Wedding planning tips for couples

How do you choose your wedding photographer and how can you get the most out of getting the right photos for your dream wedding day.

Scroll down to read the articles on considering photos for your wedding day.

9 wedding day mistakes to avoid on your wedding day - Advice and support for couples planning their wedding

So while in the planning process for your wedding, which let’s face it can be such a massive deal for some individuals who have been planning their dream wedding since they were children, we all want our wedding to go down as smoothly as possible, here are 9 fantastic tips to help you plan your day around your photographer so you can get the best out of your wedding photographer.

1- Letting relatives and friends get in the way of the photographer; as they take their smartphone pictures if you are investing fully in a professional photographer (You shouldn’t be paying less than £500 for your professional wedding photographer) then ask them about how you can have an unplugged wedding, this allows your photographer to get on with their job efficiently without Uncle bob standing in front of them and other peoples flashes getting in the way of the photographers images or having 50 iPhone in your images.

2- Not helping organize your guests for posed images; now this is a particularly stressful part of the wedding photography process and the one that takes up the most time. Now of course as a bride/groom, you don’t want to be getting stressed and having to do all the work so think about who you can appoint with a really loud voice who can help the photographer rally up the groups and assist in getting all those posed group images so it goes smoothly, the photographer solely can’t do this by themselves they don’t know who is who and people may not be inclined to listen to them.

3- Not hiring a professional photographer; now then we all know how expensive weddings are, you just say the word wedding, and it almost seems like prices are sky high! Now, this may not be the case with small businesses, it’s all down to their business model and the costs it takes to run their business, we all have bills to pay so it may not be as black and white as you think it is. Wedding photography is so much more than just taking images and it is one of the only non-disposable reminders of your day. After all the cake gets eaten, the decorations get put down/thrown, the wedding dress worn once, etc. and what do you have other than your memories? PHOTOGRAPHS! So please think carefully about who you choose as your photographer, if you’re on a budget try tweaking things and invest in a good photographer, you won’t regret it in a few years time.

4- Not explain exactly what you want in your imagery to your photographer; so you have your amazing wedding, get the photographs, and ugh, wait what you're not impressed? Make sure you let your photographer know what you want, do you want all black and white images? do you want mainly portraits, or do you want the vintage feel? what are you looking for? Unsure, check out my other blog posts

5- Forgetting to have fun! It’s your wedding day, things will happen out of control even if you plan it to a T, so just go with the flow and have fun, it’s your one day! The more relaxed you are, the more genuine your photos are going to be.

6- Having a too in-depth shoot list for your photographer; so you want 100 portrait images, okay this will take a good hour or so and your other guests will get bored! Make sure you do the whole group first and work down the smaller groups so people can have a break or go to the bar or they will be waiting around do you really need 150 photos of your individual family portraits, will you use them? Have a good think of what you need and want and if you are unsure just discuss this with your photographer.

7- Falling for trends that date; do you need what’s “Hot right now” or in 20 years are you going to look back at your photos and think oh my days, what was I thinking?

8- Letting other people’s opinions overrule the photographer; Now it’s great to have the opinion of your friends and family but that is exactly what it is, their opinion and their beliefs may not match yours, so seek out meeting a photographer to make your own decision first.

9- Having poor self-esteem; now this may seem like a strange one but go on with me, if you have poor body image or low self-esteem try not to let this affect the way you feel on your wedding day or the will always be hitting you every time you look at your wedding photographs and you will dislike them.

Can you think of a 10th?

I hope these tips help you in your planning process for your wedding!

Victoria Fenix

Tips for brides: Planning your perfect wedding - Getting the photos right

So planning a wedding is pretty hard work! There are lots of things to consider, so here are some tips to help you plan your special day and get the best out of your wedding photographer and images.

· Can everyone fit in the preparation room/hotel room/lounge? You, your Mother, mother-in-law, children, Bridesmaids, grandparents, family members and photographer, videographer? So will the photographer be able to get around the room or rooms freely to get the photographs you want easily?

· Get an egg timer or put alarms on your phones to keep track of time so you can get everything done you want and you don’t miss out on the photos you want.

· Put some baby powder on before you put your wedding dress on if you are feeling hot and sweating so it goes on easier.

· Slow down! Walking down the aisle with your Husband/Wife is a really hard image to take especially using natural light, so if you want a good image of you walking down the aisle please be mindful and walk slowly so your photographer can get a good clear picture of you both, don’t forget to stop at the bottom and have a long kiss, you’ll love your photos so much when you get them!

· Concentrate on the “Must have” photos after the ceremony so that there is less waiting around and stress for you and your guests, the other photos can be done throughout the day. Start with the whole group and then the people who are not in the must-have photos can go to the bar!

· Make sure that you and your photographer have visited the venues before your wedding day, so when it’s time for the speeches the photographer can be fully prepared. Such as having a large window behind the top table will produce different light to a venue without windows and needing flash lighting.

· Are you providing your photographer a meal and allowing them to eat with you and get their energy too? Since you properly don’t want images taken while you are eating and also it won’t be pretty good if your photographer faints due to low blood sugar or suchlike!

· Your photographer won’t know your family or who is who and there will be a lot of faces and names to remember, so having a close family member or friend who knows you well to help the photographer round up the correct people for your posed images. If everything is planned, everything will run smoothly, and a much less stressful and more pleasant day for you!

I hope that these tips help you.

Victoria Fenix.

Getting the light right for your wedding photos

Are you having a summer wedding? One aspect to consider is the summer sun when having your group portraits outside:

-The high noon sun will cause stark shadows on the face and cause 'panda eyes' Although, bright and airy photos may be your ideal, having photos under some trees or in shade will still provide beautiful lighting, away from the harsh shadows of the sun and provide much softer images.

-Careful of trees though, if they are not dense, they will cause a 'dappled look' It will be much cooler in the shade on very sunny days too, as bright red faces properly aren't the look you're going for.

I hope that these tips help you.

Victoria Fenix.

Getting access to all your wedding day photos from your guests

Create a hashtag!

Creating your unique hashtag will allow you to see your wedding day through the eyes of your guests, all of the candid moments that you may have missed, whist being busy.

You'll be able to get a look at photos of your wedding before you get your professional images back from your photographer, have them all in one place, and be able to easily access them.