Wedding Guide
engagement session tips, timeline guidance,
vendor recommendations + more!
Welcome
We are SO stoked that we get to be working with you! We can’t wait to get to know you better over the next several months! We know photography and videography is one of the larger investments you’re making for your wedding day, and we’re so honored you chose to work with us!
Regardless of whether you are working with a planner or planning a simple wedding, there are probably still many moving pieces left leading up to your wedding.
We have photographed hundreds of weddings and we know the ins and outs on how to make your day absolutely spectacular and stress-free. To help, we have put together a guide that walks you through everything from timelines to engagement sessions to tips and tricks.
So grab that cup of coffee and dive right into the process! We are here with you to make you shine on your wedding day!
Thank you again for choosing to work with us and please don’t hesitate to
let us know if we can offer any additional guidance throughout the wedding planning process!
With love, Brian + Joelle
The Process + Timing + Schedules
If you are anything like us, we like to know when and how everything is going to happen, when to expect it, the next steps to make it happen, and how to contact someone if I have a question or need something. We are going to cover that right here!
THE GUIDE:
Please read this wedding guide and the linked engagement guide at the bottom. There are some important decisions you will want to make together before your 1st phone consultation.
QUESTIONNAIRE + 1ST PHONE CONSULTATION:
Please complete the quick wedding questionnaire. As soon as you submit it, you will get an automated email to schedule your call with Brian. These are usually held on Mondays starting at 11am and last appointment at 7pm. Most couples choose to have this call during their lunch hour with a 3-way call. The call is usually about 45-60 minutes long. We will cover your whole wedding schedule and create a stress-free game plan! If you are having an engagement session, we will also chose a perfect location, date, and time for your session.
Please make sure that BOTH of you are able to be on the call so it doesn’t get rescheduled. We need both of you during your engagement session, during your wedding, and the phone call because we will be covering things that impact each of you individually and together.
ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Come ready to rock + roll! We are going to have a lot of fun and go somewhere beautiful! Engagement sessions have limited availability mid-April through mid-November during wedding season and are usually scheduled on Tuesdays, both morning, afternoon, and evening slots. Many couples choose to take a 1/2 day off work for a hair + makeup trial run and for their engagement session. During the off season, there is more availability including some weekends. If you are out of state, just let us know when you will be in town and we will do our best to squeeze you in.
Expect your engagement photographs to be ready within a few weeks. If your package includes an engagement album, you will have a reveal celebration to perfectly design your album. If you are interested in getting an engagement album (that can also be used as a guest sign-in album), just let us know.
20% OFF ALBUM AND WALL ART COLLECTIONS
– now and until 1-month prior to your wedding
Just as a reminder all print products are 20% off until a month before your wedding. That means all gift album, album upgrades, and wall art collections + more. Seriously, you will want to take advantage of this! Most of our couples choose to upgrade their album and get a wall art piece for their home. We personally have several wall art statement pieces in our home and have the “Narration” wedding album.
FINAL QUESTIONNAIRE
– 6 weeks before your wedding
A quick questionnaire to see if there has been any changes since our last chatted and a little on about family and vendors.
Once that is submitted, you will get two automated emails to schedule your final check-in the week of your wedding and to schedule your reveal celebration to see your whole gallery and to design your album about 8-10 weeks after your wedding.
FINAL PAYMENT
– 30 days prior to your wedding
FINAL PHONE CONSULATION
– usually the Monday before your wedding
It is about a 10-20 minute final check-in to cover weather, family portraits, and if we need to finalize formal portrait locations. Super easy, again we can do a 3-way call.
WEDDING DAY
– Best. Day. Ever!
REVEAL CELEBRATION
– 8-10 weeks after your wedding
Pop the champagne! Let’s celebrate you two and your amazing wedding day!! Count on about 2 hours for your reveal. You are going to see your whole wedding gallery, design your album, and pick out the perfect wall art collection for your home. The 1st 25 minutes, we are going to give you your privacy to fully enjoy and feel all the emotions again while you watch the slideshow. After that we will jump on the video chat and design your album and delete, change, or add anything to make it perfect. Next, if you have pre-purchased wall art for your home or are interested, we will choose the perfect piece or collection for your home.
After your reveal celebration, you will have 3 days to make any desired changes to your album and decide on the wall art images. After that we send them off to our print lab. It takes about 2 weeks for wall art and 4-6 for albums to be made. All of our products are made in America and our hand-crafted, heirloom albums are made here in the Great Lakes Region.
CONNECTING WITH US + OFFICE HOURS
The best way to get in touch with us is via email and our typical business hours are Monday 8-8, Tuesday and Wednesday 8-4. Our office is closed Thursday-Sunday. Joelle typically responds to all emails within 1-2 office days and we are happy to help you both whenever you need! Seriously—there’s no silly question! We are always here for you two 🙂
We can’t wait to help you two create the most incredible wedding experience. We are super excited and we can’t wait to get started!
is a 1st look right for you?
