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This tip encompasses a lot of factors that will greatly impact the quality of your photography and your experience as the bride and groom on the wedding day. The choices you make about the timing of your wedding day will impact the amount of stress you deal with, the extent to which you have the opportunity to connect with one another and the quality of your photographs—specifically as it relates to good lighting and the quantity of relaxed portraits that are able to be captured.

Whenever I sit down with potential clients to talk about their weddings, I like to get around to discussing the timing of their wedding with them. I want to make sure they are as prepared and educated with their options as they can be in order to make informed decisions that will be best for them. I oftentimes start out by asking them if they have their hearts set on not seeing each other until the ceremony. Traditionally, the groom waits to see his bride on the wedding day until she is walking down the aisle. This tradition originated with arranged marriages. When a couple was chosen for one another they were not allowed to see each other until the ceremony so that they wouldn’t have the chance to back out once they saw what each other looked like. Even though today, couples marry for love, some still like to uphold this tradition. But the trend is moving in the direction of spending more time together on your wedding day, which means seeing each other before the ceremony. I really believe this is the best option for a number of reasons:

1. You get a chance to connect with one another before the craziness of the day takes over.
If you don’t see each other until the ceremony, you likely won’t get a
chance to talk with the most important person in your life on your
wedding day. You see each other during the ceremony, say your vows,
and then are swept away by the joy and love of your family and friends
for the remainder of the day. If you see each other before the ceremony,
you are able to have a private moment where you see each other for the

first time while you are alone. You are able to react to one another
verbally and much more openly because you aren’t standing in front of
everyone you know. I absolutely love this part of the day when
couples first see each other before the ceremony. I am able to capture
some amazing emotions as the couple sees each other for the first time
and then we walk around the property shooting portraits of the two of
them.

2. Your stress and anxiety are dissolved before the ceremony.
I’ve observed couples throughout the course of their wedding days and
for the most part they all experience some type of anxiety as they pre
pare in the morning. All of their months of planning have led up to
this most important day. The couples who see each other before the
ceremony are anxious, but as soon as they see their best friend—get a
chance to hug and talk and connect—any stress that they were
experiencing completely dissolves. From that point on in the day, they
are completely themselves and at ease.

3. Portraits can be as quick and painless as possible.
If you see each other before your ceremony, we can get all of your
formal portraits out of the way before the ceremony so that you are free
to do what you and all your guests really want to do after the ceremo
ny—celebrate and enjoy your cocktail hour/reception.

4. You can plan your wedding near sunset.
So many brides and grooms want a sunset wedding. But natural light
is vital for quality portraits. If you take care of all of the portraits before
the ceremony, you have the flexibility to plan your wedding near
sunset. No natural light is needed after the ceremony. If you wait to
see each other, that’s o.k, just plan your wedding earlier in the day so
that there is at least 2 hours of daylight post-ceremony for your
portraits.
Consider these two options:

Portrait schedule if you see each other before your ceremony:

2 hours before ceremony: Bride & Groom see each other for the first
time & take portraits alone together
1.5 hours before ceremony: Portraits with bridal party
1 hour before ceremony: Portraits with families
1/2 hour before ceremony: Completely done with portraits as your
guests begin to arrive—giving you time to go inside & freshen up.
Portrait schedule if you don’t see each other before your ceremony:

1.5 hours before ceremony: Portraits of Bride with bridesmaids
1 hour before ceremony: Portraits of Groom with groomsmen
1/2 hour before ceremony: Temporarily done with portraits as your guests
begin to arrive–giving you time to go inside & freshen up.

With receiving line after ceremony:
30 min. after ceremony: Portraits with families
1 hour after ceremony: Portraits with bridal party
1.5 hours after ceremony: Portraits of Bride & Groom alone
2 hours after ceremony: Completely done with portraits

If Bride & Groom walk down aisle and just keep walking to a secluded area:
Immediately after ceremony: Portraits of Bride & Groom alone
30 min. after ceremony: Portraits with families
1 hour after ceremony: Portraits of bridal party
1.5 hours after ceremony: Completely done with portraits

As you can see, portraits can be taken care of before the ceremony in 1.5 hours. If you don’t see each other before the ceremony, portrait time will take up 2.5 hours of your day. In addition to the quantity of time being extended, the stress is also heightened when portraits are held off until after the ceremony. Gathering people before the ceremony is easily done through good communication before the wedding day. There are no additional guests present to work around. After the ceremony, everyone just wants to love on you and congratulate you. So many times during portraits after the ceremony, no one can find uncle Bob. More time is wasted gathering people and I have a difficult time getting everyone’s attention to accomplish the task at hand. It’s just more stressful on everyone.

These are the ways in which the timing of your wedding greatly affects your photography. But photography aside, I really believe that these factors also affect your stress level and general enjoyment of the day.

One other tip as it relates to the timing of your day and your stress level, is to plan in extra time between different events of your day as there are always unexpected things that come up. Getting dressed on your wedding day will take you longer than it does on any other day of your life. Brides tend to underestimate how long it will take and sometimes guys are the most guilty of this. Planning in more time than you think you will need will help everything run smoothly.

Communication is the key to any good relationship. This is never truer than on your wedding day. So communicate with your photographer.

In your initial meeting always tell the photographer what you are looking for in their photography. One of the things I came to terms with early in my career is that I’m not the right photographer for everyone. The goal is to match clients with the right photographer creating a good fit where everyone is happy.

So communication before the wedding is key. If everyone does their part it will help to avoid the heartache of missing a cherished portrait of a loved one on the wedding day.

