omg.
are you ready?
Well in case you’re not, that’s what this guide is for.
I’m breaking down your entire wedding day so that you know exactly what to expect, how to prep, and how to leave it to me to make sure you have the best wedding photos ever.
Read it. Then rock it.
pre-wedding prep
a note on "must-have" photos & specific photo requests
I might not know who your best friend from middle school is. I might not know that the third ring on your right index finger belonged to your grandmother. There are so many details about your day that you will know that I wont have any idea how 'must-have' important they are unless you communicate that with me; either before your wedding day or at any point during the day. You can ask me to take a photo of anything! You can signal to me like you're landing a plane! You can yell my name from across the room and I will come running. If there is a photo of a person, place, or thing that you most definitely want to see in your wedding gallery when its delivered, please take the responsibility of asking me to take said specific photo. Legally (per your contract), I can't be held responsible for not getting a certain photo; but like humanly (thats a word, right?) and as the keeper of your memories, I want to get every photo that will make you happy! So please be sure to communicate with me anything or anyone or any group shots that you would like images of that are clearly outside a standard wedding day shot list.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY. TALK TO ME!
Also, this is stated in your contract but I’ll add it here for good measure: all photo requests, are just that, requests. In no way do I guarantee that I will capture any one photo in any specific type of way. Also, re-creating shots you saw on pinterest can sometimes come off as in-authentic, so lets just do our own thing and create our own stuff! Yay!
fun facts about your schedule/timeline
Your photo schedule is not completely set in stone once created, it is simply a guideline based on all the things you want to shoot, where you want to shoot them, where we have time to shoot them, etc. Things may get out of order or have to be done at a different time than originally scheduled because...well....thats how weddings roll. But it would be best for you and the people around you if you learn to roll with the punches sooner than later. Sh*t happens. Sometimes weddings stay on schedule, sometimes they don't. It is what it is.
Including more people in your wedding day process many times decreases the ability to maintain the timeline created prior to the wedding day. The more family, and guests, and vendors, and wedding party people you have, the more likely someone or something is going to impact your timeline negatively. Your wedding coordinator will keep you on schedule as much as possible. If you dont have a wedding coordinator, I will keep you on schedule as much as possible. But ultimately its YOU that controls what does or doesn't get done on time. Keep that in mind.
You don't have to answer your phone on your wedding day if you don't want to. True story. A great idea is to hand your phone off to someone like your MOH who can possibly answer questions for you or at the very least be the calming middleman if someone does have a question for you that only you can answer. The goal is always to stay on schedule, and last minute phone calls = quick derailment.
A positive attitude is the best thing you can have to make your wedding day the best day despite any last minute changes or unexpected mishaps. On your wedding day, everyone in attendance (whether a vendor or a guest) is here for you. A great attitude will go a super long way.
location, style and timing
If any one of these 3 things is missing, we are in for a major challenge my good friend. But I'll always do my best to make any situation work :) Tips and tricks on how you can help me help you lie ahead. I hope this guide will help you feel the utmost confident that your wedding day will go exactly as you planned :) #hah
How to rock your
wedding day portraits
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANSWER TO "WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR HANDS?!"
You gotta give me emotion! You can't tell me in your inquiry that you hate "posed" photos and then get to the session and just stand there holding hands and smiling at the camera......um hi thats a 'pose' babe. Show me all the love! Forget I'm there, bear hug each other, play with each other, chase each other, whisper secrets in each others ears, act like 2 goofy teenagers in love, grab each others face, for crying out loud- kiss without me having to prompt you to, wrap each other up and then close your eyes and listen to the wind, admire each others hands and body parts, theres no one here but us chickens! Cuddle under a cute blanket, take a walk, grab butts, help me bring life to your photos by bringing your real selves and your real love to our session. I'm literally yelling this by now and I know you cant hear me but still....
Give me feeling.
Give me emotion.
Show me how much you love each other. Please.
This ain't Sears portraits y’all! Dont just stand there! Move around, dance, play, make people jealous, throw your hands in the air if you don’t know what to do with them.
The more you interact with each other on your own, the less I have to direct you to do something different.
the wedding day
Prep Shots (Hair, Makeup, Getting Dressed)
Lighting is important. I utilize natural light every chance I get. For portraits, for prep shots, for anything that comes before the reception really. Your prep location should have light. Your bridal suite should have light. The difference between a 'cute' image and an amazing image is proper lighting (and a few other things). Please keep that in mind when planning where you're prepping, where you're standing during your ceremony, the time of day it will be when you'll be doing your couples session, etc.
Try to keep the house, hotel room, or bridal suite you are getting ready as clean as possible or at least keep try to keep one area (near the window if possible) so that when Im taking photos of you getting dressed you are not being photo bombed by trash.
Estimated Shoot Time: 45 min for bride, 15 min for groom
Locations: 1 (wherever you are prepping)
What I need to make your prep shots beautiful: CLEAN room, Natural light, Not a million people in the shot. If I have to spend time cleaning up a messy room before I start shooting, we will have less time for your prep shots. Please don't let your wedding party trash your prep space. If your prep space is messy, your photos will look messy. It is what it is.
First Look + pre-ceremony wedding portraits
Estimated Shoot Time: 30-45 mins
Locations: Several, preferably outdoors. Your first look does not have to be at the place where you are getting dressed. If your prep site is not very photogenic or will have too many photo inconveniences (hotel lobby full of people, an airbnb with no picturesque back yard, a messy hotel room, a dark living room, in front of your house with your garbage cans in the background, etc) I would urge you to be ok with finding a cuter, more photo friendly location either near your prep site or on the way to your venue in order to get nicer frame-worthy photos. You only take these photos once, so lets make the most of them!