One key decision to make that drastically impacts your wedding day and timeline is whether or not to do a 1st look. A first look is an opportunity for you to see each other on your wedding day before the ceremony with just you two (and your photographers in the background). This one is definitely a value call. Some people truly want to see each other for the first time as the bride is walking down the aisle and there is nothing wrong with that!
Others feel that a 1st look really creates the ideal wedding day. About 80% of the couples who work with us who are not having a Catholic or Eastern Orthodox ceremony choose to have a 1st look. Here are a couple of reasons why we find first looks super beneficial:
1. The Emotions
You get to experience the emotions of the wedding day in an intimate moment. You are looking spectacular and you get to see each other without dozens or hundreds of people looking at you. I don’t know about you, but I, Joelle, tend to put on my game face when I am in front of a crowd. Having a 1st look allows you and your best friend fully feel the joy and excitement as a couple. Oh, and couples are more likely to embrace their emotions during the ceremony, plus you’ll get all that nervous energy out and be more present in the moment. If you want to see him tear up while you walk down the aisle, it is actually more likely if you do a 1st look (counter-intuitive, but true).
2. Pacing
First looks also give you a great pace for your wedding day. If you have your formal portraits before your ceremony, you can take more time to get the epic photos that you want! Additionally, everyone tends to be more relaxed with the schedule and you get a 30 minute break before the ceremony. When couples have a 1st look on their wedding day, the amazing and relaxed feeling is almost tangible. Want to decrease stress on your wedding day by a ton?! Do a 1st look.
3. Time with your people
You have spent a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money to celebrate your wedding with your dearest friends and family. 1st looks allow you to go right into your cocktail hour after the ceremony and family portraits. This gives you a lot more time to be with the people you love! Plus, you also get to spend more of your wedding day with your best friend!
SOME THOUGHTS
We recommend a 1st look for the vast majority of our couples. All or almost all of our couples who were debating on doing and then did have expressed that they were SO glad they did for all the reason above and more 🙂 It is really nice in the moment, in the photography and videography, and so much more relaxed feeling for the whole day. WE THINK YOU DESERVE THAT!
If you are having a church ceremony (especially a Catholic ceremony), we would recommend on passing on it. There are a lot of moving parts, locations, and bodies for this type of wedding and more busy than everything on one location. If you really want to do it and have a church ceremony, here are some successful ways to do it. 1) Get ready at the same location such as a hotel or at the venue. 2) Have a later ceremony if possible like at 4pm if your church has that time availability.
Again, if your heart is set on seeing each other for the first time at the wedding ceremony, then by all means… DO IT! Your day will be wonderful and so beautiful!
Wedding Day Timeline
The two most common wedding schedules
AT ONE PLACE WITH A 1ST LOOK
12:30 Brian + Joelle Arrive
1:30 Guys + Ties
2:00 Bride Puts on Dress
2:30 1st Look, Couple Portraits, Bridal Party
4:00 Break
4:30 Ceremony
5:00 Family Portraits + Cocktail Hour
6:00 Intros, 1st Dance, Cake Cutting, Toasts
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Parent Dances
7:45 Party Time!!!
Sunset and/or Night Photo
8:30 Brian + Joelle Depart
CATHOLIC CEREMONY AT 2PM
11:00 Brian + Joelle Arrive
12:00 Guy + Ties
12:30 Bride Puts on Dress
1:00 Drive to Church
1:30 Break
2:00 Ceremony
3:00 Grand Exit + Family Portraits
5:30 Cocktail Hour with Receiving Line at the Entrance
6:30 Intros, 1st Dance, Cake Cutting, Toasts
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Parent Dances
8:15 Party Time!!!
Sunset and/or Night Photo
9:00 Brian + Joelle Depart
Wedding Day Details
Part of what makes your day unique to you is the details you choose! A lot of time and energy goes into selecting just the right look for your day and we love to showcase your details in your wedding day story!
Once we arrive at your wedding, Brian will start capturing the details while Joelle will start in on the candids of who all is having a great time! We recommend choosing a getting ready location filled with natural light and, if possible, please keep the space free from trash and clutter.
It would be wonderful if you could put all of your rings, jewelry, shoes, invitations and other keepsakes together in one box. Please unwrap your dress but don’t worry about styling it – we’ll hang it in a beautiful spot!
If you are a details guy, feel free to include some details for yourself as well! Please just include them with any of the other details.
BRIDAL DETAILS CHECKLIST
• Dress + Hanger (we also have extras hangers)
• Shoes
• Bouquet
• Rings (her engagement ring + wedding band + his wedding ring)
• Hair pieces
• Invitation Suite (2 full sets with envelopes)
• Any other paper stationary you may have like program cards.
• Bonus: We’d love to have a few cuts of the florals you’ll be using throughout your wedding day. If your florist will supply us a small bucket of extra left over pieces we can incorporate those in your detail shots.
