Weddings can be stressful and complicated, and at times seem entirely intimidating to plan, but we’ve compiled a list of some of our handiest tips and tricks for a smoother wedding day.

YOUR MORNING

If you’ve booked our all day package, it’s likely that we will be by your side in the morning when you’re getting ready.  We say it often but the morning if usually one of our favourite elements of a wedding day to document.  Commonly, its just the ladies that want photos in the morning (there’s often more happening with them anyways), but its also not uncommon for us to spend some time with the boys as well.  For that reason, we always recommend getting ready close to one another.  It doesn’t need to be together, though you will never hear us complain about a couple spending their morning together helping each other get ready (so cute!), but if you’re booking hotel rooms or Air BnB’s consider the distance in between.  If two separate rooms in the same hotel is feasible, that is the most ideal scenario.  Usually it’s the bride who takes a little longer to get ready, and its not uncommon for us to spend a few hours with her and her ladies before popping over to see the guys for a 15-20 minutes.  If everyone is close by then this means we can spend less time traveling and more time documenting.

Considering where you’re getting ready and what the space looks like is equally important.  Does it have natural light?  Is there enough space for you, your people, your visitors and your vendor team?  Your beauty team will always recommend a place that has big windows and lots of natural light rather than a dark basement.  We’re not saying you need a suite at The Shangri La, but if you can find a nice well lit space to spend your morning in this will go a long way for both your photography and your beauty team.  If you happen to have the budget to rent a hotel room this is always a great option!  No matter where you are in the morning, consider tidying up the space a little before we arrive!  You don’t want the background of all your photos to be filled with clutter, old clothing or general mess!

YOUR MORNING TIMELINE IS KEY

Our last piece of advice for your morning is to make sure you talk to your beauty squad before solidifying your timeline for the day.  They will give you an estimate for how long they need for hair and makeup for each human you’re with.  We always suggest taking their recommendation and adding a buffer or two so there is absolutely no rush. You’ll want to give yourself time to have a mimosa, take photos, relax, and of course plenty of time to get into your dress.  

YOUR CEREMONY

 Arguably the most important part of your day.  It’s the reason we’re all with you to celebrate on wedding day – to watch you say ‘I do’ with your favourite human. 

What time is your ceremony? Is your venue flexible on timing the ceremony, or is it structured? Where will the sun be during your ceremony?  These are all important things to consider for outdoor summer weddings, especially if you’re getting married in the middle of summer (or the middle of the day).  Will your guests be engulfed in sun, or is there an opportunity to find a shadier spot at your venue?  If photos of your ceremony are extremely important to you we would love to come with you for a venue tour (or just to see the space) so we can give you some recommendations to help you set up your ceremony space in the most optimal way possible for your photographs.

INDOOR CEREMONIES

If your ceremony is indoors consider the time of day and the lighting when structuring your timeline on wedding day. The availability and use of natural light will go a very long way in our ability to capture the vibe of your ceremony perfectly. Dark, windowless rooms mean we have to use flash and flash photography might not be the vibe you envision for the photos on the day. Our #1 suggestion is to visit your ceremony location ahead of time at the exact time of day you plan on holding it on wedding day so you can live in the light ahead of time. Sometimes even the smallest adjustment in timing can make all the difference.

CHURCH CEREMONIES 

If your ceremony is in a church, we will make sure that you get some information for us.  We know that sometimes churches can have some restrictions for photographers (for example with where we are allowed to shoot from, where we are allowed to stand and whether or not flash photography is permitted) so it’s incredibly helpful if you can get this information for us ahead of time so we can be prepared.

 FIRST LOOK OR TRADITIONAL?

Do you want to see each other before you say your “I do’s”, or do you want to keep it traditional and see each other for the first time down the aisle?   This is a popular question for us and one that we have thought about endlessly over the past many years.

For some the decision whether or not to have a first look is purely from the aspect of keeping things traditional, and for others the desire to schedule a first look is so that they can share an intimate moment privately. Either way, there are a few factors to consider.  

WHERE IS THE BEST LOCATION TO HAVE A FIRST LOOK?

The main one being location.  First looks are a great opportunity to find a beautiful view and we can help you come up with the best solution for a great location for a first look on wedding day.  We want somewhere that is between both wedding party’s getting ready locations, as well as hopefully not too far away from your venue.  We can help you solidify a rain friendly first look option closer to the date if mother nature decides to have a hissy fit.  

TIMING IS KEY

The other main aspect of your first look is timing.  Are we just doing a first look with you and your fiancé? Or are we also doing all the wedding party photos as well?  If it’s just a straight first look and then head to the ceremony with all wedding party photos after, then usually 30 minutes of time will be sufficient, but if we are doing all the photos with your entire wedding party including your couple portraits, then we usually ask for a couple of hours minimum. Again, you will want to add in transportation buffers if we are driving larger distances between locations.

WHERE DO WE TAKE OUR WEDDING PORTRAITS?

