It can be easy to get carried away with all of the planning as you prep for the big day. There are so many elements to think about from the venue to the dress, invites and speeches! Taking a second to think about your wedding photos can not only help in your decision making but also lead to amazing results. After all, when the wedding is over and the guests have gone home, you’ll have your marriage and your photos to remind you of your day. I’ll leave the marriage to you and you can leave the photos to me! Trust me, scrimping on your photos is the wrong way to be looking at this super important element of your day. Invest in your everlasting memory of your new chapter together and you can’t go wrong. As you start your journey deciding on your photographer, keep these super simple tips in mind and you won’t be steered wrong.
Location
It can be stressful enough picking a wedding venue, however, I do recommend taking the time to explore the grounds and start thinking about your portrait session on your wedding day. Start picking out your favourite spots or there could be a beautiful location nearby where you would love to have your wedding photos taken. Taking the time now means you’ll have a plan for the day and you’re photographer would love you for being so excited for your portrait session!
Consider the light when you are viewing your wedding venue, where is the ceremony space? Are there beautiful big windows or is there lots of artificial light? This can have a big impact on your photos so it’s definitely worthwhile thinking about while you consider venues.
Engagement Shoot
Booking an engagement shoot with your wedding photographer allows you to get comfortable being photographed ahead of your wedding day. You can pick a location that you both love and go and explore for the day. You’ll be able to chat with your photographer, get to know one another and have a fun day out. You’ll come away feeling relaxed and confident in front of the camera, filled with new memories and epic engagement photos to share with your loved ones!
First Look
When you are planning the timeline of your day, definitely consider going for a first look before the ceremony. It’s super popular for a reason, your incredible reactions to each other are captured on camera! It allows you to relax in the moment, focus on your loved one and take some time to be in the moment. Your wedding day is going to fly by so having some time set aside for photos allow some breathing space.
Timeline
Be realistic with your timeline and incorporate some room to explore. Things generally don’t go exactly to plan on your big day but having a buffer means you can take your time with your photos. You’ll have a much more relaxing session and you’ll be prepped and ready ahead of the speeches! Most importantly, consider the time of day and quality of the light when you are drawing up your timeline. You want to be properly lit during your ceremony and that your guests aren’t blinded by the sun! Wedding lighting is one of the most underrated aspects to be considered. The time of your ceremony has a big impact on your photos, so pick an early ceremony time to get the best light for your photos. Having a first look before your ceremony in the morning ensures you’ll get gorgeous light for your photos.
Alternatively, if you are having an evening ceremony, make sure your venue has adequate lighting or bring your own to create the perfect atmosphere that you’ve always dreamt of!
Walking Down the Aisle
Here’s the one epic tip that I share with every single couple who books with me, as you are walking down the aisle, keep your head up! Face towards your guests, take in the amazing atmosphere and look at your partner! A lot of couples can be a bit camera shy and look down towards their feet when leaving the ceremony but if you remember to keep your head up you’ll have an epic walking down the aisle shot to include in your wedding album!
Shot List
Having a pared-back shot list for the family photos is the most useful tip. Be reasonable with your shot list, keeping it short and sweet ensures you get all of the important photos that you want and keeps yourself and your guests happy. No one wants to be taking photos for hours, your guests are dying to talk with you and celebrate on the dancefloor!
Day After Session
Here’s an awesome idea in order to extend your wedding day adventure! This is the perfect opportunity to pick an epic location that you’ve always wanted to photos of. There’s no need to limit yourself when thinking of locations. Make the most of it and go on an adventure to the Cliffs of Moher, Killarney National Park or even fly to the highlands in Scotland. You’ll have your pick of epic scenery, plenty of windswept hair and dramatic back drops to start off this exciting new chapter of your lives!
Embrace the Elements
Living in Ireland, we get pretty used to the changeable weather so the sooner you embrace the fact that the weather may not be ideal on your day, the more relaxed you’ll be. This is especially true for your photos. Forget about waiting for the perfect sunny day with a cloudless sky and pick that incredible cliff side location that you’ve always wanted photos of. Ditch the heels, throw on a pair of hiking boots and have an epic portrait session that you will remember in years to come.
P.S The super cloudy skies and winds in Ireland lend themselves to the most dramatic photos!
Comfort
As you plan your day, consider the location where you would like your photos taken. Is it a bit of a walk to that perfect location? Is it on a mountain top or on a beach? When is your wedding taking place? Once you’ve answered those questions, consider them when you are picking your outfit for the day. Perhaps, you want to have two outfits, one for the ceremony and one for the celebrations. You could have a more formal outfit for the ceremony and something more casual for the reception. Whether you are hiking up a trail to your portrait session location or strolling down the perfect spot on the venue’s grounds, make sure you pick something that you feel comfortable in. Once you feel like you can move in something it will allow your confidence to shine through. You won’t be fixing your outfit and getting distracted throughout the day and you’ll be able to focus on being in the moment.
Have fun!
This may seem obvious but sometimes you can be a little nervous before getting your photos taken and that’s totally understandable. This is a big day, there has been lots of planning and dreaming ahead of it. It’s so important to check in with yourself and be in the moment. Creating amazing photos does require you to relax and let go of your inhibitions a little. Focus on your partner, reminisce about your relationship and how you got here. Talk about the day so far and check in with your partner, before you know it you’ll be laughing away and having the best time! So when you look back at those photos in 10 years time you’ll feel a smile creeping across your face as you remember all of the fun you had.
Looking for more wedding inspiration?
Check out these incredible weddings below!
