5 Things I wish I Knew when I was a Bride

1. Schedule the most important pictures to be during the best light. In my opinion, the romantic bride and groom pictures are the most crucial. I always try to schedule them for that hour before sunset. The light is golden and you don’t get those harsh midday shadows.

2. Take your time! Don’t plan everything down to the minute. Believe it or not, you’re supposed to enjoy this day. Plan the day that you want to have. You gotta have extra time to laugh, cry, eat… all that good stuff.

3. Surround yourself with all of the most important people. On my wedding day, my mom was pretty much my wedding planner so she was busy taking care of all of the details and I never got to see her. Consequently, she wasn’t really in any of the getting ready pictures which was a major bummer. The candid shots with your mom, sister, bridesmaids, etc are much more memorable than the posed group pictures. Hiring a wedding planner, even if just for the day of the wedding will really help you enjoy your day.

4. Ignore me! The best getting ready and romantic bride and groom shots are always the most natural and candid. This is why I include a free engagement shoot with all of my packages. If we can get the awkward camera shy pictures out of the way then, (not that you have to have those) we’ll be golden for the wedding day!

5. Do as many pictures as possible before the wedding and plan them around something fun! Instead of being a chore, make your bridal party pictures and romantic bride and groom pictures something fun. Take a walk around the park, stop somewhere for a glass of champagne. This goes along with padding your schedule and enjoying your day. I would love to help you plan your day to make it fun and relaxing rather than hectic and exhausting.