Where to go to take wedding day portraits will always be a common question we receive and like many things in life, we have some opinions for you to consider. Firstly, consider whether or not you are planning a first look. If you are, scheduling your portraits with your partner and your bridal party in the same location is a great way to save on time. Secondly, if your portraits are taking place after your ceremony, start by first attempting to find a location in the immediate vicinity of your venue. The more strategic we are with timing, the more time you get to spend celebrating with your friends and family. Above all, consider the lighting and the time of day. If you’re blessed with a bright sunny day and your portraits are scheduled for mid day, opt for a location with trees so we can seek shelter in the in the shade to ensure the lighting is beautiful for all your portraits.

When it comes to finalizing your schedule on wedding day we will always make a Plan A and a Plan B for locations so we are prepared for all weather and lighting scenarios.

RAIN OR SHINE, COME PREPARED!

We’ve already mentioned some of the ideas for your wedding party photographs, but here's a couple more to digest. We ALWAYS recommend getting umbrellas.  It doesn’t matter if Mother Nature is forecasting rain or not, because she changes on the daily and we will always make a rain plan with you.  In addition to a rain friendly location, we recommend investing in some umbrellas (clear, white or black).  Stay away from anything coloured as they will leave crazy shadows on your face.  The clear umbrellas are pretty easy to come by, and can be found at most dollar stores or online on the facebook wedding groups/marketplace.  If you want a more formal look, opt for sophisticated black ones with fancy handles. The details go a long way.

FAMILY PHOTOS - DON’T LET THEM RUIN YOUR TIMELINE

Okay, buckle up we’ve got a lot to say here.  The best thing we can do when approaching family photos is to be as organized as possible.  This is the one part of the day where we can easily fall behind on the timeline if we’re not completely organized.  Firstly, we will get you to create a list with family groupings that you want photographed.  These groups can be as small or as large as you like, with either only immediate family, or with all the extended family.  This is completely up to you.  Shorter lists take less time, but we always recommend vetting the list, no matter how small or large, through those members of your family that will care about who is ultimately included.

Example: Bride, Groom, Mom, Dad; Bride, Groom, Siblings; and Bride, Groom, Grandparents, etc.

It’s better to nail down this list before the day (we will ask you for it a few weeks out), so we don’t add in a bunch of extra groupings during the portrait time, as this is where the timeline usually runs away on us.  For many reasons we will always recommend completing the family photos immediately after the ceremony.  We often say that if you give your guests access to the bar before asking them to ‘smile for grandma’ and the family, it becomes much harder to wrangle them.  Always remember, if we have not yet done your wedding party/couple portraits, those are the moments that will be cut short if the family photos run late.  

DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS 

This would also be an ideal time for any group photos with friends.  There is always an opportunity for friends at receptions, but depending on what you have planned during your reception and how late its scheduled for, taking advantage of natural ceremony light with your favourite humans is always recommended.   Basically if you know you want a nice smiley portrait with someone special, this is the time to get it done. Add them to the family photo list and we will make sure their beautiful faces make the final gallery of images.

 START BIG AND WORK YOUR WAY DOWN TO SMALLER GROUPINGS

In terms of creating the list, we usually recommend organizing the larger group photos first and then narrowing it down to the more immediate family.  This way anyone who is only in one or two large photos can leave and go enjoy a drink while your immediate family stays behind for their turn.  It’s usually better to schedule any groupings with grandparents and children first, so they too can leave when their turn in over.  The longer the list is and the more groupings you have, the longer the photos will take.  If it’s a shorter list and everyone is well organized we usually estimate 30 minutes, but if the list is extensive then we would get you to schedule in 45-60 mins just to be safe and give it a good buffer. Buffers will always be your friends.

Lastly, we would ask that you assign a family volunteer to held us find family members we might not have met yet and ask your officiant to make an announcement after your ceremony for family to stay put so we can take their photo. We’re excellent at organizing, but sometimes it helps to have someone by our side who knows your group.

YOUR RECEPTION

Normally the reception is the easiest part of the day.  We’ve finished most of the big tasks and now your job is to stuff your faces with tasty food, listen to your family and friends say nice things about you and of course party!  We will grab a brief timeline from you of all reception events just so we know what's going on and ultimately what is most important to you.  

DOCUMENTING YOUR DETAILS

You’ve likely put a lot of work into all the details of your wedding day including your beautiful reception space. We want to make sure we have time to get in there before your guests and document all the magic you’ve put together. Our recommendation is to find a few minutes for us in the schedule of the day so we can sneak into the space and snap some details for you. Depending on the schedule of events, timing and location of the ceremony, this might mean in the morning or the afternoon. Regardless, if it’s important to you we can make it a priority on our shot list.

MAKE A TIMELINE THAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOUR DAY + PRIORITIZE WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU

If you have booked one of our hourly based packages and we are not scheduled to be with you for every singly event taking place during the reception, we recommend scheduling the most important elements earlier in the evening.  There is no rule that says you have to dance after dinner or toss your bouquet in the evening. If the first dance is super important to you, schedule it as you do your grand entrance. Your guests will still be attentive and there will likely be more natural light for us to use.  Receptions never unfold on time so by scheduling everything strategically we can make sure that we are there to document every single element that is most important for you. 

