Everyone has an expectation of what their wedding day will be like. Maybe you’ve had your day planned from the time you were little, or maybe it’s all coming together more last minute. However you plan your wedding day, it’s supposed to go down a certain way. I’ve got some news for you – even the best laid plans can sometimes go awry.
That’s the bad news. The amazing news is that, with over 300 weddings over eight years, we’ve seen almost everything that can possibly happen! And, we can help when something doesn’t go according to plan. Here’s 5 common wedding day scenarios and how we’ll help you have an amazing day anyway!
Schedule Snafu
We pride ourselves on crafting a fantastic timeline for your wedding day that includes buffer times, call times for family and bridal party, and works with all the moving parts of your wedding. But, even we are sometimes thrown a curve ball that is unforeseen. Sometimes, mass runs long. We’ve encountered unexpected traffic jams. Frequently, someone is missing when we need them like a bridesmaid or your dad going to check on something. It happens. And thankfully, these things are easy to work around!
Where’s Uncle Steve? — When Family Pictures Take Longer Than Expected
For family groupings, we can plan an “A list” and a “B list” or build a preferred time and a backup time to capture these photos. This can be particularly helpful for when you have larger extended family groupings. At your final planning meeting with us, we’ll give you tips for how to best get everyone where they are needed at the appropriate time.
Giving everyone the heads up before the big day is critical. Just a quick phone call will do the trick. Or ask your mom and soon to be mother in law to help you – many love the chance to be involved! Also, appoint a “point person” who is not part of your immediate family to gather any stragglers. We do all we can, but we don’t know who Uncle Don or Aunt Melody are, so we can’t pick them out in a crowd.
Typically, we will start with the largest family groupings first so we are able to send people along to cocktail hour or wherever they may need to be. We also prioritize anyone with mobility and stamina concerns to be aware of their health and wellbeing. If we discover that people aren’t available for a particular group, we’ll check with you and see about capturing it at the reception instead.
You Never Can Predict Traffic on 76
Uh oh, brake lights. Sometimes traffic prevents us from getting to our portrait location we had chosen. That’s all right! We can shoot literally anywhere. We’ve used parking lots, a single tree, even bare walls and can create magic. Sun all gone? We love low light portraits and have an arsenal of lighting and light shaping equipment with us. We’ve brought color to days that are completely gray, illuminated the glittering rain, and created art out of lights and glasses. We’ve got you covered even when things don’t go as planned! Speaking of glittering rain…
Rain, rain, go away!
I have a little secret for you. A little rain on your wedding day is totally fine! I’m being 100% honest. It’s not just good luck, it’s also an opportunity for some stunning images.
7 Day Forecast Looks Grim
When we know it’s going to be rainy for your special day, we’ve got some recommendations right off the bat. Amazon has bulk clear umbrellas. Grab a bunch. We can always pair everyone up under these cute little bubbles and capture the beauty of your day, and the high spirits of everyone who was with you! We’ll also look closely at the hourly breakdown. Sometimes the weather says “100% chance of rain” but it doesn’t start until well after our scheduled portrait time.
Wait, was that a raindrop?
If we’re outside, and rain starts, we’ll run for cover. Maybe we get lucky and it’s a passing summer shower and we’re able to head back out, but sometimes, we need to stick with dry land. We’ll scout indoor options wherever we are. We’ll find the perfect light and best place for you and your honey to get snuggled up again and capture your wedding day bliss! We can do this for the bridal party as well. (This is also why trust is such a key factor when hiring your wedding photographer!) So, should the rain begin to fall, we’ve got you covered, literally.
If all else fails…
We can head to your wedding venue. There’s always somewhere we can find to photograph. Your ballroom, the bridal suite, the lobby of the hotel, wherever it may be. We’ve created many stunning portraits indoors and would be excited for the chance to do the same for you!
One of these things is not like the other…
It happens on occasion, something isn’t quite right. One poor groomsman ends up with a rental that doesn’t match the rest, a bridesmaid is left with the bouquet toss bouquet instead of a full size one, or the lace applique on your dress is pure white instead of cream. If this just made your blood pressure rise, don’t worry! We can say with certainty that we can work around these things. The only reason you’ll remember they even happened is because you were there, not because they’re in your photos.
Can we source a solution?
In cases where a bouquet is too small or a groomsman has the wrong tie, we’ll often look around and see if there’s a way to fix it. One bridesmaid has a bouquet that’s smaller than the rest? Combine it with another one if it’s available. Or, have her swap bouquets with another bridesmaid in individual shots.
If a groomsman is mismatched, perhaps there’s a family member or friend about the same size, you could possibly have them swap suits. If it’s a misplaced tie, is there a nearby tie that’s similar?
If sourcing a solution isn’t possible, we’ll move onto our secret weapon!
Strike a pose!
Posing can make all the difference in the world when it comes to hiding a flaw. We have a slew of tricks to make it look like everyone is perfect! Whether it’s turning you a certain way to hide the snag in your veil, to arranging the bridesmaids so their flowers are even. We’ll make sure everything looks great!
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!
A wedding is a celebration and it just wouldn’t be the same without your closest friends standing by your side and sharing a toast to you! But what do you do when someone has had a little too much before the formalities are over? Having the right photographer can really make a difference here, believe it or not. We have plenty of experience wrangling members of your bridal party. And let’s just be honest here, it’s usually a groomsman. We actually are very skilled at corralling inebriated friends and getting them to focus. Sometimes we have to be direct, sometimes we jump on the bandwagon and bust on them a bit, but we are intent on capturing whatever is important to our couples. The people they have hand selected for their wedding party is a big part of that. So we do all we can to ensure they are in photos and look great! Also, Ashley works out….
Whose wedding day is it anyway?
This can be a little tricky to navigate. Weddings bring out all kinds of opinions you never knew people had. Moms in particular can have things they feel strongly about. And we totally get it. It’s their little girl or boy’s wedding day, a day they’ve probably dreamt of for years. Yet, it can be so hard to come to an agreement when you and mom have a different opinion.
You might be wondering how in the world a photographer can help you here. Fair question. First, let us offer you this piece of advice. Find something you don’t have a strong opinion on and see if your mom wants to run with it. We’ve found most moms love being involved in the process, even in small ways. Perhaps having her find your invitation suite is a good way to bring her in on the planning. Whatever it might be, see if there’s a way to let her help.
On your wedding day, we lavish a little extra attention on moms. We understand how important the day is to them as well as to you. While getting ready, we’ll look for ways to give her the chance to be in important moments with you. Conversely, if it’s a rough morning for you and mom, we’ll find ways to gently redirect her so that you have a chance to cool off and destress. Whether that’s asking for her help with something on the periphery or asking if we can have a moment to take some portraits of you alone, we want everyone to enjoy your wedding day. Because if you all are enjoying the day and living in the moment, it will be reflected in your images. That is what we work hard for.
