Chelsey and Kaleb’s wedding here is a fabulous example of what I mean by this.
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS: If you haven’t caught on by now, I swoon over some details. It’s one of my favorite parts of adding my artistic touch to the wedding day. From table settings (which can surely be done on a budget in these Pinterest days), to perfume, jewelry, hair accessories, bridesmaids gifts, and shoes, all of these items come together to create an atmosphere around your day that is all your own. The more unique, the better! My brides find these elements in so many locations–Etsy, BHLDN, are among the top. The more you stay away from getting items like this at generic wedding places, sometimes the better. I’ve found that the less accessories and personal touches a bride adds or provides to photograph on the wedding day, the less intimate the photos seem to be. If you missed it, I also wrote a post about being interactive in the creative process with your photographer, here.
SETTING ASIDE TIME FOR PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS: This is another big one! Many of my brides choose to do a first look, which allows us a nice chunk of time to get some creative shots of the bride and groom that otherwise often get missed due to the fast pace of the day. For those that choose not to do a first look, I suggest a cocktail hour for guests or a block of time after the ceremony to get some creative shots. This of course, means missing part of your reception, which is why many of my couples opt for a first look, or at the very least, a large block of time before the wedding to do separate bridal party shots and as many family shots as we can. This keeps the traditional altar or indoors family shots to a minimum, which dadadadummm, maximizes the picturesque look of your wedding day! I wrote a blog post about more of my feelings and suggestions on this here, which I urge you to read if you’d like more information.
LIGHTING: This is the absolute, without a doubt, biggest element that will add or take away from perfect documentation of the day. Photography (and videography) is ALL ABOUT FABULOUS LIGHT. I could scream this from the rooftops. Fabulous light will breed fabulous photography. Of course, there are some elements of lighting that cannot be controlled, like a dark church, but in all other regards, I urge you to pay attention to this factor when choosing locations for the day. Well lit getting ready locations, preferably with one or more large windows, and with reception halls, large, open dance floors, are among the top things to look for. We of course always bring alternative means of lighting dark areas, but there is nothing prettier in most photographs than natural light.