PRE-CEREMONY WEDDING PHOTOS
The getting ready part of a wedding day I absolutely love. This part of the day is always filled with emotion and excitement for the day ahead. Its the start of your wedding day and the first page not only of your wedding album but of a new chapter in your life. This is it your big day is finally here! Enjoy it, soak it up.
Where do I start with photographing it all?
My biggest piece of advice here is timing. Getting ready can very easily run over. I normally recommend about 2 hours of preparation photography. This means things are not rushed and I can capture everything you would like but also keep things relaxed and not rushed. When I arrive I normally start with the details, things like the wedding dress and shoes. If you are getting ready at the venue this means I can also get some pictures of the venue and the ceremony room all set up and ready for you.
In terms of times for you, I recommend being dress and ready about half an hour before I need to leave for the ceremony. I normally aim to be at the ceremony venue about 45 minutes before start time. This means if its a 30-minute drive to the church I would aim to leave 1 hour and 15 minutes before the ceremony start time. Pictures of you in your dress before the ceremony are important. If you would like photos once dressed, reaction pictures etc you will need to allow for this in your timings. You would be surprised how little things like having to pack a bag for the day, waiting for others to get dressed, a quick touch up, lacing a dress, attaching buttonholes or tying a bowtie can snowball.
Getting ready in a hotel can be a lot of fun, I always advise making sure that there is enough space for everyone to fit. By the time makeup artists, hairdressers and then, of course, your photographer has arrived it can be a bit of a squeeze. I am a big lover of natural light if you can try and get a room with good natural light, amazing. Natural light is also perfect for makeup as well as photography, so a big win win.
Getting ready at home, amazing. Its always so nice to capture people getting ready for their big day in their own home, in their space, surrounded by their personal things such as photos hanging on the wall. It almost ads more to the pictures as you will be able to look back at your wedding pictures and remember how your house was.