30 Wedding Tips

Guest lists can absolutely start to get out of hand but they are what are going to determine the kind of venue you need, budgeting for canapés, food, drinks etc, so…

If you don’t invite them for coffee, lunch, you don’t see them in your personal life, then they don’t get an invite to your wedding.

One of the most common regrets from married couples is that they invited too many people, including guests that they don’t speak to anymore. So by saving on the numbers of heads, you can put your budget towards other areas like florals, or adding content creation.

Nervously checking the forecast? Here is what I say to my couples.

First, some actionable tips - big golf umbrellas are what you need. They fit at least two people underneath so you don’t need as many. Make sure they’re white or a light colour so dark shadows aren’t cast on to faces.

It is also rare to have a completely wash out day without any breaks, it will likely just mean remixing the schedule slightly ie portraits or confetti at a different time than planned but as a photographer, I would keep an eye on this so you can carry on enjoying your wedding.

And easier said than done I’m sure but — try not to worry about it. Your mood, something you can control, is going to determine the day you have, rather than the weather (which you can’t).

Leave more time than you think you need. Rushing and stressing is fun for no-one.

Any extra time left over means time for first looks, portraits, hair and makeup touch ups.

Locations with lots of natural light is ideal for photography, videography and hair & makeup.

Keeping the space clear of clutter - any bright orange shopping bags among you will be in your photos too. Have a designated ‘dumping ground’.

Eat and hydrate!

Matching loungewear does look lovely but keeping them plain, rather than having roles on the backs means everyone can wear them again.

Of course there is no perfect ceremony time, but there are certain factor that can contribute such as how many people in your wedding party, the type of wedding you want to have, locations.

11am / 12pm - perfect for micro weddings / elopements. If there aren’t too many of you to get ready then you have a chilled morning then go out for lunch and have photos. IMO this is too early for a full ‘traditional’ day with a lot of people to get ready. You will need to be up early to start hair & makeup, and then going well into the evening will be a very long tiring day.

1pm / 2pm - This is typically the time that people get married if they’re having a full day. It’s not too much of an early start and if you’re getting married in the winter and want to make the most of the light then this is ideal.

3pm / 4pm - Often dismissed as being too late, however I think it’s perfect. A chilled morning getting ready, able to have lunch at a normal time (I’m always thinking about meals!) and by the time the wedding ceremony is over, everyone is ready to celebrate and party.

5pm / 6pm - Typical for destination weddings in summer because of the heat in the daytime. The time of year means it will be light enough also for portraits after your ceremony.

A lovely non traditional idea is to have a first look or even get ready together.

When you don’t see each other before the ceremony, you’ll walk down the aisle and you’ll be able to say a quick hello, hug and kiss but that’s all because your ceremony is going to start.

So a private moment together makes for beautiful photos, gets some emotion out the way and allows you to have that time before you get married.

And the difference between them. I’ve photographed all three kinds of weddings so here is what I know about them;

Religious weddings: Vicars & priests tend to have their own individual rules about what your photographer can do. It’s not uncommon that I’m only able to stand at the back (so no photos of you walking down the aisle, or your guests faces) so check with your church if this is something important to you. Sometimes I’m allowed to go anywhere but not every time. I once turned up to a christening to find out I wasn’t allowed to take any photos 🙃

Civil ceremonies (registrars) are the majority of what I photograph. They’re happy for you to move around as long as you don’t get in the way, which is never my aim! They also don’t let you photograph the ‘signing the marriage certificate’ and instead ask you to fake this photo later.

Celebrants, the most relaxed, the most personal, but you will not legally be married, so you either do this before, after or not at all. I

n Scotland I believe these can be legal weddings too and hopefully this will come to the rest of the UK as well!

The only way to do your ceremony!

This means guests put their phones away and don’t take any photos or videos during. They’ll be looking at you and living the experience through their eyes, not their phones.

Any photos I capture will be just of them, not with a phone in front of their face.

Enforce this with signs to let everyone know but most effectively by having the officiant announce this before the ceremony begins.

I’ve also seen officiants ask everyone to take a photo at one moment as the couple are together and put their phones away for the remainder.

If you and your wedding party are walking down the aisle, here are some things to remember:

Spread out - don’t bunch up together so I can get a good full length photo of everyone. If you have a short aisle, this will mean going one at a time.

Smile - nerves get the better of people but I will be taking photos as you all walk down so make sure to smile not look gloomy!

If you’re having fresh flowers, on the morning of, take the bouquet out of water and dry the stems so water doesn’t drip down you. Thirty minutes is enough time.

Hold your bouquet low, tip forward slightly and tuck your elbows in! Common phrases to remember are ‘flower to flower’, ‘bush to bush’, ‘bits not tits’, ‘pubes not boobs’ 🙈

Have a vase ready at the venue so you can pop them in water again while you don’t need them.

Don’t put confetti in cones / bags. I ask guests to take the confetti out of them as they get stuck in there so it’s admin and money wasted. A big basket for the confetti to be handed out is perfect.

Confetti canons are worth the money!

