If you’re planning a wedding it’s easy to get wrapped up in books, blogs and pinning inspiration on Pinterest. You’ll see picture after picture of beautiful settings, poses and lighting and I bet you’re looking forward to seeing those images with you and your loved one as the subject. Whether you’re having a simple get together or an extravagant affair Visual Appeal Studios has provided you with few tips to help you get the most from your wedding photography.

Schedule an Engagement Session- One of the most important things you could do to help improve your wedding photography is to have an engagement session with the professional you’ve hired for your wedding. The engagement session gives you and the photographer the chance to get to know each other. You’ll feel more comfortable in front of the camera and the photographer will feel comfortable working with you from behind the camera. Sharing creative ideas with each other lets you get to the same page on your wedding vision. It’s a perfect opportunity to build a friendship with your photographer. The photographer you’ve hired will be by your side for the entirety of your big day – after your engagement session you’ll feel comfortable with them and their camera on wedding day!

Pack a Pair of Comfortable Shoes- Whether you’re planning a few locations or just one for your formal photographs and group shots have a comfortable pair of flip flops or flats on hand.  You’ll likely be on your feet most of the day – your feet will thank you for giving them break during your formal photograph session. There is always a chance that the grounds where your pictures are being taken could be wet  so if you’re wearing heels the backs are going to sink right in! Not only will that get your shoes dirty but it’s going to be hard to walk. If you’re wearing a dress that leaves your shoes visible it’s ok to swap back to your heels after doing the hard work in your comfortable option. Or you can just swap up to a funky “off-beat” pair! My guess is you’ll want to boogie all night long at your reception – with a comfortable pair of shoes you’ll save yourself for the party and may even get to it sooner!

Enlist a “Point-of-Contact”- If you have a trusted friend or family member ask for their help. More than likely they’d be happy to assist on your wedding day! Ask this person to be your photographer’s “Point-of-Contact” – if there’s a question, concern or any sort of assistance needed your photographer can ask the point-of-contact. This will greatly reduce the amount of non-issues that come your way on wedding day. Your POC, if you will, can field questions or round up family members for group photos leaving you to enjoy every moment of your special day!

Send a List to Your Photographer- Your photographer will appreciate a list of “must-have” family shots. Give them a list of those shots with the names and relationship of the people you need in these photographs. Providing a list for your photographer will take much of the burden off of your shoulders. Your photographer will be able to say, “We need the Groom’s family!” or “We’re missing Uncle Rob and Aunt Louise!”. If there are children you need photographs with make sure to put those to the top of the list! Kids can have short attention spans so letting them get their photos first will ease the trouble of rounding them up later.

Provide a Schedule to Your Photographer- In addition to the list of “must-have” shots and people provide your photographer with a schedule. You’ll probably need to make one for your coordinator, DJ or band so print off an extra copy of your schedule for your photographer. It is easy for a wedding to get thrown off schedule but this way your photographer can do his or her best to keep you on track. They’ll also know about what time any traditions you may have planned for the reception are going to be held and can make sure they are in the right place at the right time.

Consider Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony- If you’re feeling strapped for time or want to get to your cocktail hour to spend some time with your guests consider seeing your partner before the ceremony. If it is something you’re comfortable doing it is a great opportunity for your photographer to capture some emotional images of you and your beloved. Capturing those special moments when you first see each other on your wedding day can make for beautiful images. After your ceremony you won’t necessarily need to take a bunch of formals of yourselves and you can focus on taking the fun group images and family photos. It could save you the stress and get you off to your reception sooner!

Plan a Post-Wedding Session- If you’ve decided that seeing each other before the wedding is not an option consider having a post-wedding session with your photographer. On the morning after your wedding don your wedding attire and head out for a relaxed shoot with your photographer. You’ll only have to schedule for family shots and photographs with your bridal party on your wedding day! These sessions are particularly important if you’re looking for magazine style imagery of you as a married couple. With the extra time you’ll feel and thus look more relaxed and your photographer will have more time to set up for those amazing shots. You can also change your location and have your session with that dramatic vista or in the historic district of town – where ever you could dream of! Much like your engagement session, it will be a relaxed time with your photographer capturing images and telling the story of your love.

Most of all, enjoy the day! If you’re having a good time your pictures will show it!

-Ashley

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