A Day to Remember..

By Kristin Smith Photography

We're booked and ready for your day! So what's next?

First thing's first, relax!

As we get closer to your big day, we will be in touch and go over the day's timeline. A few weeks prior to your wedding date, I will send you a Wedding Questionnaire to fill out with the details of your wedding day!

Engagement Sessions are fun!

Let's talk about engagement sessions. Are you interested in having one? I highly recommend it! It's a way for us to meet, break the ice, and capture your moments before your wedding day. Also, it's a way for you guys to get a feel for what you can expect from me on your wedding day. And most importantly, feel comfortable in front of my lens! Engagement sessions are great for this! Save the Dates, Albums, and guestbooks available.

First Looks are a great idea and it is a new "flow" for weddings!
Don't get caught up in the cliche "its bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." This is just not the case anymore, times have changed! So many couples these days are going for first looks to break the ice between them. That "first" emotion is shared between the couple

with no one else watching (unless you want to of course!), except me, who is documenting all those smiles and tears. Some couples prefer the First Look for this reason specifically, they don't want to be extremely emotional at the alter and they want to be able to keep it together. With first looks, I am able to spend a lot more time with the Bride and Groom getting their portrait shots pre wedding. If a first look is in the schedule, family portraits before the wedding is the BEST time to do this so we have more time after the ceremony. And, you will get so many more pictures with a First Look!

Formal photos before the ceremony? Why not after?

As always, I am here to follow the needs and desires of my clients, but I will still recommend formal photos before the ceremony! If we are not doing a first look, we can still make it happen, and I will discuss in detail with you how it will lay out. The reason for formal portraits before the ceremony is simple, you get more time with your guests. The wedding party, family members, and B&G, will be able to attend cocktail hour because the majority of the photos have been done. Also, lighting is constantly changing, so we may have better locations for formals before the ceremony due to the time of day. The most important thing with formals before the ceremony...less stress! Less stress? Sign me up! I have seen it first hand - people disappear after the ceremony, its hard to track them down because "Uncle So and So" is already at the bar and has forgotten about pictures. The pattern repeats itself. We spend more time tracking down the individuals to get the formals done. Seeing so many weddings play out, photos are always rushed after the ceremony. I've seen situations where the main photographer didn't get as much as they hoped because everyone is in a hurry, understandably so, its time to party! I avoid this at all costs. I don't want people to "rush" the most important series of photos for the day. These photos usually end up on the wall! Formals before, its important! I am here to listen and if your wish is to do them after the ceremony, that's fine, we will just make sure our communication is on point of where everyone needs to be and when.

Tips for a smooth wedding day

Hair and makeup always runs longer than anticipated. Do a hair a makeup run through before the big day to see how long it takes and if you love your look of course! This is the time to change things as needed. Be sure to have your jewelry to trial with hair and makeup to see the finished look.
Have your flowers delivered where you are getting ready. Flowers bring out a lot of color in neutral colored environment during the getting ready phase. I am always taking detail shots of the flowers, plus you may want to pick it up for a quick photo too!
Rules for the venue. Some venues are laid back and some are super strict in regards to photographs. Find out your venues rules for photographs and restricted locations.
Formal photos before the ceremony is less stress, I promise! You'll have time to go to your party after the ceremony without feeling rushed and see all of your loved ones and friends! Plus a lot more time for B&G photos if a "First Look" is on the schedule.

Don't forget to snack while getting ready! This goes for the Bride and the Groom. I get it, all those nerves severally decrease our appetite, but it is so important to work through those metal blocks and get some food in your belly. It may be awhile before you get to eat, so carry on and keep snacking. You won't grow out of that dress the day of, promise!
Prepare an emergency bridal kit with clear nail polish, nail clippers, mints, a sewing kit, stain treater, eye drops, safety pins, bobby pins, pain reliever, mini deodorant, and feminine products. Nothing wrong with being prepared for anything!
Buy something cute and comfy to wear the morning of your wedding. Make sure you can get out of it easily so it doesn't mess up your hair and makeup. Wrap arounds or robes are great for this! I encourage cute, comfy, and matching outfits for the bridesmaids too! Everyone matching makes for great photos.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen, be ready early! Even if you don't want to have a "First Look," it is still a good idea to be ready early for a fun pre-wedding shoot with bright light! Try to be ready about 2 hours before the ceremony starts to allow enough time together. Normally I'll do the girls portraits first, about an hour before the ceremony, followed by the boys. If you have people in your wedding party that are always late, we all have those family members/friends, PLEASE tell them not to be! First look would take place before the girls portraits if that is something you want to do.
Make a list of posed family photos you want. With a list, this process will happen a lot faster! Its very important to know the family list if we are not doing formal photos before the ceremony. The best thing to do is designate someone to locate the family members needed if not everyone is present. Make sure this individual knows their job beforehand, not the day of the wedding. Communication is key to make this run as smoothly as possible, so you can get back to your party. My suggestion, keep your list to immediate family only. I'm sure everyone wants their pictures taken, but no one wants to stand around forever waiting for this to happen. Each pose should take 5 minutes, so decide how long is too long and how much is too much before the big day. I can always photograph non-formal family and friends at the reception.

All About the Details

The details play an important part of telling the story of your wedding day! Its so warming when couples go the "do-it-yourself" route from making their decorations to center pieces. I did this for my personal wedding and was ecstatic when I saw photos of the crafts I did at my wedding.

It's personable which is why its important. Your something borrowed or something blue can have some significant meaning to you on a personal level which is why I put focus into this. From your wedding dress, your Great-Grandmother's jewels to the boys taking shots of whiskey while getting ready, it all matters and will be documented and not overlooked. Time and money went into making your wedding day as beautiful as its going to be, so why not capture the delicate beauty of it.

We're getting close to your day! Now what?

Four weeks before the wedding I will send you a wedding questionnaire to fill out all the details most important to you so I can capture the best images possible. Once received, I will create a photo timeline of your day

One week before the wedding I will confirm all the details from your schedule and wedding questionnaire.

The day of your wedding I will arrive at the scheduled time and quickly run through your day. Then we coordinate with your family and friends regarding scheduled start times for formal portraits.

One day after your wedding I will collect all of your wedding images which will then be edited, retouched, and prepared for your online gallery.

Two weeks after your wedding I will deliver a sneak peak of your wedding images.

Four weeks after your wedding I will contact you to let you know that your images have been completed and a USB will be mailed to you. This is the time to order an album or any other kind of print merchandise such as wall wraps or metal prints for your in-home gallery.

Six to eight weeks after your wedding you will receive your album/merchandise (if you ordered one!) shipped to you or can pick up with me if you are local.