One of our main goals as a wedding planner is to assist our couples in communicating with their vendors all the important info that needs to be relayed to them. But guess what? Those vendors also have some important information they would love you to know about in the early stages of your wedding planning journey.
We had a nice chat with one of our favorite wedding vendor friends Matt Ramos of Matt Ramos Photography and here what he shared with us about what he (and most likely many other photographers) would really like to let you know.
1 – “Having a huge wedding party may seem like a cool idea, but can easily make things take much longer and add unnecessary stress to the day. Having a wedding party of 6 on each side or less is a nice balance between having lots of friends and not making things too complicated”.
SBM Event co says- If you do have a larger wedding party please make sure your planners are there during all portraits to assist in making things move along as efficiently as possible.
2 – “It’s 2021 and time to embrace the first look. In MOST cases, a first look will absolutely make your day flow smoother and allow you to have lots of amazing images and balance the day better, be a part of cocktail hour and spend more time with your guests. Couples that do a first look have more bride and groom images, powerful moments that may not exist otherwise and are overall less stressed leading up to the ceremony and even after by not being so rushed. However, there are some situations where a first look does not work better… have an open mind on the subject and talk to your photographer about both options”.
-We couldn’t agree more!
3 – “Make sure your hairstylist is giving you a look that will not only allow you to rock both sides (meaning, you look really good from both sides, not just your power side only) to allow you to be more versatile in your images and not have to take all photos from your left or right. Always have a plan B hairstyle to implement based on weather such as high wind or your images will look like you are in a wind tunnel and have hair in your face.”
-Love this tip, thanks Matt!!!
4 – “It’s ok to request a couple of cool photos you may really want, but it’s best to not overwhelm them with a crazy shot list that strips them of all creativity and instead, has them on a wild goose chase to try and shoot everything on your list. Each wedding is completely different based on the timeline, locations, weather, lighting, etc…. and each wedding will yield completely different options for the type of images. Choose the right photographer and then trust them to do what they do best for the best results.”
5 – “Work closely with your planner & photographer to create a timeline well in advance that allows you to better envision and plan your day as well as find BALANCE between amazing photos and being able to enjoy the day with family and friends at a low-stress level.”
–We personally like to pull our photographer friends right into the timeline creation from the very beginning of our planning journey together. This is exactly why!
6 – “If needed and getting ready at a hotel, consider having two adjacent rooms so that one can be fully cluttered with bridesmaids & hair and makeup team’s items, and the other can be kept clean and clear for the photographer to use to shoot details, dress shots and most importantly putting the dress on without a huge, cluttered mess.”
7 – “Receiving lines are out of style… but, if you have a monster guest list of say 250+ or a huge gap of time can sometimes work to your benefit.”
8 – “Do not overpack your reception with ridiculous amounts of formalities or things that are out of style (bouquet toss, etc.). Again, it’s 2021, not 1985 and these things only stop the party and kill the dancing. Also, consider keeping some of the formalities efficient such as doing the first dance and parent dances back to back. (ph yeah!) The more you can open up the reception of being cluttered with formalities, you will have more time to dance and party with your friends as well as have extra time to go outside for night shots with your photographer. Less is more!”
We find one of our couple’s biggest concerns is the I don’t know what I don’t know so will someone please tell me what it is I don’t know. There now you have it. 8 things you may have not realized are super important to think about!
