Wedding Day Prep Guide
For Gorgeous Imagery!
All photos ©2018 Amore Lux Studios - Kelly Barry-Miller
BRIDE & GROOM GETTING READY DETAILS
If Amore Lux Studios wedding photographers are procured for the getting ready phase of your day, we (usually) show up while the Bride & her bridesmaids are getting hair and makeup done. Since we prefer to stay out of the way during this portion of the day, here are a few things you can do to prepare your details for us, and obtain beautifully consistent and striking images! This goes for the Groom and his Groomsmen as well.
Gather Your details in advance. The best way to do this, is to dedicate a space in the room/hotel all of your details for pictures. For the Bride these items include: wedding dress/veil, bridesmaid dresses, shoes, jewelry, all pieces of your wedding invitation/rsvp cards/stationary, bridesmaids dresses, perfume, rings, flowers, etc. For the Groom these items include: shoes, watches, jewelry, cuff-links, cologne, specialized hair products, etc. Having these things together and set aside allows us to quickly get to work without interrupting your initial primping process! This is a great way to have your Maid of Honor/Best Man or Attendant help you. Have them gather all of the items together in one place, before your photographers arrive - preferably near a natural light window.
Extra note: When looking at a potential getting ready location, such as a hotel, please keep in mind that darker rooms do not photograph well. It is important for your photographers to have access to a different area of the hotel that is full of natural light, if your getting ready room is either small or poorly lit. This will make the difference between gorgeous getting ready details and not-so-gorgeous ones.Be SURE that your wedding flowers/boutonnière arrive to the getting ready location (and not the ceremony venue). Pretty flowers are gorgeous touches to your ‘getting ready’ photo collection – you’ll want as many detail photos with them as possible!
Don’t forget heirloom pieces! You wouldn’t want to forget that special ring your grandmother passed down to you for the day, or letting your photographer know that there is a hand-stiched message sewn into your gown or suit jacket. Your photographer will look for things, but may not catch everything! Leaving a note for your photographer of these things could be super helpful when you’re busy doing 10 other things that morning.
Think about any ‘extras’ you can include for this portion of the day! If detail photos are important to you, think about grabbing a few extra things to incorporate: matching robes for the Bride and her Bridesmaids, wooden hangers for the dresses; silk dyed ribbon, textured fabrics, lace, extra florals, signs, matching socks or cuff-links for the Groom and his Groomsmen. Anything extra that ties together your wedding color(s) / styling and theme. This will only make your photos more consistent and pleasing to view all at once.
Keep your getting ready space clean! I know that seems impossible when you put a bunch of guys/girls together, (we’re messy.. it’s life!) but doing this will minimize clutter in the background of your photos. A simple ‘clean-up’ session prior to group shots helps!
Have your Bridesmaids/Groomsmen get dressed first! This way, they are already dressed and ready for the moment you step into your dress/final suit coat. You’ll want them to look finished since they will be in a lot of your images! Groomsmen should at least have their dress pants and shirts on before photographer(s) arrive.
CEREMONY DETAILS
Consider having an unplugged ceremony! With all of the social media/technology hype, your guests are bound to snap at least a few photos during your wedding ceremony. This is usually not a problem, until guests stand or step into the aisle for shots, especially during the bride walking down the aisle & first kiss. This has happened so many times, resulting in ruined moments and blocked shots. The best way to avoid this, is to encourage your guests to put their phones away during your ceremony – and let your professional photographer take care of the photos (or at the very least ask them to keep cell phones and cameras low, and stay out of the aisles / use a kind statement at the beginning of your wedding program printout!) Consider purchasing an unplugged wedding sign.
Time is everything. For those having an outdoor wedding, this one’s for you! The number one thing you want to remember when planning your ceremony is the time of day because it will affect the lighting of the images! Sure, we can fill shadows from harsh lighting with a flash, but you won’t have the same light & airy feel to your images that is desired. The best option is to plan your ceremony 2-3 hours prior to sunset, depending on how long your ceremony will be. We will want to shoot your family photos, bridal party, individuals, and bride & groom photos after your wedding ceremony (if not having a FIRST LOOK), so a minimum of 1 hour of remaining light is necessary. Find out what time sunset will be for your wedding date here: (Rise app for iPhone/LunaSolCal app for android)
Great lighting = great photos. The best lighting situation for a ceremony is for the bride, groom, and entire bridal party to be in the shade or to have the sun coming from behind them (from the guests perspective). Try to avoid partial shade/sun spots and direct sunlight so that everyone does not appear to be squinting. Your photographer should be able to handle any light situation; however, this is the most ideal.
