In this three-part series I’m sharing my approach to helping couples plan their big day. In the first part we broke your wedding day down into mini-events. In this second part we’ll go over your photography options and how each ties into capturing your complete wedding story. In the third, we’ll put your day back together in a wedding-day timeline. Along the way, we’ll ask the question – what is most important to you? Because really, that’s what all this planning is about!
Last time, we looked at your wedding day as a series of mini-stories, each complete in itself and contributing to the whole of your wedding day story. Now, let’s look at each of those mini-stories and examine the emotional elements that you’ll want to capture as reminders of your wonderful day and to share with generations to come.
The bride getting ready before the ceremony, sharing the moment with her bridesmaids and parents. This is an opportunity to get fabulous portraits of a bride looking her best ever. This is a special time a bride shares with her closest friends and parents. It’s also the last time we’ll get to spend with the bride before she joins with her life mate in matrimony – the images we get from your getting ready and portrait session are surperb images to start off your wedding day story.
The groom putting on final touches and sharing moments with his groomsmen and immediate family. This is the last time the groom will be hanging out with his closest buddies as a single guy. Likewise, this is the last time his mom and dad will see him before he starts a new life with his bride. The images we get with the groom are an important part of telling a complete wedding story.
The first time the bride and groom see each other on their wedding day. Whether the bride and groom choose to first see each other at or before the ceremony, the reaction and emotion of the first look are priceless.
The bride, groom, and bridal party enjoying time together – perhaps before official activities take over. The moments a couple shares with their bridal party, some of their closest friends whom they chose to participate in all the day’s events, are fantastically fun and right in the moment.
The bride and groom spending time together and connecting with each other for the last time before they become husband and wife. There are strong feelings of excitement and anticipation in a bride and groom before their ceremony. The excitement resonates in fun couple portraits. The anticipation strengthens the connection in romantic portraits and can be used to create an edge in fashion-oriented images of the bride and groom. If a couple chooses to see each other before their ceremony, this can be a great time to get on-location fun, romantic and fashion portraits before all the guests arrive and the official activities begin.
The details of the ceremony and reception locations. The many details, big and small, that are carefully selected and come together on the wedding day to create the total experience for the couple and their guests.
The wedding ceremony. In an important sense, this is what it’s all about. Your photography will capture these memories for you to enjoy as you and your loved ones enjoyed them.
The entire wedding assembly cheering and celebrating the newlyweds. You deserve this big group cheer!
Close family sharing moments with the couple. These images of the family with the bride and groom generally include both traditional portraits and fun shots. My approach to photography is to capture real emotion and expressions and I think of this as a wonderful time – however short – that the bride and groom experiences with their close family. This also is an opportunity to take portraits of several generations together, sharing a wonderfully happy time.
The bride and groom sharing moments together as husband and wife before their reception and party. Some couples want to save the first look for their ceremony and schedule their on-location photography before their reception. Just as there are anticipation and excitement in the couple before the ceremony, there is a whole new set of emotions shared by the bride and groom after their ceremony. This is a wonderful time to take bridal party photos and to get on-location romantic and fun portraits of the newlyweds. Some people worry about their guests if they take time for bridal portraits after the ceremony. Your friends and family will understand – and if they have something to do, perhaps enjoy appetizers and beverages, they will mingle, catch up or get to know each other, and enjoy the time together.
The reception – a celebratory meal, toasts and speeches, the sharing of joy and happiness between everyone. This is the time when all the excitement and joy shared by you and your guests spring forth.
Reception traditions – the first dances, the bouquet toss, the garter toss, the cake cutting, and any other traditions that are important to the couple. Whatever traditions you decide to include as part of your wedding day, you will put your own unique twist on them. These are totally fun mini-events in their own right.
Reception dancing and partying. This is your party!! Most couples want to capture enough of their party in photographs to remind them of the fabulous time everyone had. After that, it’s up to you how many party images you want.
The bride and groom sharing time together at the end of their celebration, before they leave together as husband and wife. To me, a complete wedding day story starts in the getting ready time with introductions to the bride and groom, separately, as they start their big day. A natural way to end their story is with a final, romantic image of the newlyweds together, at the end of their day. We’ll take a little time during your party to go somewhere quiet and get some final images of the two of you alone to close off your day in photographs.
When I photograph your wedding I think like a film director. Each of these mini-stories and events is a scene or act that will come together in your album to tell your whole story – just like each scene in a movie or documentary comes together to tell a complete, emotional story.
Your homework assignment is to go back through this list and think like a director. Which scenes are important to you? It may be they are all important to you. If you do this exercise, it will help you sort out your timeline without missing anything.
Next time, we’ll take these pieces of your story and put your day back together in a wedding-day timeline.
I hope this post has helped! Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment or sending me a tweet!
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