I will typically shoot the following formal portraits:

-Bride & Groom
-B & G with Bride’s extended family
-B & G with Groom’s extended family
-Bridal party all together
-Bride with bridesmaids (grouped & individually)
-Groom with groomsmen (grouped & individually)

I share this list with my clients so they know which formal portrait groupings I will automatically make sure are covered. But I know every family is unique so I encourage my clients to email any additional groupings they would like included in the formal portrait part of the day. If they really want a particular photo with a special grandma, I need to know that ahead of time. I’m more than happy to do it but if I’m not told ahead of time, and the bride, groom and families are swept up in the joy of the day, they may not be able to recall each portrait grouping they’d like covered. It’s important to have a written list ahead of time that is well thought through.

I also encourage my clients to not get too carried away with the list. I will be shooting constantly and am sure to get a wide variety of shots they will like. As an artist it is important for me to be able to stay in the creative zone and shoot moments as they happen instead of being tied to a long list of shots that need to be checked off.

My style is highly photojournalistic. And I’m around all day, documenting everything that happens. When a bride and groom choose me to shoot their wedding , they do so because they’re excited that I’ll be there to capture those special moments and all the details they painstakingly hand-picked.

I also notice that people look at me funny when I take pictures of shoes or little details that I noticed throughout the day. Some of them even make comments. But then after the wedding, when they see the slideshow of some of my favorite images of the day, they understand better. Seeing the images helps them to understand my purpose for being there all day and shooting the things that I did.

I encourage my clients to communicate their excitement about their choice for photography to their family and friends. I suggest that they send them an email and include my website, encouraging them to take a look. My hope is that when they see examples of my work, they will better understand and be prepared for what I am doing on the wedding day. They will hopefully feel more comfortable around the camera. It’s also helpful when my client encourages their family and friends to ignore me as much as possible. I strive to be unobtrusive but it still helps if people ignore me. If the people who are most intimately involved in the wedding do these things, I get much more natural shots.

I give my clients this tip because I really do believe that it helps everyone to enjoy the day (because they are better prepared ahead of time) and makes the photos better (because everyone is more at ease and therefore, more natural). So brides who are reading this—get out there and educate your family and friends on your choice of a photographer. It will make a world of difference on the wedding day for everyone involved.

I ran across this great article over at InArkansas.com that breaks down all the cost of a wedding here in the natural state Follow the link to read it for yourself LINK it is packed with lots of great information, come back and leave me a comment if it was helpful.

My bride has been asking for a family session for a year if not longer and we finally had time to do them. We headed north to Conway for the shoot on the beautiful campus of Hendrix college. The campus is full of large oaks that provide a great back drop and lots of open shade for portraits. I even managed to make it into a few as you will see from the samples below. Thanks to my kids for stepping up and taking a few of me. Samples below. If you want to see them all, just click on one of the samples and it will take you to the gallery.

The weather could not have been better for Jackie and Greg’s wedding last week. After the summer we have had, I was really worried that we would all melt. They picked the little country church of Walnut Grove UMC which is near her parents home for the ceremony. The church is one of, if not the oldest in Arkansas, and it was packed with family and friends as you can see from the pictures. After the ceremony everyone was invited back to her parents’ home for a “real dinner” as Jackie put it, not the usual wedding dinner, on the grounds of her parents’ farm. The food was provided by YAYA’S and I heard no complaints from the guests, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Samples below. If you would like to see all the images from the wedding click on one of the samples and it will take you to the galleries.

The guide is a 16-page booklet filled with ideas and information about picking your wedding photographer. Topics covered:

• Communication Before the Big Day: Communication is the key to any good relationship; is your photographer listening to you?

• The Timing of Your Day: To see each other before the ceremony or not, and the impact your choice will have on your stress level.

• Backup Equipment: Why you should ask and what the photographer’s answer should be.

• Why Does Wedding Photography Cost So Much: A breakdown of what goes into your wedding from the photographers point of view.

• Happily Ever After Your Wedding Day: What your service should be like after the wedding. How long before proofs are ready, how long will it take to receive an order and when will my album be ready.

To download a free electronic copy click here: The Brides Guide to Wedding Day Photography

We had a blast shooting Jackie’s bridals a few weeks ago. She came up with the best location for the bridals that I have seen all year. The place was an old abandoned gas station just east of Sherwood. It was not your normal building even when it was in operation and we just walked all around it shooting different angles. It really made for some neat images. We took one that you will see below that if you had not of been there you would not know the building was in such bad shape. From there we moved down the road just a mile or two to a swamp and did a few with the trees for backdrops. Samples below. If you want to see all the images just click on one of the samples and it will take you to the gallery.

Brandie and Michael had a beautiful wedding at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church near the end of the summer. It was a little hot but we made the best of it for their pictures. I made a deal with the guys that when we went outside for their pictures I would wear my suit jacket so we would all suffer together. For the ladies we decided to remain inside in the AC. I think Michael may have won the prize for the coolest grooms cake of the year made by the folks over at The Blue Cake Company. Samples below. If you want to see them all just click on one of the images below and it will go to their galleries.

One of my favorites from their engagements

For those of you that would like a hard copy of  The Bride’s Guide to Wedding Day Photography you can pick one up at these local vendors. If they are out please have them give me a call and I will be happy to drop one off for you.

Tuxedo Junction

Alfred Angelo

A Fitting Image

Proposals

Tulle

The Bridal Cottage

Jodi-Marie’s Bridal

This is a great article provided by the folks over at the Wedding Channel. Click on the link below to read it. Leave me a comment if you find it helpful.

The 10 Biggest Wedding Mistakes