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Wedding Day Tips to Make Your Day A Little Easier

Right from the start of your day you should relax and enjoy it. Protect yourselves from people who fuss. The car may be late, the flowers may be a different shade to what you saw 6 months ago, it may be raining. Don’t let these things worry you because if a wedding photographer is worth his\her salt it wont worry them either. What will be will be and exceptional wedding photography relies on the wedding photographers ability to connect with their clients and produce stunning images regardless. If you stay chilled and are prepared for some last minute hiccups you will have a much better day and look far more attractive in your wedding pictures. Delegate as many tasks for the day to other people before hand. Sharon and I were lucky enough to understand this and I can honestly say that my wedding day was the best day of my life so far. The toughest thing you should have to do on your day is keep yourself relaxed, savour every moment of your special day. Below are some other helpful tips that you should take note of:

When setting the timings for the day

Start with the fixed elements and work backwards or forwards until all the pieces of the jigsaw fall into place. Take into account the time of year as well. Example: If you will be having your wedding in winter it means it could be getting dark as early as 17:00 (If overcast) so that will mean that you will have to start your couples photo shoot latest 15:45. That means the church service (if 45min) would have to start at 14:45 (allow for some lead time). Therefore we would suggest having the invitations for 14:30.

Consider you location and season when choosing your venue

When choosing a Venue

If photography is high on your list of priorities you will want to choose a venue that can provide covered places and rooms away from the guests where you can go for photographs if it is raining. Select a reception venue with a manager that will let you choose the timings of your day. Avoid a venue that insists you use their ‘approved’ suppliers. Stay flexible and enjoy making your day unique.

Unforeseen hold-ups

What happens if there is a traffic jam on the way back from the hairdresser, or if the best man has nipped off to the hotel to arrange a ‘surprise’ on your wedding night? If you have to get back from anywhere It is wise to allow more far more time than usual. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to be stressed because you are running late.

Chaos and tension in the house

To be avoided wherever possible! If you think that you will need your space in the hours before your wedding, say so! If there are a lot of people fighting for the bathroom and all trying to get dressed at the same time, then tension could rise, especially if the house or hotel room is not large. There will be shoe boxes and clothes bags all over the place. Be diplomatic, but make your feelings known in advance before you burst into tears or shout at someone.

Remember to bring some comfy shoes

 

Get all the girls looking good before the time

A really good piece of advice that I can give you that will really make a difference in your wedding pictures is to have something to wear while getting ready that you would want to see in your wedding photo’s in years to come. I know grabbing the first T-shirt that is on top of the pile is an easy thing to do when you are rushed (even if its a bright green Monster shirt you won on a night out!) but a bit of planning before the time will definitely be worth its weight in gold. Find something to wear while getting your make-up and hair done that is both practical and that looks good. A gown is always a good option but if its the middle of summer and there is no air-con then a plain white tank top or T-shirt will also work. This applies to your bridesmaids as well.

Shoes

If you have chosen a venue where you know we will be doing some outdoor, in the veld or at the river shots, try bring along some comfy slippers or sandals to help you over the terrain. You can ask one of your bridesmaids to help you by keeping them in her bag on the way to the ceremony as well.

Provide written directions

Ensure that guests who are travelling from a distance have clear directions about how to get to the ceremony. The same applies to getting to the reception if it is elsewhere. It may be worth including a map with the invitations. One thing you may wish to consider is putting the ceremony time on the invitations as 15 minutes earlier than it actually is – you wouldn’t believe the number of guests who creep in late to wedding ceremonies.

Have fun – It’s your wedding day!

Keeping Clean

This bit is for the bride! Every bride wants to arrive at the ceremony looking spotless, However, the very colour and nature of bridal wear means that every single speck of dirt will show. Accept this! It is highly unlikely that anyone other than you will notice anything, so try not to let it spoil the occasion. When choosing shoes think about how they will look if they get wet. We will do all we can to endeavour that nothing gets marked before you make your grand entrance, but unless it is pouring with rain we will be taking photographs at various outdoor locations. This will inevitably mean that you pick up the odd mark or two! Please don’t worry about this – the most important thing for you is to have fun!

Enjoy your Day!

We will do all we can to help you enjoy your wedding day, and when you come back from honeymoon you can re-live it again when you see your photographs. Meanwhile, if you have any queries or ideas, please feel free to contact us, and we’ll do our best to help.