Shane and I got married this past March, and we have photographed several weddings, so although we are not wedding ninjas (Shane may beg to differ), we do have quite a bit experience in the wedding field, and we wanted to share a few tips with you! Actually, we will share FIVE with you! You can also see some of our wedding album in this post, where we talk about our favorite ways to display your wedding photo memories!
5 Tips for Wedding Planning
1. Prepare for exhaustion
Bring flats or flip flops for walking between various photo locations and for dancing the night away. Yes, this day is all about YOU and YOUR love, but it takes a lot of energy to be in the spotlight for a full day. Cans of Red Bull or Monster may be helpful to keep you perky, and an encouraging wedding party is key to keep you going when you feel like you can’t smile anymore. If you’re a half or full marathon runner, you know that you train for 3/4 of the race, but sheer will takes you the full distance. The same goes for your wedding. Just keep going! Your future, married self will thank you!
Brides: a small container of baby powder will be super helpful… especially in the summer!
2. Make your first kiss count
Don’t think “short and sweet.” Keep it going, baby! The longer the kiss, the more beautiful photos there will be of that moment.
3. Confirm your vendors the day before
Call or e-mail ALL involved to confirm times, locations, and amounts owed. Nobody wants a limo service to realize they are double-booked the DAY OF. And your best friend would feel terrible if she thought you wanted to start your hair and make-up at 1pm, but you wanted her there at 11am. Those lost hours will cut into other scheduled items on your carefully planned timeline.
4. Decide who will be in charge of your stuff after the reception
You’ve been whisked away in your vehicle of choice (perhaps with a few tin cans tied to the back), and the party wraps up. What will become of your gifts, guest book, leftover food, cake, flowers, toasting flutes, etc? Does your go-to person know exactly what they are in charge of, or are they to just scan the room and pick up “anything that may look important?”
When you have chosen your trusty person(s), let them know their specific responsibilities. Will your gifts go to your parents’ house, your house/apartment, or other location? Will your dress be preserved right away, or are you keeping it for a rock-the-dress photo session (have a hanger and garment bag so it doesn’t wrinkle)? Local shelters would probably love extra food, and nursing homes will likely accept flower donations, but call ahead to find out when and where they can be dropped off.
speaking of friends…
5. Collect photos from guests!
Have a friend, laptop in hand, go around to guests and copy (NOT TAKE) the photos from their memory cards. It will be a hassle to try to contact people later, hunt them down, and get copies of their captured memories. Try not to have it be a member of the wedding party, as they will be super busy with other things. Shane and I used WedPics, which is a website and an app that guests can use to upload their photos to one place. We did print out everything that people posted there, but we know that we missed several cameras by leaving it to our guests. Some other brides may have more success with this.
BONUS: Hire professional photo and video teams! Two:20 Productions is a photography AND videography business, and we take your big day very seriously. Your wedding will be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing! It’s not a birthday or anniversary that happens every year. Trust the pros. We’ve done it a time or two