THE RINGS
We always try to take a photo of your rings while you’re getting ready. Brian’s father was the premier jeweler in Cleveland for 40 years and recommends having your jeweler ultrasonic and steam clean it, or you can clean it yourself. To clean it yourself, soak your ring in dish soap for half an hour and use a tooth brush and tap the bristles of the toothbrush on the sides and top of the diamond along the prongs and gently scrub the ring. You won’t hurt your ring with a tooth brush 🙂 You are trying to get lotion, dirt, and lint out. If you can, please put the rings in the boxes after cleaning them.
getting ready
It is super important to plan for enough time for everything on your wedding day so that you don’t feel stressed, but also feel like everything is moving at a great pace! Let’s dive right in! Here are some general categories and the timing that we have found to be best!
HAIR + MAKEUP
Straight up – this is one of the most important things to get right. Why? Because it is the first of the day and can run late. From 2015-2017 we noticed hair and makeup artists were running later and later and in 2017 we found in our statistics that 80% ran late that year. No worries, we figured a solution to this. This is what you do 🙂
Have the moms go first and be dressed before we arrive so they feel good and confident
Have your girls go next where they will be done/almost done when we arrive so they are relaxed and ready of natural, candid moments instead of worrying about they makeup not on.
You go last. HMU artists usually warm up and get better as time goes by, and we are looking to get the last touch ups of the hair and makeup. No foundation shots needed 😉 The best hair and makeup photographs are actually after your hair and makeup are done: a nice smiling lipstick shot, a little bit of blush or eyes, the last twists of the hair and hairpiece… golden!
During your 1st phone consultation, Brian will give you a time when to tell your HMU artist to be all wrapped up.
OTHER OPTIONS
Feel free to do your own makeup. About 30% of our brides now do their own. You know how you like it and what is you. Think a step or two above your everyday makeup will get you spot on. Joelle chose this option for herself and had her hair done at a salon.
Speaking of salons, this is another option. The pros of this is a very consistent product and this is timely. The cons are leaving the getting ready, travel, and might now be as photogenic environment. But then again, it might be perfect 🙂
SOME THOUGHTS
Ok, some of these might be a little controversial, but bare with us. These are some of the things we see every wedding season. Please do whatever feels best and right in your heart, but we just want to toss out some of the experiences of past brides.
Too much makeup: makeup artists are artists and often want to go bold and trendy. Often recommending something that is not you. Know what you want and don’t be afraid to communicate that. Definitely do a trial run. Some people do that right before their engagement session and then you will have a better idea how it will photograph.
False eyelashes: We are going to pull back a wedding industry curtain… false eyelashes are an easy upsell that makeup artists often encourage last minute. Don’t get me wrong, they are not always a bad idea, but usually they are. Brides often get them because they are told that it will make their eyes pop. In a beautifully lit studio, yes it can. If you are doing a boudoir shoot and you want them, GET ‘EM! In the realities of a wedding day, it will make your eyes look very dark and hard to see your eyes. Especially in your photographs if you have heavy makeup. Think about it, your eyes are opened wide while you are inside. Now go out in the sun in the afternoon (when most formal portraits happen) and what will your eyes do? Squint. And with falsies, it will look like you are super squinting while you are outside (and maybe inside too). If you are not used to them, it can cause you to blink a lot. We have also have had them pop in very inopportune times.
Wispy hair: Looks totally fabulous in the magazines and blogs… when there is a hair artist to adjust between every series of shots. Yes, it does look cute and totally fun. In practicality, it’s going to get in your face most of your day. Pulled up, pulled back, pinned and/or braided wedding hair is your friend. You don’t have to mess with it all day long. You don’t have to worry about that wispy curl going out on hot summer days. From the perspective of your photographs, wispy hair is ways going across your face when you are outside with the slightest breeze during your formal portraits. Plus, Ohio is fairly humid and that beautiful hair is going to stick right on your freshly applied makeup. I know we are rambling, but wisps sounds like a great idea, but in reality every bride fights it for most of the day.
BRIDE GETTING READY
Clean space, good window or outside light, excited people… yay lets do this!
Typically when we head over to the guys, this is a great time for your crew to get dressed. The moms should already be dressed before we arrive and now is a great time for everyone else. After your people are dressed is a good time for you to put on your dress. What we are looking for is the traditional last zips and laces. Brian and Joelle will be outside your room and when you are feeling comfortable, we will come in for the last parts. If you need help with the dress, Joelle is always there to help in anyway. This is also a great time for some beautiful emotions from you and the people you love. Embrace them and we will preserve those moments for you. After your dress is on, shoes and jewelry are next.
About 1/3 of our brides will also want to do a 1st look with her dad. Let us know if you would like to include this.
GROOM + TIE
Because that is what it is… the guys putting on ties. 10-15 minutes… easy. Have your people dressed except the last details like ties, jackets, cufflinks until we get there. Joelle can take care of all the boutonnieres. Some crews do a celebratory drink. We like to get a nice portrait of the groom and that’s about all.
