A Photographer Prepared: Wedding Day Survival Tips

I was never a Girl Scout but I am a big fan of the idea of always being prepared. And this holds especially true on days of big events! As your photographer, it is my primary job to capture your love story with beautiful images. But I also want to help your day go as smoothly as possible…and having been to A LOT of weddings here are some important wedding day survival tips.

LAY IT ALL OUT

Make sure the night before you make sure you have everything you need/want. The dress, the jewelry, the shoes – but also the right underclothes, the robe you want to wear during hair and makeup, your favorite lip gloss to wear later in the evening as your makeup fades, the gift you want to give your mom or the letter you wrote to your soon to be husband.

PLAN EXTRA TIME

As you plan for hair and makeup, family arrivals, floral deliveries, getting ready photos, family portraits, bustling your dress, dinner service…all the little details…err on the side of caution and add extra time wherever possible. The reality is some things will not go quite as planned and that is ok! The more time you have given yourself to do all those things the easier it is to address little annoyances as they come up!

EAT

Eat real food, not just liquids, and certainly not just alcohol and coffee. Your wedding day is a really amazing day but it is also going to be a long and busy one. And you want to have the fuel to get through it! Every one of your guests wants to see you out dancing on the dance floor and that is hard to do when you are ready to collapse.

SHOES

wear the gorgeous heels, the shiny dress shoes, the stunning stilettos…but have a pair of flats or converse or flip flops waiting nearby. Maybe you won’t need them but if your feet start to hurt you’ll be thankful you’re not headed out the dance floor barefoot. Better safe than sorry – your toes will thank you!

WEATHER

your venue will handle a lot of major weather situations but be prepared for the little ones. Here in Florida, we deal with two major issues regularly – heat and rain. Rain is easy – grab that extra umbrella just in case, know if your venue has an overhang you can be dropped off under, and trust your vendor team to know what to do – we’ve done this before! The heat is a little different as so many people react so differently – but know yourself, drink a lot of water, and be prepared to step away at your reception if you need to. A moment by a fan or under an AC vent can go a long way, or even just a moment in a dressing room to pull up that skirt or take off that jacket!

EMERGENCY KIT…

You don’t want a spill or tear or headache ruining your day! Accidents happen but they don’t have to be the end of the world. Whether it’s bad breath, dry skin, minor injury, or a hair issue I’ve got you covered. Want your own kit? Here are some of my suggestions!

• Hygiene items: deodorant, nail files, dental floss, mouthwash, lotion, tissues
• First Aid items: band-aids, Advil, hand sanitizer, hydrocortisone, antibiotic ointment
• Fixer items: sewing kit, bobby pins, safety pins, stain remover and wet wipes

In addition to these things have vendors that are prepared for themselves. My camera bag always has an entire spare camera in it along with tons of SD cards, lenses, flashes, and batteries!

You cannot control every moment of your day but you can be prepared. Besides, a few minor inconveniences make for great stories later!