How to get the best wedding images on your special day!!!

Once you have narrowed your search down to a few of your favourite wedding photographers, the ones whose style of wedding photography perfectly suits your vision of your special day, meet with them. You want someone whom you can both relate to, feel totally relaxed around and most importantly get on well with because you’ll spend a lot of your wedding day with them!

Make sure your hair and makeup professionals know what time your photographer would like you ready by. Most photographers prefer to have at least an hour with the bride completely ready to capture those stunning bridal portraits, the bride having fun with her bridesmaids and treasured photos with your loved ones before your wedding ceremony.

Having a hair and makeup trial before your special day is a wonderful way to ensure you absolutely love your look. (Planning this to tie in with an engagement or pre-wedding shoot is a fantastic opportunity to not only see how your hair and makeup looks in photos but also to ensure you feel completely at ease with your wedding photographer on your BIG day!)

Do let your photographer know of any special details you would like captured – your great-grandma’s wedding rings, a bottle of perfume your husband-to-be sent you as a wedding gift, your garter handmade by your Mum, your wedding bouquet made from brooches you have collected, your wedding dress hanger made by a friend who couldn’t attend the wedding or your cake toppers matched perfectly to your wedding theme.

Let them know of anything happening during or after the ceremony – a butterfly release, giving each of your Mum’s a rose, an eagle flying in with your wedding rings, a love letter ceremony, wedding sand ceremony, dove release or fireworks display. Don’t hand them a copied and pasted list of must have shots – this will actually stifle their creativity and prevent them from capturing fleeting moments whilst looking to see what’s next on the list of 100 must have images.

With so much going on and all the planning and preparing for your wedding day, it is too easy to get caught up and forget to enjoy the moment. Some of our favourite wedding photographs are of couples staring lovingly into each other’s eyes, totally absorbed in the moment. Let your photographer know if you want a little alone time straight after the ceremony – they don’t want to impose on your first moments together as husband and wife but on the other hand if you want these first moments captured let them know.

Ask your best man and chief bridesmaid to please help the photographer with your group photos. They will know who everyone is and be able to see if anyone is missing from the all important family group shots. That way no-one will be left out.

Have Fun & Relax – it’s your special day. Trust your wedding photographer – if you’re completely relaxed with them your images will reflect that. The wedding photography will be much more fun and memorable if you allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy every aspect of the day, including an un-rushed photo shoot in the best light (your memories of your day will be so much more vivid and not seem a blur). Take a picnic basket with drinks and nibbles for your location shoot. This will keep your bridal party happy whilst you get the perfect images you deserve.

Consider sunset times so you can have sufficient daylight in your pictures or incredible sunset shots if required. Check that the tide times fit in with your beach ceremony or location photography – if you want a romantic image of yourselves standing on rocks with waves crashing behind you don’t want to get there and find the rocks are completely covered or imagine having to move your beach ceremony set-up mid-ceremony due to the tide quickly rising (yes, this has actually happened before!!!)

Consider an “unplugged wedding” – too many images are spoilt by over-enthusiastic wedding guests jumping into the frame during that special moment when you walk down the aisle and your husband-to-be sees you for the first time – outstretched arms in the aisle with cameras/ipads blocking your view is not what you want to remember. Also wouldn’t you prefer your family and friends to connect with you during the ceremony rather than viewing it all through their camera or phone?

The emotion of one of the best days of your life deserves to be photographed by a professional wedding photographer. For most brides and grooms it is not until after the wedding is over that they realise the value and importance of their wedding photos.

Wedding Photography Tips

1. Have fun with your photography – it’s your day, do it your way
2. Allow plenty of time for hair and makeup
3. Consider an un-plugged wedding ceremony
4. Consider sunset as well as tide times if a beach wedding
5. Have someone to help the photographer organise important family photos
6. Take a picnic basket with drinks and nibbles for your location shoot
7. Most importantly have fun, relax, enjoy your day and soak in every moment

Remember, you may never put on that wedding dress again, but you will certainly look fondly at those wedding photos hundreds of times in your lifetime!!!