Wedding Welcome Guide

YOU’VE GOT YOUR BABE,

and new your favorite third-wheel.

Holy cow. I can’t believe we’re finally to this stage of planning! I’m sure you’ve heard so many opinions (maybe some unwanted haha!), plenty of advice, and hopefully a lot of encouragement leading up to your wedding.

I’m not here to tell you what to do, but I do want to give you that little push to do whatever the heck you want to do!

When it all comes down to it — your wedding is about YOU + YOUR BABE. This guide is mainly here to help you get the best outcomes out of your photos, making the most out of your day, tips on finding a venue, ceremony and reception lighting, sample timelines, and how to make your day as stress-free as possible. After photographing countless weddings, I’ve gathered a few tips and tricks that are often overlooked on a wedding day.

That being said, I’d like to keep a few questions in mind as we’re going through this guide together:

 

1. What is most important to you both?
2. What can you and your babe do to make your wedding more meaningful, special or unique?
3. Are there any wedding traditions that you honestly don’t care about, or is there a tradition that really means a lot to you?
6. Are you making a certain decision for you, or is it to make your guests/family happy?

Get comfy, grab a cup of coffee, some wine or a snack, and let’s dig in together below!

 
 
 

 WEDDING FAQS

Wedding Guide FAQS
I'm a little confused on where to set up our ceremony, can we schedule a walkthrough with you?

If I’m available, I’d be so happy to do a walkthrough with you! If I’m out-of-state or out-of-country we can schedule a time the day before your wedding to scout around for a ceremony spot if you’re flexible.

Should we hire a second shooter? When is it too late to hire one?

I highly recommend we hire a second shooter if:

You’re having more than 100 guests | I’m documenting your day for more than 8 hours | If you’re getting ready in two different locations or at the same scheduled time. | If you would like more photos with different perspectives documented throughout your day.

It’s really never too late to hire one even after we book, but if we’re coming up until a month before your wedding it might be harder for me to find a photographer that’s available. I’m super picky when it comes to hiring a second shooter to make sure they’re experienced and we both have a similar style in photography so your photos are consistent.

Can we add more hours with you?

Of course! If there are more moments happening than you'd realize going into the planning process or the day off and you'd like me to stay to document, you can add more hours to your photography coverage even up till the night of your wedding! Just a heads up there is an additional fee per hour which is stated in our contract.

We added-on an engagement session or after session, can we switch sessions if we already scheduled one?

Yes, if something comes up where we can’t do your engagement session due to conflict of work schedules, illness, or just crazy life stuff happening, we can do an after session instead, and vice versa.

We decided that we don’t want to have a first look. How should we plan our photos after the ceremony?

No worries! I would schedule your ceremony to begin 2.5 hours before sun sets so we can fit all your family photos, wedding party photos, and newlywed photos in after the ceremony.

Our ceremony is scheduled as the sun is setting and we don’t want to do a first look. Will this be a problem?

Yep, that’ll be a problem. We won’t have any daylight left for newlywed photos, family photos, and wedding party photos so I would highly encourage you to bump up your ceremony to begin 2.5 hours before sunset so we can fit all your photos in after the ceremony.

I'm trying to figure out what time to start my hair and makeup and when we need to begin taking photos. Any advice?

I recommend knowing what time the sun sets on your wedding day and work backwards on your timeline. Use the sample timeline I provided to help with how much time to give each event. If you already have a ceremony time, then work backwards from there using my sample timeline. Make sure to give yourself extra extra time! If you need additional help, shoot me an email and we can figure it out together!

Can we have a friend or family member marry us?

If you get married in the United States, a friend or family member is welcome to serve as your officiant if they are an ordained minister. And even if your loved one isn’t a traditional religious leader, the Universal Life Church offers an easy online membership process that lets any adult over the age of 18 become ordained for free! If you have a friend or family member who is willing to do a little paperwork, they’ll be able to legally officiate your wedding.

HAVE THE BEST DAY EVER!

EMBRACE WHATEVER MOMENTS OR CRAZINESS COME!

You shouldn’t be stressed on your wedding day, especially over something you don’t have control over. Nothing is ever “perfect” and that is just how life goes. There’s no reason to exhaust yourself over making everything seem “perfect”. Remember to laugh a lot and you’ll be just fine!

Thanks so much if you read all of that in one sitting! I know it seems like a lot of info and planning your wedding can feel overwhelming at times. But this guide is created for you to keep whenever you need to look back on for any guidance and hopefully a little encouragement too! If you have any additional questions at all, always feel free to reach out!