Create a Solid Timeline

This is probably the single most important piece of advice we can offer. At Hitched Photo we work closely with our clients to create the perfect photographic timeline and make sure that it fits within the broader timeline that your wedding planner or day of coordinator may have developed. Defining your day creates a crucial roadmap that allows us to keep you on track and make sure that things aren’t going off the rails. When you stick to a well planned timeline it prevents you from sliding into some of what we call “wedding pitfalls” which can easily turn your relaxed morning into a rush to get out the door.

The most common example of a pitfall that we encounter is a failure to communicate to your hair and makeup team that you have a very specific time that you must be finished. When things go over in one area, they have to come out of another and there goes the time you allotted for that really romantic first look. So plan your perfect day, communicate it to all the vendors involved and get on with enjoying that mimosa.

Leave Padding

Don’t forget to add a little extra time for transportation to and from different locations, the button that popped off the dress and your great aunt Tilly who wants to congratulate you in the middle of family photos. If your day does go a little off the rails well, then you already factored that into the timeline and you’re still golden. Most weddings are usually around that 8 hour mark. Trying to squeeze a full day wedding into 6 hours can be a bit hectic. So book out the extra 2 hours and enjoy the day.

Pick Attractive Locations

So, you’ve seen a million beautiful wedding photos, but did you know that half the time we’re shooting them next to fire hydrants, and back alley dumpsters? Yeah, that’s right, sometimes we really have to push our creativity to the limit to make things happen. But realistically, there’s only so much any photographer can do when their backs are completely to the wall.

So, here’s a few things to consider. First off, choose a nice hotel room. It’s the first half of your wedding day and often some of the best photos will be taken there. So go ahead and splurge a little. You have the rest of your life to make up for it. Pick a hotel near the venue that offers LOTS of beautiful natural light, with plenty of big windows. Find something that matches your vibe and go with it. Also stay away from rooms with tinted windows or windows that have that funky blue cast. Those will make you look… well, kinda dead. NEXT! Pick a gorgeous venue that doesn’t have a million power lines running through it, or a busy street with cars passing by.

Keep it Clean

Water bottles, Strabucks cups, half eaten charcuterie boards, suitcases and the list goes on. None of these things will look good in the background of your photos despite your desire for hardcore documentarian style photography. So do yourself and your photographer a big solid and clean that stuff up before they arrive. That way they won’t have to waste time doing it for you and can stay focused on taking beautiful images.

Minimize your Tribe

We know you love your friends and for that we commend you. But you might want to reconsider trying to stuff 12 bridesmaids into your hotel room as you get ready. The room will look like a bomb went off and it will add to the stress level as everyone runs around trying to get ready in the same place at the same moment. Remember, less is more. Consider having a smaller bridal party or booking one nice unadulterated room just for yourself and your closest friends.

Choose Natural Light

It might seem a little strange when your photographer enters the room and asks you to turn all the lights off. There’s a reason for this and it is referred to as mixed lighting. Mixing that beautiful natural window light with the incandescent overhead lighting results in a situation where the photographer has trouble correcting your skin tones in post processing. You will be blue if we balance for the warm light, or orange if we balance for the blue. So again, pick a room with lots of natural light and keep it fresh.

Be Prepared

Before your photographer arrives, gather all of your details into a secure and sturdy little box so that they can grab them and make them look beautiful as you get the final touches done on your hair and makeup. These items will include things like your shoes, rings, invitations, flowers, perfume bottles, keepsakes, memorial pendants. And of course have the dress hanging and ready on a nice hanger.

Carefully Consider your Palette

We all have our favorite colors however, some look better than others in relation to human skin tones and others are often hard to photograph depending on the material. So here’s the condensed version of what looks good and what to look out for. Things that look flattering include neutrals like white, black and grey, then combine those with accented pastels and earth tones. There’s been a recent trend in modern wedding decor that emphasize that minty green and light pink color theme and that’s because they work well. Big, bright, bold colors are often distracting and have the unanticipated effect of casting colored hues onto your skin.

As you can tell from our work, we love to emphasize simple whites, greys, beige, with pops and hints of your themed color. Really bright reds and magenta’s can have a tendency to cast color on your skin that can be hard to correct. Also colors like yellow can easily blow out in the sun and make your dress look dingy. Shimmery materials with a shiny reflective quality can also easily blow out in brighter lighting conditions and lead to a loss of detail, or act as a reflector that blasts your partner with whatever color it happens to be.

Don’t stress

Leave that up to your planner and your photographer. If everything is planned properly your only job is to sit back and enjoy the process. If you let yourself get flustered over the little things it will definitely show in your photos, so let’s keep those emotions focused on the happy moments.

Consider the Time of Day

For the most part your photographer will be able to control what light you shoot in, however when it comes to the ceremony we are subject to what mother nature provides in that moment. Although you can’t control what the weather will do there are some steps you can take to increase the chances of flattering ceremony light.

As photographers we like to keep the sun behind you or over your shoulder to prevent harsh direct light from beaming down on you. We recommend planning such that the ceremony will take place at a moment of the day when the sun will be lower in the sky and behind you in relation to your guests. There’s a cool app we like to use called Sun Seeker and you can point your phone to the sky to see where the sun will be at any given time on any day of the year.

Hold That Kiss

When that moment finally comes, the one you’ve been waiting your entire life for and you hear the words, “You may kiss the bride”, savor the moment. In fact, go ahead and stop to kiss again at the end of the aisle. If you give a quick little peck or the officiant abruptly jumps into the final moment when we’re out of position, then there’s a chance we might miss it. So again, smash those lips!

Trust Your Photographer

Sometimes we’ll ask you to do things that might feel slightly foreign, but since you don’t have a mirror in front of you, you have to trust that your photographer is working to paint you in your best light. We’re super obsessive about our work and we only want what’s best, so be open to being a bit vulnerable and acting silly at times.

Plan a Family Shot List

After the ceremony, cocktail hour begins and the countdown to grand entrance is on. If you’re a traditionalist and elected not to do a first look then you have one hour to get through family photos, bridal party photos and then try to squeeze in some romantic portraits. Having a well organized family shot list that has been shared with your photographer prior to the wedding is the best way to efficiently move through the process. Keep in mind that each family arrangement will take about 2 minutes on average so we recommend using this time for immediate family only as you can pick up shots with distant relatives during the reception or at the photobooth. Be specific in your creation of the list using both titles and names so that the photographer can easily reference the appropriate people.

First Look

Please, Por favor & Per favore. For the love of all that is good in the world… do a first look. We promise, it’s not bad luck to see each other before the ceremony and we’ve had hundreds of couples who have done first looks and are still very happily married. A first look is an opportunity for the bride and groom to see one another before the wedding takes place and it is guaranteed to be a very lovely moment for the two of you.

The first look will take place in as private a setting as possible allowing you both not only an opportunity to connect, but to reduce the stress of trying to cram all of your romantic photos into the time left over during the cocktail hour. Additionally this is a time when the bridal party photos can be wrapped up allowing them the chance to head off to cocktail hour after the ceremony. It’s an overall net positive and we’re sure you won’t regret it.

Have Fun With It

At the end of the day you will probably forget all the things on this list and that’s totally okay. We’re all human. Let’s just remember to have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously during couples portraits. We know it feels awkward to be in front of the camera, but when your photographer places you in a little pose or a romantic little setting, remember to have fun with your partner. Flirt, touch each other, kiss, snuggle, sniff, laugh, hug, shimmy, and sway. Just keep it loose and casual. We just want you to be yourselves and express that love for one another on your happiest of all happy days.