Weddings

Wedding Day Prep Ideas

August 16, 2012

I’m Catherine.
A New Orleans based wedding photographer and educator. We are excited you are here and cannot wait to connect with you!.
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I suppose the process of planning for your wedding photography starts all the way in the beginning. Planning for a wedding is SO much work, especially if you do not have an event planner as part of your vendor list, and depending on your photographer, you may or may not have to take the initiative in making with your photographic plans.

If you have not hear from your photographer 1-2 weeks prior to your wedding, and you’d like to touch base I would contact them for details. Some have a specific process they like to go through when organizing your wedding day photography.

Below are a few generalized tips that I feel can help make your day go smoother!

PREPARATION:

  • Picture this: One room, full of anywhere from 6-20 women, all scrambling to get dressed to look their best. There’s curling irons, brushes, makeup, food, sometimes wine, and many different personalities! Needless to say, the preparation before the wedding is the absolute busiest time of the day. Being organized is a must.
  • Having all of your details together can be very helpful (Ie: Dress, Shoes, Jewelry, Rings, Veil, and any other details that you’d like photographed)
  • Requesting the flowers to be at the desired photographic location is a great idea (<–where the first look and/or bridal party photos will be taken).
  • Hair and makeup can sometimes run late, so I encourage brides to book hair and makeup appointments in enough time to have everything (including everyone’s hair and makeup) complete 3-4 hours prior to the ceremony. This sounds extreme but it’s better to touch up, than to miss your opportunities for photography with those you love the most.
  • If you are wanting the bridesmaids and mother of the bride dressed before you put on your gown, this will need to be communicated prior to the day of the wedding and again the day of.
  • One of the biggest schedule changes for a photographer is whether or not the couple decides to do a First Look. <–read more about that at the clickable link. Communicating if you’d like to see your groom and whether or not you want full bridal party and/or family photos prior to the ceremony is super important.
St. Patricks New Orleans

CEREMONY:

  • The primary photographic issue here is communicating whether there will be anything out of the ordinary during the ceremony and also if there are any photographic restrictions at the venue.
  • As photographers, we shoot at so many different venues on a weekly basis, so letting us know these things ahead of time is important.

RECEPTION:

  • Over the past few years, I’ve heard so many people say that their biggest, number one request is to have fun at their reception. They want to enjoy seeing those they love most, dance, and remember the best day of their lives.
  • Personally, I believe that doing a First Look helps tremendously with this, as the majority of photos can then be taken before the ceremony, focusing only on the photos that you MUST have just before the reception. I think it’s the tendency of the couple to try and please everyone at the wedding. But at the end of the day, the people who are going to be looking at the images the most are: the couple, and the couple’s parents. Outside of this, I encourage couples to have fun and enjoy the day they worked so hard to plan.

I started off this post by saying that planning a wedding is intense; and it’s true. Even thinking of all of the things photography related can be overwhelming, so it’s hard to picture the entire day.

But with that being said, the planning is totally worth it. Especially when it comes to photography, your images are the ONE thing that you will have to remember your day. They are photos that you will pull out for your children, your friends, and for yourselves when you want to remember.

And speaking of remembering, you’ll want memories to think back on as well. So, have fun!!! Relax and enjoy the celebration of marrying the person you love most. 🙂

Live Simply, Love Freely,

Catherine

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