Wedding Wishes {the ceremony}

So, I started writing Wedding Wishes (advice/ tips/ suggestions for Brides & Grooms) about 6 months ago and kind of lost track on all of it with the busy wedding season. But on the other hand, I shot 9 weddings in 3 months and was able to come up with a lot more suggestions and advice through those experiences. These are not tips and techniques for photographer’s, sorry, but photographer’s reading this feel free to make more suggestions (I’d love to hear them) and feel free to share these tips and wishes with your Brides and Groom’s as well.

Wedding Wishes are just that… wishes that I WISH I would have been able to share the bride and groom before the wedding day. A large portion of my clientele are mid 20′s-mid 30′s, first time marriages. So, it’s not your fault but a lot of my couples just don’t know… especially if you don’t have a wedding planner and no one tells you…. so I’ll do my best (through Wedding Wishes) to give you as many tips as possible. The wishes mainly have to do with photography and tips for allowing your photographer to get the best photos on your special day. I am not saying my way is right, but it works well for meHopefully you can use these or at least give these Wishes some thought in to putting together your special day.

{Ceremony Wishes}

• Overall Lighting- in photography light up where you want the eye to go. So when considering venues and churches and lighting for the ceremony, light up whatever you want the eye to go to… most likely this is you (the Bride and Groom) on stage or at the alter. Photographers cannot make light where there is none (at least not with out a flash) so if you want a dark candlelit ceremony, expect dark ceremony photos. Do yourself, and photographer, a favor and make sure a good amount of lighting is on you during the ceremony

• Outdoor Ceremony- If you are considering or have an outdoor wedding planned, scope out the time of sunset on wedding day and amount of trees around the ceremony area. A wide open area with no tree coverage is actually my preference… reason being, trees give what I call “tree shade”… that ugly splotchy lighting as the sun shoots through the trees and makes whatever is shaded a camouflage splotchy coverage. Tree Shade is not fixable in Photoshop and is very unflattering in photos…. Especially on faces and your wedding dress.  I also mentioned checking out the time of sunset on wedding day… Reason being, the sun is our main and most powerful light source. Whether your wedding is at noon or 7:00pm, you want God’s Light (the sun) to be on the Bride and Groom evenly, meaning one is not in the shade and one in the sun= BAD! or One is directly facing the sun, and one has their back to the sun= BAD! Easy solutions… adjust your time of ceremony to give the best even light for the ceremony (if invitations have not been sent you), adjust the set up of the ceremony site to where the sun will be giving even light on the Bride and Groom, OR if neither can be changed… add a party tent, a covered arbor or something that provides even shade on the Bride and Groom.

• Lighting the Unity Candle/ doing Communion/etc.- When lighting the unity candle or other events during the ceremony, turn around and face your guests! Most chapels and churches, and some venues, don’t allow or don’t have room for a photographer on the stage area where you are doing the “joining of two” symbolic event. And not to mention, who really wants their photographer up on stage with them firing away photos in the middle of the ceremony??? So easy solution, turn around have face your guests while lighting the unity candle, pouring sand, whatever you’re doing… if you don’t the only photos you’ll get are ones of your backsides… not your bed view

• The KISS- and last but not least…. the kiss! What a sweet moment sealing the deal between the Bride and Groom… well, until the minister’s head peers right over the top of them staring straight at the smitten smoochers! creepy!! Brides (or Planners), ask your Minister/Pastor/ Reverend (whomever) to take a step to the side after announcing to ‘Kiss the Bride’ and THEN let you to do your thing. You’ll be appreciative later.

Hope you can use some of these for your wedding day ceremony and make is BEAUTIFUL!! … and photo friendly

More Wedding Wishes coming include… Timelines for the Big Day & Reception Tips!!