How to prepare for the best photos on your wedding day
Before your wedding day
1. Organise your details & accessories
If we've planned ‘getting ready detail photos’ – put aside all small items and accessories that you want photographed ready in one spot the night before. These are the first things I’ll be photographing when I arrive. For example:
Your rings (engagement rings too if wanted)
Wedding invitations
Tie, cufflinks, shoes
Perfume/cologne
Any other jewellery or accessories you’ll be wearing
Anything else significant or that you'd like photographed
Extra tip: Make sure to let me know if you have any hidden details, such as a photo sewed into clothing, engravings etc to make sure I don't miss it!
2. Don't forget about hangers
Wooden, clear, or satin hangers are best if you’d like photos of your dress or jacket hanging up.
You could also order customised hangers with engravings, names sewed into satin, or wire twisted into names.
3. Take your watch off months prior, and avoid fake tanning too close to your wedding day
Avoid spray or at-home tanning too close to your wedding day, just in case it needs time to settle or wash off, and to avoid patchy hands and fingers.
It’s also best to stop wearing a watch for a couple months if possible to avoid that patch of untanned skin if you won’t be wearing a watch on the day!
4. Hair & Makeup
Confirm with your makeup artist what time they will be arriving, and ask for an estimate of what time they will be finishing wedding party/parents hair and makeup.
Ideally hair and makeup should be finished soon after your photographer has arrived for your getting ready photos.
5. Moisturise & don't forget about your nails
Moisturise your hands, heels (if wearing open shoes), elbows and lips the night before. It’s tricky to photoshop cracked skin, and the less Photoshop needed, the quicker you'll receive your photos!
There may be close-up shots of your rings/hands so you might like to consider having your nails painted or trimmed.
6. Pack these just in case!
Designate someone from your wedding party to carry some bobbypins, safety pins, gel heel pads, fashion/bra tape, gastrostop, panadol, and bandaids just in case.
Getting Ready
3. Lots of natural light is key!
Natural light is ideal for the most flattering, beautifully lit photos. When booking accomodation, try to choose somewhere with plenty of windows and natural light.
If getting ready at home, choose a well-lit room, or I'll likely move you around to the best room for photos.
Your HMUA may bring along a ring light, but if not, ask to have your hair and makeup done near a window. This means you'll both be able to see how you'll look in natural light (which is usually when majority of your day will take place).
4. Have fun!
Customise the morning to you! For some fun photos during the getting ready part of your day, you could plan:
A champagne pop (or spray) with your wedding party before getting dressed, include love heart sunnies for extra cool shots
A music playlist with your fave songs that will help you to feel a little more comfy, relaxed and in the mood for celebration!
Cigars, that spesh alcohol you've been saving, lawn games, party games (like Jackbox or easy card games), a dip in the pool
Photos with your wedding party in any matching/personalised 'getting ready' outfits
Photos with your fur babies
Wedding party/parents first look
1. Tidy your getting ready space
If you’re getting ready at home, it’s helpful to give the whole house a tidy (or throw everything into a closed room, a wardrobe, or under beds), so that I can easily photograph all the getting ready excitement without anything in the way or cluttering the photo.
A good tip is to hide anything you don't want to appear in a photo!
2. Wait until your photographer arrives before you get dressed
Leave ties, shoes, earrings, and dress off until I have arrived if you want to be photographed putting on those items.
This also gives an opportunity to photograph your parents or wedding party reaction to seeing you in your wedding outfit for the first time.
1. The first look
Walking down the aisle can be nerve-wracking, your instinct may be to look down to avoid all eyes on you which is totally understandable!
Try to look up a few times – especially at your partner if they’re waiting for you at the aisle – so I can catch a photo of your lovely face. You don’t have to look at the camera, just up!
2. Hold hands with each other to help with nerves
If you're feeling nervous, hold hands during the ceremony and while reading each other your vows!
It's such a simple connection that helps with nerves, helps you both to feel centered and focused on each other, and looks beautiful in photos.
3. Ask your wedding party to fix your dress and veil
If you’ve got a train or a veil, ask a member of your bridal party (or even your celebrant!) to lay out your train and make sure your veil isn’t tangled once you’ve taken your spot at the ceremony.
4. Request your celebrant to move to the side before your kiss
Most modern celebrants will already move aside these days so that your photographer can capture your first kiss with just the two of you, but you can make this request to your celebrant prior to the ceremony, or let me know if you’d like me to speak with them.
Tips for your ceremony
5. The kiss
It’s easy to get caught up in excitement or nerves that a first kiss can end up being a quick peck – while this is still super cute, try to make it last for a few seconds, or just lean in for a second kiss to make sure I can get a great shot!
Some couples opt for a second photo from the perspective of the celebrant with guests in the background cheering and smiling – let me know in advance if you'd like to do this!
6. Consider banning large devices
It’s totally fine if you’re not keen on an unplugged wedding (no phones/guest cameras), but consider banning the use of iPads and tablets – they’re big enough to cover your face in photos!
