Happy first day of Spring everyone! :) Today I have an awesome Pro Insight post for you all from my friends Caroline & Evan Photography. They’re giving us some great tips on how to have amazing wedding photos- little things that you can do to help your photographer get perfect shots on your wedding day! :)

Everyone wants to have stellar wedding photos, and the first step to this is hiring awesome wedding photographers. But, you may not know that there are some things that you can do yourself to help make your wedding photos even better. Most of these changes are both affordable and easy to do, and they can really help with the aesthetic of your wedding photography.

1. A Hotel Room (that’s clutter free) for getting ready

This makes a HUGE difference and it’s not that big of an expense. Having a suite or just a nicer hotel room to both get ready in and have your details shots taken in really helps your photos. Your photographer now has lots of options for hanging your dress or shoes and styling all those smaller details for those highly coveted detail shots. Another perk is there is a ton of natural light available in most hotels for all the getting ready shots.
Keeping the room relatively tidy also helps your photos. It doesn’t have to be spotless, but give the facade of cleanliness by moving all the bags to one corner so that all that tons of stuff isn’t in the background of every shot. Having a hotel room also helps with space, it’s always great to have some room to move and the ability to get the whole bridal party hanging out together in one place. It also helps to have a space for the makeup artist to do their thing.

2. Details (This is ELD after all!)

Just because you didn’t spend a ton of cash on Etsy doesn’t mean you can’t have gorgeous detail shots of your wedding day. A great wedding photographer can style the simplest details into editorial-worthy images. Just take some time to think about what makes you unique as a couple and try to include it into the wedding somehow. If you are up to buying a few custom items, one of my favorite details, that is also inexpensive, is a personalized hanger for your wedding dress. I’ve started carrying a wood hanger around with me to weddings just for this because the ugly plastic one that comes from the bridal shop honestly ruins your dress shot. It doesn’t even have to say “bride” or “Mrs. Smith” on it, but a pretty wood hanger looks much better showing off your gown. It’s a great detail that only costs 20 bucks and that dress shot will look great in your wedding album. And if you followed advice from #1, hotels usually have pretty hangers in the closets that work for this as well.

Some of the best details can’t be purchased. You could exchange notes with your fiancé during the getting ready time- something that makes a beautiful detail shot and a great moment. In addition to having a few of these personal details, it helps to keep them organized all together in one place. It saves a ton of time for your photographer to be able to grab one bag with your shoes, jewelry, lingerie, garter, etc and get all those shots at once while you are finishing your hair and makeup.

3. Professional Hair & Makeup Artist on site

Having a hair and makeup person who regularly does weddings is extremely important. Sometimes I want to yell this one from the mountaintop. Your cousin who “does hair” does not count. Anytime I have a bride have their hair start to come undone or their makeup run, 9 times out of 10 they had a regular salon or non-wedding pro do it. Wedding pros know how long doing 6 bridesmaids plus the bride, plus moms takes, and they know that people often run behind and they budget time accordingly. I would guess 80% of weddings we shoot, the girls end up running behind because of hair and makeup not being ready. This cuts into your portrait time later. Having your hair and makeup artist on site too is important because getting ready all in one place saves a ton of time and is less stressful. Plus, getting those final touch up shots and bridal portraits are much easier if they’re all done in one place.

4. Have an Engagement Session

This is the only item that takes a bit more effort and a little planning ahead but it also has the biggest advantage. The best way to make sure you look happy and relaxed in your wedding photos is to do an engagement session with your wedding photographers. Some photographers, like Evan and I, include an engagement session in all of their packages. But many do not and you have to add it on- it’s worth it! Any nerves or anxiousness you might feel prior to your engagement session would otherwise be felt on the wedding day. So an engagement session makes great practice for getting comfortable in front of the camera. And, if you are the shy type, you get the chance to get any awkward moments over and done with prior to the wedding day.

Getting to know your photographers and feeling comfortable with them is also SO important. You will spend more time with your wedding photographer than you will with each other on your wedding day. So you want to be comfortable with that person, right? Having your friends “take engagement photos” is not the same as building rapport with the people who will actually be capturing your wedding day. Your photographers will get to know your best angles and learn the best way to get a natural smile out of you by working with you before the wedding day.

So those are a few ways how you can help to create amazing wedding images. These small items can make a big impact on your wedding photos and I hope you got some ideas! And thanks to Lauren for having me on the blog today!

Wow, such awesome advice… I wish I had known all of that when I was planning my wedding! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us Caroline & Evan! :) Vendors or past brides… anyone else have additional tips that you’ve found to be helpful when it comes to photos??