The Wedding Guide

engagement session tips, timeline guidance, vendor recommendations & more

I love photographing engagement sessions as there is nothing like capturing a couple, deeply in love & about to be married. Your engagement is a huge step from dating and is the bridging period before your marriage.

You are going to be married for fifty years, but you are only engaged this short time in your life. This time needs to be captured.

An engagement photo session gives you both a chance to be in front of the cameras before your wedding day, which is going to make your wedding day experience feel so relaxed, seamless and comfortable. A engagement session is the perfect way for us to get to know each other and the best part is we get to create some amazing and beautiful images together.

We’re big fans of engagement sessions for a few reasons. Not only do they allow you to get comfortable in front of the camera, they also give you the opportunity to showcase your personalities in a more casual setting that is significant to the two of you. We've created an entire page dedicated to outfit tips, location ideas, timing considerations and more!

see some real engagement sessions blow:

WHO WILL MAKE YOUR DAY INCREDIBLE

VENDORS

Over the years, we've learned the important role quality vendors play in creating a stress-free wedding day. We've worked with many of the vendors below and we can't recommend them enough! This is not a paid list - we chose these vendors for both the quality of their work as well as their professionalism on the actual wedding day.

*I will continue to update this list as we work with more great vendors!

Here’s the subject that can be somewhat intimidating! The TIMELINE! I know this isn’t the most exciting aspect of the wedding day, but this is the one thing that can make or break your photography.

Remember that all wedding days are different, and your timeline may differ due to travel times and unique situations. The timeline is critical to ensure that your wedding day goes smoothly and you can maximize your wedding day photography coverage.

1:30 - 2:15  Photographer arrives: captured detail shots + candids

2:15 - 2:45 Formal clothes (dress, suit, etc.) go on and morning portraits are taken

• the 2nd shooter is with your partner during this time

2:45 - 3:15       Family photos/wedding party photos

3:15 - 3:30 Travel to the venue

3:30 - 3:30 Ceremony decor & details photos/Couples arrive at ceremony venue

4:00 - 4:30      Wedding ceremony

4:30 - 5:00      Arrive at reception venue/reception venue detail photos      

 5:00 - 5:45     Immediate family photos /wedding party photos

5:45 - 6:15     Couples sunset portraits 

6:15            SUNSET

6:30 - 6:45    Couples enter reception Area/wedding couple grand entrance

7:00 Toasts

7:00 - 7:30 Dinner Is Served

7:30 - 7:45 Cake cutting

7:45 - 8:00 First dance & family dance

8:00 Dance floor opens up

8:30 Controlled/sparkler exit

9:00 Photographer leaves

While we can't guarantee that rain on your wedding day is good luck, we can put a plan in place to ensure a beautiful day and beautiful images. Rainy day weddings may require a little more flexibility and creativity, but there isn't any reason why they can't be as beautiful and as joyful as sunny weddings! If rain is in the forecast, we recommend ordering a few clear umbrellas on Amazon. It also might be good to re-evaluate portrait locations to make sure we can still shoot in natural light - even if it means heading offsite. If you don't own a pair of cute Wellies, now may be a great time to order a pair - even if you're just wearing them in between shooting locations. 

If you're not working with a planner, it might also be a good idea to check in with your entire vendor team to make sure they're aware of the weather. Hair and makeup may need to be tweaked to withstand humidity and if your wedding is outdoors, DJs and bands may need to take extra precaution to protect their gear. A quality rental team can also minimise the amount of mud at outdoor events.

Read the blog post for more tips here: Rainy Day Wedding Tips

The whole day begins with the DETAILS! This is one of my favourite parts of the wedding day, because it allows us to prepare and get my creative side warmed up for the rest of the day! I photograph the details in a way that matches and showcases the style of the entire wedding day. Once I arrive at your wedding, we need about 30 minutes to capture and style details. I recommend choosing a getting ready location filled with natural light and, if possible, please keep the space free from rubbish and clutter.

It would be wonderful if you could put all of your rings, jewelry, shoes, veil purse, perfume, invitations and other keepsakes together in one spot for us. Please unwrap your dress but don't worry about styling it - we'll hang it in a beautiful spot!

Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most common wedding details I photograph. I ask couples to gather any details they have before we arrive, say hello, then begin with all the little details!

Important Items to bring to the prep location

• Dress

• Dress hanger

• Veil/or any hair pieces

• Rings (both engagement and wedding bands) and any boxes

• Flowers, bouquets and buttonholes

• Invitation suite

• Jewelry such as necklaces or bracelets

• Perfume

• Any other sentimental keepsakes you would like to include

• 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 pieces we can incorporate those in your detail shots.

