How Do I Plan My Wedding Day?
Posted by Brett | July 15, 2009 | 2 Comments
Often my wife comments to me that when photographing weddings, I’m not just a wedding photographer, but that I also have a host of duties to assist a bride and groom. She often teases me that I’m one part photographer, one part comedian, and one part wedding-planner.
And she’s spot-on.
And in the spirit of the “wedding-planner” part of me, I thought I’d write this little informative article to assist brides and grooms in planning the schedule of the wedding day. You see - I’m not the kind of photographer who just “shows up and takes pictures”, hoping that everything will work out. I like to invest a bit up front with the bride and groom, helping a couple and advising them on tips and flow for the big day.
Why do I do that? Well, firstly, although I’ve been to and worked many a wedding, for most couples this is their very first time planning such an event. Not only is it a scary thing, but there are a lot of unknowns and misconceptions around a certain area of the wedding day; that being the wedding photography itself.
And as I have a vested interest in how wedding photography fits into a couple’s big day, I’ve found it best to spend a good amount of time advising my brides and grooms how to plan best for the photography. Hence this article being written.
Of course there are many different aspects to how my photography fits in with a couples day, I thought I’d center in a few specific aspects of it - the “Preparation Phase”, the “Formal/family Portraits” and a signature part of our photography, “The Creative Session”. What I won’t cover in this article is our reception coverage, and our ceremony coverage - although they’re top-notch, they’re not the focus of this writing.
Preparation Phase
This is the part of a wedding day that most “traditional” photographers won’t touch, but I deeply love it for many a reason. I’m speaking here of the morning of the big day - where a bride is at the hair salon / family home, having a fun morning with the bridal party while getting ready. Typically guys are getting ready too… they just don’t get into the make-up or hair parlor scene too well. =)
I love to arrive and be a part of these times - it’s a great opportunity for me to grab some nice candids of the bride and bridesmaids (sometimes mom too!), relaxed and being themselves. Lots of laughter and fun moments are here, and a good photographer can really excel at snapping some shots as these moments happen.
Truth be told? I’m not just there for the photos. This is a solid time for me to connect with a bit with the bridal party, and to start building some rapport. If you’ve ever felt that a formal photography is awkward, it’s probably because the photographer never took the time to “ease” you into that session. These moments in the morning and before the wedding are so great, because a bridal party and family really begin to get used to the “paparazzi” treatment. I’ve discovered by the time I’ve left a hair salon, I’m usually friends with the bridesmaids, and our formal and creative sessions later are so much natural and effective.
Of course, not every day is the same, and not everyone has a “morning-of” routine. Any quality photographer understands what it means to be flexible to each unique wedding day. Bottom line? I like to start with a bride as soon as she’ll let me.
Formal/family Portraits
Now I’m skipping ahead a bit, and I know that. By now in a day the ceremony is done, and a couple have exchanged vows and rings, and fun times are about to begin. But first? Let’s take care of those formalized family portraits!
Family portraits are usually conducted at the ceremony site, often times on the altar, or nearby. I highly recommend these be conducted as close to the ceremony as possible, only because asking the elderly or those with children to relocate can be difficult.
Now, as a creative “non-traditional” photography company, you might think we don’t conduct these during a wedding. While most couples will choose Making the Moment to photograph their wedding because of our creative “un-canned” approach, we still are highly talented at these formal portraits, and we love to serve a couple in this “formal” capacity as well. However, without proper planning, it can be a very painful stressy experience.
In light of that - here are some tips I recommend embracing while planning out your day’s schedule.
Overbudget Your Time
- This session will take longer than you might assume - depending on the combinations of people you hope to schedule - budget between 20-40 minutes for this session. If you have smaller needs here, then obviously budget less.
- Why plan so much time? It’s not that the pictures take so long - it’s more that you must always assume the worst case scenario (a member of the bridal party is in the bathroom, or perhaps a necessary individual has wandered away for a moment, and sometimes there are clothing malfunctions!). These small things nearly always happen, and it’s best to be prepared for them.
- If you’re having a church-wedding, ensure that there is not another wedding coming soon after your ceremony, or that there is a church event happening. If this is the case, ensure that you have enough time after your ceremony (including any exit or greeting line) to accommodate for your pictures.
- Speaking of greeting lines - I’d recommend budgeting an additional 10-20 minutes after the ceremony for this event, dependent upon the number of guests you have.
- If you’re doing a “fake-exit” (driving away in a car and returning for the formal pictures) make sure you budget this in as well.
- And finally - I always recommend budgeting in time for your bridal party (and photographer) to pack up any belongings at the church before heading off to your next location. You might want to consider at least 10 minutes for this process.
Make a List
- Have a list prepared in advance of all combination of family and people who will be in these portraits.
- Notify these people ahead of time that they will be asked to be in the formal portraits, and to be ready when called upon.
- As a photographer, I like to have this list ahead of time so that I can run this part of the day for the bride and groom, so I recommend having this list prepared and sent in advance.
- Organize it in the order that makes most sense - having elderly people and children at the top of the list, so that they can be excused to head to the reception as soon as possible.
