Friday Bride Day: Will I get ALL of the photographs you take?

Will I get ALL of the photographs you take? I was a bride not too long ago. Three (short) years ago, I was asking the same question. I wanted to know exactly how many photographs I could expect, and if I was getting every. single. photograph.

In short, the answer is no. Not what you wanted to hear, right? Let me explain. My job as a photographer is to document your day, as if I was a friend attending your day, I'm telling the story of how everything happened. I can do that without showing every single photograph (which could be upward of a couple of thousand photographs)- sometimes I take a photograph thats out of focus, sometimes my clients blink, sometimes someone walks in front of my shot and it becomes less than ideal. These are photographs you do not want, and frankly, do not meet my standard. I want my clients to have only the best.

Don't get me wrong, if I shoot a series of photographs and they are all awesome- I'm giving them to my client. On the other hand, if I shoot a serious of photographs and they look something like this -ehh, ehh, ehh, blurry, ehh, BAM, ehh... I'm giving my client the BAM shot.

Let's talk numbers. It's safe to say that when I shoot a wedding with a second shooter, we average about 100 photographs per hour together. So let's say you have 6 hours of coverage, you can expect about 600 photographs. What if I got 700 that I thought were amazing, do I stop once I get to 600? NO WAY! I give you all of the excellent photographs I have! When I hear of photographers giving clients thousands of photographs- I think they are doing them a disservice. It is simply overwhelming to try to create/organize/print that many photographs.

In short, TRUST your photographer. When someone hires me, I assume that they trust my judgement. I would never hold out on a client and hold back from any great photographs! Many of my clients become my friends, and I treat them as I would my best friend. I want them to be genuinely astounded with their photographs and will give them every amazing shot I can.

If you have a question for me about photography or weddings in general- email me at diana@styledpink.com

Friday Bride Day: Who do I need to feed?

This week's question is a common one: Do I have to feed my vendors? It's a question every bride has to think about... do you feed your photographer, dj, musicians, etc?

A wedding day can be a very long day- especially for a photographer. The photographer is with you when you get into your dress until the last dance... of course we are having a blast, but we do get hungry too! I would suggest anyone who is going to be working at your wedding for four or more hours is probably worthy of a meal. I'm pretty sure it's a known fact- people that have full bellies are happier workers than hungry workers! If you aren't sure, just ask! Some vendors actually require meals or they may leave your wedding to get a meal- better to just ask before the big day so everyone is on the same page.

Cheers to delish wedding food and happy vendors <3

Friday Bride Day- Wedding Day Schedule

How can I make sure my wedding day goes as smoothly as possible? All brides want a flawless wedding day with no disasters. One way to avoid disaster is to make a schedule. Sounds silly right? We get ready, go to the church and go to the reception- so what is there to schedule? Face it- a bridesmaid forgot her shoes at her house, the boutonnieres weren't delivered to the correct place, the best man is missing and your uncle is late! I find that sitting with my brides and creating a schedule for their big day really helps to avoid disasters (and sometimes even hiccups) on their big day. I also encourage the bride to share the schedule with their bridal party and family. It is so important to let the key players of your day know your expectations prior to the day of the wedding. I'm not saying to print out a copy for each member in the bridal party and have them take an oath to memorize it- but to at least take a look at it before the wedding day. I have an assistant with a watch and the schedule printed out to help keep us all on time!

Here's a sample schedule below.

12:00 PM • Photographer arrives to bride (Bridesmaids should have hair and makeup finished. Bride should be finishing up.) • Photographer arrives to groom

1:00 PM • Groom and Groomsmen leave for church

1:15 PM • Bride and Bridesmaids leave for church

2:00 PM • Ceremony Begins

2:45 PM • Formal Exit- Rose Pedals (Photographers will assemble guests)

3:00 PM • Family Formal Portraits at Church

3:30 PM • Leave for Reception Venue

4:00 PM • Bridal Party Portraits (All Bridal Party meet in the front entrance of venue directly after exiting limo)

4:30 PM • Bride and Groom Formal Portraits

5:00 PM • Bride and Groom leave to enjoy remainder of cocktail hour

6:00 PM • Reception Begins

10:00 PM • Reception Ends

Even with a schedule, there might be times throughout the day where things are running ahead or behind, but I find that working with a schedule tremendously helps the flow of the wedding day. I would love to hear about your thoughts on a schedule. Are you planning on having one? Why or why not?