  GROOM DETAILS CHECKLIST

• His shoes

• Socks (if they're special)

• Cuff links

• Tie or bow tie

• Pocket square

• Buttonhole

• Anything else he'll have that is special or sentimental.

  If possible, collect all of your details before I arrive so that I can begin quickly and have more time for some “getting ready” shots of you!

THE RINGS

I LOVE THE RINGS SHOTS I DO FOR MY COUPLES!

When we can, we always try to take a photo of your rings while you're getting ready. If possible, try to have your engagement ring cleaned or clean it yourself. To clean at home, soak your ring in warm water with dishwashing soap for 20 to 40 minutes. Then gently brush the stone with a soft toothbrush, rinse and repeat if needed.

For family portraits, we’ll place you in the centre of a large group photo with all of your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, godparents, etc. And then we’ll remove the extended family so it’s just grandparents, parents and siblings.

We’ll keep removing family members and switch a few closer family members in and out so we get photos of you and your parents, you and your siblings, some with the groom and your family, etc. Then we’ll repeat the process with your spouse's family. The whole thing will go quicker and smoother if you let family know how the portrait process will work ahead of time.
You + parents (together)

• You + parents (separately)

• You + parents + siblings (together)

• You + your siblings (together)

• Your spouse + their parents (together)

• Your spouse + their parents (separately)

• Your spouse + their parents + their siblings (together)

• Your spouse + their siblings (together)

• You + your spouse + your parents + your siblings

• You + your spouse + your parents

• You + your spouse + their parents + their siblings

• You + your spouse + their parents

• You + your spouse + your grandparents (if attending)

• You + your spouse + their grandparents (if attending)

If you have aunts, uncles, cousins or other people that you want to include in photos, we suggest opting for larger groups of people so you can get more groupings in during the time slot or using your cocktail hour for informal photos.

When we send out our pre-wedding questionnaire, we'll ask you for a list of specific groupings, special situations (such as divorces or handicapped family members & more), but if you want to start brainstorming photos in the meantime, you'll find our typical list below.

Please note that this list is just a starting point and that we're happy to take any requested family portraits as long as time allows!

Pro Tip: have someone in your wedding party or a close family member assigned to help organize groupings for family formal portraits. This will ensure that no one gets left out, as your photographer will not know all of your family members by name. Your group shots will be much more efficient and painless if you have your groups are ready and waiting to be photographed.

Using cocktail hour for informal extras. Many couples opt to take semi-formal photos with friends and extended family during cocktail hour. They aren’t super-posed, they’re more of the “throw your arms around each other and hug in tight!” types of photos. They are super easy to shoot and make for great memories.

GATHEr the goods

EXTRA elements

Keep all three rings

BRINGthe bouquet

If possible, collect all of your details before I arrive so that I can begin quickly and have more time for some “getting ready” shots of you and your close friends and family.

Sometimes, depending on the theme and “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. If you’re having a rustic themed wedding that includes some wooden elements, maybe save a small piece of wood for me to use when I’m shooting your rings and jewerly. This REALLY makes for beautiful, consistent album spreads!

The most common detail missing when I arrive are the rings! Mums, officiants and planners will tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits so that I can shoot some great ring shots in the AM! If you forget, no worries, I can always shoot the ring shot at the reception if there is extra time!

Don’t forget the Bouquet! Have the bouquets delivered to the bride. No worries, if it’s hot, we’ll be sure to keep it in water as much as possible before the ceremony!

WHAT IS A CONTROLLED

SPARKLER EXIT?

Exits! If your coverage ends before your exit (at the very end of the party), you have the option of planning a faux/controlled exit with your bridal party! This is more common than you may think. Instead of saving your exit until the very end, you can plan a faux exit with just the members of your bridal party and a few family members! This allows us to have more control over these shots and the party NEVER has to stop! In most cases, no one even notices that the bride and groom are missing for a few minutes! Also, it’s almost impossible to tell that the whole wedding party isn’t there waving sparklers and sending off the happy couple! I dare you to look at my blog/portfolio and see if you can pick out which exits were fake and which were real! This idea allows our couples a lot of headache and still have all of the shots that they dreamed of!

 ALBUMS

One of the best ways to make your wedding memories last is by ordering an album. These high quality professionally designed albums come in a variety of linen & leather colours. These aren’t the same albums your parents' wedding photos came in. These albums are available through your gallery, or you can contact me for more information.

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