Wedding Day Tips
From my experiences of capturing over 400 weddings, here are my wedding day tips with insight and practical advice to help you get the most out of your wedding day in terms of fun, flow and what works well. Below where I refer to groom and bride - this of course this can be groom and groom or bride and bride.
GETTING READY
I love to capture both parties in the morning with buildup and getting ready but unfortunately I can’t be in two places at once so it’s best to stagger prep so I can capture both.
If you’re getting ready in different locations over 20 minutes car drive apart from each other where it’s logistically difficult for me with timings to capture both, it’s worth booking one of my second photographers, just let me know if this is something you’d like to consider.
Groom Prep
15 minutes of capturing the last stages of the groom getting ready is all I need, even if it’s just the boys cracking open a beer or putting on their flower button holes.
For the grooms prep, if time is limited then we can cover everything we need to in about 15 minutes as long as you’re ‘ready to get ready’ - showered, trousers on, hair done. It gives me the opportunity to capture cufflinks, tie being done up, jacket going on.
Bridal Prep
Usually I like to see the girls first in the morning before potentially heading to the boys. It’s nice to say “hi” and see what stage you’re at. The last stages/finishing touches of bridal prep are by far the most flattering and generally these are where the best photos are captured.
Here are some tips for bridal prep -
Have a set of your wedding stationary where you’re getting ready for me to capture along with any special jewellery or details you’d like capturing. Have a think about where you can hang your dress
Getting into your dress - at this stage it’s best to have your bridesmaids nearly ready at this point. Once you’re into your dress, if you plan on having a reveal moment to the girls then you want them in their dresses. Otherwise you end up with all the girls looking amazing and then one bridesmaid in her dressing gown still.
If it’s a parent or friend helping you into your dress, the same applies. Make sure they’re ready before you.
Don’t forget if you’re having a registrar that you will need to allow time for your pre-ceremony interviews, usually this takes around 10 minutes.
Usually I capture the last few stages of the dress being buttoning up, putting the wedding veil in etc. I’m happy to go with the flow and whatever you’re comfortable with.
When to get into your wedding dress?
You need to get into your wedding dress at least 1 hour before the ceremony, minimum. I know that may sound like a long time but trust me, this last hour absolutely flies by and it serves many purposes too. Firstly if anything is delayed on the morning, you have a small window to make up some time.Once you’re ready we will have time to spend 5 minutes doing some beautiful portrait photos before heading off to the ceremony. You’ll have time to sit down and have a breather, pop some fizz open and chill. If time allows we can even do a few shots of the girls together and if you have plans for your dad to see you, capture that too.
Being ready early also allows me to get to the ceremony and say hello to the registrar/celebrant/vicar and capture guests arriving. Again, if logistics prove difficult for this then potentially look at booking one of my second shooters to join me.
CONFETTI
There’s so much choice when it comes to confetti, here are my tips -
First thing to do is check with your wedding venue what confetti is allowed and where is it allowed, especially indoors.
This is the first thing to do, most places allow confetti if it’s biodegradable but I know a few wedding venues that don’t allow any confetti, even if it is biodegradable and allow alternatives such as bubbles or pompoms instead. Churches only allow confetti outside.
If you’re allowed to use confetti, there are three choices -
1. Biodegradable Tissue Paper Confetti - this looks amazing, flutters through the air and has plenty of hang time. If there’s wind then it just drifts through the sky and looks magical. It probably won’t go in your eye or get stuck in your hair like dried petals can.
Tip - You can also buy biodegradable tissue paper confetti canons which work really well - again check if that’s allowed to use first. If you are allowed these then buy at least 10 of them, minimum 6 for the confetti tunnel and at least 4 for the first dance.
2. Fresh Flower Petals - Large fresh petals also works really well. If you have a florist or maybe even a guest that is supplying your flowers, the main tip is larger petals the better. Often I recommend you go to the supermarket a day or two before your wedding and buy lots of bunches that have colourful petal flowers and individually pull the petals of yourselves into a basket.
3. Dried Flower Petals - This works well but it needs to be large petals - confetti larger than a 20p coin looks best on camera. If your confetti is really small, it looks like people are throwing bird feed at you, not a great look and it can easily get in your eye.