LETTERS
Most couples like to exchange letters to each other before they see each other on their wedding day. It is a beautiful moment, your first gift to each other on your wedding day, and something to treasure or laugh about forever. We did this and each have a filled box with letters from each other.
CEREMONY
Wow, you are finally here… getting MARRIED!!! High-five, woot! Let’s go over a few things to make this moment extra awesome!
OFFICIANT
Some couples don’t have an officiant for their wedding and are looking for one. Wedding officiants, pastors, and priests are professional communicators that will make your ceremony go off without a glitch. They have done it a million time.
Some will have a family member or friend do it. Getting certified online and then with the state is usually a super simple. It can be extra meaningful to have someone you love perform your wedding ceremony, whether that be a pastor, friend or favorite aunt. Something to keep in mind if it is their 1st or one of their 1st weddings officiating, make sure you do a rehearsal to work out any kinks. A professional will almost always always will have a rehearsal too.
Also it is nice to have the officiant step to the side for the kiss.
BE PRESENT
Always be present. Embrace all the feels. Enjoy the moment!
During the ceremony, especially during the vows just keep looking at the love of your life 🙂 Often people look at the people that are speaking to us, like the officiate who might be feeding you vows. You are not marrying the officiant, so grab hands and look across at those dreamy eyes!
CONCIDER AN UNPLUGGED CEREMONY
If you’ve been to a wedding recently, you may have seen a sign from the happy couple asking for their guests to remain “unplugged” during the ceremony.
And while it might seem like a strange request to ask guests to put down their phones, there’s a pretty good reason for it! You made a big investment in photography and videography and we’re sure one of the last things you want on your wedding day is for your photos of your ceremony to be filled with obtrusive phones, tablets, and relatives standing in the aisle with their own cameras. In order to help us do the best possible job capturing your wedding, we recommend asking guests to unplug during the ceremony.
A sign generally works well. We also recommend the officiant making an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony stating, “It is the request of the bride and groom that you keep your cell phones and electronics off and put away during the ceremony. Our photographers are professionals and we just want you to be present with us.”
CHURCH EXIT
A nice classic exiting of the church while people cheer and blow bubbles that takes about 15 minutes.
RECIEVING LINE
You have to budget more time than you would think into your wedding day schedule to do a receiving line right after the ceremony. They last a lot longer than you would expect – think 30-45 minutes per 100 people. You also have to consider that when family has to wait for a receiving line to finish, it takes a bit more work to wrangle them back together for family photos. It’s also hard on grandparents standing around for a long time. We recommend skipping this and join your guests for cocktail hour and greet your guests in a more genuine way.
Sometime with more traditional ceremonies, couples choose to greet their guests as they are entering the reception later that evening during cocktail hour. We recommend this for Catholic and Orthodox weddings.
FAMILY + WEDDING PARTY FORMAL PORTRAITS
We have a SUPER efficient system for capturing family portraits. Basically, we will place you in the center and surround you by your family in a straight line, starting with the bride’s side. We will then pare down the group, capturing a wide range of combinations in a short period of time. Then, we will call the groom’s side of the family up and repeat!
If there has been divorce, death, remarriage, and/or other family dynamics, we understand that there can be some more tricky factors. We will handle this with care, respect, and ease. We will discuss these elements during final consultation the week of your wedding. In the case of a divorce, most couples have us photograph mom’s side first and then dad’s side.
We almost always do family portraits immediately after the ceremony, at the ceremony site. This gives us the best probability of everyone being ready and present.
Your family should have sunglasses off and purses and drinks down and away from where we are photographing (not behind the group). If there are babies and/or children there, don’t worry if they are not looking at the camera. We have great ways of getting them to look at the camera so nobody needs to be waving their hands behind us to get their attention. We have kids of our own and have photographed 100s of children and families over the past decade. All they have to do is just to smile and look at the camera. If these tips are followed and if family is there and engaged, typical family portraits are completed in about 15 minutes. Most of our couples elect for just immediate family (grandparents, parents, and siblings with their spouses and kids). If you want to include extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.), add about another 15 minutes. And if family portraits are happening indoors in a dark setting, add another 15 minutes for us to set up lighting.
Also decide who you want to be in your family photos and communicate to them at least three times:
-Send everyone a text/email the week before the wedding, something along the lines of, “Hey! I’m so excited that you are going to be at my wedding! We would appreciate you being a part of family portraits. Our photographers are fast. Just come up front immediately following the ceremony and we will knock them out!” But really, just copy and paste this!
-Tell everyone at the rehearsal dinner – often many of the people who are in family photos are part of the rehearsal dinner.
-When your officiant dismisses everyone after the ceremony, make sure that they announces that “immediate family” or “all family and extended family” is to return to the front for family portraits. Once everyone has gathered, we will take it from there!
