After a full year photographing more weddings than we ever have before, we’re finally getting around to blogging some of our favorite images. Capturing details is one of our most favorite aspects of a wedding day. We realize that couples, wedding planners & stylists spend a large amount of time and resources perfecting the details that go into a wedding day. Katie and I like to start roughly 2.5 hours before the ceremony to ensure we have enough time for photograph not only the dress, shoes, and jewelry but also your venue and ceremony site decorations. Our goal is to capture all the details before our brides begin to get into their dress and to fully capture the locations sites before guests arrive and begin to make it their own. (That’s a kind way of saying completely demolish everyone hard work before the bride and groom even get to see it.) Maybe it’s a midwest thing, but couples should really make great strides to try and view their reception spaces before their guests arrive. Some venues have separate cocktail and serving areas which make this a possibility.
This year was the year of glitter & gold, which combined with rustic tablescapes, burlap sack coverings & vintage glass telephone insulators was a dream to photograph. Large bright florals with silk ribbon accents by our favorite local artist, Fawn Mueller, made for some incredible wedding bouquets that included elements and plants we had never seen before. Succulents and non-floral elements made their way into many -a- groom’s boutonniere in 2016. We expect this trend to extend into 2017.
The key to photographing wedding details is finding even diffused light in an area that is slightly removed from the getting-ready-area. Since most brides want to keep their wedding dress a surprise for the aisle, we have to work quickly and often under specific guidelines when photographing the dress. No pressure. You have 5 minutes to find a location, position, photograph, and deliver the dress back to the bridal suite without so much as a popped stitch. We always love a good challenge and default to keeping the dress in mint condition. Keep in mind that a wooden hanger makes a world of difference.
Lastly, don’t forget the rings and the invitation suite. We like to use these in conjunction with floral elements and items from various arrangements and accents from your wedding decor. Ultimately, we want all of your images to cohesively tell your story in anthology form. This really begins with the details. If all of these elements can be captured before the hustle of the day really begins, we can naturally focus on documenting the rest of the day as it unfolds. We encourage our brides to keep all of these details in a shoe box. This keeps everything in one place and ensures we don’t have to seek out items upon our arrival.