Biodegradable tissue paper confetti is the most popular choice as it ticks all the boxes.
Use a large basket full of confetti….do not use paper cones
Fill a basket full of confetti from which your guests can grab a good fist-full on the way out from the ceremony or have a couple of baskets passed around your guests.
I don’t recommend serving your confetti in paper cones – you can’t get much in them for a start and also you can’t launch the confetti high into the air like you can if you release it from your hands. Plus for some reason half of it always seems to stay in the cone! So it’s best to avoid cones or if you do use them, have someone instruct guests to empty confetti into their hands.
Confetti tunnel
The best way to do confetti is by getting your guests to form an aisle/tunnel. There’s two ways couples like this to happen-
Option 1
At the end of the ceremony, guests form a tunnel next to the ceremony chairs. This is the most seamless way to do confetti as there is little waiting around involved, simply walk down the aisle together as married couple and get showered with confetti. This works beautifully for outdoor weddings. However if you are planning an indoor wedding or the weather doesn’t allow you to get married outside, some wedding venues don’t like confetti being thrown indoors and I know most churches do not allow confetti inside, only outside. It’s then option 2 -
Option 2
You exit the ceremony without confetti being thrown and go and hide somewhere for example off to a side room, back of the garden/church/barn etc - whatever it takes to just disappear for a few minutes to give your guests time to form an aisle. Most wedding venues I work with know the drill for this but I can direct if needed. The reason you need to hide is if you stand anywhere in sight, guests will naturally congregate around you, say congratulations etc and before you know it, the confetti moment has turned into the entire wedding party forming a welcome line and not a confetti instead, not what you wanted.
The location of the confetti will depend largely on the church/venue and also the weather conditions on the day so it’s always worthwhile having a plan b.
Confetti tips -
My first tip is have a think about having the confetti unplugged i.e. no phones or cameras. See at the end of this page for information about having an unplugged wedding.
Don’t rush your walk down the confetti tunnel, the slower the better, it’s one of those once in a lifetime moments so embrace every second of it and i’ll capture some amazing images.
Make sure your bridesmaids/ushers know the plan. I’ll be on hand to make sure that everyone is in place to get the best shots. A little help from your team goes a long way.
What I’ve found works really well is to have your parents and siblings at the start of the tunnel and your bridesmaids and groomsmen at the end of the tunnel.
One image I think really works well is to stop half way down the confetti line for a kiss
Confetti canons works well. Depending on length of the tunnel, you’ll need a minimum of 6 canons in total with 2 at the start, 2 in the middle and 2 at the end. For 100+ guests with a longer line you can double this up. (Note - Confetti canons are also great to use during first dance (if allowed) with minimum 4 canons, 1 guest in each corner of the dance floor).
Most importantly, enjoy it ; )
THE DRESS
A dirty wedding dress is the sign of an amazing day…and keeps the dry cleaners in business ; ) Just a heads up, at some point in the day, usually late afternoon when you’ll reach a point where you stop caring about whether your wedding dress gets dirty or not, though I’m sure you’ll want to keep your dress clean until any formal group photos you’d like have been captured after the ceremony.
I’m able to remove dirt marks on the dress during editing so don’t worry. You bought the dress specifically for this one big day so my tip is get the most out of it.
When you look back and think “I wish we had more sunset photos on the beach” but in reality you said “I don’t want to go in the beach in case my dress gets sandy and wet”
I’ve been to many weddings now where the bride has a different dress for the evening party.
GROUP PHOTOS
When it comes to formal group photos with your family and friends, I recommend keeping the list as short as possible, for your sanity more than anything. Generally I say keep it to under 10 different groups. I will ask you to provide a list of these before the wedding day so I can print and bring along with me so we don’t miss any out.
I will also ask if you can delegate someone in your wedding party than can be responsible for rounding up people for these.
Here are examples of typical group photos -
bride & groom + bride family
bride & groom + groom family
bride & groom + both families
bride & groom + groomsmen
bride & groom + bridesmaids
bride & groom + groomsmen & bridesmaids
bride & groom + everyone (I bring my drone to every wedding in case I can’t get a high vantage point).