What I need to make your first look beyond belief: PRIVACY; Also the GROOM should put his wedding ring on for these shots as they are technically your wedding portraits (and especially if these are the ONLY portraits you plan to take.)
Ceremony Shots
What I need to make your ceremony photos memorable: Face each other so that I can see your profile, don't have your back to your guests because you will in turn have your back to me; Public affection may not be your thing, but please kiss for longer than usual so that I can get both vertical and horizontal shots. Also, ask your officiant to step away when you kiss so that he or she is not in the shot; Also, try not to speed down the aisle when you are coming and going.
ceremony Photo Tip!
Make your Recessional photos POP by having your guests throw something!
Flower petals, confetti, bubbles, streamers, anything that adds some fun to your aisle walk after you are married!
post-ceremony wedding portraits
Estimated Shoot Time: 30-45 mins
Locations: Preferably outdoors and away from guests
What I need to make your wedding portraits magazine worthy: A great location + a great attitude. If your wedding reception is 4+ hours, taking 30 minutes after your ceremony to take some truly epic portraits isn't the end of the world. I'm sure you've carved out plenty of time to hang with your guests, so don't think of shooting portraits during cocktail hour as missing out on them. They'll be there when you get back. Promise.
Wedding Party Photos
Estimated Shoot Time: 15 mins
Locations: 1 (preferably outdoors)
What I need to make your wedding party portraits fab: Everyone in their designated area at the right time. Wedding party portraits only take more than 5 minutes when you are looking for that one missing groomsmen or bridesmaid. Whether you decide to shoot these before or after the ceremony, give your wedding party a specific time to take photos so that everyone is ready to go when you are.
Family Photos
Estimated Shoot Time: 20 min
Locations: 1 (preferably outdoors)
What I need to make your family portraits tolerable: Same as the wedding party. These photos only take a long time to shoot when everyone is not together in the designated spot at the right time. When you send me your Family Photo list it is easiest for me to shoot each photo in the order I've printed it out in. When grandma or brother #2 is not in the designated spot on time, and we have to start skipping around the list in order to not waste time, it starts to get crazy and frustrating for everyone involved, you, me, and the family members waiting to take their photos.
Family Portraits before the ceremony: This is the easiest way to shoot your family portraits since it is much less chaotic, there are no open bars that family members can run off to forgetting that they have to take pictures, and less guests for your family members to be distracted by. Give all family members a specific time to meet at the venue prior to the ceremony, so that we can knock these out quickly.
Family Portraits after the ceremony: Make sure ALL included family members know that they are taking pictures immediately after the ceremony so that they don't stray too far. Too often I hear someone say they weren't told they had to take photos immediately after the ceremony. Taking family portraits after the ceremony can be frustrating, especially when family doesn't stay put and your sister has to play duck duck goose among one hundred guests at cocktail hour looking for family members chatting it up with guests and standing in line for a drink. DJ's, officiants and wedding coordinators are all people that can help you announce when and where family photos will take place so that we can knock them out smoothly.
Reception Photos
I do not take photos of people while they are eating. During dinner service, I have to eat and be done before speeches.
What I need to make your reception photos feel good: Don't look at me every time you see me :) also if you want to be in these photos you should probably dance. Also all grooms, try to dance for at least one song so you're in at least one reception photo :) Also I will do my best to shoot every guest, but it is not a guarantee that every guest will show up in your photos (see page 1). If there is anyone specific that you definitely want a photo with you need to pull them aside for a picture and grab me to take it. Otherwise, I'll be shooting candids all night, mostly of those on the dance floor.
Send Off Photos
What I need to make your reception photos unforgettable: come out on time :) and walk at a medium pace through the sparklers or whatever your guests are holding so I have time to get the shots (I know sparklers will make you feel like running because fire, but please don’t, otherwise I won't get the right shots)
Wanna know what i typically shoot at a wedding?
CHECK OUT MY FULL DAY WEDDING PHOTO TEMPLATE
after the wedding
After your wedding day is over, well, first you get to breathe. And second, you get to wait for all the amazing images from your day! Whoop! Head out on your honeymoon and stay tuned for a few sneak peeks!
ETA
Your images will be ready within 4-6 weeks (Nov-Feb) or 6-8 weeks (March-Oct).
Please do not email for an update unless the above estimated time has passed. I'll try my best to post a few preview shots while you wait. #loveyoumeanit
Print Release
Your print release is also outlined in your contract but here is one to keep handy in case anyone ever asks you if they can use your photos for something. Be sure to download it. You can share, post and print your images to your heart's content!
Photo Credit
Please credit me when posting your lovely images to social media. Referrals from your friends and family are how I continue to pay my bills every month :)
How to Properly Credit/Tag Me when posting to Social Media:
Instagram: @xokelleyraye and @kelleyrayephoto
Facebook: @kelleyrayephoto
Website: http://kelleyrayephoto.com
Thanks in advance for tagging me (and not adding any additional filters to your already meticulously edited images) yay!
there’s not much else to it! at the end of the day it’s important for you to show up, have fun and make it a day to remember. sh*t will go wrong, but it won’t effect you in the slightest. because the point of this day is to celebrate with the people you love most on a day that’s literally just for you. take it all in, and be present as much as possible. its time to have the
best. day. ever.
