Where Do I start?
You’re engaged! Congratulations! Your first emotion was probably excitement as you started thinking about all of the plans you were about to make in preparation for your big day. Then, as you realized just how many plans there actually were to make, that excitement might have turned into a bit of anxiety. The venue, the cake, the flowers, the dress, the PHOTOGRAPHY! Here you will find everything you need to make sure that when the big day is over, the photographs you look back on are everything you want them to be.
Pinterest will be a great place to find, save and organize all kinds of ideas while planning your wedding. You can make several different boards to save all the different areas of planning. I recommend you start here before you start searching for a photographer, even if you already have one in mind. Create a photography board and start finding and saving photography that you love. Make sure you cover a wide variety and include not only bride and groom portraits, but also wedding party photos, family, detail shots, etc. This board will not only help you find your wedding photography style (candids, posed or a little of both, lighting, editing style, etc.) but will also help you with planning the other details of your day to help achieve this look and style. Also it will help you decide which photographer can best achieve the photos and style that you love.
Choosing a Photographer
Start looking at local photographers and their portfolios/websites, paying attention only to their work and style in the beginning. Ignore pricing and packages for now and choose your top 3-5 favorites based solely on their photography. Keep your Pinterest photography board and images in mind while doing this as well as any other details or plans you have already made for your big day. Do these photographers mesh with the style of photography you love based on those boards? Once you have your top choices made, start looking at and comparing their pricing and packages. Don’t focus solely on the dollar amount. Be sure to also compare and consider what is included with different packages. Are digital images included and if so, how many? How many hours of coverage are you getting with each package? Are second shooters included or do you have the option to add one?
Pick your first choice and contact them to see if you can schedule a consultation. As soon as I receive an inquiry from a potential wedding client, I offer a consultation so that we can meet in person to discuss their big day and I can answer any questions they may have as well as give them my planning packet so that they can see how I will manage and organize their photography when Big Day arrives…plus it is full of helpful information that will actually assist them with ALL of their planning! I want them to have all the information needed to decide if I am the right photographer for them or not.
Some things to ask your potential photographer:
- What is your cancellation/postponement policy?
- Do you have a high quality second camera in case of malfunction/damage during the wedding?
- Is there a travel fee?
- How much is their deposit to hold the date and when is it due?
- How many images can you expect to receive in your gallery?
- Do you include engagement sessions in your packages?
- Can we order prints/albums directly through you?
- Do you have liability Insurance?
- How many weddings have you shot?
Planning Your Photographs
Once you have chosen and booked your photographer, you can start planning and sharing with them what images are most important to you. If your wedding photographer is experienced he or she will automatically capture all of the important elements of your day, however there are things you can do to help ensure that the images and moments that are personally most important to you get captured beautifully and just the way you want. The first (and easiest) way to do this is to share you wedding photography Pinterest board with them. It’s also a good idea to make notes on Pins about what specifically you like about the image. For example, if you save a Pin with a bride and groom in a wheat field, but you are getting married in a church or urban location, your photographer might be confused. If you saved the pin because you love the way they are posed, be sure to add a note like: “Love this pose!” so your photographer knows exactly what you like about the Pin. Also keep in mind the logistics of the photo and if it is “doable” with your location and arrangements. For instance I recently had a bride who loved a photo of the groom standing up at the alter. It was taken over the shoulder of the bride from the back as she was getting ready to walk down the aisle with her dad. It’s completely normal for a bride to see a photo they love and save it, but as a photographer, my first thought was that there was no second shooter at this wedding and that if I was standing in the position needed to get this shot, I would not be up at the alter to get photos of the bride walking down the aisle.
Shot List and Timeline
Hopefully your photographer will provide you with a “Must-Have” Shot List and Timeline for you to fill out but if not, you can most likely find one online. For the shot list, it’s important to write down any shots that are VERY important to you and maybe mark them with a heart or something to make them stand out. On your Big Day, your photographer will be with you every step of the way and often after several hours go by, the joy of posing for another photo wears off. Many times at this point, I have come to a bride to remind them of a photo they wanted to be sure to get and they say “It’s ok, let’s just skip it”. But here’s the thing…this photo was something you really wanted when you weren’t tired of posing and ready to party and it’s something you will wish you had when the day is over and you look back on your photos and memories. When discussing things with couples in consultations I always take note when they are really excited about a certain photo or shot and make sure it happens, even if it has to get squeezed in somewhere. Another good tip when filling out your shot list is to think about what you are going to do with your images afterwards. Do you really need every imaginable combination of family members or can you just do immediate family and promise other relatives some fun shots together at the reception? If you do plan to have a lot of family photos, one of the most helpful things is to make a list of the shots you want with specific names for each shot and in the order you want them shot in and appoint a friend or maybe the maid of honor to direct and holler out names to get people moving in and out quickly. Also think about detail shots and what information your photographer might need to know to not miss anything there. I have had brides use their grandmother’s handkerchief wrapped around their bouquet or have little charms dangling from the stems in memory of loved ones who could not be with them. One groom wrote a message to his bride on the bottom of her shoes and then had them sent to her room on the morning of her wedding day. These are important things to fill your photographer in on in advance to make sure they are captured.
As far as the timeline, keep in mind it is a rough draft and WILL NOT go exactly as planned, and that’s ok. I recommend starting with the ceremony time and then estimating all other times working up an down when filling this out. Check with your hair and makeup artists as far as amount of time they will need to get everyone done.
First Look or At the Alter?
Whether you decide to do a First Look or see each other for the first time at the alter will determine much of how your timeline goes and when all of your photos are taken. Doing a “First Look” means seeing each other prior to the ceremony which means you can usually do most or all of your photos then as well. It can also mean getting ready much earlier though and staying “fresh” longer and also many people still want the tradition of seeing each other at the aisle/alter. Deciding this is an important part of how your day and photos flow. I have another blog post that can help you weigh the pros and cons and make this decision here.
Remember, your wedding day should be fun and relaxing so the most important thing is to enjoy your day and that will shine through in your photos and give you many memories and images to cherish for a lifetime!