Paper confetti is the best as it flutters in the air for the longest.

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After you’ve left the ceremony, hide! Have a private minute to yourselves and everyone will be lining up for your confetti tunnel much quicker.

When you walk through the confetti tunnel;

Smile!

Keep your heads up so I’m can capture your faces not your scalps.

Keep your bouquet low if you have one.

Walk slowly.

Kiss half way or at the end if you want to!

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Not all venues allow traditional confetti so here are some options;

Pom Poms - a bit of a clean up afterwards but very sustainable.

Bubbles - give every guest a little tube and definitely a couple of bubble machines for extra effect.

Sparklers - You’ll have to wait until sunset for this and while they’re lovely, drunk guests and fire typically don’t mix well so maybe best for winter weddings.

Ribbons on a stick - No clean up, very sustainable and there is lots of movement so they’re still very effective.

How to handle them so they’re efficient and stress free.

I send out a questionnaire about 8 week before your wedding to ask about all the details, including the group portraits you’d like.

I advise a maximum of 10, any more than this gets a little tedious and quite long.

The longest part of this process is not taking the photo, but gathering the people so it’s good to nominate a couple of loud people to gather everyone needed. I bring lists for them and let them know when and where they are happening.

It’s also worthwhile to let the people who are going to be in these photos know, share the list with them and tell them that this will happen during the drinks reception so they don’t wander off (usually checking into hotel rooms etc)

I totally get that you’ve gathered some beautiful inspiration photos for your wedding day, like mum putting the veil in, hugging the children, but these photos look beautiful and mean so much to the people in them because they happened candidly, not because they were a posed moment that was set up to happen.

The photos you recreate won’t mean nearly as much to you as the ones I capture that happened naturally.

Let go of the expectations and let the moments happen naturally, not because you’re trying to make your Pinterest board a reality.

On your wedding day, stick together as much as you can throughout the day. This is amazing for getting candids of you together in addition to your couple portraits.

Also, your guests are there to celebrate two people get married, not just to see one of you.

And ask any married couple how much time they spent together on their wedding day, it’s usually not that much!

Games keep your guests entertained during the drinks reception and cocktail hour (between speeches and the dance floor) and for this reason they make great opportunities for candids.

Classics include lawn games, giant jenga, beer pong, limbo.

Sip & Solve - a crossword for guests to fill in. Can be individual and placed on the table, but a more interactive way is doing a large board.

Guest bingo - a more individual game but makes guests interact with each other. Eg find the guest who is left handed, find the guest that lives in Italy.

Capture This card - using disposable cameras, a wedding hashtag or a QR code that uploads all the images to one place. Ideas can include; take a photo of the best dressed guest, take a photo with the couple, take a photo with any couple.

Lets chat about when to have your speeches.

It’s nice to have a guest MC and introduce the speeches rather than the venue coordinator. It makes it much more personal.

Before Food - great for anyone who is a bit nervous and wants to get their speech out the way before they eat. But not ideal if they’re a bit of a yapper because the caterers will be running to a schedule to get your meals out and you will be getting hungry.

After Food - As long waiting until afterwards hasn’t been too nerve-racking then this is fine. There’s also an opportunity at the end of speeches to explain what is happening in the next part of the day, if you’re in a venue that needs turning around.

Between Courses - In my opinion only works with very small weddings. If you’re waiting for 80+ people to finish their meal before you can speak it makes the process very lengthy.

And I have to say, speeches in a wedding are optional. They’re a nice to have but if it’s going to be too stressful then there isn’t a rule that you have to!

Not always worth spending the money, but here are some great ones I’ve seen:

Decorated biscuits that include the guests name, so therefore can double as a place setting.

An old photo of the guest with the couple for place settings, however these doubled as favours since the guest could take home their printed photo.

Live illustrators offer illustrations of guests, couples, families, which is something a bit different to have at home.

A second photographer dedicated to portraits of the guests, who get to keep and print a nice photo of them all dressed up. Perfect for couples, families, or friendship groups that ALWAYS forget to take a photo together.

Glassware / tankards bought individually from charity shops for each guest. Just as they are, not engraved with the name or date but a beautiful vintage or colourful glass to use on the day and take home.

Especially if you’re getting married in the summer, nerves and heat means you may get a little… dewy.

It’s not a bad idea to have a spare shirt on hand, exactly the same as the one you’re wearing. Make sure it’s steamed and ready to change into.

We all want golden hour photos but we know we can’t trust the weather, so here are a few things to keep in mind.

Just because it’s cloudy and raining on the morning of your wedding, it doesn’t mean it will stay that way.

We don’t need long for these portraits, so if the sun breaks for five minutes, that’s enough time!

It’s also possible to have some lovely sun flare earlier in the day with a tree or building diffusing the light.

To conclude, let your photographer concentrate on this!

Look super cool and doesn’t matter what time they take place!

They look great in the daytime and looks great with direct flash in the evening.

For a champagne spray, you can use non-alcoholic fizz. The effect is the same and you don’t need to waste money on using the real thing. Just open as normal, put your thumb over the top of the bottle and shake!

