It’s time to schedule your Engagement & Wedding Photography Sessions.
Follow these steps to get The Best Results from your Wedding Photographer
You’ve planned your budget, set a date and booked a venue. Now it’s time to coordinate your engagement and wedding photography sessions. We’re here with a bunch of tips to help you get the best results from your wedding photographer.
Justina and I have documented and photographed hundreds of weddings in Vancouver and all over the World throughout the years. The information in this blog post is meant to guide you through all your engagement and wedding photography questions so that you can get the best results from your photography sessions.
We’re here to help you have a FUN and MEMORABLE experience! Contact Us if you’re interested in having us photograph or film your wedding!
Engagement Sessions | Get the Best while Having a Blast!
Why you should have one:
Engagement sessions give us a chance to really get to know each other while taking some stunning photographs. We’ll walk down memory lane, share funny stories AND figure out what kind of poses you love the most!
Choosing a location:
Let’s hike to the top of a mountain or take a stroll through your favourite neighbourhood. Looking for something unique and can’t put your finger on it? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! A great photo can be made anywhere as long as you follow the light. Pick a season and a type of backdrop and we’ll do the rest.
Styling Tips:
Dress for the occasion. Some like to keep it casual while others come dressed to the nines. Whatever you choose to wear, make sure you feel comfortable in it. The goal is to capture your personalities and show off what makes you, YOU!
While it’s great to complement your future spouse in photos, by no means do you need to wear matching outfits.
If your other half is more comfortable in solid colours, try choosing something with a little texture. Patterns are a great way to add contrast to your images. Be creative, and let your unique personality shine through.
Browse through our Engagement Photography Gallery if you’d like some outfit inspo for your Engagement Photography Session.
Pro Wedding Tips: If you have a furry friend, bring him/her along as well!
Elopement Sessions | Your Day, Your Way
Even before COVID-19 came around, couples have been redefining elopements all over the world! Gone are the days of flying to Vegas to be married by Elvis. Elopements are so much more and they are designed JUST FOR YOU.
Helicopter Elopement on Rainbow Mountain. Flights provided by Sky Helicopters
Are you visiting from abroad and are wanting to take advantage of Vancouver’s scenic backdrops for your elopement? Maybe you’re planning to elope and want to take us with you!
We love being tourists in our own city, but we also love exploring other parts of the world (when it’s safe to do so). Have a chat with us about elopements whether they’re in our hometown or in yours!
Things to remember:
You will need a wedding officiant and two witnesses to make things official. Bring your closest friends and family or even we could do the honour!
Stunning Elopement on top of Rainbow Mountain in Whistler, BC. Officiated by Shawn Miller of The Young Hip and Married.
Scheduling:
There is no wrong time to get married, but there is a best time to get amazing photographs! Take advantage of the seasons to make the most of this special occasion.
Fall foliage is gorgeous in Vancouver, escape to the Mountains in the winter to avoid the rain, sunrise and sunset sessions in the summer are great for beating the heat or nab those elusive cherry blossoms in the spring before they’re all gone.
Pro Wedding Tips: Wedding magazines and adventure blogs are great sources for elopement location inspiration. Pick something meaningful or just go for the epic backdrops.
Your Wedding Day | It’s Finally Here!
Organization is the key to a fun and carefree wedding day. Hire a planner or day of coordinator to take care of things while you enjoy the day.
Morning Prep
Get plenty of rest the night before your wedding. Set aside the details you would like us to photograph so we can get those done right away. That way, we can focus on the giggly moments as you as your loved ones get all dolled up.
Pro Wedding Tips: Wooden hangers look much more appealing in photos than standard, plastic hangers. Consider switching these out before the big day.
Pro Wedding Tips: Schedule a break for snacks & food and drink plenty of water. Uber Eats is great for a quick and tasty takeaway or grab lunch at a restaurant – you never know what might happen (YES, that’s Seth Rogan and YES, those are puppies!!)
Consider a First Look:
First-looks are intimate little moments just prior to the ceremony just for the two of you. They’re perfect for calming the nerves while getting a sneak peek at your bride-to-be before she heads down the aisle. Some of our favourite moments happen during this time.
While this is not required, it is highly recommended and we promise you won’t regret it!
Pro Wedding Tips: If a first look doesn’t fit in with your plans and you have a bit of time before your ceremony, this is a great time to take photos with your immediate family and with your wedding party!
Ceremony | These Nups are Toit
Having a ceremony rehearsal is a given, but did you know that we try our best to attend every single one of our couples’ wedding rehearsals?
