Sometimes the best advice comes from those who have done this hundreds of times over. Let’s all take a moment to heed some great advice and welcome these great tips! This post is so generously brought to you by Kelsea from Kelsea Joann Photography. You can find more from her at her Main Website and be sure to follow along with her amazing work on Facebook! Be sure to visit her Blog too for more great advice and inspirations! Thank you so much for your inspirations Kelsea!
Ceremonies that last a lifetime!
Your wedding ceremony is that beautiful moment in your life during which you will walk down the aisle as a fiancé and then walk back up the aisle as a husband or wife. Some ceremonies are short, some are long, but virtually all are photographed. These photos will last for generations and tell the tale of how you were married. Here are some considerations and tips on how to ensure that those photos will be the best they can possibly be!
Venue
The very first (and perhaps somewhat obvious step) is your venue choice. What is the backdrop to the ceremony? Will there be enough room at the “altar” for your entire wedding party? Where is the sun going to be at the time of day of your ceremony? Ideally, a ceremony is evenly lit which often means that it is in complete shade. This ensures that the bride and groom do not have harsh shadows on their faces and also rescues one half of the wedding party from squinting throughout the proceedings. Of course, even shade is not always possible. If your ceremony sight is gorgeous, but under patchy lighting or just completely exposed to the full sunlight, consider creating an arbor to create some shade on the bride and groom’s faces or holding the ceremony later during the day to incorporate some beautiful, golden hour warmth and backlighting.
Participants
If possible, have everyone involved participate in rehearsal. If key players cannot be there, make sure you let them in on all that is going down during the ceremony. This includes your wedding party, officiant, and photographer. Let your wedding party know if you’d like them to line up in some sort of uniform way during the ceremony so that the photos appear symmetrical. Or, if you don’t mind, tell them that too. Also, remind them to have fun and smile as they walk down the aisle. These are your best friends and they want to make sure your day is perfect – they don’t want to be the person that trips going down the aisle. Just make sure to relax them a little bit so that concentration (don’t trip! Don’t trip!) isn’t etched across their expressions.
The Kiss
When it comes to your officiant, let him or her know to please take a large step to the side when “the kiss” happens so as to avoid awkward framing behind your kissing profiles. I have seen some great photos of a jovial officiant laughing and clapping right behind the couple during the kiss – great! But, more often, it is just one eye or ear poking out from behind the bride or groom’s head!
Special Details
Also, clue the photographer in beforehand on any special ceremonies (hand-fasting, candle lighting, readings, etc) so that he or she knows what’s coming and when the big kiss is happening. Is it right after the exchange of rings? Right after the hand-fasting? Letting your photographer know in advance ensures he or she is properly in position when it happens to get that perfect shot!!
Every ceremony is different and not everything will work the same for each one. These tips are just some ideas to keep in mind when planning that amazing day to make it the best it can be! For more tips like these and more Ceremony Photography advice, look up Kelsea Joann Photography!
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