Weddings

Wedding Blogs

I stalked wedding blogs for ideas when I was planning my wedding, so I thought I would share a few:

Wedding Chicks
Snippet & Ink
Green Wedding Shoes
The Bride's Cafe
Utah Bride Blog
Style Me Pretty
InStyle Weddings

Other sites

Raise the Cake - cake stands!
The Budget Bride's Handbook


Wedding Photography

Having shot a few weddings, and being recently married, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on wedding photos. I am not an expert, by any means, but I researched and thought a ton about this when I planned my wedding, so I thought I would share what I learned. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Day After

Since I love photography so much, my wedding photography was really, really important to me. I wanted to take pictures at the ceremony site, and with all of the family and friends that turned out to see us get married, and then I wanted some pictures at a different location. I arranged to get some photos done at Val Halla (sp?) but the two locations were a couple of hours apart! On your wedding day, you don't always have a couple of hours to spend driving for an hour photo session. So, we decided to do a day after session (well, week after :). And I loved it! It was so fun to get in my dress again, and see my husband all dressed up. My bouquet kept really well, as did his boutonniere (isn't that a weird word?). If you make sure you get close up pictures of your flowers on the day of, you'll still have the photos and in your day after session you don't have to do close ups, so if your bouquet isn't looking quite as fresh as the day before, it'll be just fine.

Another thing I loved about doing our pictures after our wedding day was how relaxed we were! There was no stress to get to the reception or worry about last-minute details. We set aside an afternoon and just had fun with our session! We didn't have people waiting for us, and we didn't feel pressured to hurry up and go talk to everyone, because we did that the day before. It was so nice to have an intimate session with just us and our photographer (and my mom - thanks mom). Also, I didn't have to worry so much about getting my dress dirty!

First Look

Since I stalk so many amazing photography blogs, I see a lot of amazing work. One thing that a lot of couples do is a "first look." This means that the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony. Some brides prefer to be traditional and not let the groom see her before the ceremony, but I found seeing my fiance before we got married calmed me down and helped me enjoy the rest of the day. Your makeup is the freshest, your dress is the cleanest, your hair is the most perfect, and you haven't cried through the ceremony yet.

Just setting aside an hour for photos of you as a couple before the ceremony will let you enjoy the rest of the day without worrying - you've already captured those important photos! You can also capture some sweet photos of the groom's face the first time he sees his beautiful bride, without everyone looking on. Aww!

And since I didn't do this for my wedding, click HERE to read about a few couples who did, from the grooms' perspectives (on Jasmine Star's blog).

Other Thoughts

If your wedding photos are important to you (of course they are!) it will pay off to think about photography when planning your big day. The best light is in the morning or late afternoon - not between 11:00 and 2:00 in the middle of the summer. In the bright afternoon sun, people have shadows under their eyes and squint. The harsh lighting is not flattering on anyone. Consider planning your photos (or ceremony) for a little later in the day, or early in the morning. My day after session was shot in the hour to hour-and-a-half before sunset - my favorite light ever! I still haven't finished editing my own pictures, but I will put examples on here.

I totally understand the stress of planning your wedding day, and it's hard to fit everything in perfectly, but planning your photography will ensure that all your planning and hard work pays off as you look at your photos for years to come. Just something to think about! :)

What do you think?