Rhoad to the Altar: Perfect wedding photos take time

Of course we had to stop for Jeni?s Ice Cream during my bachelorette party in downtown Columbus, Ohio.

Remember me? I?m back after a small hiatus. Between work and traveling home for my shower/mustache bachelorette bash (and that whole planning a wedding thing), things have been beyond hectic. We?re in the home stretch now, with about five weeks until the big day.

In trying to nail down a day-of schedule, Christian and I sat down with our photographer to talk about photos first. Aside from getting everyone?s hair done, time for pictures was probably going to dictate how the majority of our day is laid out.

Photos are a very big deal to Christian and me, so we wanted to make sure we had a plan. We sat down with our photographer, Howie McCormick, of Howie McCormick Photography, to see if he had any suggestions on how best to tackle taking gorgeous photos. After our conversation, we had a better idea of how to approach our wedding day photos and how much time to allow for them.

A lot of brides don?t want their soon-to-be husbands to see them before they walk down the aisle, but several brides have told me that doing the ?big reveal? before the ceremony actually takes a lot of stress off the couple.

Howie said the same thing.

?It takes a lot of pressure off the couple if you see each other before the ceremony. And we can get a lot of photos out of the way before the wedding if you guys want to do it that way,? he told us.

I?ve gone to plenty of weddings where the guests have to wait one or? two hours to eat because the couple is off taking photos of God knows what. I don?t want that to happen at our reception.

I?ve also been told that it?s good to take photos before the wedding, while you?re still fresh. Your hair hasn?t had to withstand a 20-minute ceremony, and your makeup hasn?t had to last through 20 minutes of tears.

Courtesy of Flickr user potzuyoko
Photos are something that will be around for years, making a good photographer a worthwhile investment.

Howie suggested planning for about two hours or so for photos before the wedding. That includes photos of me and the bridesmaids, Christian and the groomsmen, glamor shots of just the two of us and then photos with family. Plus, he said, we need to be done with any pre-ceremony photos at least 45 minutes before the ceremony to avoid being spotted by any early guests.

We decided to hold off on any family photos until after the ceremony. That way our family members don?t have to show up hours before the wedding actually starts.

I found a checklist in Lancaster Bride magazine that gives a good rundown of the type of photos to get.

• While getting ready: Closeup, full length, with mother, with father, with bridesmaids/groomsmen, adjusting veil, makeup, holding bride/groom?s ring, candids.
• Formal poses (individual): Individual photos of the bride and groom separately with each of their half of the wedding party, their parents, both parents, grandparents and entire family.
• Formal poses (together): Bride and groom together, with attendants, parents, entire families, entire wedding party and with clergy.
• Ceremony: Before vows; guests; bride arriving; bride?s mother; groom?s parents being seated; soloist/readers/organist; groomsmen at the altar; bride and father in foyer; flower girl; ring bearer; bride?s entrance; giving-away; bride meeting groom; exchange of vows/rings; kiss.
• Recessional photos: Bride and groom; each pair of attendants; flower girl; ring bearer.
• After the ceremony: Bride and groom on steps, entering the car, candids.
• At the reception: Arrival; receiving line; bouquet/garter toss; first dances; dining; departure; candids.

Christian and I are both very into silly photos and have some cute ideas of things we?d really like to do. One that I?ve had floating around in my head for a while is a cute picture of us peeking out over the top of a newspaper from Huntington ? where we met while both working there. I also would like to get a shot of the moms holding up a fancy picture frame, with us framed inside ? like this, but with our mothers instead of the kids.

I love this photos of the rings stacked next to the date on a newspaper page.?

This photo with a vintage car is one of my favorites, too.

Check out all of the photo ideas I have pinned on our Pinterest page.

Our photographer is great at candids, so I trust him to help us come up with some fun photos. In talking with him, he found out what type of photos we want. It?s also a good idea to send your photographer the website of your wedding venue, especially if it?s large or outside, to give them an idea of what to expect. It also might help generate ideas.

Courtesy of Flickr user Nina Matthews Photography
I love this photo using the wedding rings and scrabble tiles. Check with your photographer before the wedding to see what props (if any) they will supply and what you need to bring.

When budgeting out your day and time for photos, don?t forget about the light. If you want to get that perfect kiss at sunset, remember, if you get married in Ohio in the summer, you might not get that photo until almost 10 p.m. Or if you want a sunny photo of the two of you running through a daisy field, but the wedding doesn?t start until 7 p.m., you?re probably not going to get it.

Feel free to talk to your photographer about ideas you have and props you might want to use. Be sure to ask if they would be willing to provide any props or if that would be something you need to bring, such as picture frames, chalkboards, a special hanger for your dress, maybe some luggage, etc.

Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/smart/2013/09/06/rhoad-to-the-altar-perfect-wedding-photos-take-time/

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