We’ve photographed hundreds of weddings over the years and other than a few details here and there, they’re all basically the same. The difference is you and your guests! Showing up at your rehearsal means we get to meet your family and your friends before the big day.
We are often at the mercy of the venue when it comes to the ceremony for timing and location. Sometimes, changing where you stand by just a few feet will make or break your wedding photos. This is why we welcome any and all questions you might have about your wedding ceremony.
Pro Wedding Tips: Unplugged ceremonies are awesome. Everyone’s undivided attention is on you and we love that, but if we’re being honest, we love it when guests take photos and video with their cell phones (as long as they do so from their seats).
Family & Group Portraits | One of the Only Occasions where Everyone is Together
Formal group and family portraits are an immensely important part of your wedding day. These are photos that you and your loved ones will cherish for the rest of your lives.
Group portraits typically happen right after the ceremony as everyone is in the same place. This can often get a bit chaotic so make sure your guests have clear instructions on what to do and where to be.
Make use of your MC/Officiant to give clear instructions to your guests immediately after the ceremony so they don’t wander off and miss out.
Designate a friend or family member to help manage the crowd. These persons should know the groups well and be able to get on and off the stage quickly and efficiently. It also helps if he/she has a loud voice (or microphone).
Write These Down! | More Tips:
- Print your group photo lists on the back of your wedding ceremony programs so everyone has a copy.
- Instruct your guests to remain seated after your ceremony until called up for photos.
- Take care of the most important groups first (immediate family), then move on to the larger groups (extended family and friends).
- Invite the elderly and less mobile individuals to get photographed first so they can relax and enjoy the view (important for the hotter and colder months).
- A handful of larger groups is much easier to handle than many small groups.
Cocktail Hour | Go Mingle and Hangout – You Deserve it!
Have one. And make sure you get a chance to enjoy it as well! This is another reason we encourage all of our couples to have a First Look and complete as many photos prior to the ceremony. Getting all those photos out of the way gives you a chance to ENJOY YOUR DAY!
Reception | Just Sit Back and Enjoy the Show
Schedule a time for a Reception set up reveal just for the two of you. Your planners and decorators will love to see the looks of awe on your faces AND this will give us a chance to photograph all the details without interruption.
Organizing the events of the evening can seem somewhat daunting and staying on schedule is a whole other beast in itself. This is where a wedding planner or day of coordinator is worth their weight in gold.
Your coordinator will make sure the evening rolls smoothly and will be the point of contact between the front of house staff and the kitchen. If you’ve got the budget, HIRE ONE!
Pro Wedding Tips: Have a chat with your venue coordinator to see if a sparkler first dance is allowed. If not, a sparkler send- off at the end of the night is a great option as well!
That’s a wrap! Congrats, You Made It!
That concludes our extensive guide on how to make the most of your wedding photography sessions and get the best photos while having a blast through your wedding journey.
If you liked this post, leave a comment and let us know! Share it with a friend who’s getting married so they can also get the best results from their wedding photographer as well!
A special thank you goes out to Hasti from La Vista Events for helping me polish and put the finishing touches on this article. Head over to her website for more Wedding Planning Tips!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing these!
Your style is so beautiful. I love the information here too!! Great article for you couples!
So smart to print the photo list on the back of the programs for easy access for everyone. I do think that having everyone remain seated after the ceremony could work well if there are only a small amount of groups but I could also see it leading to some grumpy guests if there are a lot of groups to get through
Yes, nice catch! We, of course, discuss these options with couples prior to their wedding. If we’re photographing a wedding with a large guest list, we usually suggest that everyone remains seated so we can get a LARGE group photo with everyone in it. The beauty of having the photo list printed and distributed ahead of time is that guests can expect when it will be their turn for their photograph 🙂
Try it out for your next wedding! Your couples will love these suggestions!
Really stunning photos and great content! Love your work!!
Thank You, Amy!!
These are all great tips! As another photographer I appreciate the getting a nice hanger for your dress tip too!
It makes all the difference!!! Also, I always feel so anxious when carrying a heavy dress with a flimsy plastic hanger!!
This is seriously such good information for couples planning their wedding! I’m sure all photographers hope that their clients would read this before the big day to help things run smoothly!
I love your engagement session tips, especially about styling! I feel like everyone always gets nervous about what’s the “right thing” to wear! Amazing post!
Thank you so much, Adriana! And yes, definitely! When it was time for us to have our engagement photos done, we used these tips and got awesome results from our photographer as well!
We’d love to hear stories about your own wedding journey! What’s something you MUST HAVE photographed for your wedding or what are some moments you’re looking forward to the most?
Let us know in the comments!