Organizing Your Wedding Photos

Welcome to our very first Blog Hop for 2015!

This month we want to help you start the year off by getting organized as you’re planning your wedding or event. Get ready for some great ideas to help you reduce stress and enjoy the planning process as you move along through the blog hop.

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Maggie Evans at Maggie Evans Designs :: handmade bridal couture on Natalie’s Blog Hop. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you make sure to see and learn from all of the articles featured here today.

You’re likely spending several months or more than a year to plan your special day, which will feel like it’s over in the blink of an eye.  Of course you’ll want a great photographer to capture it all.  But even the best photographers can be hindered by a chaotic wedding day. A good timeline will help your day go smoothly.  After 10 years of photographing weddings, I’ve seen a lot of mishaps that could have been prevented.  Here are just a few tips to help you organize your wedding day photography.  These ideas will not only help your photographer get the photos you want but allow you to have a fun and stress-free wedding day.

Set a photo policy for guests.

Guests use of cell phones and Ipads on your wedding day has been a hot topic in the wedding industry lately.  Most people enjoy capturing those memories but it can sometimes annoy others or worse, interfere with your hired photographer.  Regardless of how you feel about it, set some guidelines and be sure to get the word out through your wedding party. Here are a few questions to consider.

Can guests photograph during your ceremony? You’ll want to talk to your officiant as they often have photography rules in place.

Can guests photograph during the formal portraits? If your photographer allows it, consider the impact of the request “wait one minute so I can get one too” while your photographer is trying to move on to the next group portrait.

Will you welcome suggestions from your guests of people to include in group portraits or pose ideas? Perhaps you’ve hired your photographer for their candid style of getting natural, romantic photos.  Do you mind if someone interrupts with a suggested “must have” pose that they did at their wedding 30 years ago?

Can guests post photos to social media and if so, when? Do you care if dark or blurry cell phone snaps are the first photos documenting your day?

Designate a portrait coordinator

Do you have a large or extended family that you want included in your family portraits? You already know you need a list but who should manage that list? Your photographer seems like the natural person to manage your photo list. After all, he or she will be taking the portraits, right? Wrong! Your photographer will be busy finding the best location, making sure the lighting and technical aspects are perfect, arranging groups and posing everyone beautifully.  They won’t know who your missing Uncle Joe is, let alone have time to check the bar to see if he’s gone to get a drink.

Your wedding planner or venue coordinator isn’t a suitable candidate for the job either.  They will be busy putting on the finishing touches for your reception.  A close family friend is the best person for the job.  They should be someone who is authoritative and knows most of the family.  While your photographer is arranging one group, they can gather the next group and make sure they are ready for portraits. The portrait coordinator will handle the list, find missing people and make sure no one is forgotten.

Be on time.

Few weddings run completely on schedule but taking too long to get ready can affect how many bridal portraits you have. I’ve had brides miss their entire bridal portrait session scheduled before the ceremony because hair or make up ran late.

Of course I take them after the ceremony but not as many because time is limited. I’ll have 4-5 times as many groom and groomsmen portraits, taken before the wedding, as I do bride and bridesmaids portraits because they had to be taken in the limited time after family portraits.  Even if you’ve done a hair & makeup trial and practiced bustling your dress, allow yourself twice as much time as you think you’ll need to get ready.

This is just a few of several tips I offer to help you avoid disappointing wedding photos.  I hope you’ve find these helpful.  Scroll below to download my full presentation on How to Avoid Disappointing Wedding Photos.

The next stop is Kelly Snyder at Southern Charm Weddings on Natalie’s Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again next month!

Blog Hop Line-up

1. Natalie Bradley at Natalie Bradley Events  
2. Katherine Shorter at Creating Awesomenessity
3. Kristi Richardson at Bloomed To Last
4. Chantal Benoit at Chantal Benoit Photographer
5. Elizabeth Batte at plainjane designs 
6. Andie Freeman  at Andie Freeman Photography 
7. Brenna Fields Taylor at An Elegant Affair LLC
8. Irene Tyndale at Irene Tyndale Events 
9. Tessa Marie at Tessa Marie Weddings
10. Peter Merkle at Chicago Wedding DJs
11. Anshwa Lewis at SwaLaRue Events
12. Deborah Ashe at Rev. Deborah Ashe
13. Angela Christoforo at Elite Wedding and Event Planning
14. Liz Coopersmith at Silver Charm Events
15. Amber Peterson at Cheers Wedding & Event Planning
16. Maggie Evans at Maggie Evans Designs :: handmade bridal couture
17. N’neka Scruggs at Images by N’neka
18. Kelly Snyder at Southern Charm Weddings
19. Cindy Clearwater at Something Blue Virgin Islands
20. Kimberly Parks at KP Photography
21. Simone R. Ross at Lil’ Tux N Tiara’s Event Sitters & Entertainment
22. David Osborne at Sound Insight Productions
23. Nicole Hill at Flora Bond
24. Shaun Cox at A D.I.Y. Affair Weddings and Events
25. Katrina McCullum at Made of Honor Weddings
26. Sandy Salle at Hills of Africa Travel
27. Rachel Huntoon  at Ashford Manor Bed & Breakfast 
28. Daphne Simpson at Elite Design
29. Kishana Highgate at Kishana Highgate Photography
30. Loraine McCall at Mojica Photography
31. Teresa Rhodes at Nearly Nesters 
32. Andrea Freeman at Andrea Freeman Events
33. Nikki Michel at Ciao Bella Weddings
34. Kelly King at Affordable Wedding Invites by Gossett Printing
35. Christine Ringuette at Down The Aisle Wedding Planning & Design
36. Myiesha Antwine at Kiss and Tell Weddings
37. Ashley Rae at Ashley Rae Events
38. Laurie Kuerlemann at Platinum Party Events Entertainment, Inc
39. Lydia Wells at Writer Mom
40. Melissa Pepin at Melissa Pepin Photography

How to Avoid Disappointing Wedding Photos

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