I wrapped up my 2011 wedding season at the end of October & I could not have asked for a better one! I had the most awesome brides & could not be more blessed!

So for this post I wanted to sit down & go over some things from this season for future brides to really sit & think about! Every year & every wedding I learn something new! I’m always striving to push myself out of the box & think differently! It’s so easy to get into a rut of shooting things the same way when you do it so often!

Now I’m a very straightforward person so I tell it like it is & not afraid to do so! I was not born to please everyone & I’m totally okay with this! So sit back, grab something warm to drink & prepare yourself for a loooooooong post!

Here goes! These are in no particular order! Just things I think about after all my weddings!

1. For the love of God can we PLEASE retire Beyonce’s “All The Single Ladies” for the bouquet toss! REALLY!? I’ve heard it at 99.9% of all weddings for the past 2 years! Bless you Danielle for switching it up! I immediately went & thanked her afterwards for playing a completely different song for her bouquet toss!

2. On that same note, how many times do you (Mr. DJ) have to play the Cupid Shuffle!? How bout learn to Wobble or Dougie!? Much more fun! :D

3. Consider hiring a live band! Man they bring so much energy to a reception!

4. If you are having any part of your wedding outdoors you must have a backup Plan B, C, & even D! Our weather is most wonky in April/May with either no rain or too much rain, cool temps or super hot & then August/September with hurricanes! Kudos to Julia for moving her entire wedding a day up because of Hurricane Irene! Was it her ideal plan, absolutely not, but she made the most of it & rolled with it!

5. If it rains on your wedding day & you’re venue doesn’t have any spot to take pics outside to get out of the weather (yes we do have some of those) consider doing a Day After type session. This happened once this season. I was able to shuffle the bridal party under the only overhang there was to get out of the rain. But you can’t do an entire “alone” type shoot under one overhang…boring! So Ashley & Ryan were totally down for doing a Day After session which turned out amazing! And that session doesn’t have to literally be the next day! They did their’s about 2 weeks later!

6. HIGHLY consider doing a First Look! My viewpoint is…if you live together then you’ve already broken tradition so why not do a First Look and get the majority of your pics finished so you can enjoy your reception! It’s an awesome time for you two to have that special time alone with each other before the tornado of guests hit! I guarantee your groom will still be just as excited to see you walk down the aisle, he’ll be just a tad less stressed as you will be too! Muchas gracias to Julia & Samantha who did this!

7. Time, oh time…nothing & no one runs on time on the wedding day..ever! So definitely allot yourself enough time for pics on the wedding day! It’s one of the only things left after the day is over & it’s the first thing to be cut time wise when in a crunch. :(

Please allot at least a minimum of ONE whole hour for pics after the ceremony, a little longer if you don’t plan on doing any pics beforehand! Family pics always take longer than what they should!

8. Consider the time of year/month you’re getting married with what time the sun sets! And consider where the sun will be shining if you’re having an outdoor ceremony! There’s nothing worse than seeing a bride blinded by the sun & the groom sweating in a heavy suit because their altar was placed directly in the sun! :( Ideally you want the sun behind you…not in front of you or harshly to the side (it’ll make you squint).

If the sun sets at 7pm…don’t plan your ceremony for 6pm unless you plan on doing a First Look & having the majority of all your pics done beforehand. Once the ceremony is over it’ll be at least 6:30 & if you’re lucky enough to get away from the guests right after you *might* get about 15 minutes of pics before it’s dark.

Once the sun starts to set she sets FAST!

On the flip side, if you’re planning a summer wedding..you don’t want your ceremony at 2pm outside! Wow it’s super bright at that time! Luckily I’ve not had too many brides over the years do this!

9. On another note regarding outdoor ceremonies, consider what you want your groom & his groomsmen to wear. If it’s a summer wedding consider letting them wear a light khaki suit, or just khakis and shirts with ties, etc. Navy blue makes for an awesome color for a spring wedding! Also consider letting the groom wear something a tad different from his groomsmen that makes him stand out. Sometimes when shooting the groom with his guys..it’s hard to distinguish who the groom is when they’re all dressed alike.

9. Girls want those gorgeous shots of them & her girls getting ready! Please consider this when you pick a location to get ready at. If you get ready in a room with no windows, please consider finding a spot that has natural window light! That’s how you get those images…natural window light!

10. Details, details, details! So many girls think they have time to do it all themselves to save money! Trust me, it’s worth hiring someone who can do your florals & coordinating for you! As the bride you should not be setting up your reception when you should be getting ready! You shouldn’t have to direct people yourself on your big day! I highly recommend hiring someone like Celebrations or CMT Event Planning! I work with both on a regular basis & my weddings go off without a hitch! They keep everyone on schedule & the receptions they do are phenomenal!

11. Consider additional lighting for your reception! The lighting totally makes a difference turning it from “just a reception hall” to “holy moly what world did I just step in to!?” :D

12. If you have a DJ, and most do, please be aware of the lights they use when you’re on the dance floor. I would highly suggest requesting no spinning colored lights or lights that throw off colored dots when you’re doing something important, like the toasts, cake cutting, bouquet/garter toss and ESPECIALLY during the first dance! There is nothing worse than seeing green, red or blue dots all over a bride & groom’s face during one of those main events! Request those kinds of lights once the reception gets going!

13. An exit! Please do an exit! It gives your final images closure for the night! The most popular are sparklers, although I suggest doing a “fake” exit with these early in the night if you’re having alcohol! Nothing worse than drunk folks waving sparklers around! I get scared for my life during these times! :D

14. Consider getting one of the cute dress hangars with your new last name on it! Even your first name or new initials! Anything but the plastic hangar the dress came on! Etsy has tons of hangars!

15. If you do decide to do sparklers, don’t get the colored, smoking ones! They burnout before you can even get out the door and then I can’t see you for all the smoke when you come out! No bueno! Look for the longer ones specifically made for weddings! They’ll be cleared white ones with longer sticks!

16. Annnnnnnd finally to wrap this up…if you’re a member of the bridal party please remember to truly smile when I say “smile!” :D I got so many death stares this year! It’s like y’all wanted to kill me! I didn’t ask you to be in the wedding, your friends did! :D It’s your friends’ special day & you agreed to be a part of it…so please smile!

If you’re a future bride & have any questions I’m happy to answer anything for you! Don’t hesitate to email me! amy@stillframesphotography.com

With that I’ll leave you with one of my favorite images from a wedding in September! Stay tuned for more because I will be featuring every single wedding from this year!

xoxo
amy