Plus have a think and let me know any important ‘must have’ photos you’d like, especially with certain people or groups, for example bride with mum/dad, brothers/sisters, nan/grandad etc, college/uni/work friends etc.
GOOD VIBES
If you turn up to your wedding ready to have fun and party…so will your guests…energy is transferable. If you’re worrying what the weather is doing or the candles haven’t been lit etc and you start to stress out, your guests can sense this and energy will fall. You can’t control everything, especially the English weather, and especially in Cornwall!
Some of my most memorable images I’ve captured have been in the rain using a see-through umbrella and off camera flash, so don’t worry about the photos, that’s my job ; ) whatever the weather, i’ll capture beautiful images for you.
Remember above all else what this day is all about.
Forget traditions…unless you actually want to do them of course. Don’t do something because you think that you have to…or because your parents did it at their wedding.
If you don’t want a wedding cake but want donuts instead, have donuts ; )
Have a blast and celebrate!
SPEECHES
The speeches are all about managing expectations. If you have someone stood in the darkest part of the room with his back to half of the wedding party and they decide to start roaming around the room, images/video may well suffer.
Recommendations -
Choose a spot for all of the speeches to take place. Whether that’s one specific spot or whether each speaker is going to just stand up from their seat and speak from there. Have a plan and stick to it. One specific spot really helps me especially with lighting,
A mic stand can be a great idea to give a specific location for the speeches to take place. It also frees hands to hold notes and to skip through pages instead of having to fumble around. Either the wedding venue, your sound guy/dj/band will have one if you ask.
There isn’t a magic formula for where to stand as each room layout is different and seating locations may vary. The main focus would be that the person giving the speech can address the couple as well as the rest of the room without having their back to half of the wedding party. Usually up at the front just to the side of the couple works really well. They can speak personally to the couple while the rest of the room can still hear them.
Chat to your speech givers and prep them about these points ahead of time.
UNPLUGGED WEDDING
An unplugged wedding has become increasingly popular and something I highly recommend you consider.
Couples often choose ‘unplugged’ to maintain intimacy of their wedding and to ensure professional photography and or video is uninterrupted, and also to avoid distractions like phones ringing or people posting on social media.
This involves you asking guests to not use their phones, tablets or cameras to create a more immersive and present experience for the couple and their guests. This can involve turning off devices, switching them to silent, or even putting them away entirely.
Unfortunately I’ve captured many images ruined by guests using phones, tablets and cameras during key moments at a wedding and even with my professional editing skills and using AI, it’s often a very difficult or in many cases impossible fix and there’s a really simple way to avoid it - have an unplugged wedding, especially during four key moments…
4 KEY MOMENTS
From a photography perspective, there are four key moments where guests being unplugged really helps in terms of capturing the best images -
Ceremony
The registrar/celebrant or vicar will communicate your wish for an unplugged ceremony to your guests.
Speeches
I recommend if you haven’t booked a videographer or my ceremony & speeches video upgrade, then allocate a couple of people you trust to discreetly video for you (same for any of these four key moments).
First dance
I recommend if you have a DJ or band to ask them to kindly remind guests that no phones, cameras or tablets until the first dance has finished. Having guests in the background of your first dance images being present and not behind screens is so much better for everyone.
Confetti
I’ve had many images ruined by guests holding their phones out or stepping out the line during the confetti tunnel - see the photo below for an example. It’s embarrassing for them because when the couple receive their photos from me, the culprit is clear for everyone to see. Let me capture the best images unobstructed and for guests be in the moment instead of seeing it through a screen - no phones, tablets or cameras during confetti. That being said, even with clear weddings signs instructing guests of the unplugged request, some guests forget this instruction (i’m giving them the benefit of doubt here) - so I recommend whoever is giving out the confetti to kindly remind guests please no phones, cameras or tablets during the confetti tunnel.
Best way to communicate an unplugged wedding -
Unplugged wedding signs at the venue/church etc politely informing your guests of this request.
Announcement shortly before the four key moments take place.