Here it is! The moment everyone has been waiting for! The music is playing and the guests have been seated. The bride is about to walk down the aisle to the love of her life….. and if she’s like most girls, she’s dreamed about this moment for a long time! Vows will be shared and promises will be made… this is what it’s all about!! In a world full of wedding blogs, Pinterest and bridal magazines, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and consumed by the “prettiness” of the event. While details do matter and planning is necessary, it’s important to never lose sight of the real purpose of this amazing day!

LIGHTING

Ceremony lighting is really important. If you get married outdoors at 12pm, the lighting will be extremely harsh and not only there will be harsh lines of light on your faces, you will also be squinting. I suggest planning an outdoor ceremony 2/3 hours before sunset OR selecting a spot in total shade (under a big tree for example) . The lower the sun, the more romantic the lighting. Two things to avoid at all cost when planning an outdoor ceremony:

• full sun in an early afternoon
• dapple light, also knows as partial shade. There is nothing worst than having a bride in full sun and a groom in full shade or having speckles of shade/light across your face (leopard effect!)

If you are having an indoor ceremony, it is always best to have EVEN lighting at the altar. Another thing to avoid when doing your ceremony indoor is harsh back-light. If the room is dark and you have an open window/door behind you we will only be able to shoot from the sides and not the front so as not to blow out the background.

PLUGGED OR UNPLUGGED?

Should guests be able to take images during your ceremony? That it a super personal question and only you can make this decision. You can ask the guests to be fully present and put their phones away while the photographers do the job they were hired for or maybe you want as many images/videos as possible from your ceremony?! No matter your decision, please ask the celebrant to ask your guests not to stand in front of the photographers with their phones, go in the middle of the isle or stand behind the couple (on the altar) during the ceremony… and yes… it has happened! Believe me you don’t want images from the most important moment of your Day with uncle Bob between the 2 of you!

ORDER OF SERVICE

We have seen so many couples do so many AMAZING things during their ceremony. We’ve photographed couples light a unity candle, doing readings or songs in a foreign language. We’ve seen sand ceremonies, rope ceremonies and the signing of the family Bible. The options are limitless!! As you plan your ceremony, make sure you design it to be exactly what the two of you envision it to be. This is your day!! If you have the freedom to be creative, then by all means, be creative!! And, of course, please let us know of all your plans in advance!

CONFETTI

First of all, ensure your venue allows the use of confetti. Some don’t, and I have seen so many disappointed brides having to through away their confetti cones. Ones you have established that they can be used, put in charge 2 people of distributing confetti cones or confetti cannons to all the guests (giving priority to the ones sitting closer to where you will be walking) during the signing of the registry. Then ask your celebrant to announce to all the guests to through the confetti as you walk past them. If they have confetti cones, they should be throwing confetti up in the air, not at your face. The best way to do it, however, are confetti cannons.