THE ARRANGEMENTS
typical family portrait groupings after the ceremony
couple + immediate family + extended family*
(extended is optional; most couples elect for just immediate family)
couple + immediate family
(parents + grandparents + siblings)
couple + grandparents
then the just married partner out
couple + parents + siblings
then the just married partner out
couple + parents
then the just married partner out
then dad out
then mom out
couple + siblings
then the just married partner out
OTHER
couple
couple + bridal party
After the bride’s family and also after the groom’s family, we always ask if there are any other groupings needed. This is the time for anyone to speak up. If you have a favorite aunt Suzie and you want a picture of both of you, we want to get that for you! We are also aware that families have different dynamics and different arrangements. Please let us know of these before your wedding.
reception
So there is no right or wrong way to host an awesome reception and PARTY!!! We have seen fun things over the years. Make it yours!! If you want the standard classic reception, we will go line by line.
COCKTAIL HOUR
Usually lasting an hour, but some venues have it for 90 minutes. Talk to them to make sure of the timing
INTROS
Some couples want the whole hoopla and some want it more reserved like with no introduction. The choice is yours.
FIRST DANCE
About half of couple have their 1st dance before dinner. Pros for before dinner: it brings a bunch of energy to the party and it’s a big hit and sometimes the light is simply perfect and magical like the photograph above. Remember, whatever you do before dinner, people pay most attention to. Con: if you want to be more traditional, do it after dinner.
CAKE CUTTING
If the cake you are cutting is also going to cut up for your guests, we recommend doing it before dinner. This allows the caterers to cut and plate it while your guests are eat so they can get out to them without a delay. A lot of couples like to get as many formalities done before dinner.
TOASTS
Have your people give toasts before dinner. Trying to get people to listen during dinner is tough, plus we want to get some great candids of people busting out load before food is being eaten. We recommend 2-5 minutes per toast.
Intros, 1st Dance, Cake Cutting, and Toasts usually take about 30 minutes
DINNER
Dinner usually takes about 60-90 minutes depending on how many people are there and the catering. Please eat and enjoy your meal and a good drink 🙂 Some couples then choose to go around table to table to greet their friends and family. Just decide now on how much time you want to allocate. Then divide up that time by how many tables and then you know how much time to spend per table. You have to make the value judgement on time allocation and let us know during your 1st phone consultation so we can incorporate the perfect amount of time for your dinner. A post 2020 note: we and the industry as a whole has noticed that your people might not have seen you in awhile. With that said you might have a lot of “catch-up” conversations that can go on for a while. In previous years, going table to table might take 45 minutes, but we have seen it go well over 2 hours. And a flip side of that, when we have seen it go longer, many guests just simple get up and leave because they don’t know what is happening next. We have seen several times that 50% of guest are gone before the epic dance party starts.
PARENT DANCES
It is not limited to your parents. We have seen both parents, birth-mom and step-mom, a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother or sister instead or in addition to. Whatever is important to you, do it.
PARTY TIME
ANNIVERSARY DANCE
Some couple do an anniversary dance and they show how long each couple has been married by counting down the years. If you do this, two thoughts: stay out there with your people. 2nd, think about how long it might be for your grandparents or other older couples and their health and comfort. We recommend a what DJs refer to as a “reverse anniversary dance” were people are added to the floor by number of years. This does 2 things, it is easier on the older couples that might have health concerns like standing for long periods and it loads up your dance floor.
SPARKLER EXIT
Here is the low down, you probably don’t want to do a sparkler exit at the very end of your night. Drunk people with fire… We have had a few brides almost had their hair catch on fire, we saw a fireball that almost took out the wedding coordinator, and other mishaps. This is how you do it to keep everyone safe and it will actually regroup your people that will crush the dance floor. About 15-30 minutes after sunset is perfect. We will help get everyone lined up and ready. You two come run up and down the aisle, kiss, twirl, carry, piggy back, or whatever is you. Just have fun!
SUNSET, NIGHT PHOTO
Couples love sunset and night photographs. Let us know if this is a priority and we will see if we can order up an epic sunset!
WEATHER
Weather plays a definite role in your wedding day! We will be watching the weather leading up to your wedding! That is why we will have your final phone consultation the WEEK of your wedding. We are very good at predicting weather a few days out, but not weeks out. For the past 10 years, we have been over 90% accurate on weather forecasts, sometimes down to 30-60 minutes. We will figure out any weather contingencies during that call.
Sun, clouds, rain, snow, fog all have their unique qualities, beauty, and challenges and we are ready for them. It hailed on our mountainside wedding and it was epic!
If you are worried about rain, we always have 1 or 2 in our car for you. You can also purchase clear plastic umbrellas. Target or Amazon sell them – we have beaten the snot out of the Target ones and they have performed really well. They let the light shine through so we can still photograph all your beautiful faces!
