Wedding Day Checklist and Elopement Day Mistakes to Avoid
Weddings can be overwhelming and feel like they are over in the blink of an eye so it’s really common to not think about these small details before your wedding day. I put together my top tips that are often forgotten and which every wedding photographer will thank you for! Before diving into the list I wanted to mention that when choosing your wedding dress and shoes; choose things you can easily walk in. Your photographer will have so many more options for carefree moments instead of static and stiff imagery. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you dont want traditional wedding images, MAKE SURE YOU CAN MOVE EASILY IN YOUR DRESS AND SHOES.
The mother of the Bride should always be ready and dressed before the bride. That means hair and makeup done and outfit on, so as soon as the bride is ready we can capture your mother helping you get dressed. I cannot tell you how many times the mothers forget to get themselves ready because they are running around all day and the wedding is delayed.
Have a getting-ready playlist and a portable speaker for the getting-ready moments! You can see mine below, I love the 90’s.
3 If you have an arch at your ceremony put sticky dots at the center so you aren’t off-center throughout your whole ceremony. It’s really hard to tell where the center is when you’re under it!
4.. Ask for magnetic boutonnieres !! They are so much easier, It’s also totally ok to not do any boutonnieres! I’ve seen more and more couples forgo them.
5.. Ask your officiant to move out of the way before your first kiss happens, it just photographs a lot more beautiful with the two of you. While we’re at it, hold that kiss a few seconds longer than you normally would. Your photographer wants you to have lots of options for your album later.
6. Hangers; I always try to pack a pretty hanger for the dress but if you want shots of your bridesmaid dresses gift all your bridesmaid a pretty hanger too!
7. DO NOT GET A FAKE TAN. They almost always photograph orange. It is much easier for a photographer to give you a tan in editing than remove splotchy orange. ( and yes even great spray tan professionals can struggle to get the hands perfect).
8. Having a winter wedding? Buy some nude leggings, anything to help keep you warm for couples’ portraits. There’s nothing like being in a beautiful place in a beautiful outfit and wanting to hide inside next to a heater. Leggings, hand warmers, a pretty jacket, and flat shoes are always nice to have on hand!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve loaned a bride my Pendelton jacket just to keep warm when moving between locations (it’s also pretty!).
9.. When walking down or up the aisle try to remember to not look down! Look at your partner, your guests, anything but at your feet!
10. Remove all hair ties and undergarments that will leave indentations at least an hour before you put on the dress. This helps prevent any bra lines that your dress may not cover. Also, wear something that opens in the front while you're getting ready, like a kimono or robe so once your hair and makeup are done you don’t have to pull something over.
11. Have all details; vow books, jewelry, shoes, jacket, and veil in one area before your photographer arrives. This helps your photographer capture all your details quickly and efficiently, instead of spending time tracking everything down.
12. Have a family member dedicated to helping your photographer round up family members for group shots. Your photographer doesn’t know your family members’ names so while they have a shot list from you having someone that can grab aunt sally from the bar really helps!
13. When choosing your wedding dress and shoes; choose things you can easily walk in without looking down. If you have to lift your dress to walk, you will have 800 photos of you holding your dress that way, because most photographers like myself are after real moments, meaning our cameras are up the whole time. My favorite shots are often when couples are moving from dinner to dancing or to their sunset photo locations. If you are going off property to get “adventure” photos, pack the flat shoes! I cannot tell you how many brides promise they can walk in 5 inch heels well in the forest, they’ve been wrong 100 % of the time. I cannot see your shoes under a long dress, they are less important than you think! Personally as a photographer, i’m always really disappointed when a bride cannot move and walk easily without thinking because of her shoes and dress, it’s incredibly limiting.
13., Lastly: one or more of these or other things are going to go wrong/ be forgotten. ITS OK!! It’s about enjoying the day in all its messy/perfect ways. You want stories to laugh about later. This is supposed to be fun!
Top Elopement Day Mistakes To Avoid
I’ve been shooting elopements for several years now and I’ve noticed some common questions and mistakes when it comes to elopements. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion and your style may be VERY different from mine! But as a photographer in the wedding industry who shoots in wild places I’ve noticed some common mistakes that brides regret later.
Fake flowers, just don’t photograph well, and they often fall apart in the wind. I hear from a lot of brides who want fake flowers so they can “ keep it forever”. There are a few ways to preserve live flowers, including bringing a small flower press or hiring a person who preserves flowers in acrylic. My personal favorite is pressing your flowers and putting them in a glass frame once home. If the cost of a live bouquet is preventing you from getting one, that’s ok! Not every couple opts for a bouquet, but stay away from anything dried/ fake.
HEELS: Wear flat shoes with grip. This doesnt mean boots with a heel, this means flat shoes WITH GRIP. If you are envisioning steep cliffs and standing on rocks on the cliffs or going for a long walk down to the cool beaches in Oregon you need FLAT SHOES. The secondary problem with getting boots with a heel is having your dress hemmed for those boots. That means when you're not wearing them on the beach you won’t be able to walk or run easily because you cant wear heels on the beach, chances are you are going to want to be barefoot.
Bringing a change of shoes once you're at the location. You will NOT use them. It’s flat shoes with grip straight to barefoot.
Having a “ pretty “ shoe just for getting ready. The whole point of getting ready is to capture some realness, you're going to look back on those photos and they won’t make any sense.
A dress you cant squat or sit in. or one that isn’t hemmed to your flat shoes.
Bringing a bag of things. The bag will be in your photographs since I like to document from mostly the moment you're out of the car.
Paying for a bustle or a dress “ handle” For a long night of dancing it's nice, but for an elopement day I will always suggest a long dirty dress, it’s dramatic and beautiful, I dont personally think a bustle photographs well. I usually suggest throwing the train over your arm vs. any kind of handle in photographs.
