10 Secrets To Get The Most Out Of Your Wedding Photos

A good portion of your day is dedicated to taking photos. Your photographer will either add to your great wedding experience or make it a nightmare.

By getting to know your photographer, your photographer will also get to know you — what you like and don’t like. It’s always good when you can greet the photographer on the wedding day with hugs rather than handshakes.

Most photographers want at least an hour for photos with you, your husband, and your bridal party. Even if you just want candid photographs, you still need to leave time when you’re all together. If your ceremony runs right into cocktail hour, try a first look, or move the ceremony to a different location earlier.

When your hair and makeup are first done, it’s the best you’re going to look all day. Leave plenty of time between hair and makeup and your ceremony. Trust me, even if things run on time (which they never do), that extra time will fly by. You only get one wedding day, after all — you might as well make it as long as you can.

If your photographer feels welcome and appreciated, your photos will be that much better. If there is a problem, don’t dwell on it that day. A nervous photographer (or any vendor) will not be able to do their best.

Your wedding day will never go exactly as planned. Try not to have a set idea in your mind, as you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment.

It’s likely your parents will want photos too. And as much as you tell them it’s not their day, they will still ask your photographer for those photos, even if it means pulling you off the dance floor. It’s better to have a plan for when and where family photos will take place:

• Decide on a set time and place for family photos.

• Make Mom responsible for having the family she wants photographed present during that time.

Photographers come at different price points for good reason. These will be your only wedding photos, and they will outlive you. In the grand scheme of things, spending a few hundred, or even a thousand, dollars more may save you a lot of heartache — and a couple of years from now, you won’t even miss that money. You will thank yourself later.

Candid moments are a huge part of your wedding. When the photographer isn’t directing you, try to pretend they aren’t there. Tell your bridesmaids too, as sometimes a camera makes them just as nervous.

Your wedding day will go by so quickly. When couples are truly enjoying their wedding, you can see it in every single photo. Plan, make a backup plan, have backups on your backups — and once the wedding day gets here, you just have to go with it. Enjoy!