If you are worried about the cold and are considering wraps for you and/or your bridesmaids, pick a wrap that has a lot of texture, not just a thin shawl. Texture helps it look like a part of the outfit and not a blanket you are carrying around!
Embrace the moment! We have had some gorgeous weddings with some weather. Positivity is so key.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Remember this is a once in a lifetime event for you two.
Be present, be in the moment.
Feel and express you emotions.
If you normally wear glasses, think about if you want them or contacts. Most go for contacts. If glasses, make sure they are NOT transition glasses.
Encourage your family and bridal party to turn off and put away their phones on your wedding day. Heck, have a fully unplugged day!! Phones kill wedding day interaction.
Have getting ready room free of water bottle, beer cans, plastic bags, and general clutter and trash in the background.
Make sure that you provide a real lunch with protein for your bridal party. Bagels and mimosas don’t count as protein. No hangry people, lol. Food = happiness + energy = better photographs.
Make sure that there is adequate water where people are getting ready and on the party bus.
Be careful with alcohol before the reception for you, your wedding party, and family. Every wedding photographer can tell you a thousand stories that you don’t want for your day.
Make sure to have your bouquet delivered before we arrive to make an appearance in the detail shots. Often flowers are delivered in water and need to be dried off before use. Having towels handy can help.
*And to save you one extra step, if there are different food choices, we would appropriate the beef and gluten free (if there isn’t a gluten free option, we are fine to bring our own food). Thanks!
FOR THE LADIES
Something that you need to think about sooner rather than later is what shapewear you will wear underneath your wedding dress! ALL body types benefit from considering what your base layer is going to be and if you factor in the selection and cost of shapewear while you are selecting a wedding dress, you will be a LOT less stressed on the day of your wedding! Shapewear plays a HUGE role in how you feel during your wedding day. You want to be more confident and comfortable in your dress! Not only will this help you to enjoy your day more (who wants to be worried about popping out on their wedding day!?!) but it will also translate into more stunning photographs. Here are a couple of the things we have noticed that really helps with shapewear!
PICK THE RIGHT BRA
I’m not sure we can emphasize this enough! You will most likely need to purchase a specific bra that matches your dress, particularly if your dress has a low-cut neckline, is strapless, is backless, or has shoulder straps that cannot support the weight of the dress. Typically you are not going to spend more than $100 and it is well worth the investment. Fortunately, there are TONS of options available for nearly every kind of neckline and cut of dress. If you are going to select a strapless dress – particularly if you have a cup size bigger than an A – highly consider going with a dress with a bustier (boning moving up your ribs to provide shape and support). Sometimes this can be incorporated into the dress itself, but that is not always most effective. Only relying on bra pads sewn into the dress truly does not provide enough support. Wedding days are full of movement – you are not just a doll on display – and strapless dresses need extra shapewear or undergarments to support that movement.
GIVE YOUR BRA A TEST RUN
If you are wearing a new bra for your wedding, make sure that you test it out ahead of time. Wear it for a day or an evening to make sure that it does not slip or dig in in uncomfortable places. Make sure you do this so that you have enough time to purchase/order a different bra if you need.
DON’T RELY ON DOUBLE-STICK TAPE
There is a myth going around that double-stick tape can do the work of a bra. Double-stick tape can keep a shoulder strap from falling off a shoulder, but it will not magically support a heavy wedding dress and keep it in place. Brides who wait until the last minute, crossing their fingers that a package of double stick tape will keep them comfortable and confident for their entire wedding day usually end up a bit frustrated. Also with double-stick tape, if you using double-stick tape to keep your neckline from flying open, make sure to tape at least an inch and a half away from the edge so that it doesn’t photobomb your photographs! If you are using tape, try it out a few weeks ahead of time. Some people have sensitive skin or allergic to the adhesive.
SMOOTHING SHAPEWEAR HELP EVERYONE
If your dress is form-fitting, or of certain fabrics, seamless smoothing shapewear like spanx can really help smooth out the tummy/hips region. Underwear lines are something best avoided by a little preparation ahead of time.
TRY IT ALL ON
Give yourself time to test out your entire outfit so that you can go into your wedding day confident in your appearance! Buy a couple of sizes of bras and a couple of options of spanx and give it a test run with your wedding dress. Give yourself enough time to be able to order something different if you are not completely satisfied. You are most spending more on this outfit than any other outfit that you have purchased. You deserve to be confident in your selection and you want to feel fabulous on your wedding day. You deserve to feel amazing. Try out your shapewear with your wedding dress and go take a couple of photos in sunlight. Check that there are no unwanted lines that can be fixed with shapewear. Make sure that your bra provides enough support so that you feel comfortable moving around, giving people hugs, and dancing the night away. If you do the right amount of prep on the front end, you will have a fabulous, confident day and not even have to worry about it on your wedding day!
VENDORS
Choosing vendors is hard work! Our biggest recommendation is to listen to that gut instinct on whether you connect with people or not – it goes a long way in making your day wonderful!