Friday Bride Day- Pinterest Inspiration

Do photographers like when you share your Pinterest boards with them? I LOVE Pinterest. I'm actually sorta sad because it didn't exist three years ago when I was a bride! I think Pinterest has definitely stepped up the game in DIY weddings and I love it! Many of my brides share their Pinterest boards with me and I think it's great because it gives me a better idea of their style and if they are photography pins- a better idea of the type of photographs they would like.

On the other hand, it can also hinder a photographer's creativity if you give them a 10-page printout of your pins and you want every shot on the page. Compromise is the way to go in this situation. Pick a handful of your absolute favorite pins to share with your photographer, and let your photographer put their own creative spin on it! That way they are not being put into the uncomfortable place of recreating someone else's work and they can use their own creativity, to give you something unique!

Here's an example of a Pinterest inspired shot with my gorgeous bride, Jess, and her groom, Justin. P.S. She MADE this sign- so creative!

Friday Bride Day Launch- Do we really need an engagement session?

So it's Friday... You know what that means, well not yet, but you will! Friday Bride Day is going to be a feature every Friday on my blog featuring a question from a bride! If you have any questions about wedding photography, weddings in general, or cute, small animals... email them to diana@styledpink.com. Now onto the question for today: Do we really need an engagement session?

Yes! Let me give you three reasons why.

1- It helps us get to know each other. Usually I meet all my brides and grooms for a consultation before they book with me. Well, that consultation may be an entire year before your wedding. That's a whole lotta time! I want you to feel comfortable with me on your wedding day, and an engagement session helps us get comfortable with each other.

2- An engagement session helps you to get comfortable in front of the camera. Some people freeze when they are in front of the camera (myself included). They start wondering "What should I do with my hands?" "Should I smile?" I will guide you through all of these questions as I help you pose naturally and comfortably- that way on your wedding day, you've already had a taste of it.

3- Lastly, engagement sessions are a great way to capture the two of you for some wonderful artwork- whether it be for your walls or your Save the Dates! It's great to have options besides just the shots of you on your wedding day. I love having canvases of my husband and I in our casual clothes from our engagement shoot in addition to our wedding shots.

I hope you enjoyed this first edition of Friday Bride Day!

Smithville Mansion Wedding: Jessica & Tom

Well... not quite a wedding- more of an anniversary shoot. Jessica and Tom were married five years ago. They decided to commemorate their perfect day by putting on the clothes that they wore that day (props to all gals who can fit into their dress five years and one kid later!) and heading out for a photo shoot. Did I mention who did Jessica's hair and makeup? The wonderful Kate Spencer provided the romantic updo, and Paula Miller with the flawless makeup. I'm pretty sure that these two practiced their poses and faces before they came- they seriously brought it on. Models! I had such a great time celebrating five wonderful years with them. You two are amazing! <3

Bogey's Club and Cafe Wedding: Everest & Allison

They were married on a warm June day. Every handmade detail was placed perfectly, the girls were looking gorgeous in their pale pink dresses, and the guys ready to go in their suspenders. I can't imagine how long Allison, the stunning bride, and her bridesmaids worked on every DIY detail of her rustic/romantic wedding. The ceremony set the tone of the wedding- there wasn't a dry eye in the room by the time the first kiss came. After Everest and Allison became husband and wife, we took the bridal party to a beautiful white barn Allison had found where we had some fun! Finally, we headed to Bogey's Club and Cafe in Sewell, New Jersey for the white tent reception. Everest and Allison's wedding was absolutely perfect! Enjoy!