For Brides: 6 Things Every Bride Should Get Ready for Her Photographer | NC Wedding Photographer

This post is part of a series for brides (and grooms!) or for those who are helping someone plan a wedding. My goal for this series is to help you make informed and educated decisions about your wedding day so that it will be as beautiful as possible! If you're joining me for the first time, you can catch up here:

1. Should I Do an Engagement Session?
2. What Should I Wear for My Engagement Session?
3. Should I Do Bridal Portraits?
4. Making a Wedding Day Photography Timeline
5. How to Get Great Getting Ready Pictures
6. 6 Things Every Bride Should Get Ready for Her Photographer

I have found that one of the things brides often forget about is getting their details together for their photographer. I completely understand because I know that as a bride you have about a million things going on in your head! However, it really helps to gather all of your details together before your photographer arrives. It's also really important to make sure all of your details are at either the "getting ready" location or the location where you and your photographer have agreed to shoot your details. As I mentioned in an earlier post, making sure your details are ready and that your photographer doesn't have to go searching for them could mean that you get hundreds and maybe even thousands more pictures on your wedding day!

I love taking detail shots and I think they're really important! Details shots add dimension and variety to your photos and to your album. Your details tie the theme and colors of your wedding day together beautifully and create lasting memories of all the beautiful elements that went into your day.

Here's a few of the important details you need to remember to get ready for your photographer:

1. Wedding Dress and Veil
I highly recommend having your wedding hang on a wooden hanger and also consider getting a customized hanger. You've spent a lot of money on your dress and so you want it to be displayed beautifully in your pictures! A nice hanger will look WAY better than  plastic hanger in your pictures! Also be sure not to forget your veil. Detail pictures can look really beautiful placed against a wedding veil.

2. Shoes
Make sure you have your shoes! Pictures of your shoes always look great in albums and they really give a sense of the style and color of your wedding day.

3. Wedding Rings and Other Jewelry
I've found that when I get ready to shoot details, the groom or best man almost always has part or all of the wedding rings. You definitely want to make sure that the bride or one of the bridesmaids has all 3 of the rings for the beginning part of the day so your photographer can get beautiful shots of all three rings together! Also, if you're wearing a necklace, bracelet, earrings or other jewelry have those ready for your photographer. In addition, be sure to include any other keepsakes or family heirlooms you want photographed.

4. Complete Invitation Set
Your invitation set really sets the tone and theme for your wedding. Be sure to have your save the date, invitation set, programs, and any other paper products or textures (like ribbons from your invitation or vintage stamps) you want photographed. I recommend putting all of these details in a zip lock bag or manilla envelope. 

5. The Bouquets and Boutonnières
Most brides have their flowers brought to their wedding venue. If possible, I recommend having them brought to your "getting ready" location or location where you've agreed to have your details shots. I love to incorporate flowers into detail shots and flowers always make gorgeous pictures!

6. Bridesmaid Dresses
I love taking pictures of all the bridesmaids dresses hanging up next to the wedding dress! If possible, I also recommend putting bridesmaid dresses on wooden hangers or personalized hangers. Bridesmaid dresses also make great backgrounds for some of your detail shots because they tie your color scheme together. 

I hope you found this post helpful! Check back next Wednesday for my next post in the "For Brides" series. I'll be answering the question: "Should We Do a First Look?"

For Brides: What Should I Wear for My Engagement Session? | NC Wedding Photographer

This post is part of a series for brides (and grooms!) or for those who are helping someone plan a wedding. My goal for this series is to help you make informed and educated decisions about your wedding day so that it will be as beautiful as possible! If you're joining me for the first time, you can catch up here:

1. Should I Do an Engagement Session?
2. What Should I Wear for My Engagement Session?

I get asked this question a lot and after planning my own engagement session last spring, I totally understand why! I spent days trying to decide on what to wear for my engagement session and I changed my mind several times. It's a difficult decision! Here's a few tips I hope will help in your decision making process:

Choose Different and Diverse Outfits
I always recommend choosing one "dressy" outfit and one "casual" outfit. You certainly don't have to do that but I think it gives you some good options and diversity in your pictures. I also recommend choosing two outfits that have different colors.

