5 things I would do at my wedding, as a wedding photographer
After being to my fair share of weddings, I have had the luxury of seeing what works well and what I would probably change if it was me in the white dress! Planning can take you in so many different directions, here’s just a few ideas that I’ve seen work well through my experience as a wedding photographer.
ONE 50 - 80 guests.
Having been to plenty of weddings before, I can whole heartedly say that the days that are more relaxed and easy going are the ones with fewer guests. Group shots don’t take as long, generally the couple can relax a little more than concern themselves with talking to every single person, anything that needs to be organised such as confetti or sparklers takes half the time… overall it’s much more relaxed and as long as the venue is intimate enough that you don’t have to uber to the next group of people across the field, there’s still a really fun atmosphere!
TWO Later ceremony
Around 3pm - 4pm is a really nice ceremony time. You can have a relaxed morning, hair and makeup don’t have to start at the crack of dawn, you and your guests can have lunch at a normal time (yes, I plan my days around food!). With a big wedding, then it may feel a little rushed, but with 50ish guests, formal photos can be done pretty quickly and there will still be plenty of time to chat to everyone. There’s still plenty of natural light during BTS, or during winter it’s a great opportunity for beautiful atmospheric lighting with candles and fairy lights.
THREE Confetti down the aisle
This is a great option if you don’t like the feeling of being centre of attention with everyone staring at you. They still will be looking, don’t get me wrong, but with something for them to do, it takes away from the ‘all eyes on you’ feeling. This will most likely only work for outdoor ceremonies, some venues will allow it but make sure you check with them! Again, this is also a time saver allowing more time for candids, rather than organising 50 people to line up. It sounds such an easy task but believe me, it takes longer than you think!
FOUR Banquet Tables
A style preference! I love the styling of long tables and it works really well for small and large groups. I can’t really say much more about it!!
FIVE Sparklers
I LOVE a sparkler shot!! Best to get them done not quite in the dead of the evening after countless tequilas - alcohol & fire don’t tend to mix very well! It’s so nice to get this shot with around 10-15 guests (again, not dragging everyone from the dancefloor/bar/toilets which takes time) to break up the evening, particularly for a winter wedding.