Favorite Wedding Day Tips
Wedding Day Tips
I have photographed over a hundred weddings & elopements over the years and have learned a ton about what to do and what not to do to make a wedding day flow stress free! These are some of my favorite tips that I like to share with my couples before their big day from start to finish and hopefully they're helpful to you as well!
Before The Wedding
As if you don't already have a plate full of things to do, I'm gonna tell you to add a few more(and maybe remove a few things too). Doing these things before the wedding will make your day go so much smoother!
No Spray Tans in the days leading up to your wedding. I know this can be tempting because who doesn't want to have a nice tan on their wedding day, but if not done correctly you could be looking orange in your photos. If you're dead set on a spray tan, get it at least 3 days before and have it done by a professional!
Make a Getting Ready Playlist- You can do this in the days leading up to your wedding day or even month in advance! Seriously one of my favorite tips because having the right music for the getting ready portion will help set the vibe for the entire day! No time for this? Ask one of your bridal party members to make one or just search Spotify for Wedding Day Playlists.
Timeline & Family Formals- Hopefully your timeline is finished at least a couple weeks before your wedding day. When making your timeline (or your photographer or wedding coordinator are) Make sure to remember these few tips. Whoever will be helping you into your wedding attire will need to be dressed and ready before you are scheduled to get ready. This might mean a few changes in the schedule for hair and makeup so Mom isn't in the salon chair when it's time to get into your dress. Make a list for family formals so nobody gets forgotten! After making your list, reach out to close family to look it over if you'd like to make sure you didn't leave anything out. All this planning will help the family formal portion go so much quicker! Then, once you're pretty sure it's perfect, reach out to the family members who will be included and let them know to stay back after the ceremony so they can get in the photos and assign someone who is close to you to help keep them there! This might sound excessive but trust me, someone will forget and we don't want to waste time standing there when we could be getting to the reception!
Details- Put all your detail items in a bag/box on the days leading up to your wedding to keep them close and leave nothing forgotten. Do one for you and one for your significant other. This would include things like jewelry, your invitation, garter, shoes, tie, perfume/cologne etc. When your photographer first arrives, they'll more than likely want to photograph these things and you're going to want to relax instead of searching around!
Let Your Photographer Know- I don't ask my couples for a shot list before the wedding because I typically know exactly what is going to happen and what I need to capture. The first kiss? Yep I'll get it! Parent Dances? Of course! BUT sometimes things are planned or wanted that may not be standard. Let your photographer know these things before the wedding day or you might forget them too! Things like sentimental items hidden on your attire or bouquet. Maybe surprises you have planned for your significant other, bridal party or wedding guests. Any family situations they should be aware of or group shots you want with friends at the reception? Make a list in your notes app and send it over a week or so before the wedding if possible so your photog knows to get these things!
GETTING READY // THE MORNING OF
Attire- No matter what you've decided to get ready in, avoid wearing a bra or any garments that leave indents on the morning of. These may show up once you've gotten into your dress! Remove all hair ties and watches before you arrive to your getting ready location as these can be hard to remember to do, leave indents and are very unflattering in photos! If you've chosen matching sets for you and your bridal party to get ready in, and you want photos of y'all together in them, make sure every girl will be done with hair & makeup by that scheduled time otherwise you could be left waiting for them to finish or taking the photos while some people aren't completely ready!
Keep a clean space- This will not only look better in photos but will make it much easier to pack up and go when its time. It will also be much less stressful when moving around or looking for anything!
Stay Hydrated- This is a whole day tip but start the day off right by staying hydrated! Keep plenty of water and snacks in the room with you and available to your bridal party all day!
Florals- Find out when your flowers will be delivered and ask where they'll be delivering them too. If pictures are scheduled to start at the park at 2:00 but your florals are delivered to the ceremony locations it can be a big issue. These small details will set your wedding timeline back and leave you feeling rushed or you will be left without the flowers in photos. I'm sure you paid a good amount for them so we definitely want to include them as much as possible. This goes for both guys and girls. Boutonnieres can be hard to put on when they are made heavy as well so having the florist help if possible or getting a few people who know how to do it when the time comes will help tremendously with time and stress!
Dressed- Dress for your environment. Yes even on your wedding day!! If your having a hiking elopement wear boots. If its raining bring an umbrella. If its going to behold wear a fur coat and/or warm leggings under your dress. If you're planning to take pictures in a park and its a long walk, don't have your girls walking in heels in the grass, have them wear comfy shoes and slip on their fancy ones when you get to your spot. I know this sounds silly but this is great info for not just you and your fiancé but your bridal party, family and guests too! Being comfortable is right up there with being fashionable on your wedding day. If you get stressed feeling cold or wet or hot or uncomfy at all in any capacity, it will 100% make you miserable dealing with it all day at your wedding. These little things will have you saying "I'm done with photos" and then regretting it later when you only have a few pictures of you and your fiancé together!
The Ceremony
Take your time walking down the isle, smile and keep your head up! This goes for anyone walking down the isle on your wedding day. It's so easy to forget this and often times ends up looking like your bridal party doesn't want to be there (which I know is not the case) so just a quick reminder when lining up is great!
Put tape down where you want/need people to stand. This will help keep everyone centered with the backdrop and not have you worried about being in the wrong spot during the ceremony.
When swapping the rings, hold it from the bottom so your hand doesn't hide the ring in photos. Another tricky one to remember but will be greatly beneficial when you get your photos back if you remember!
Ask officiant to step out of the way before the first kiss happens so they aren't behind you during this big moment! Take your time during the kiss too, no rush! Kiss a few times if you want and enjoy the moment!
Plan your walk back down the isle together! Do you want to just hold hands and walk? Great! Smile and look at each other while you do? Perfect! A kiss at the end or a twirl or a dip? Literally anything you want!
My most favorite tip of all? Your wedding day is not meant to be perfect! Don’t try and micromanage the day. Relax!!! No need to sweat the small stuff. If everything goes perfect that's great, but it's the silly things that that give you more to look back on! I wish I would've had this advice on my wedding day. My husband threw up immediately after our ceremony (maybe shots of scotch during our vows in 90 degree weather wasn't my best idea lol) and he almost pulled me into the waterfall on accident when he slipped. I didn't get mad but I'd be lying if I said it didnt get to me a little at the time! Looking back, those are two of my favorite memories from our wedding and I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe we should've just fell into the water!) Something will probably go "wrong" on your day too. Just roll with it and have fun!