I want you to imagine what your wedding day would look like if there wasn't a photographer there on the day? Sounds crazy right but bear with me. Your wedding isn't an instagram square where everything looks "perfect," its a reflection of real life filled with little stories that make up your big day! Your wedding day is a vessel that brings together all the special people in your life as a one off event never to be repeated, its the official starting point of the rest of your life together and it should look exactly how it was, but more importantly feel that way too.
Bridal/Groom Prep: Ensure your photographer controls the light in the room where necessary (this is a big one.) This sounds silly but the photographer and their skill set know how light works more so than anyone else. One thing you might consider is the light in the place you are getting ready. I love soft natural window light - its super flattering and great to shoot in, so a nice big window light is always a good choice!
Clutter: This may seem an obvious one however a bride brought it to my attention once and it stayed with me ever since. Clutter during bridal/groom prep. Whats important to you? Do you want a clear tidy space so you remember your day that way or would you prefer it to be documented with you in a completely natural environment.
Whichever it is, remember to tidy as you go or leave things as they are, and let the photographer document your day EXACTLY as it was!
Couples portraits, I won't be dragging you off for hours (10-20 minutes max) its your downtime so embrace it, you've been around wedding guests all day so just ejoy each others company and take a deep breath. I won't be giving direction and certainly (DON'T LOOK AT THE CAMERA - share this with your guests to ignore me as much as possible it creates much better candid photography.) Hold hands whilst we go for a walk, the more wrapped up in each other you both are the better the photos. We may do one or two portrait sessions in the day dependant on how your story unfolds.
Side note - Confetti, if you think you have enough YOU DON'T get x3 what you think you need, people will take handfuls and they make awesome wedding photos!
I firmly believe it's important to get some lovely group photos with you and those people who are genuinely close to you. Depending on your schedule & the weather, a good time to do this is between the end of the ceremony and before its time to eat.
Finalising the group shots before your wedding day is important! A large group photo could take 4/5 minutes or more to arrange. So if you have 10 group shots you'll need to factor at least 45 minutes for this. I strongly suggest between 8/10 group shots maximum.