The Creative Session
And finally, what I consider to be one of the most wonderful fun parts of the day. It’s now time to Take some time and getting some unique creative photographs of a bridal party and bride and groom.
Typically I see this occur directly after the “formal” session and before the reception. However, I’ve also conducted this session before the ceremony itself. The advantage in that schedule, is that there is usually less pressure and stress after the wedding before the reception. Of course, you do lose that moment where a groom sees the bride coming down the aisle - but I have some creative ways to ensure that moment still occurs - just ask me if you’re interested. 
However you choose to fit this into your schedule, I have a few recommendations for this as well.
The More Time the Better
- Let me first say - I believe whole-heartedly that a wedding day does NOT revolve around the photos. However, a couple pay a lot of money to have their day given the attention it deserves. That being said - budget as much time for this as possible. Preferably 90 minutes or more.
- A simple equation for this part of a day is this - “More Time Allocated = More Unique / Beautiful Shots”. A lot of times while looking at photographers portfolios you see (hopefully!) some jaw-dropping shots. Always remember, these shots take time - and the more time you give to make these shots happen, the more you’ll get back.
- Obviously, factor in travel time, and even throw in time in for parking. Traveling in multiple cars? Assume that someone will get lost or need gas, so over budget this amount of time.
- I recommend at least 45 minutes per location - and I mean a good 45 minutes of photography (not including traveling / primping). This time won’t be just used for photos - a lot of it is used to acclimate a couple and a bridal party to thinking creatively and relaxing. I’ve discovered that the first ten minutes or so at a location are often used to “loosen” the bridal party up.
- Given Making the Moment’s style of photography - the more time the better - I love to explore the photoshoot with a couple, and come up with ideas as we explore the landscape. Because I don’t work scripted from a shot sheet, that random creativity always takes a bit, but is well worth the investment.
Location Location Location!
That’s right - you’ll need a good location or two - and definitely an indoor one in case of rain. For more information on location recommendations - see my article on Cleveland Wedding Photography locations, located here:
http://www.makingthemoment.com/blog/?p=287
And there you have it folks, a nice (long) article on pre-planning your big day. Give this article a read any time you need to start thinking of your schedule. And of course - feel free to connect with me or my staff on this, we’d love to be of service in helping plan in your photography for the big day.
Tags: planning > schedule > time > wedding day
Lauren & Justin = photogenic
Posted by Brett | June 15, 2009 | No Comments
If you’ve ever had the privilege of attending (or better yet - shooting!) a wedding at Nazareth Hall, you know what I mean when I say it’s an amazing place. An old boarding school, the hall is a mansion of a palace in Northwest Ohio. Converted to a modern-day wedding photographer’s dream, the hall is full of charm and creative potential.
And that’s where Lauren & Justin were wed this past month. These two are a sweet couple, a ton of fun, full of joy, and incredibly happy together. Justin is a strong athletic guy - but a real gentleman, full of kindness and wit. Lauren? She’s a sweet girl, a joy to be around - full of confidence and love for her friends and family. Enjoy a sneak peak of our fun times together!
One of my favorite parts of our time together was our little evening photo session. We left the reception for a bit, and had some fun creative time on the grounds. I’ve always wanted to do some “light-painting” with a bride and groom - and here’s a few shots! Nope - that’s not “photo-shopped” in - I actually drew those hearts with my flash-light!
Low light shooting outside is fun - you get a real sense of romance and fun in the evening - I just love how these turned out.
The Fabulous Bockovens
Posted by Brett | June 7, 2009 | No Comments
A quick sneak peek for you folks!
I just shot Nick & Lauren’s wedding last weekend at BGSU, and was it ever sweet. Nick & Lauren are close friends of me and my wife’s - knowing them since their student days at BGSU where they fell in love. What an honor and joy it is to serve friends - we had a blast of a time, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to work through all the amazing photos we shot together.
In the mean time, here are three of my off-the-cuff favorites. Hope you enjoy the iPhone finding it’s way in to one of their pictures- Nick is a big Apple fan, and I couldn’t help but fill the frame with two of my favorite things (the Bockovens and my iPhone!).
More to come for them - enjoy the teaser!
Lisa & Joe’s Wedding!
Posted by Brett | June 3, 2009 | No Comments
Ladies and Gentleman - I present a sneak peak of Lisa & Joe’s wedding!
The first weekend of May marked the kick-off of wedding season for Making the Moment Photography - and I was fortunate enough to travel down to Lima Ohio and to good old bowling green state university to snap some fun pics for these two. Yes - Lima is quite the drive from Cleveland, but I’m very much used to traveling for my brides and grooms!
Enough yapping - here are some of my favorite shots from the day - enjoy!
About
The PhotoJournal is Making the Moment's interactive outlet of photographic creativity, inspired ranting and personal expression. Found on these pages you'll discover the photographers that keep Making the Moment the best source for Toledo and Cleveland Wedding Photography!
Memberships
Photographers
Benjamin
Brett Yacovella
Glymbobedleme
Jay
Jeatitoenda
Jeff
Kathryn
kesenasikacusa
Suzanne
Vince