For a champagne tower, you can use champagne, prosecco or non alcoholic fizz, depending on what you like to drink. Don’t build the tower too high, really three layers is enough to make it effective but also stable.

Typically the cake cut is right before the first dance, but here is a thought…

Why not cut the cake right after the ceremony and serve it with canapés during your drinks reception?

If you’ve ever been to a hot summer wedding, there is always a risk of cakes melting and collapsing before we even get to the evening.

Dedicated to the couples who want a packed dance floor…

It’s worth remembering that the first dance kicks off the dance floor, so if you’re wanting the high party energy it’s a good idea to choose an upbeat song rather than a slow dance.

Timing is also key, particularly in the summer when it’s light out. A 7pm first dance gets the dance floor going for a couple of songs before it filters out in preference for catching up with friends over drinks in golden hour.

And if you don’t want to do a first dance, just don’t do one. I feel really sad for the couples who just look uncomfortable and invite guests on after no time - it’s not the law to do a first dance, especially if you’re not going to enjoy it.

How to get a wild dance floor all evening that has nothing to do with your playlist.

Think back to weddings you’ve attended. The ones that were chill, people were more chatting than on the dance floor - where were the couple? Dancing on the bar? Not likely.

Think about the more energetic dance floors you’ve seen - were the couple starting the conga? Possibly!

The point is, your music and entertainment is only one part of getting the dance floor going. Your energy is contagious and will be mirrored in your guests.

The criteria I advise if you need a second photographer:

Morning prep - if you want both of your mornings covering and you’re going to be more than walking distance apart, it’s probably worthwhile having a second.

Church ceremonies - as I mentioned in tip number 6, vicars or priests have their own rules as to where photographers can be and how and when they can move. If this means choosing a space and not moving from it, you can have a second photographer so you get images from an additional angle.

Large weddings - I can never guarantee a photo of every guest but if you have 100+ daytime guests then it might be worth it. The second can focus on candids while I’m doing group portraits.

Second photographers can be booked as an additional package through me. I find someone available who I’ve worked with before.

Three reasons I LOVE intimate weddings (circa 50 guests)

The day has a more relaxed feeling, less formal and lovely atmosphere. No need to invite 100+ guests because ‘the more the merrier’.

One reason for this is as a couple, you’re not going to feel like you’re on a step and repeat to quickly talk to 100+ guests, you’ll be able to have proper conversations with everyone.

This also means you’ll have a bit more budget available - more canapés, adding content creation or video… it can be done with a lower guest count.

Group portraits are also a lot more efficient. Fewer groups to get through, fewer people to find and you can get back to the champagne.

Summer, while a fun season, does carry the risk of heatwaves, so here are some considerations;

Hydration is key. Those little glasses you get from the bar aren’t enough. Big tumblers or bottles of water available in multiple spots is ideal.

Fans are a cute accessory that people can use and keep.

Shade is definitely needed when it comes to heatwaves. The tipi in the middle of no where might seem like a great idea but not when there is no escape from 40 degrees.

Frozen cocktails or hiring an ice cream van will also be very welcome!

Not that you’ll be able to know years in advance but I think later ceremony times for summer weddings is a great idea. You still have the light available until well past 9pm and hopefully into the evening it would start cooling off so less time in formal clothing too.

Remember it gets dark earlier in winter so having a later ceremony time (3pm onwards) is fine, but group portraits and couple portraits will not be in natural light. Selecting your photographer means making sure you see some examples of their work at night, not just natural daylight.

It’s also going to be cold so the drinks reception will probably be inside, so making sure you have enough indoor space when it comes to choosing your venue. If there is an area that has a conservatory or greenhouse that has a lot of light, that is ideal.

Welcome drinks could include warming mulled wine or hot chocolate.

As it’s outside of peak wedding season you have a good chance of getting some of your favourite suppliers.

Save booking your honeymoon until after your wedding.

If you’re planning a big trip, trying to organise this as the same time as wedding planning could be a bit much.

It also may alleviate some wedding blues as you still have something to look forward to. I think a common mistake is booking your wedding and your honeymoon very close together, having a huge celebratory life event and then an amazing, perhaps once in a lifetime trip is going to be a lot to come down from when you’re back to normality.

A videographer once told me they could always tell when a couple had had an engagement session before their wedding. Here is why I recommend them;

It gets you used to being in front of the camera, making it less daunting on your wedding day.

You can upgrade the iPhone selfies you have with some professional photos, with a more relaxed feel in an everyday look rather than wedding outfits.

You can get to know your photographer on a more personal level after spending a bit of time with them. After I’ve done an engagement session for a couple, I always feel like I’m arriving at a friends wedding and having that good relationship established on the day makes a big difference in how relaxed you look and feel in your photos.

Booking your engagement session well in advance means you could use the images for your save the dates or invitations.

Booking closer to your date means you’ll hopefully remember how it felt to have portraits by the time your wedding comes around.

Booking around 6 months away from your wedding means your professional photos will be in two different seasons and therefore atmospheres.