you're married!!
Let's celebrate!!!
There are so many expenses when it comes to wedding planning. Many brides have to prioritize what they want to invest in. Over the last 5 years of photographing weddings, I have found that there are certain things to avoid investing in and other parts of the day that a little extra investment will go a very long way! My hope is that this list will help you invest in the parts of your day that will be high-impact and will help you avoid spending money where it doesn’t matter.
1. Invest in your bridal bouquet over other florals : Make your bridal bouquet a big priority! When I’m photographing a wedding, if the bride has a gorgeous bouquet, I can make the entire day look like there were beautiful florals everywhere! I can use the bridal bouquet to spruce up bridal details, reception details AND even bride and groom portraits as well! The bridal bouquet is a focal point for me when it comes to your photography and so I highly recommend getting your DREAM bouquet and investing less on the bridesmaids bouquets since they will not be photographed nearly as much!
2. Go with greenery over blooms : Greenery is beautiful and photographs well but it can be half the price of ordering blooms. I recommend actual flowers for your bridal bouquet and other bouquets but then decorating other aspects of the day with greenery to save money but still make a huge visual impact!
3. Have one well-done Installation instead of a lot of small vignettes of decor : If you’re hoping for a heavily detailed reception but the cost is adding up, focus on one focal point instead of trying to decorate everywhere. For example, invest in a beautiful, large, hanging chandelier or unique lighting elements but do shorter, simpler floral centerpieces on 1/2 of your tables and candles on the other 1/2.
4. Double purposes for decor: Maybe you choose to have an epic, well-styled entryway decor at your reception that also doubles as an amazing photobooth later on throughout the evening once party dancing has started!
5. Avoid spending money on tiny details : Customized favors, personalized M&M’s, etc.... it all adds up and at the end of the day, your hard work in the tiny details can often be overlooked.
high impact planning
The party is here!! Receptions can be a blast! However, it’s important to make sure that you have your event well thought out. This is the job of your coordinator and your DJ/Band. Your caterer will also play a big role in the design and set up of your event. Every aspect of your reception affects the overall outline of the evening. For example, if you’re not having a plated meal, your reception will need to be set up in a way that allows movement. Guests will need to be able to find the food stations easily, and there will be a mixture of dinner tables and hightop cocktail tables. This will encourage guests to mix and mingle. If you are having a plated dinner, you will more than likely need escort cards, full place settings and space for all of your guests to be seated comfortably. Whatever the style of your event, make sure that you plan out all of the aspects of the evening. Your coordinator and DJ can help you set up the evening so that guests won’t leave early or experience long periods of waiting for the next thing to happen.
reception details
Much like the ceremony, you have the freedom to make your reception your own! It’s your party, it should be exactly how you want it to be! Here is a list of some key events that happen often at receptions:
key reception events
- Bridal Party Introductions
- First Dance
- Daddy-Daughter Dance
- Mother-Son Dance
- Anniversary Dance
- Money Dance
- Traditional Religious Dances
- Welcome by Father of the Bride
- Blessing
- Cake Cutting
- Toasts
- Bouquet and Garter Toss
- Large group portraits with friends
- The exit of the Bride and Groom
Reception Tips
The fun has begun! It’s time to relax, dance and celebrate!! Your reception should be a BLAST! The last thing you need to be worrying about is your timeline. Your coordinator and DJ should take care of making sure that everything stays on schedule so that you can enjoy your night. Here are some helpful tips that will help your reception flow smoothly.
- GUEST CONSIDERATION : Take your guests into consideration when planning your timeline. If you have a lot of elderly guests that will not be staying until the very end, make sure you schedule the cake cutting at a relatively early time so that they can be a part of it. Grandma’s love seeing this sweet tradition!
- KEEP IT MOVING : Chat with your coordinator about how you can plan your reception in a way that will keep guests engaged and moving all night!
- MAKE IT YOUR OWN : If you want to have a special dance with your grandparents, do it! Make your reception a reflection of who you are and don’t feel tied to traditions. Also, make sure you give your DJ or Band a “Do Not Play” list if there are some songs you really don’t want to hear during your reception!
- DON’T GET CAUGHT UP in the formalities and the details. Sure, details are pretty and fun to photograph, but they can steal the joy of the day if you get too caught up in them. (Just speaking from experience here) Plan your centerpieces, welcome table, etc. well before the wedding date, and teach your coordinator or family friend how to set them up so that you aren’t even thinking about those things the day of !
- RECEPTION COVERAGE : If you haven’t purchased enough coverage time for your photography to last until the exit, that’s ok! We have several options! (See next page!) I recommend planning your timeline so that you can have at least one hour of dancing photographed. The guests who dance during the first hour will still be dancing in the third hour! One hour of dancing will be enough time to really capture the joy of your reception!
If your coverage ends before the very end of your reception and you are hoping to have an “Exit” shot captured, you have the option of planning to do a “Controlled Exit” with your bridal party! This is more common than you may think. Instead of saving your exit until the very end, you can plan a controlled exit with just the members of your bridal party and a few family members! This allows us to have more control over these shots and the party NEVER has to stop! In most cases, no one even notices that the bride and groom are missing for a few minutes!
controlled exits!
1. Multiple chances at an epic shot : When you do an exit shot at the very end of the wedding day, I only have one chance to capture the two of you as you run through sparklers or whatever type of exit you have planned. When you do a “controlled exit”, I have multiple chances to capture several awesome exit portraits for you!
2. You haven’t partied all night yet : This means that your makeup and hair are still in-tact for your exit shot! That’s a win right there!
3. Coordinated Colors : When you are surrounded by your bridal party instead of wedding guests that could be wearing distracting colors, you can expect to have beautiful exits shots surrounded by your wedding colors!
3 REASONS A CONTROLLED EXIT IS BEST :
