brides and grooms! as you near your wedding date, i thought it would be helpful to provide you with a few practical hints and tips to make your wedding day as stress-free as possible. i’ve gathered these tips over the past seven-years of wedding photography, being a bridesmaid, and watching evan officiate a handful of weddings as i have heard “i wish we…”. so here are a bunch of tips for you to consider as you finalize plans for your wedding day!

PRETTY LITTLE DETAILS

all those pretty little things need pictures, too. rings, jewelry, flowers, shoes, perfume, ETC. ETC. ETC.

MY TIP: keep these things in your dress bag! you’ll always know where it is (especially those little items!) and then i can grab one bag and you won’t be searching in your bags for that one thing!

MY TIP: keep your rings in their velvet boxes or buy one of these keepsake boxes (here, here, or here). these photograph beautifully and give you a beautiful (and secure) place to keep your ring when you’re not wearing it.

MY TIP: don’t forget your invites and save the dates! throw an unmailed one in your bag!

THE WEDDING GOWN

your gown, one of my absolute favorite things to photograph. i’ll always try to find a gorgeous spot at your venue to hang your dress for photos, a spot that compliments both your venue and your dress.

MY TIP: the hanger is so important! you absolutely cannot hang the most beautiful dress you’ll ever wear on a plastic hanger! grab a wooden hanger (or something like this!) because they are an inexpensive way to show off your dress. it doesn’t need to be monogrammed or personalized but if you’d like to add that touch, you can find so many options on etsy!

MY TIP: take your dress out of the garment bag when you arrive at the venue and hang it up so it can fall correctly.

GETTING READY

if you’ve ever been a part of a wedding before then maybe you’ve noticed the phenomenon that is the amount of stuff that somehow accumulates in the bride and groom suites. it’s easy for the rooms to become cluttered and messy when there’s so many people getting ready in one small space.

MY TIP: there is nothing worse than clutter in the background of your pictures and it also severely limits the shots we are able to get. ask your bridal party ahead of time to be ready to clean up the room before pictures start.

THE DAY OF

don’t forget to let your bridal party and family members know the day of schedule! we see a lot of wedding parties who have no idea what time pictures are starting or family members who show up much too early and then are upset by the time they’re waiting around for pictures. make sure to communicate with your wedding party, not just your vendors!

MY TIP: hand out a pocket schedule for your wedding party and include a few important phone numbers (parents, MOH/BM, wedding planner, etc.)!

THE DAY OF

i promise you that the fastest day of your life will be your wedding day. i wish i could slow time down for every single wedding so you could enjoy every single moment to the max. i hate cliches about how fast time goes but i’m sorry, they’re true.

MY TIP: because your wedding day happens so quickly, i highly recommend hiring a wedding coordinator. we love maddie and ramie from love the day of! you can hire them for various duties but helping to keep you on track during the day is so very helpful. if your budget doesn’t allow for hiring a coordinator, then consider asking a friend or family member to help out! you can ask them to help everyone adhere to your timeline, keep track of items like flowers, shoes, and making sure all the little details are taken care of, and to make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day!

THE CEREMONY & RECEPTION

this is YOUR day. please do not feel any pressure to do anything on your wedding day just because “that’s what has always been done.” you don’t want to cut the cake? you don’t want a bouquet or garter toss? leave it out! you want to change into a reception gown? do it! so many couples have told me as they in the middle of doing something that they don’t even want to be doing this thing. this is your permission slip to make your whole wedding, your day, exactly that: your day. don’t let tradition overshadow what you do or don’t want. it’s fine to create your own traditions and to leave out the stuff you don’t like. we’ll support you in whatever you choose and are always happy to help you brainstorm creative ways to do some of those traditional things if you’d like.

now you get to tell us all about your plans for the day! tell us everything about your wedding! we can’t wait!