Wedding Preparation Tips

Wedding Preparation Tips

My job as your Nottingham wedding photographer is to document your love story as it happens, one moment at a time. Your day begins the moment you start getting ready, and I would like to offer some tips and advice on how to prepare for your big day. The morning of your wedding should be a very exciting time for you and your bridesmaids, but it can also get a little stressful. Here are a few ways to make your wedding preparations in the morning go that little bit smoother.

Top Tips
 

1. Try to get a good nights sleep before the wedding. I have been to quite a few weddings where the bride and groom have only had a few hours sleep the night before because they were still running around trying to make everything perfect for the big day. It will also make it a really long day. Try to get to bed in good time and have 8 hours sleep. Easier said than done I know.

2. Don't have too many people in your bridal suite. When you are getting ready on the morning of the wedding try to only have your bridesmaids, immediate family and vendors in the bridal suite otherwise this will add to the stress.

3. Have all of your details ready. Try to make sure that you have all of your wedding details ready ( dress, flowers, shoes, jewellery) when your photographer arrives so they can photograph these all together in one place, this will obviously save you time and you will be able to capture more of your bridal party.

4. Have some food and drink available in the bridal suite. It is very important that you and your bridesmaids have something to eat and drink in the morning, especially if you are planning on having a glass or two of fizz.

5. Make sure the bride has her make up and hair done first. If the bride has her make up and hair styled first that will reduce the risk of running late.

6. Make sure that your bridesmaids get dressed first are ready in good time. I recommend that your bridesmaids get ready at least 20 minutes before you do so they can help you get ready. This is also something that I would want to photograph.

7. If your wedding is all situated at one venue please be completely ready at least 30 minutes before you need to go and see the registrar. This would give us enough time to capture the first look with your mother or father and photographs with your bridesmaids.

8. Don't stress. Things might go wrong, but at the end of the day you are getting married and it doesn't matter if everything doesn't go completely to plan.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions, I'd love to answer them!

How Much Time Should You Allow For Formal Photographs At Your Wedding

Formal Photographs

It is a very good idea to communicate well with your bride and groom leading up to the wedding day. I always ask them for a wedding time line around a month before the wedding day, because this would then give us enough time to discuss any areas that appear problematic. 

The majority of the weddings that I photograph as a Nottingham wedding photographer have anywhere between 70 - 150 guests and I recommend that the reception would allow at least 90 minutes from the end of the wedding ceremony until they start to seat the guests for their wedding breakfast. The venue is also running to a timeline which will have an affect on the rest of the day. 

There are obviously weddings that are a lot smaller with just a handful of guests and they wouldn't need 90 mins for the formal photographs and portraits of the bride and groom.

You will be surprised at how long it does actually take to photograph family members on a wedding day. There are always combinations of family members that you hadn't thought of prior to the wedding. You will need to set aside a good amount of time to enable you to capture all of your formal photographs.

It is important for everyone to know where they need to be when doing the family formals otherwise you will be missing people at vital times and this will only delay things. I always take extra copies of the timeline and give one to the best man and one to the chief bridesmaid. It is always a good idea to use the help of the best man and ushers because they can help to organise people and get family members into position for the next photograph. 

I always try and get family formals done in 30 minutes or less, if they take any longer than this people usually get restless. You can always take the group pictures of university friends and work colleagues later in the day after the speeches and before bride and groom have their first dance.

I hope this information is useful to you and sheds some light on how I shoot the family formals on a wedding day. I also try and educate my clients well before the wedding so they know exactly what to expect on the actual day.

What To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

What Questions To Ask
 

Choosing your wedding photographer will be one of the most important decisions you will make when planning your wedding day. It will more than likely come after you have decided on your wedding reception and that beautiful wedding dress you have always dreamed about.  So what wedding photography questions should you be asking your photographer?

If you are a bride looking for a series of questions to ask your wedding photographer may I suggest that you add a few of these to your list. It may help you decide if a certain photographer is the person for you or not.

I have also answered the questions below.

Q : What is your style?

A : I would describe my photography style as reportage (because I feel some of the best images taken are of people who have no idea they are being photographed) along with making beautiful portraits of you and your fiancee. I also capture family formals and a few fun ones.

Q : Can we view sample albums?

A : Absolutely! I bring along sample albums to show my prospective clients when I meet with them for their consultation.

Q : Who will own the copyright to the photographs?

A : My clients will receive a license to print and share the images as they wish. I retain the copyright to all the images so I can use them for my marketing material.

Q : How many hours coverage do you supply?

A : I offer different packages to suit my clients needs so everyones day is different. But saying that the majority of the time I supply 10 hours coverage.

Q : How many pictures do we receive?

A : Once I have edited the images and removed the test shots,  people blinking and looking the wrong way you will typically receive 400+ images.

Q : How long will it be before we receive the photographs from our wedding?

A : I aim to have your photographs all ready for you between 3 - 4 weeks but in peak season this may be a bit longer.

Q : Will you set up an online gallery so we can share the photographs with are family and friends?

A : Absolutely! this is something that I always do and my clients love them. This is also the best way to choose what images you would like to include in your wedding album.

Q : How many images can we put in our wedding album?

A : My wedding albums are customisable and it will depend on what album you choose and how many pages you want in the album.

Q : How long will it be before we receive our wedding album?

A : Your wedding album will be ready 4 weeks after you have given me your final image selections.

Q : How does an engagement session work?

A : The engagement session will last about an hour and we will shoot some relaxed images to capture the fun side of your relationship.

Q : How do we book you to be our photographer?

A : The best way to book me is to schedule a consultation meeting so you can look at sample albums over coffee and this gives us a chance to discuss your wedding day in more detail.

Q : How much deposit is required?

A : To book me and make your date secure I require a deposit of £200 and a signed contract. The remaining balance is due one month before your wedding date.

Q : Are you insured?

A : Yes I have both professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

Q : What happens if your camera breaks?

A : I always carry back up equipment with me and this includes another camera body and numerous lenses.

I hope you found this post useful and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch. 

Website : www.mattandrew.co.uk

Email : matt@mattandrew.co.uk

Facebook : www.facebook.com/MattAndrewPhotography