5 Tips For Planning Your Wedding Day

This Feeling Right Here.

This is how you should feel on your wedding day!!!

Happy wedding couple at Strathmere in Ottawa Ontario.

I want you to have the most epic wedding day, and I want you to be able to relive it. Always. So I have assembled some tips for every wedding couple to keep in mind. Things I feel are important on your wedding day. So let’s apply some tips and remove some stress.
I have noticed some recurring themes from photographing past weddings.

Tip # 1

Location Location Location

Wedding couple walking back up the aisle after they said I Do at Northview Gardens in Peterborough Ontario.

Planning your wedding is a lot of fun, but it really is a lot of work. The best advice I can give you to assist with this is to plan everything as close together as possible. If your venue offers it. Ideally, the venue will have a space for both your ceremony and reception. Bonus points if you can get ready there. I have attached some of my favourite venues. When your planning and everything is in one spot, it is not only easier for you but for your guests too.

Sometimes, this isn’t an option, but just keep the driving distances in mind while planning. The same rules apply to getting ready. How far the wedding parties are apart from each other as well as their distance to the ceremony location.

Tip # 2

Light Is The Secret To Success.

Wedding couple for indoor ceremony in Toronto Ontario

I may come across sounding self serving, but really, I’m doing it for you.

Lighting. It really is what gives your photos the most emotion and stunning imagery.

Sure, I have my own equipment to create some unique images, but the reality is that nothing beats utilizing natural light.

Natural lighting is by far the most flattering and on such an important day in your life, I feel it is important to incorporate as much of it in your day plan as possible. If you can’t use it for your ceremony, and this happens, I highly recommend planning your formal images in it. This includes your family, wedding party and portrait images.

If you are getting ready indoors, as most people are, I always suggest using rooms in your home with windows. Make-up artists are amazing for putting their clients in front of windows. I have a few highly recommended individuals listed here for you.

You can still plan your wedding receptions the way you wanted with those candles and you can still have those epic sunset ceremonies! All you have to do is let us help you plan your schedule to make sure we can utilize the day for all the epic photos!

But what happens if the sun doesn’t come out on your wedding day? Not to worry!! overcast and rainy days are some of my favourite wedding moments! Each and every lighting situation will tell the unique story of your day and I am here to utilize any and all bits of it!!

Tip # 3

Be In The Moment.

Wedding couple getting portraits taken on Rice Lake outside of Elmhirst Resort in Keene Ontario during  the winter.

When you think about your wedding day. What are you thinking about?

Perhaps… the first moment you see your partner after getting ready or right before you walk down the aisle. Looking into each others eyes while you say your vows, greeting your family after your married, or maybe even the way you look at each other during your first dance. All of these moments have one thing in common. You are living the moment together and not living it with your phone.

All of this applies to your guests too. You can sit back and look at your images, re live the moments and reminisce about the day until you see a photo with all your guests leaning into the aisle with their phones trying to capture that “perfect shot” they probably wont even look back on themselves.

Unfortunately, society today is completely media driven. From Facebook to Tiktok, everyone wants that perfect moment. What they forget is all your hard work and planning for every detail and hunting down your preferred photographer to capture all the elegance of the day.

It is always a good idea to remind your guests politely to keep their devices tucked away. A cute little sign or asking the officiant to remind guests is an easy way.

Tip # 4

Own It!

Wedding couple breaking the cake cutting tradition and sharing an ice cream cone instead. Wedding took place in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

When it comes down to it. This is your story to tell. So let’s dig deep and tell what we find to be the most meaningful.

You have probably read about finding the perfect locations on a blog and have worked really hard to think of something. But sometimes, there are things that matter more.

  • If you and your partner want to get ready at home because you are creating memories, then do it! I will help find spaces there to create the art.

  • If you and your partner want to go visit a gravesite to honour someone extremely meaningful to you in your life. Let’s take some time, and capture that memory too!

  • If you and your partner want to swing by your favourite coffee bar for some peace in the middle of the chaos, it’s your day! Rock it! Let’s plan it out! Your day is epic and let’s celebrate together!!

  • Or if you’re simply ice cream people, have fun with it!

Never worry about what you are supposed to do. Your day is about so much more then that! Dig deep, find what is important and the story will tell itself!

Tip # 5

Ooops…

Rainy day wedding ceremony at The Quarry Golf and Country Club in Ennismore Ontario.

Sometimes our luck runs out when we need it most. If you’re wearing white, you’re likely to spill anything and everything on it.

Murphy’s law tells us that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. While we can’t wait around watching for things to go wrong, it is a good reminder that we shouldn’t sweat the small stuff.

On your wedding day, this is even more important! 

The family members who are running behind.

The late arrival of the make-up artist.

The thread that holds your bustle that just broke.

All of these things will seem like a huge deal at the time and because you are surrounding yourself with people who love you, everyone is there to help, which is great! But in the grand scheme of things, these are small, and beyond that, you’re getting married!! Anything that goes wrong, well this day revolves around you and everyone will wait until you are ready. The day cannot start without you.

No Worries — I’ve Got You!

Wedding couple standing outside on a bridge at Trillium Trails in Ontario.

When it comes to your wedding, everything is stressful, from the planning until the moment you walk down the aisle, even sometimes family photos because your family has already had a few extra drinks waiting for their names to be called. But it doesn’t have to be stressful. So, I am doing my best to compile some tips to help you de stress. I have pulled out some of the most common things from my wedding experiences and put them in this list for you.

I love my job and take it very seriously. You can remove photography from your stress list, and just enjoy your wedding, knowing you will have Authentic, Emotional and Timeless images to cherish. They will be there for you to look back on later and not only remember the day but feel it too!

If you’d like to talk to me more about your wedding day, or hear about some of my favourite locations for engagement shoots, please give me a call or fire over an email. I’d love to chat!

I hope that you found my tips for having a stress free wedding day helpful!

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