7. Confetti, petals or bubble recessional
If your venue allows, confetti or flower petal recessionals are always a lot of fun and make for such fab celebratory photos. I'll chat with your celebrant to brief your guests on how to best toss their confetti as you two walk back down the aisle. (I know people often say not to throw the confetti at the couple, but I think it kinda gets the best photos because it makes you laugh and fills the frame with confetti! Let me know what you think!)
Bubbles are an option too, but don’t work too well on a windy day.
8. Take your time walking past your guests during your recessional
Give each other another kiss in the middle of the aisle, do a dip, wave at your guests, pose for a photo – whatever you like! (Just let me know what you're thinking of so I can be ready in the right spot!)
A great tip is to make sure your celebrant plays music as soon as they announce you/for your recessional exit, it fills the air if your guests aren’t a loud bunch, and it helps you to feel more pumped and excited as you walk past everyone which results in great photos!
Photos with family and friends
The everyone group photo – is it worth it?
If you’ve got a smaller guest list, easy done! The whole group photo can be a great keepsake photo – but the reality is that it can be a tricky shot! Even when standing on a chair or table, it's still hard to see everyone's face in such a busy shot if you have a large guest list; some guests purposely try to hide from the shot (so I try my best to get them to be visible – without knowing they're actually trying to hide!).
We also need a big enough space to fit everyone, preferably under shade if your ceremony is on a sunny day so no one’s squinting or ending up with unflattering shadows on their faces. If you're cool with all that, let's do it! Just let me know in advance so I can scope a spot, and chat with your celebrant to help announce this.
Keep your family portraits list concise
Posing for family portraits after your ceremony can become quite tedious and overwhelming for some couples (but it is the best time to do it while everyone is still in the same spot!).
I recommend keeping your family portrait list to a maximum of 12 combinations if possible, and then photos with extended family and friends can be taken later throughout the reception, in a more casual manner.
If you have a big family list and do just want to get them all done after your ceremony, if at any point you feel like you need a breather, just say you need a glass of water (I'll know what you mean) and everyone will be none the wiser.
You don’t have to get family portraits if you don’t want to
If you’re dreading family photos because the process is a bit dull, or maybe there’s some tension within your family – you don’t have to get family portraits! Some of my couples opt to not have ‘planned’ family portraits at all, they instead just wave me over during the cocktail hour or reception to grab photos with people on a case-by-case kinda basis without any list or ‘formality’ to it.
Reception
1. Make time for sunset photos
I always recommend popping out for 10-20 mins during gorgeous golden hour for some more photos of you two. It's a more relaxed vibe, and adds more variety to your gallery.
Or, if you prefer to skip newlywed portraits right after your ceremony so that you can join cocktail hour sooner, we can do all your couples photos during sunset! This is also a great approach if your ceremony is during the day when the sun is quite strong when we’re a bit limited with staying under the shade to avoid harsh shadows and squinting.
2. Party vibe or ‘traditional’?
The 'traditional' way of receptions is to weave formalities between each food course. This works well for sit-down meals, but it does leave less opportunity for candid photos, as I don't usually photograph people when they are eating (not very flattering!).
If you’re interested in more of a candid/party vibe, you could do any formalities at the beginning of your reception one after the other. A cocktail style reception also works well for this.
This means you can mingle and get casual photos with friends and family easier, and can get everyone on the dancefloor sooner to get those fabulous dancefloor photos!
3. Ask your guests to join you on the dancefloor
Asking your DJ/band or a wedding party member to announce for your guests to make their way to the dancefloor is the best way to kickstart the party (and ensure you get some epic dancefloor photos!).
Another way to encourage your guests to dance, is to welcome everyone to the dancefloor "to join the couple" just as you're finishing up your first dance. This makes for great photos as your guests surround you.
Read through my guide about how to make sure your reception is a party!
4. Head out for some night time shots
If you've opted for all-day coverage, consider heading outside just before your photographer leaves to get a few night photos with flash or under festoon lighting.
It adds variety to your gallery and portraits, especially once you’ve swapped heels for sneakers, and the tie and suit jacket have come off. Night portraits are also great to show off a second/reception outfit if you have one!
Consider an engagement photo session!
Wedding bookings get 50% off an engagement photo session! *
Engagement photo sessions are the perfect way to commemorate your engagement, and it's essentially a practice shoot to get comfy with being in front of the camera (and me!) before the big day.
Sometimes a wedding day runs behind schedule, maybe the weather is not as you envision, or maybe you just really want to get back to cocktail hour!
An engagement session is flexible so we can make sure to shoot on a perfect day, and we have over an hour for a cruisey shoot to feel relaxed, get a variety of poses, and utilise locations. It's also an opportunity for you to see which poses, angles and expressions you prefer – and to have fun with it, like picking a theme and a unique location!
It's also a chance to try out a hair and makeup trial prior to your wedding!
*Wedding must be booked first for engagement session discount to apply. Wedding booking must be at least 6-hours coverage.
Get in touch for a no-obligation wedding consult!