* wedding Day

It your wedding day and it’s a big deal to us as well!!

This is why 2 weeks before your wedding, we will be sending you a document called ‘Wedding info worksheet’ and you will fill out all the info that we need in order for us to navigate smoothly through your wedding day.  We will also ask you to send us a copy of your wedding day schedule so we will know exactly what sort of exciting things to anticipate!!

Here are some helpful tips that you might want to know when you are planning out your photography schedule -

 

{Getting ready}

• I (Cindy) usually arrive at the starting location when the bride is almost done with make up, so I can grab a few putting on make up shots and take pictures of the bride putting the dress on.  Sometimes the bride is already done with their hair and make up when I arrive, but she would wait for me before putting on her dress.  It all depends on your hair/make-up schedule.
• The getting ready pictures usually take about 30 minutes to an hour.
• Daniel will also arrive at the guys getting location to capture some images of the guys too.  Please allot time for him to drop me (Cindy) off and then drive to the guys location.
• A room with a large window and a lot of space to move around is best for getting ready photos.  The room will show up in the photos, so think about what type of room you want to get dressed in.
• Any objects in the room like trash or clothes will likely show up in some of the photos.
• For the best pictures of your dress, bring a nice wooden hanger.

 

 

{First Look}

For those of you who want to see each other before the ceremony, we can arrange the ‘first look’ for our bride and groom.  The first look can be a private moment for the couple themselves, or can be done in the presence of their bridal party (or even family).

{Ceremony}

• Think about what the sun will be like during your wedding for outdoor weddings. We cannot change the lighting conditions at your ceremony site.
• For church weddings, know the photography rules at your church.  We will have to operate by those rules.  Some churches are very strict and some are more lenient.  This will influence what type of photos we are able to get.

{Formal family pictures}

• Whether you want us to take family photos before or after the ceremony, please please please have someone with a loud voice to be in charge of getting all the family members together.  The most difficult part of group photos is gathering all of the people.  Since we are not familiar with your families (and trust me, often time they won’t even respond to our voices because we are strangers.  We know that it’s just pure human nature and it’s not that they are trying being difficult).
• Please provide a list of family shots that you want us to take ahead of time so we can keep things on track.  Arrange the group photos from largest group to smallest group.
• If it all goes well, it shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes to get all the family pictures taken. (If you have more than 40 different combinations/permutations of family photos, we will kindly ask you to trim it down.)   :)
• Immediately after the ceremony at the ceremony site is the best place and time to take group photos because everyone is there and nobody needs to move very far.
• Tip: email your families/relatives ahead of time and tell them to stay behind in the ceremony area for pictures taking. :)

{Bridal party pictures}

• Pictures with the entire bridal party usually take about 15 minutes.
• This is generally our routine with the bridal party – a few shots of the whole bridal party with 2 different background, a few shots of the guys together, then a few shots of the girls together.
• Then each individual bridal party member will have a chance to take a picture with the bride/groom.

{Bride and Groom portraits}

• Ideally, we would love to have at least 30 minutes with the bride and groom for the creative wedding portrait session.
• Please keep in mind that we need sufficient daylight in order to capture the bright, dreamy & soft images that you love in our portfolio.
• We can either take the bride+groom portrait before the ceremony if they opt for doing a ‘first look’, or we can take the bride+groom portrait after the ceremony.
• We know this is not possible for every couple, but generally the best time to do the portraits is the hour before sunset.  The lighting is best at this time so if you can, schedule your portrait session right before sunset.
• The bride and group portraits turn out the best when there are the least distractions, so we usually dismiss the bridal party and take you two to a location away from your guests.

 

{Reception}

• In a typical, 7 hour wedding photography coverage, we don’t usually stay until the last minute of the reception.  You might want to schedule all the important events before our departure time so you can get all the photos that you wanted! Usually, all the important stuff (first dance, toasts, cake cutting, slideshow, bouquet and garter toss) can be easily fit within the first 3 hours of the reception. And I know that guests appreciate a packed schedule!
• We of course don’t mind staying for an extra hour or two if you realize that you want us to stay for a little longer.  We always ask our bride and groom if they want us to stay before we leave anyways!  We’ll send you an invoice after the wedding and you won’t have to worry about paying us until after your honeymoon. :)
• The best time for us to eat is when you are eating.  Please talk to your caterer about this.  They usually feed vendors after all the guests have been served.  Unfortunately if our food doesn’t arrive until after the guests are served, there are often events happening later that we need to cover.  We basically won’t be able to eat :-(.
• If you would like a photograph with each table, please allot 3 minutes or more for each table.  Designate a person to prepare each table for a photograph so that everyone has time to stand up and get into position before you arrive at the table.  Sometimes the centerpiece needs to be removed for the photo.