Hello everyone! This
post today is for all you brides or future brides out there :) I wanted to give you all a little advice for
planning your big day. I don’t pretend
to be “God’s gift to photography” or know everything about weddings but I have learned a few things along the way, while being a photographer AND a bride, that I wanted to share with you. So here goes…
1.
Have fun! Yes you heard me :) :) planning
a wedding should be fun! Although it can
be stressful at times, if you try to plan in advance you will enjoy these
special moments with your fiancé’ and family a lot more. If you are strapped for time try handing out responsibilities
to your bridesmaids, especially if you don’t have a wedding coordinator (I didn’t
really). I am sure your wedding party
wouldn’t mind helping you do a little research here and there and they would
probably actually consider it a honor :) That’s
something I didn’t even think about when planning my wedding and I wish I
had!
Of course you might have the opposite
problem…too much “help” from family…this too can be an overwhelming
experience. If you have the case of the
"too many chiefs and not enough Indians" you might have to have the discussion
about who makes the final decisions…(Pssst…that’s you)….I mean in a nice way of
course. This can be kind of sticky when parents are
paying for things but if you stay in budget they shouldn’t have a problem with
your desires…and if they do, you might want to explain to them that you want to
enjoy the wedding day and would feel more comfortable doing things __X_way or come to an acceptable compromise. Don’t look back on your wedding day with
regrets because you did what “other people” wanted you to do. I myself had to talk my own Dad into doing a “dance”
with me at my wedding. I love my Dad so
much he is a great man…he just comes from a background where you “don’t dance
at all” so this was a BIG step out of his comfort zone dancing in front of 250
people! Looking back, I am sooooo glad I convinced him to do it…I wouldn’t give
that moment up for the world! And yes…I
cried…and it was worth it!
2.
Use Pinterst! Ok, so how lucky are modern day brides that
they have Pinterst?!! If you don’t
already know Pinterest is a place where a bunch of beautiful ideas are shared
in one spot and you can “pin” them on your own electronic pin board to save for
later use…all in a visual format of course (which being the photog that I am I
LOVE!!) Also, if you visit a blog and
see something you like you can pin an idea from there as well. Just don’t go on Pinterest hungry…you will
end up drooling over your keyboard, I promise!
3.
Ask for
advice and click with your vendors! Ok, so this is one I didn’t think of either when
getting married! Sure, you are going to
have everybody and their Uncle giving you marriage advice BUT your vendors…they
know about weddings! They have done them
over and over again. Tell them about
you, what you like, your style your story (these are all the things I want to
hear about from my clients) and ask them for advice on the time line and or products
and services they offer. It’s ok to ask
a lot of questions…they expect it.
It’s also so important to click with your
vendor not just to “like” their product or services. Let me tell you…when I was looking for flowers
for my wedding I used a florist my friend had used because I loved her bouquets
BUT when I met with the florist she was well…rude and unhelpful….maybe she wasn’t
having a good day but it left me as a bride with a bad memory of my own wedding! :( I didn’t know ANYTHING about flowers except I knew I wanted Gerber
Daisy’s. I didn’t know what was in
season or what should go with the Daisy’s to look nice, I just knew my colors
and I wanted her to help me with the process.
Instead of being helpful she seemed bothered that I didn’t already know
all of this information right away. In
the end, the flowers were pretty (except she did give us all the wrong boutonnieres
on the day of the wedding) but I should have gone
somewhere else…somewhere that valued my business and used someone that cared
enough to help me along with the process and make it fun! Oh, and one more thing…vendors know vendors
so if you find one vendor you love chances are they know others that are great
to work with too :) so ask! ;)
4.
Consider
a First Look! First looks are not traditional but they
are becoming more and more popular. What
is a first look? It is a time where the
bride and groom meet for the first time in a private intimate setting before
the wedding ceremony. Some couples like
to say their vows while others just enjoy being able to see each other for the
first time and or pray together. It can
really relieve some of the stress for the day.
First looks are really something special…I know I am biased :) but that’s ok.
Another bonus to the first look is being able to get some of those group
bridal party shots out of the way. This
will make the after the ceremony group shots more relaxed and can really help
with the timeline of your wedding.
5.
Invest in your wedding photographer and videographer
Yes, I know I am biased as a photographer
here but hey I did add the videographer on here to! ;) To me these are the most two important
vendors on the list…with the photographer being first of course but seriously. I also added the videographer on here because
this is something we didn’t even have at my reception and I wished we did …even
if we had a couple friends take turns videoing at least we would have something!! Of course, if you can afford a professional
go that route.
As for the photographer, I am not saying
you have to go out and pay for the most expensive photographer or even use me :) . I am saying take the time to find a
photographer that you click with that fits your style and budget. If you find a photographer you love that
doesn’t quite fit your budget you might be able to save by making some of the
items from your wedding yourself or some photographer’s might give discounts
for weddings on a weekday.
Don’t
forget to print out those photos though, what if something happens to that CD
of images? Your great grandchildren can’t
hang up a CD of images to remember their family history by either! This is one reason why I offer an exclusive
deal with my clients. They order their
prints through an extremely affordable 3rd party PROFESSIONAL printer
(meaning I do not profit) ….this is simply because I so badly want my clients to
be able to afford to print out their precious memories and hang them on the
wall. Make sure to back up those wedding files at a place like
photobucket.com. Did you know you can
now upload those images in high resolution there?? As the saying goes, “After
the food, flowers, and music are gone, your photos remain.”
-Melissa McMillen
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