It’s truly incredible how much planning, stress, and money goes into creating a one-of-a-kind wedding day that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Luckily, you’ll have plenty of photos to remind you of everything that happened. This is good news since, believe it or not, you’re bound to go through most of the day in a kind of haze brought on by the mixture of adrenaline and champagne. In any case, you definitely want your photos to be spectacular. Not only will they adorn your walls for as long as you both shall live (and beyond), but they’ll also get sent out to family, friends, and pretty much everyone else you know. But you’re not a professional model and you’ve probably never hired a photographer before. So there are a few things you’ll want to do in preparation to ensure that you get the best wedding photos possible.
- Comparison shop. The first thing you need to do is hire a photographer, and you probably shouldn’t pick the first one you come across or settle for your friend that works at the portrait studio in Walmart or Sears. You not only need to find a pro, but you need to make sure you’re in love with his or her style and aesthetic and that they match the look you’re going for. Luckily, most independent photographers set up websites these days, so you should be able to peruse a variety of picture galleries during the decision-making process. But what should you look for? You can certainly get technical and critique based on composition, use of color, and other identifiable qualities. But what you really want is to find photos that you fall in love with, that have some indefinable quality that captures your interest. And you should probably check prices, as well.
- Pick your locations ahead of time. Before your wedding day arrives, you’ll want to settle on locations and potentially even a shot list of desired photos and poses. This will ensure that your staged photos progress like clockwork after you say your vows so that your wedding party isn’t baking in the sun between takes and your guests aren’t getting too drunk at the bar as they wait for your arrival at the reception. You’ll also have the opportunity to take test photos, which could help you to pick the perfect locations and even the time of day for your wedding photography to take place.
- Schedule a facial a few days prior. Thanks to advances in digital photography, there’s no flaw too small to escape the all-seeing eye of the camera. So you’ll no doubt want your face to be blemish-free on your wedding day. Scheduling a facial a few days prior should help to zap any zits caused by stress, and the redness that often results from such therapies should fade before your big day.
- Have hair and makeup done professionally. If you’re going to shell out the dough for a designer dress, a gorgeous venue, and a professional photographer, then for goodness sake go ahead and have your hair and makeup arranged by experts. Again, you have to live with the photos forever – don’t spend the rest of your life regretting your decision to quibble over a few dollars.
- Practice posing. As previously stated, chances are that you’re not trained to be photographed. This means you’re going to have to practice if you want to look perfect in your wedding photos. While it’s supposed to bea day of bliss, the truth is that you’re going to have a million things to think about, and one of them shouldn’t be whether or not your smile looks radiant or manic. So take the time to practice in the mirror until you nail the ability to banish a double chin and make your fake smile reach your eyes. Your perfect photos will be the proof in the pudding.
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