Timeline

Your first key to making the most of your wedding photography is to have a realistic timeline. I can help you lay it down and advise how long moments in the day usually take. Be sure to include travel time and some buffer time for flexibility and relaxing. Assign a Bridesmaid or Groomsmen to be timekeeper for the day to keep things on track and moving forward, lean on your squad, they are there to help you!

Some helpful photo timeline guides to think about:

+ Getting Ready - 1 hour with the boys and 1-1.5 hours with the girls will have you covered. If you like detail shots, the anticipation in the morning and getting ready, please put time aside for these moments to be captured. Please also factor in travel time between getting ready locations and then to your ceremony.
+ Group Photo - 10 minutes
+ Family photos - 2-3 minutes per photo (it’s like herding cats haha) so 10 family groupings = 30 minutes. Also bear in mind your family and guests will want to hug and congratulate you after you say your I do's!
+ Bridal party and portraits of you two - 1 hour is all I need, I want you for a good time not a long time (travel to multiple locations is additional)
+ Sunset photos - 15 - 20 mins

Getting Ready - It’s All In The Details

Here are some useful tips for the getting ready portion of the day!

Have all your details and sentimental objects in one place - they don't have to be laid out, I will do that :) but if you have them all together it really helps!
+ Brides, these are items like your dress, shoes, jewelry, flowers and perfume. For your wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses, hang it in style with a wooden coat hanger, it makes all the difference trust me! Have someone special help you into your dress, take a breath, slow down, invite me in. Have your hair & makeup done at least 1 hour before you leave for your ceremony and aim to be completely dressed and ready 30 minutes before you leave for your ceremony.
+ Grooms, please put aside your shoes, buttonhole, watch, cologne and lets not forget THE RINGS!
+ If you have copies left of your invitations these are also great to include in your details!

Delegate a family or bridal party member to clear away ALL clutter before I arrive. A few things to be aware of are water bottles on bench tops, paper towels, handbags, washing, or other things that will make your photos look cluttered. Think about the rooms you'll use and store everything else in a separate room. I document things as they are and spending time cleaning and tidying takes away from photos that could be of you and your people.

Gents, Guys, Blokes, Lads, Bois, when it comes to a two button jacket, your top button is the only one that you need to fasten up, let the other button fly free. Learn how to tie your tie, have a look at how to attach boutonnieres/button holes and snip the threads on your jacket pockets and the back flap things (I don’t know the technical name).

Ceremony

Go unplugged! Request that your guests be present, have their phones and Ipads away and encourage them to enjoy your ceremony with their eyes instead of through their devices. Phones in pictures are distracting and will also date your photographs eep! Let me take care of your photos and have your guests soak in every moment.
Family Photos

Have a list ready with your family groupings and hand over this responsibility to your MC. Your MC needs to be your designated organised person who doesn't mind a holla here and there and who will keep your ship tight! Family photos can take up to 3 minutes per photo, keep this in mind when you are drafting your timeline, I find groupings of up to 10 will have everyone covered e.g. brides side of the family, grooms side of the family, both families together, brides parents, grooms parents etc..

PLEASE NOTE - Larger groupings require a wider lens and as much as I try, people will hide behind other guests and become lost. If you would like clear photos of special members, please keep your groupings small to ensure that everyone is visible and people cant hide.

Bridal Party

Yay its time for your location photos with your bride tribe lets have some fun! Ask your venue to pack a small hamper (most venues do this) and take some time out with your besties, this will get you feeling relaxed and on your way to awesome bridal party pics! Pro note: stay hydrated and drink water!

Please put aside 1 hour (minimum) for bridal party photos and portraits. Please note travel to different locations may take more time.

If the forecast is set to rain, the best solution for bridal party photos is to have some cute clear umbrellas!

Having everyone on the same page will make the portrait session so much more fun, which results in fabulous photos! Not everyone likes having their photo taken and I totally get that. My goal is to make it a stress free and fun time and everyone’s cooperation goes a long way. Please share these tips with your bridal party and make sure they understand how much it means to you to have them on board.

Portraits

This is a time for two of you, invest yourself deeply in every moment you find yourself in. The day will fly, breathe it all in. If this was the last moment you had with this person, would you both just stand there and look at the camera? Or would you reach out and hold them as tight as you can…. Do that.

If you are camera shy, that’s ok, don’t look at me, look at each other and into the eyes of your best friend and do what comes naturally to you. If you want to laugh, laugh! Pull a face? Why not! Have little chats with your person? That’s ok! There is no right or wrong. This is all about capturing who you are.

SMILE! I know right, it feels weird and forced but honestly, relax and let the emotion in. It doesn’t look cheesy, it looks like you’re having a wonderful time on your wedding day haha!

Trust Me

This is key you guys and something I want to communicate to all of my couples. I pride myself in being able to adapt to any environment/situation and create beautiful work, but those hero images that you see, a lot of time and skill was put into curating those. I put effort into finding locations and recommending your timings to make the most of natural light and your surroundings.

To capture your wedding authentically, I am present and looking at what is happening around you and around me, this is how I make my work. Photos other photographers have made & references from Pinterest, keep me from making what you like so much about my work. Clean and timeless imagery with a focus on connection, emotion & joy is at the core of what I do and how I see the world. You have put in all the hard work into creating your special day, let me take care of capturing it, this will result in a collection of photos that visually flow, a beautiful story.

I am absolutely for you and the dream is to make beautiful work with you! I love working with couples who see the value in connection and feeling in photographs, with your trust comes true connection and this will shine through in your photos.

Sunset

Set aside some alone time with your new husband or wife for about 15-20 minutes at sunset, you wont regret it and your guests won’t even notice you're gone! This is sometimes the only time you get to spend alone together and sunset makes for killer light yusss!

These are my tried and true ways of making the most out of your wedding photos as well as helping your day go a little smoother. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control and that's OK, I'll be there to capture those moments in all their crazy glory :)

xx

Fay