Guide for Brides

My Insider Tips For Your Day

After photographing many weddings, I have experienced and seen different things and situations and would love to share my insider tips with you, that might make your planning easier and your day run smoother.

Every couple and wedding is different, and these are just based on some of my observations, so please use what feels helpful to you and ignore the rest. ♡

1. Assign a helper

You as the bride should not have to worry about anything the day of your wedding. Your only job is to relax and enjoy your day. Get pampered during getting ready and have fun. You should not have to answer your phone at all.

Assign one or two people to be your personal helper and wedding coordinator on the day of your wedding. Someone close, like your mum, your best friend, your maid of honor, a bridesmaid. Someone who is good at this kind of thing.

This person should be in charge of things like:

  • communicating with the family and replying to messages

  • ordering food

  • prepping the glasses & pouring the Champaign

  • knowing where all the details and rings are for the photo and video team

  • getting you a glass of water if needed

  • helping to keep the room tidy

  • delegating tasks

2. Do a Hair & Makeup test run (if possible)

You and your hair & makeup artist will know exactly what you want which will help everything run smoother the day of your wedding.

If your resort is asking for an outside vendor fee you can always try to meet your MUA at a different location.

One of my couples once booked their test run a few months before the wedding and combined it with an engagement photoshoot on the beach. That day we discovered that even though the hair looked amazing it was not ideal for the windy beach conditions and needed to be adjusted for the wedding day. That brings me to the next recommendation: Make sure to get a “wind proof” hair style, if the ceremony is outside by the ocean.

3. Plan extra time for everything and get your hair and makeup done early.

Wedding day itineraries tend to be very tight and sometimes don’t leave much room to intentionally enjoy every little moment. I have seen brides rush through every point on the agenda to fit everything in before the ceremony. My recommendation is to start your hair and makeup early and take time to celebrate every moment, like putting on your dress, your jewelry, your shoes… Have extra time to fully be present during these moments. Maybe you would also like to do a Champagne toast in pajamas with your bridesmaids. It’s also nice to have a few quiet moments by yourself before the first look or the ceremony.

These are the photos that happen during these quiet moments:

Bonus tips for getting ready:

  • Use the nicest and biggest room for yourself. The groom (and the bridesmaids) can have the smaller rooms.

  • Keep the room as tidy as you want it to show in the photos. Your helper can be in charge of it. I have seen both, the beautiful picture-perfect room, and the room that was full of clothes, food, empty chips bags, cans and lots of other clutter. This is totally up to you. It is your day and it should feel authentic and real to you and the photos will document exactly that.

  • Have your bridesmaids get ready in a different room

4. Manage family ‘phone photographers’ during the ceremony

(Not my photos, just examples from other photographers.)

Here’s what I would do if it was my wedding:

  • Limit or not allow phones during the ceremony. You are paying lots of money for a professional photographer who will get better photos than Auntie Susan with her phone. Sometimes family phone photographers are in the way of the professionals. I’ve had people once stand next to me in the aisle, preventing me from moving to the spot to get the good angle.

    Another point is the photos you will get of everybody watching your ceremony. I like to also take pictures of the people’s reactions, their faces and emotions. It just feels different when everyone is holding a phone.

  • Instead have guests bring out their phones during the reception & party and capture BTS and POV then. This is the best time to get all the fun photos from all the different angles, selfies, dancing, party vibes and so on. I would create a Google Drive folder where everyone can upload their photos and videos.

  • If you wanted some additional phone photos a good time is during the couple photo session. If someone from your family and friends wants to tag along and take photos from different angles, this is a good time, and the results will usually be quite nice. And of course, any other time from getting ready to the first look are great for different POVs.

5. Practice the Dip Kiss

Set up your phone at home, film it, walk towards it and do the dip kiss. You can find lots of tips and techniques online.

After the ceremony take your time walking down the aisle and doing the dip kiss. This is your moment, celebrate it. Sometimes people throw flower petals or confetti. Walk slowly and have fun with it. You will also get the best photos if you take your time.

Bonus: If your officiant can get out of the way when you do the first kiss. This is of course not always possible, but I like to mention anyway.

6. Organizing family photos

Family photos are usually ‘squeezed’ in between the ceremony, couple photos and cocktail hour. This is where we take all the group photos and, in my experience, it’s usually the most tiring part for the couple. To make this part run as smooth and time efficient as possible I recommend the following:

  • We will make a shot list beforehand, so I have a list of the constellations that you would like to have

  • Keep the number of constellations small (maybe 6 to max. 10). In reality chances are high that you will never look at the photo of just the couple and the distant third cousins ever again.

  • The best-case scenario is to have a helper who can line up the next group already while we are taking the photo. When I have a second photographer, I assign her this job. When I am by myself, I am the one gathering the people, which takes away from our couple photoshoot time. If you have someone who would love to help you with that, that will make things a lot smoother for you and will allow you to join the cocktail hour much sooner.

7. Bring a second pair of shoes

This one depends completely on your venue and the day you have planned. Some venues have grass areas, and some have sandy dance floors... A lot of the time your beautiful designer shoes will be ruined after an amazing night on the dance floor.

8. The cake is not as important as most people think

By that I don’t mean that you shouldn’t get a cake. The cake cutting is super fun, but most couples spend 5 minutes doing that and then the cake gets forgotten. Most of the time the super expensive deluxe premium cake wasn’t necessary. Instead, you can add some sparklers on top of the cake or in the background to add a nice touch to this moment.

9. Some additional tips for preparation

  • Watch sun exposure the days before to not have a burnt and red face on your wedding day (especially the groom)

  • Prepare important items for the detail shots (your helper can be in charge of them). Such as veil, shoes, jewelry, vow book, rings, invitations, flowers, perfume, anything special with a meaning

  • Take off anything that you don't want in the photos, like apple watch, hotel wrist band, hair ties. Same for your bridesmaids and family.

  • Create a Whatsapp group with your guests that your helper can be in charge of on your wedding day

  • Share a little itinerary with your guests that tells them what is happening, when and where to avoid re-texting the same schedule to people individually (welcome party, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, farewell brunch…)

  • Create a Google Drive Folder where everyone can upload their BTS videos and photos from the reception

  • Bring music for getting ready and the “bridesmaid/groomsmen party” in the room

10. Download and backup your photos as soon as you receive them

I will upload them into a viewing gallery that you can easily share with friends and family and where everyone can download the photos in small web size that doesn’t blow up your phone storage. You will also receive them in high resolution in a Google Drive folder. The photos will be divided into different folders, such as ‘getting ready’, ‘ceremony’, so you can easily navigate the gallery. I will keep the photos online for a couple of months, so you have enough time to download them.

As soon as you receive your photos you should download your entire wedding gallery and back in up. Keep it in more than one place, ideally in a cloud storage and a physical copy kept somewhere safe. Technology can fail, websites can have issues, things happen and your wedding photos are too precious to risk losing them.