Indoor ceremony preparation. For those having an indoor wedding, allowing your photographer to “case the joint” the day / few days prior at the exact time the ceremony will be held will allow us to plan the best lighting preparation for your big day! It also allows us to visit with the individual (s) who will be leading the marriage ceremony. Knowing the “do’s and don’ts” in a specific marriage venue is very important.
PORTRAITS
On your wedding day, portrait time is typically broken up into three different parts: the family formals, bridal party & individual portraits, and bride & groom portraits. We will need a minimum of two hours (not including travel time) to complete all of these to our very best ability!
Portrait timelines will ALWAYS vary based on whether you have chosen to do a Ffirst Look” session & the time of day the wedding is to take place. Those details are always discussed and planned ahead of time with each couple weeks before your big day. Here are some general tips / guidelines for preparing for the portrait part of your day:
Send a list of family formals to your photographer prior to the wedding day. SO, SO IMPORTANT! Since we’ll be taking a group photo of the extended family immediately following the wedding ceremony, please have a familial representative on each side (bride’s side and groom’s side) inform all family members to stay in their seats after the ceremony. Since I won’t know what “Uncle John” and “Aunt Susan” look like, your family ‘representatives’ will help gather people, keeping things as quick and smooth as possible! Family portraits should take 30+ minutes (if all goes accordingly). *Be sure that immediate family knows to stick around for these photos! The number one problem during family formals is having to send someone to hunt down a family member at cocktail hour. We want to get these done as quickly and efficiently as possible so your family can go party and enjoy themselves!
Bridal party photos! It’s so important for the bridal party to take 5-10 minutes to take a drink of water (especially in hot months) and eat something prior to starting these portraits. Usually, there is so much going on that the bridal party forgets to stop and eat/drink – which can be disastrous! Encourage everybody to eat, drink, (reserving alcoholic beverages until after photos, please) to ensure that they are energized and relaxed for the photos! If everybody is content and in good spirits, this will be one of the most fun/memorable moments of your entire day Bridal portraits should take between 30-45 minutes (not including travel time). TIP: Be sure that the flower girl(s) and ring bearer(s) are available for this portion of the day if you would like them to be included in these photos.
Let your photographer lead with choosing locations! We can’t stress this one enough! So often, we have friends & family members suggest my clients into a specific location. Your photographer will need to choose locations that are suitable for lighting, which will depend on many variables such as time of day, weather, and overall brightness/cloudiness. Some locations may look beautiful and ideal for photos, but the lighting may be horrible and unflattering. Make sure you trust your photographer for this portion of the day, even if the location seems a little odd, try to trust!!
Send the bridal party back to the venue. After we are done shooting with the entire bridal party, we will kindly dismiss them to ensure that we have some privacy; however, we may request that one bridesmaid sticks around for help with dress/veil for specific shots. This is probably the only opportunity you will have during the entire day/night to hug/kiss and enjoy each other for the first time on your wedding day – so try to relax and soak it all up! We will guide you through each pose, evoke laughter and seriousness, and make sure your hair, flowers, & dress are perfect in every single shot. These photos will most likely be your favorite photos from the entire wedding day! If you have chosen to do a “first look” session (which we HIGHLY RECOMMEND), we will do this portion of photos before the entire bridal party & immediate family photos.
RECEPTION
Be in the moment. Please don’t be the couple that talks about how the food tasted during your first dance! This is your moment to compliment and smile at each other for an entire song. You may kiss, you may make each other laugh, or you may want to say nothing at all and just enjoy the moment! Forget everyone is staring, just be in the moment. Talk about the food later.
Don’t keep your surprises from the photog. I have had some crazy and hilarious surprises happen during receptions such as first dances, tribute songs/raps, group dances, etc. These are some of the most memorable moments during the wedding day, and will keep guests talking and telling stories for years to come. Do your photographer a favor and let them know if/when a surprise is going to be happening, so that they can already be prepared with the appropriate settings and angle, that way you can remember it exactly the way it happened!
Plan to be ‘stolen’ at some point. At some point in the evening, the light will be just right and I will request that your DJ stalls the guests for 20 minutes or so while we take you two newleyweds outside for some ‘golden hour’ photos. These will probably be the most beautiful images of the entire day, so even if you have to pause your meal, or take a break from visiting guest tables, you will thank yourselves later for doing so!! Think of it as a nice little break to have a moment to yourselves!
Dance, dance, dance! Listen, dancing is not everybody’s thing. However, I will admit that usually 90% of people on the dance floor actually cannot dance!! The idea is to let loose, have fun, and make tons of captured memories with the people who mean the most to you! So forget trying to look cool, or like you belong in Dancing With The Stars, and get out there! You’ll regret it your whole life if you don’t dance on your wedding day!