Fancy looking absolutely stunning in those wedding snaps? These **super simple tips** will get you there. Say goodbye to bingo wings and stress spots, and watch the magic happen!
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Book a hair and make up artist
They know how to make you look great for the camera, and many will come back in the evening to give you a touch up. Just make sure you don’t deviate too much from your normal look, or you won’t look like yourself in your photos. They know how to make you look great for your photographs, and some even mix you up the perfect foundation for your skin tone and give you a little pot of it to keep you looking gorgeous all day and night.
Get ready near a window
Get ready in a bright, uncluttered room with lots of window light, as it’s a really soft, flattering light. Turn artificial lights off and open all the curtains. This will massively help your make up artist too.
Invest in an awesome photographer
I’ve heard way too many horror stories about couples who didn’t budget for a decent wedding photographer and ended up with disappointing photos. Bad photography is the biggest regret among brides. A photographer should cost at least 10 per cent of your budget. I’m happy to show you as many full weddings as you like so you can see how I shoot the whole day and not just the highlights) and most importantly, make sure you’re in love with their work and get on well with them.
Ignore your photographer
Book a photographer whose work you love, and just relax and trust that they will make you look awesome. Being natural is the best way to do this. The easiest way? Ignore them completely! The best photos are when you don’t know they’re being taken. I’ve been called a wedding ninja by so many of my couples – they’re always quite apologetic when they say they didn’t notice me all day, but it’s exactly what I want.
Have some fun with your photos
If you (or I!) have a crazy idea for a photo, roll with it. If I hadn’t had such a cool, up-for-it couple, I would never have got this photo of the bride and groom pretending to go really fast in a hovering VW camper (the hovering was a happy accident, a fun trick of the light!). So get in that lake, walk through that long grass, get wet in the rain!
Practise good posture
In the weeks leading up to your wedding, check yourself out in the mirror and see what looks good. Most importantly, try not to slouch during the ceremony – pop those shoulders back and stand tall – it will make a world of difference, not only to your photos, but also to your confidence.
Stop posing
Ignore the urge to fake smile pose when the camera is turned on you, and don’t hide your emotions — the laughing and tearful pictures are the ones that you’ll remember. And when I direct you to stand, sit, touch, hold and kiss each other, make sure you do it the way you would naturally. If it feels uncomfortable, just say so.
Use the ‘golden hour’
This is the time before sunset when the sky goes orange and you get dreamy photos with lovely sun flare. Even if you’re halfway through you’re dessert, get out and get that photo because sometimes it only lasts a minute! If I see it happening, I’ll drag you out, even if you’re only halfway through your ice cream!
Do the almost kiss
Kissing makes a lovely photo, but the ‘almost kiss’ is so goddamn sexy. All you have to do is go in for the kiss, without pouting, but stop just before you get there. It will last a millisecond before you burst out laughing, but I always make sure I catch that millisecond!
Think about your ceremony time
If you’re getting married at 4pm in December you won’t get those sunny wedding photos you’ve seen splashed all over the blogs. The earlier the ceremony the better, not only for dreamy photos, but also because you’ll have a lot more time to chat to your guests – time flies on a wedding day more than you imagine!
Leave the fake tan at home
Fake tan might look good in person, but it doesn’t translate well to photos. It looks super orange and any marks and missed bits will be really obvious. A real tan (without strap lines!) looks gorgeous, as does naturally fair skin – embrace the pale!
Make time for your portraits
If you want amazing photos of the two of you, especially arty, creative ones, you’re going to want to save enough time to do it. Take 20 minutes away from the madness to have some alone time and get some awesome portraits. Why not take a drive to that cornfield or the ruins down the road, or as these guys did, let me rain fire on you!
Sunshine is not your best friend
Bright sunny days are actually a real pain in the bum for photos. Sun causes ugly shadows on your face and makes you squint. Any photographer worth their salt will turn you away from the sun if possible, and suggest that you do group and portrait shots a little later in the day. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and golden sunshine can look magical, like at this Florida wedding.
Rain is awesome
Do you want only Pinterest-worthy sun-kissed pics or do you want unique, personal photos that perfectly tell your wedding day story? If it rains, embrace it! I’ve had couples tell me they were glad it rained on their wedding day, as they got stunning photos of them standing out in it.
Have an ‘unplugged’ ceremony
Ask your guests not to take photos during the ceremony. Do you want your walking-down-the-aisle photos to consist mainly of a guest’s ipad? And those little red lights on cameras that light up just before they take a picture will be all over your face and dress, and sometimes not even black and white can save it.
Let your dress go
Try not to be precious about your dress. You’ll lose out on some awesome photos if you’re not willing to get a little bit dirty. If I suggest walking through a field or standing in a lake, I’ve got a good reason for it – you’ll get stunning photos. And who are we kidding, the dress is going to the back of the wardrobe by the end of the night anyway. So what if it’s a bit muddy around the hem and has red wine stains? These are stories to be told!
Suit up
Boys, if you’re wearing a suit, make sure it fits well and flatters you. The same goes for your groomsmen – you’d be surprised the amount of times I’ve seen the best man run off to the tailors on the morning of a wedding because his trousers didn’t fit. Also, make sure you don’t have anything in your trouser pockets. Lumpy trousers don’t look good in pictures — and holding your stuff is what your best man is for.
Speak to the DJ
For the first dance (or in fact the entire evening), ask your DJ to turn off those coloured spotty lights that fly around the room. You’ll end up with purple, red and yellow splodges on your face and dress in the photos otherwise (and black and white can’t fix it). I always ask the DJ to turn these off, so don’t worry if you forget, but it’s something to bear in mind, as many photographers don’t do this.
If you’re still looking for a wedding photographer, please get in touch – I’d love to hear from you.