We have worked with tons and tons of vendors throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond. These are the people that we have personal experience with, and whom we trust will treat you really well on your wedding day. This is NOT a paid list. We selected these people because their work is top notch and they treat their clients well.
Please let them know that we referred you! (And if someone doesn’t treat you well, please let us know so we can update our lists!)
DJ
Eddie or Marcus with A Bride’s DJ
Bob with C-Town
Kevin with Midnight Music
Local Flower Farms
Officiant
Mel Sayler 440-821-1627
Cathy with Ohio Wedding Lady
Tim Greathouse
Catering
Dessert
Mitchell’s Ice Cream
(a Cleveland classic + more popular than the bar!)
Surreal Ice Creme 614-570-7703
(a local, independent company)
Costco – Cake
(one of the best + best price)
Get Baked Pastry
(best cheesecake!)
Live Music
Catering
YOUR ENGAGEMENT GUIDE
Your engagement session is about you and your partner as an engaged couple. It gives you the opportunity to showcase your personalities in a more casual setting that is significant to the two of you. It’s also a time for you to celebrate this wonderful place in your lives of being engaged. It’s a great time of life!
Your engagement session is about you two being you, genuinely YOU! Believe it or not, but you probably know how to pose yourself already. Why, because you have spent weeks, months, and possibly years getting to know each other and how you fit next to each other while sitting, standing, and walking together. Sure, we will help guide you to through the process of making your photos look better and this guide will also give you some nice simple tips and tricks to help you feel like a million bucks. The focus is you two having a ton of fun, being relaxed, and being yourselves. That’s how we get those photos that you are so attracted to that we do every week.
WHEN SHOULD WE SCHEDULE OUR SESSION
We will schedule your engagement session during your 1st phone consultation with Brian when planning your stress-free wedding schedule. We will select a date, time, location, and feel for your engagement session. During wedding season, engagement sessions are typically schedule on Tuesdays with more availably and some weekends during the off season. If you are coming from out of state and will only be in Cleveland one or few times before your wedding, just let us know and we will do our very best to squeeze you in during your time here.
WHAT ABOUT POOR WEATHER
In the event of poor weather such as rain, thunder, or other unsafe conditions, we will simply reschedule. No one wants to feel absolutely gross during their session. We will also say that rain and fog often produces some of the nicest and most dramatic conditions for photography. It makes colors more saturated, darkens trees, and can produce rainbows. Brian will text you the day before your session to make the call for you session if it is looking like poor weather.
SEASONS
Ohio has phenomenal seasons and something unique every month! There are also fantastic flowers and wildflowers if you know where to look from April to the 1st heavy frost in November.
MARCH: Spring if finally here, but really for most of the month is mud and stick season. A few flowering things might start appearing at the end of the month such as daffodils and forsythia.
APRIL: This is your classic spring!!! The best flowering happens in April. So if you want wildflowers, cherry blossoms, and other flowering trees, this is your month. Depending on the year. Redbuds and magnolias can be one of the 1st to start of the flowering trees. Carpets of bluebells and trillium bloom in mid-late April. Amazing cherry blossoms at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Brookside Reservation happen during this time as well. All of your classic spring flowers happen here and at the beginning of May before green foliage fully develops. Some years each of these blooms will last a long time and others, it is very short lived due to hot or cold temperature fluctuations which are common during April.
MAY: Early May has many more flowers tress such as crabapples and azalea found in many urban and suburban parks. Mid May starts wrapping up spring wildflowers and flowering trees with everything turning very green. Beautiful time of year.
JUNE: June is warm and beautiful. Lakes, ponds, and creeks are warming up and often the clearest before algae and pond scum starts. We usually do a lot of kayaking on rivers and smaller lakes during June. Creek and waterfall hiking starts in June.
JULY: Often hot and drier. Smaller creeks and waterfalls start drying up. Bigger creeks and river are fantastic such at Brandywine Falls and South Chagrin Reservation. Lake Erie is also warm and beautiful. Great for shoots on the beach and a few sand dunes that are in Cleveland. Summer wildflowers of yellow, white, and magenta start filling out fields and meadows.
AUGUST: Hotter and drier than July. All bodies of water are the warmest. Lake Erie is typically 75 degrees and sometimes as high as 80. Starting in August is the beginning of golden rod flowers and then filling out fields in September. Beautiful, but be mindful if you need allergy medicine. Towards the end of August has fantastic late summer wildflowers. Cuyahoga Valley National Park has thousands of Joe-Pye weed with giant pink flowers and acres of wildflowers.
SEPTEMBER: The start of fall (Brian’s favorite season)! Everything feels a little quieter, calmer, and cooler.
OCTOBER: Color starts towards the beginning of October and peaks typically mid to late October. Early October is often still warm enough by Lake Erie or hiking a creek with a few fallen leaves. If you want to take photos in leaves, later October and early November have the ground covered in them.
