Getting that Creative Art
Flying veil, Window Effect, & more!
Wedding photography should be considered an art. This is something that we truly believe in. As a photographer at a wedding we believe that we should be everywhere throughout the day without being seen or even being felt. We like to have an invisible presence while capturing the moments of your special day. Yes, wedding photography is an art and this practice is what makes it an art.
When you sit down and open up a wedding magazine there are many things that should make you say wow! The photographs that you see should capture many different aspects of a wedding day. You should be able to see and feel the different emotions from the family members, be able to imagine the interactions of all of the guests just like you were mingling with them and last but not least the wedding couple should have their most beautiful and memorable moments captured in photographs that will last forever.
It is our job to help you and your family remember every detail of your beautiful wedding day. This day is one of the most special days of your lives together. It is important that every blissful moment be captured in time. This is why we are here.
It is our pleasure to be a part of your special day and I look forward to being the photographer at your wedding.
This is something that will make a dramatic impact on your pre-ceremony photos. By having just a simple window in the bridal prep area, I am able to create beautiful portraits with soft light. If there are no windows or natural light in the getting- ready area, I will more than likely have you do some faux "getting dressed" shots somewhere on the property where we can access natural light.
This may be another room or just a simple doorway. Without natural light, my style of photos that you have come to love are nearly impossible. So natural light is very much a necessity. If you don't have any control over your bridal suite location, don't worry, I will work some magic to ensure that you still have detail shots and getting- in - the- dress shots that are photographed in natural light.
The window effect
02.
Winter weddings are gorgeous! However, they do take some additional planning simply because of the sunset time. The hard part about a winter timeline is the fact that the sun sets around 4pm. This means that all of your portraits have to be done before then! This isn’t a problem if you’re having a late you’re planning on having a late evening wedding, you may have a bit of down time from 4pm until the start of the ceremony. You will also need more coverage time as well.
Winter
Summer weddings are amazing! I love that there is so much daylight! In some months, the light will last until 8:30pm! So, if you’re having a summer wedding, you’ll need to plan on having a few minutes to slip out of the reception for your glowy, sunset portraits. You will NOT regret this! This is the absolute best light of the day and you’re going to want to have portraits taken during this time period. Usually these portraits happen during dinner or open dancing so that no one even notices that you’re gone for a few minutes!
Summer
Spring weddings are wonderful because they are the perfect temperature! However, I recommend having plenty of Claritin and Zyrtec on hand just in case allergies start to flare up during portrait time. Spring weddings normally mean the potential for some blooms! If we happen to find any type of blooming tree or plant, it will be worth it to give us a few minutes for portraits with it! You’ll LOVE the result!
spring
Fall weddings are my favorite! The temperature is amazing and I love the fall colors! Most of my fall brides worry about color, and I just want to encourage you that all I need is one tree with some color in order to make it look like fall! A little bit of color can go a long way!! Your portrait time (and fall colors) will vary depending on your wedding date. We’ll be sure to discuss this when we approve your final timeline!
Fall
My couple is trusting me not to miss this!!! But now I’m dodging guests who are trying desperately to have a good Insta-story to share and they have no idea that the back of their heads, their arms and their phones are blocking me from capturing the bride and her dad walking down the aisle. It’s honestly one of the most terrifying things that can happen to a photographer during a ceremony...and the sad part is, it can almost always be avoided. This issue is a growing one. Every wedding season we experience more and more of these issues. However, there is a solution! We highly recommend having an “Unplugged Ceremony”. This is just another way of saying that you want only your photographers to be capturing photos and you would like everyone else to enjoy the ceremony instead of trying to capture it themselves.
Imagine this with me...you’re in my shoes...the most important moment of the day is about to happen. You’ve checked your camera settings, you’ve taken test shots and you’re ready to capture the bride coming down the aisle to her groom. You want to capture reactions, variety of angles and every moment of joy and emotion in those few seconds. However, just as everyone stands and the music plays, not one, but three different family members and friends get so excited that they take just one step out into the aisle with their iPhones in hand trying to capture the moment. I’m scrambling.
Unplugged Ceremony
04.
Have a simple sign that guests see as they are entering the ceremony
step 01: signange
Have your officiant politely mention that you prefer no cell phones
step 02: spoken
Include your Unplugged Ceremony request in your program design
step 03: Program
If you really want to make sure that this request is honored, do all three!
step 04: all three
I’ll instruct you to get into your dress close to a window and it would be fabulous to have your bridesmaids dressed when you’re getting in your gown!
GETTING IN THE DRESS.
Be sure to think about the travel time and TRAFFIC to and from your getting ready location and your venue!
TRAVEL TIME.
Don’t forget the bouquet! Have the bouquets and boutonniere delivered to the bride before the first look so that she can have her bouquet in her portraits. No worries, if it’s hot, we’ll be sure to keep it in water as much as possible before the ceremony!
BRING the bouquet.
The most common detail missing when I arrive are the rings! Moms, officiants and planners will tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits so that I can shoot some great ring shots at the beginning of the day! If you forget, no worries, I can always send someone to grab the rings we're missing.
KEEP all three rings.
Sometimes, depending on the theme and “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. This could be a linen from one of your tablescapes or some ribbon that you used on bridesmaids gifts. Anything that has great texture and flows with the theme of the day would be wonderful to have as options for detail shots!
EXTRA elements.
If possible, collect all of your details before I arrive so that I can begin quickly and have more time for some “getting ready” shots of you and your girls!
GATHER the goods.
There are so many different things to think about when you’re planning a wedding day, so here are some tips for the pre-ceremony timeline! I realize that every single wedding day is different and so not all of these tips will apply to every wedding day schedule. Something else to consider is that not EVERYTHING will go as planned, and I promise you, that is completely normal!
Day of remiders
05.
1. All I need to create natural light portraits on a rainy wedding day is one porch or covering of some kind! Just one! It's amazing how much variety can be captured in one location when you're in a pinch.
One of the most frequently asked questions that I receive during wedding season is, “Soooo, what do you do if it RAINS?!” I want to reassure you that even if it rains, you will still have beautiful portraits and BRIGHT colors in your images! Overcast skies mean vibrant colors! I know that rain isn’t ideal, and no bride would wish for rain on their big day, but if it happens, it happens...and it’s going to be JUST fine!! Some of my best weddings have been on rainy wedding days! Here are a few things to remember:
In case of rain
06.
2. Let me worry about the pictures. You have enough to think about. If there is a chance of rain, I’ll be sure to do some extra scouting to find a covered location or two for us to use for your portraits! Many times on a rainy wedding day, we will adjust the timeline on the fly to make time for portraits when the radar shows a break in the drizzle!
3. Take it one step at a time. Don’t think about your entire day and what will happen if it rains. That will only overwhelm you. Definitely have a rain plan for your venue, but then let your vendors do the work of handling the rest of the day if rain is in the forecast.
These photos were taken in the rain! It was the last shot of the night, and it is proof that the rain can’t keep us from taking beautiful images! Don’t let the fear of rain steal your joy. You can’t control it, and we promise we will make the best of it!