Wedding Tips & Tricks:
Preparing for your special day

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1. Designate someone to pick up behind others while getting ready.

Avoid clutter in your getting-ready snapshots! Whether it's a member of the bridal party or someone sharing the prep space, keeping things tidy enhances the beauty of your photos.

2. Natural light is a must for getting ready photos.

Whenever possible, ensure abundant natural light in your getting ready space! Dimly lit rooms with yellow fluorescent lighting can present challenges for capturing high-quality photos.

3. Detail shots- have you and your partner’s details ready to go in a box.

Prepare all the details belonging to you and your partner in one designated box before your photographer arrives. This is super convenient for both you and your photographer. You won't need to interrupt your makeup and hair session to gather your items, and your photographer won't have to visit another location to retrieve the groom's details.

4. Details for the Bride.

Dress, veil/crown/hair piece, bouquet, all jewelry (including engagement ring and wedding band), perfume, garter, shoes, bouquet, sunglasses, vows, gifts from groom.

5. Details for the Groom.

Shoes, watch, tie/bow tie, socks, belt/suspenders, boutonnière, cuff links, sunglasses, cologne, pocket square, wedding band, vows, gifts from bride.

6. General Details for Flat Lay.

Wedding invite + envelope, wedding rsvp, save the date, envelope wax seal, stamps, other special details pertaining to your venue/location (i.e. maps, postcards, etc), other special details pertaining to you as a couple (i.e. personalized champagne/shot glasses, special bottle of liquor/champagne, polaroids of couple).

7. Upgrade your vow books.

Vow books for detail shots always look elegant and amazing. Plus, having your vows in a cute book looks so much better during the ceremony rather than reading off of your phone or a piece of notebook paper as it flaps in the wind. Here’s some vow books that I found on Amazon!

8. Ask your florist to leave a few spare flowers.

This is great for detail shots and adds a tasteful element to the flat lays. The colors also add to the theme of your wedding which is communicated visually in the images.

9. Buy personalized or wooden hangers.

The number one things most brides forget is to replace the wire/ugly plastic hanger their dress came with, with a simple and formal hanger. If your dress is sleeveless ensure the hanger is able to hold your dress properly. This will save time for your photographer which means more photos of you and your loved ones getting ready! Here are some customizable hangers and wooden hangers.

10. Get a fancy ring box.

Surprisingly inexpensive, this adds just that extra luscious details which will elevate your photos. They come in every shade, my favorite are the velvet boxes!

11. Boutonnière education.

Make sure the groomsmen know how to tie their tie/bow tie and know where/how to put on their boutonnière! The guys tend to never know how to do these things and then are frantically trying to find a video on Youtube or one person gets stuck having to do them all.

12. It’s time to put on the dress!

Whether it’s mom, the Maid of Honor, or a close friend, be sure the person assisting getting the bride in getting dressed is fully dressed themselves!

13. Having good ceremony lighting.

When setting up the ceremony location, make sure that you + your partner have no shadows cast on you! If you’re having your ceremony earlier in the day, it’s best to have your guests or yourselves backlit - not having the sun on one side (it causes for one of your faces to be in full sun while the others is shaded. Then one person is taking a beating and squinting throughout the ceremony) OR for bride + groom to be fully shaded.

14. Remove clutter from pockets.

Remind all everyone wearing pants- grooms, groomsmen, dads, brothers, best woman etc. to remove all wallets, phones, & keys from their pockets during photos!

15. Give family a heads up!

Family portraits don’t have to be longer than 15 minutes. Let the family members who will be needed for family portraits know ahead of time that they’ll need to be on stand by for said portraits so that we won’t have to go looking for them!

16. Don’t rush the kiss after your “I do’s”.

Hold your kiss for multiple seconds or kiss more than once! This ensures that your photographer gets the shot! We don’t want to miss it!

17. The ceremony exit - kiss & kiss again!

When making your exit after your ceremony - stop in the middle of the aisle & kiss and then again at the end of the aisle. On your way down, have fun with your exit! You just got married!

18. Golden Hour Photos.

Make time in your day for couples photos during the best lighting, aka golden hour- last 30 minutes before sunset. Even if you took couples portraits earlier in the day, golden hour couples portraits are one of the best parts of your gallery!

19. Make an exit.

Even if it’s fake, incorporate an exit before the photographer departs. Planning a big exit is always super fun and the photos are entertaining to say the least! Some ideas are bubbles, confetti, or light sticks!

20. ENJOY YOUR WEDDING DAY!

Your photos absolutely depend on it. Photos tell a story and if you’re stressed or upset, your feelings will truly show through your images. We all want to make sure that your images reflect the amazing day that it actually was and the love that you + your partner share! Because in the end, that’s what it’s all about.

This content is adapted from Bethany wolf's photography tips. we speak fireworks does not own nor claim ownership or authorship of this content.