Complement Each Other
Consider complementing outfits for you and your fiancé instead of outfits that match. You could wear different shades of the same color (for example navy blue and light blue) or one could wear a solid and one could wear a pattern with some similar colors.

Wear Flattering Styles and Colors
This sounds obvious but it's really important to remember! Consider what clothing styles and colors flatter your body and your skin tone. You may be tempted to wear something really different than what you'd normally wear but just make sure it's something that's flattering!

Don't Be Afraid of (Some) Patterns
A lot of times people are afraid to wear any patterns for their pictures because they don't want to look too busy. I think patterns can look great and are a fun way to show off your personality! If you decide to wear a pattern, I would encourage you to have your fiancé wear a solid or vice versa. 

Be Yourself
Wear clothes that are true to your unique personality and style! I love creativity and I love people who have their own unique style! Don't be afraid to wear something that's a little "different" if it reflects your personality.

Make Sure You Feel Comfortable and Confident
Please make sure you feel comfortable and confident in your outfit! I don't mean you shouldn't wear something dressy, I just mean that you want to make sure that you're covered in the places you want to be covered and that you feel confident in what you're wearing! If you don't feel confident in your outfit or you feel uncomfortable, it will show in your pictures.

When In Doubt, Choose Something Timeless
If you're unsure of what to wear or you're torn between a few outfits, the safest choice is to choose something timeless. While I love fun, trendy, and unique outfits, just realize these will be the pictures you have for years to come and so you don't want to regret what you wore. Styles will inevitably change but if you choose something classy, timeless, and beautiful, you should love your outfit choice for years to come.

Accessorize!
Accessories can be a fun way to add a splash of color or a little uniqueness to your outfit. Especially if you're wearing fairly plain and neutral clothes, consider adding a little pop of color with your jewelry or shoes.

Utilize Pinterest
Pinterest is a wonderful tool for things like this! Make a board of the outfits and clothes that you love. Try and notice patterns and use your board to discern your taste. When you look through my "Fashion Inspiration" Pinterest board, you can quickly tell that I love clothes with a vintage, feminine, soft, romantic, classic style (and also that I just recently bought a black gingham shirt!). 

I even made a Pinterest board of engagement picture outfit ideas for you!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Check back next Wednesday for my next post. I'll be discussing whether or not I think you should do bridal portraits.

What's In My Wedding Packages? | Raleigh-Durham, NC Wedding Photographer

I'm excited to share with you a little but about what goes into my wedding packages! I use a wonderful online photo gallery called PASS to share all of my images. PASS allows my clients to instantly download all of their photos and to share the link to the online gallery with all of their friends and family. I will probably write a post soon that shares more information with you about PASS.

However, for wedding images, I like to do something extra special and personal! I still send my clients an online PASS gallery of all their wedding day images and I also mail them a package. In their package, I include a beautiful wooden USB with all of their photos. I decided to go with a USB instead of a CD because many people don't have CD drives on their computers any more and because... well they're just really pretty! I try very hard to provide my clients with beautiful packaging and products while staying within a tight budget.

In addition to the wooden USB, I also include 5x7 prints of a few of my favorite pictures from the wedding day. I like to give my clients a few prints because I think it shows them how beautiful their pictures are when they're printed. In this day and age, we have a tendency to keep everything electronically and on our computers and to never get anything printed. I want my clients to be encouraged to print out their wedding pictures and treasure them for years and years to come!

I also write my clients a thank you card and let them know (to all my future brides, this applies to you as well!) that if they tell their friends about me and one of their friends books me as their wedding photographer, I will send them a free 11x14" canvas of their favorite wedding picture!

I also include a business card so they can share my card with friends and family if they want. The very talented Emily Schneck recently designed my logo, business card, and gift cards, and I love them! 

Finally, I wrap it all up and take it to the post office! I love putting together these little packages for my clients. I hope it brings a very personal touch to their wedding day photography and let's them know how much I appreciate their business and friendship.