NOVEMBER: The past few years, the first 2 weeks of November had incredible fall color, maybe even peak. Great for bundling up with your favorite fall sweater and going for a hike. The last half of November becomes stick season.
DECEMBER: Sometime you get snow, sometimes not. Last half is your best chance for a snowy feel, plus you can add a little Holiday cheer and lights.
JANUARY: Coldest and cloudiest month of the year. Best chance for snow and for it to stick around. If you are looking for snowy session and great fluffy, fresh snow, often you have to be willing to jump last minute for it and be willing to embrace the chill. In Northeast Ohio we see snow most of the winter, but for photogenic, fresh snow, it is harder than you think, but totally worth it!
FEBRUARY: More snow and more blue skies. If you are still waiting for a snowy session, now is your chance!
CLOTHING
As general rule: nice clothes, that fit great, that you love, that is solid is a great choice. Exceptions would be plaid (love plaid), really sharp looking clothes, something purposely bold. You are aiming for what you would wear for a first date…or nicer. For the ladies, dresses are almost always perfect. Guys, leave the gym shoes at home and wear freshly buffed boots or dress shoes with a pressed shirt and pants. And no ball caps or hair dents. Of course, clothing depends on what you are doing, where you are going, and the weather. Even with this recommendations, they are just recommendation. This session is about you two and your love and connection, so dress as who you are 🙂
If you are clueless where to start, like we were for most our lives, go ask that good friend of yours that is always looks great and put together. Joelle’s sister, Jordan, is that person for us. If we are unsure, we ask her. So go ask the Jordan in your life 🙂 Oh, and we have a decent take on style now, so we are always here to help.
CLASSIC
CITY: feel free to go for modern trendy that is sharp or classy
CLASSY: go classy! Don’t be afraid to pull out a nice dress and suit. Heck, even formal wear is totally awesome!!
OUTDOORS: this has a bigger swing. Nice jeans, boots, and a flannel or sweater can look awesome or nicer is great. Ladies, just skip the heels when on dirt, rock, or grass and just wear boots or flats.
ADVENTURE
ADVENTURE: such as a hike in a creek, get water shoes or sandals. Costco sells some that are good and cheap and Teva and Keen are fantastic on the higher end. Shorts, rolled up pants, or a dress work great walking ankle to calf deep in a creek. Pair it with a nice top and you are go to go!
ADVENTURE PLUS: if getting in the water, wear clothes that can handle it or swimsuits under your clothes.
ADVENTURE EXTREME: wear what is most appropriate to the activity.
LIFESYLE
For lifestyle, it really comes down to the kind of shoot that you want to do. If it is around the house, it could be pjs or jeans. If going to the stables with your horses, Western wear might be more appropriate. Think how you would want to craft a script.
TIPS FOR BETTER PHOTO
Most important: Be yourselves and have way too much fun!!! If goofy, goof off together. If snugly, then snuggle. You be you and be comfortable with that. We are going to capture that. As for us as Brian and Joelle, we laugh… a lot… all the time.
Posing: You are better than you know. You know your chemistry. You know your personality as a couple. And you know your partner’s body and how your hands fit together, how you hug, and snuggle, and wrap your arms around each other. We will also help pull out that extra fun and connecting between you two!
Posing pro tips: Guys, have fun and make her laugh. I know you know how simply because she is marrying you. Ladies, when facing the camera, turn yourself 45 degrees diagonally. Put your weight on back leg (the one farthest from the camera) while your front leg is slightly bent and toes touching the ground. Connection is often revealed in photographs though body connection and touch (legs touching each other, hand on his chest, hand on her face, kissing, holding, etc).
Don’t bring: leave bags in your car. If wanting a 2nd change of clothes, we will come back and change later. Bringing a bag with you breaks up a natural flow. Some of the best images is the natural transitions from place to place. Also leave your wallet and cell phone in your car. You won’t need these during the shoot and will just be a distraction and bulges. I can carry your keys in my camera bag.
Do bring: feel free to bring a second set of clothes. If time and location allows, we will do it. Also if you feel not sure what clothes for the 2nd set, bring a 3rd or 4th. We can help pick!
Random things people forget: No gum, please. If warm out, bring bug spray because mosquitoes are awful especially before sunset. If cold out, bring gloves and hand warmers; they make a world of difference!
NEXT STEPS
We can’t wait to start helping you plan and crafting out an amazing, stress-free day!
1. Fill out our wedding day questionnaire
After you submit it, you will automatic get an email to book your 1st consultation with Brian.
Please make sure that BOTH of you are available for this call so it doesn’t get rescheduled
2. Schedule your 1st phone consult
Usually it’s about a 45-60 minute phone call with both of you.
3: Phone call
Please make sure that BOTH of you are available for this call so it doesn’t get rescheduled. During your call, we will be crafting a perfect wedding schedule and will schedule your engagement session
4: Your engagement session
Time to rock out your session somewhere awesome!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through our wedding + engagement guide!