 WE JUST WANT TO BE CLOSE TO YOU

Will we have a table to eat at? Will we be sitting with your guests? Is there a space just outside the room for us to eat at? If possible, we like to be in the main room, so that we can be aware of what's going on and be ready for speeches/toasts/accidental intoxicated behaviour and anything that we can document for your long list of incriminating evidence.  Speeches are often scheduled to start during dinner and this is something that we need to be aware of so we can be prepared ahead of time.

BREAK TRADITION AND PRIORITIZE THE BEST LIGHTING

If you know evening portraits are important to you and you want to take full advantage of the beautiful golden lighting, throw away tradition and schedule the bulk of your portraits at that time of day. Weddings are full of rules that are meant to be broken. Toss out the notion that wedding portraits must be taken mid day. Instead, break the mould and make your wedding day unfold in a way that is most important to you. If that means wedding party shenanigans and bridal portraits at sunset, then sign us up!

SUNSET/GOLDEN HOUR

In our mind, sunset photos are the most important part of any reception.  Presuming of course that we are blessed with a beautiful day we aim to get out for sunset about 30 minutes before the sun is actually scheduled to set on the horizon.  This will vary depending on your venue (as some will have buildings or a tree line blocking the true sunset), and we will help you nail down the perfect time to pencil into your reception schedule.  We have an app that we use that helps us track scheduled sunsets through google earth.  Its not uncommon for a reception timeline to have a little flexibility, so it’s also usually okay if we need to take you out a little earlier than the timeline says. We often say that through the chaos of the day and how fast the time will ultimately run away from us at a wedding, allocating even 15 minutes to watch the sunset together may very well become one of our favourite memories from the whole experience.

GO OUT WITH A BANG

If you’re looking to end your evening with some excitement, we suggest sparklers! We usually recommend scheduling this when there is still some light in the sky (super easy during summer weddings) instead of when it is pitch black outside because cameras love light, and to always buy the biggest ones you can find!  The tiny ones burn out super fast and don’t show up in photos. Go big or go home!

A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER

Bring some comfy shoes for photo time.  This is especially important if you are planning on wearing tall high heels.  Chances are your dress is big enough that we won’t see your feet and we want to try and preserve your toes so that you can enjoy a night of dancing! There is nothing wrong with having ‘ceremony shoes’ and ‘ photo shoes’ especially if you’re planning on taking your couple portraits somewhere in nature. 

 TO VEIL OR NOT TO VEIL

Is that even a question?

ALWAYS COME PREPARED - UMBRELLAS FOR THE WIN!

Always buy enough umbrellas for you and your wedding party, even if your wedding is in August! We live in a rainforest, and it’s always better to be prepared.  Any umbrellas you purchase can be easily resold after your wedding.  Depending on the time of year, don’t forget a shawl, scarf or even a coat to keep you warm. A warm bride is a happy bride!  Anything you can bring to keep you and your squad dry and warm is highly recommended!  Remember, umbrellas can be fun too!

SOME ADVICE FROM US TO YOU

Don’t be afraid to get a little dirty.  We always say that if your dress isn’t a little dirty by the time we get you to the party then we haven’t done it right.  You better believe that if we get the opportunity, we’re going to pull you off the path and into the trees.   

YOU HIRED US, SO LET US WORK SOME MAGIC

Trust is so important to us.  You hired us for a reason so let us work our magic.  We aren’t structured ‘shot list’ people and we’d prefer to live in the moment and document real moments as they unfold in front of us.  Let us help you with portrait locations and the timeline of the day. Trust our judgement so we can deliver you the best moments possible. We need to know what is most important to you, always, but in the end when we look back at our portfolio of moments we’ve been blessed to capture, our favourites are always the moments we didn’t see happening.  The goal is always deliver a balance of images (details, portraits, candids, etc.), and with that you can relive every moment of your day for years to come. Bottom line, your wedding day is the time to put the ‘to do’ list aside, and simply just live in the magic of your wedding day.

DO IT YOUR WAY

The most important piece of advice we can give you is to do it your way.  When the engagement ring hits your beautiful finger, the wedding quickly becomes about everyone else and their needs, and no longer about what is most important to you.  When push comes to shove, its your wedding and your celebration so do your very best to prioritize planning in a way that allows your day to shape into a celebration that is filled with everything and everyone you love most. If that means you’re eloping in the trees, know that we will be there to help you navigate the ferns.

NO MORE RULES

If you’re not a traditionalist then put aside the silly wedding rule book and prioritize events that make you excited.  Don’t like wedding cake? You don’t need to cut one!  Don’t like a garder toss? Pass on it!  Can’t find the perfect style of bridesmaid dress for your 10 ladies?  Go mismatched instead!   Want to carry something else other than a bouquet?  We support you!  Would you prefer to wear non-traditional wedding clothes/colours?  We live for it!  Want to say ‘I do’ at breakfast and party at brunch?  We love brunch!  You’d prefer your dog to be the only member of your wedding party? We will bring treats!

Take time to find a unique way to make every element of your day your own.  All your personal touches will go a long way in us documenting your day authentically.