After the confetti has been swept away, and the last crumb of cake consumed, your
wedding photographs endure to tell the unique story of your special day. To look and feel
your best for your photos, and to generally ensure the big day runs smoothly, follow my
hassle-free guide.
1. Avoid wedding stress
Planning a wedding is never easy, but the best advice I can give you is to try to make it as
much fun as possible. Turn every big (and potentially stressful) decision into an enjoyable
activity! Stuck on which wines to choose? Invite friends over for a memorable tasting
evening. Fretting over food choices? Make menu testing into a date night or even a night
away. Don’t let the pre-wedding jitters take over. Not only does worrying take the pleasure
out of the wedding build up, but it could also leave you looking tired and weary. Not a good
look for your photos!
2. Stag/hen party well in advance
Hen or stag parties are a rite of passage and a great way to kick back and celebrate your
impending nuptials with your friends and loved ones. But a word of warning! Don’t plan
yours too close to your wedding day. Leave enough time for broken bones to heal,
shaved-off eyebrows to regrow, or to correct whatever other mishaps might occur in the
spirit of high jinks! When you look at your beautiful wedding photos, you’ll thank yourself
for it.
3. Go for tried and tested
Avoid trying out new or radical beauty treatments, or skincare products, too near to your
wedding day, in case you have an adverse reaction. This is not the time to test out a
chemical peel! Always have a trial run with fake tan and discuss the best time to apply it
with your beauty therapist, so you can be confident that you’ll look glowing rather than
orange on your big day. Likewise, don’t be tempted to try a new herbal remedy to calm
nerves the night before you take your vows – you don’t want the day to be spoiled by you
feeling drowsy or unwell.
4. Pearls of wisdom
If you’re accessorising with gorgeous jewellery, don’t put it on before you are dressed, hair and
make-up done and ready to go! Hairspray can dull, or even ruin jewellery. Softer stones like pearls
are delicate and chemicals can easily damage their lustre. Ingredients in other hair products can
eat away at gold and dull the surface of diamonds and gemstones. While we’re on the subject of
spills, ask your MOH to bring along some plastic-free baby wipes. You’d be surprised about
what they can get out of a wedding dress!
5. Conceal your phone
This one is mainly for the men. If you need to carry your phone on your wedding day, you’ll
probably remember to turn it on silent, but would you think to tuck it away in an inner
pocket? A phone bulge is not a great look, and not just for the photos! If your suit jacket
doesn’t have an inner pocket, consider asking a friend to hold onto your phone for you.
6. Chose the right paper
The thought of making a wedding speech might make your knees tremble, but practice
makes perfect and with a bit of effort you’ll feel fine on the day. But don’t ruin a well-
rehearsed speech by rocking up with a dog-eared, crumbled scrap of cheap paper.
Consider buying some luxurious notepaper or a swanky, bound book to write your speech in. I promise, it will make you look the part when all eyes and ears are trained on you
7. Trust the experts
There will be a lot to think about on your big day, but when it comes to photography, relax
and leave it in the hands of the experts. If your photographer assures you that the light is
amazing, or they’ve found the best spot for a quick portrait, trust them! Your photographer
knows what they’re doing and wants to get the best possible shots, so you can rest easy
that you won’t be disappointed.
8. Imperfectly perfect!
Lastly, and most importantly, HAVE FUN! You want your wedding day to be the most
perfect of your life, so it’s easy go into panic mode if things don’t go exactly according to
your plan as the day unfolds. But after attending and working at so many weddings, my
advice is to go with the flow and not let any minor hiccups ruin your mood. Enjoy each
moment, bask in the beauty of sharing your special day with family and friends and your
happiness will be captured on your wedding photos for eternity.
If you have any other useful tips, let me know in the comments!
This is such useful advice! Thank you for sharing!