Wedding Wisdom Series – Top 5 Tips

 We know first hand how hectic a wedding day can be.  There’s SO many things to prepare for and it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle with everyone rushing around.  So, I’ve decided to put together our top five tips for brides on your wedding day.   

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1. Keep all the rings! Don’t give them to the best man

This may seem strange and out of the ordinary at first, but it makes total sense!  A lot of photographers photograph the bridal details at the very beginning of the day and the rings are essential to photographing these details.  By keeping all the rings, there won’t be any stress about getting in touch with the best man (or whoever else you hand the rings to) to meet up and get the rings.  This will save a lot of time! Plan to keep all your jewelry in one place and have a bridesmaid show the photographer where they are so you won’t be bothered while getting your hair and make up done. 

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   2.  De-clutter the getting ready room

 3. Make time for bride and groom portraits

You will appreciate this later! When creating your wedding day timeline, block out at least 15 minutes for some bride and from portraits.  If you don’t you’ll leave your wedding with no photos of just you and your groom! As you’re going through the day, it’s hard to remember what you do and do not have pictures of but no worries! That’s our job as photographers!  If you and your groom choose to do a “First Look” before the ceremony, you’ll leave your wedding with 40% more portraits of just the two of you so if photos are a top priority, consider this option!  Otherwise, plan to block in time after the ceremony for those romantic, “just married” pictures. 

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4. It’s OK if your dress gets dirty! It won’t show in pictures- I promise!

So many brides are concerned about their dress getting dirty before walking down the aisle and I totally understand that! Nobody wants to walk down the aisle looking like they just hiked through dirt and mud! When we take our brides around the venue taking photos with the bridesmaids or doing a “First Look” before the ceremony, it’s almost inevitable that there will be some dirt on the train of your dress.  But no worries!  This will not show up in photos!  I’ve never once had a bride come back and tell me that she thought her dress looked dirty even though she took photos outside before the ceremony!  I’ve had one bride have her dress stepped on by her groom, one bride dragged her dress in the dirt, and one bride had part of her lace rip BEFORE the ceremony!! Yikes! But no one ever knew any of those things because you don’t notice them in the photos! So don’t worry about the dress. You will be beautiful and your dress will be gorgeous! 

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5. Stop and eat cake!

At so many of the weddings we’ve attended as photographers, as guests, and even our own, more often than not the bride and groom don’t get to eat a slice of their own cake.  At our wedding, we had slices of cake saved for us and we ate them after the wedding was all over.  We were so busy with greeting and talking to everyone that we never had time to sit down and enjoy our own cake! So during your reception, make time to stop and eat cake or enjoy your dinner.  You’ll be thankful you did!

Enjoy planning your wedding!  This is a once in a lifetime event so make it your own!  Do things that you and your groom choose to do and don’t get caught up in the details and formalities.  Sure, they’re important!  But they can steal your joy on your big day if you get too caught up on them.