Wedding Planning Tips From an Expert-Placement of the Ceremony

Bride Tips 2017

You need to be cognizant of two main things when deciding on placement of the ceremony...lighting and distractions. I'll cover lighting in another tip in more detail. The important thing is to make sure you don't have distractions behind you either while you're standing up there during the ceremony or the one EVERYONE forgets is at the beginning of the aisle. When the bride walks in it's imperative that the background as she walks in is clear of any distractions (buildings, road signs, kegs, guests, etc etc etc)! I can't tell you the number of things I've had to edit out of "entrance" photos. Most photographers will shoot from the end of the aisle looking back to capture the faces of the wedding party and family as they enter. No one remembers to make sure that angle is clear from distractions. So remember, as you walk down the aisle towards your future make sure what's behind you isn't a cluttered mess! To see all my bride tips visit www.daxphotography.com

Wedding planning tips from a wedding expert-Addressing checks

Make sure to politely/tactfully remind your guests to properly address checks using your maiden name or to use the word "OR" not "AND" when filling them out. (I.e. Make payable to Mr. OR Mrs Smith). Some banks will make it very difficult for you to cash these after the wedding, especially if you haven't changed your name yet (may even require proof of marriage).

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert-Asking Attendants

This one hit close to home recently...my brother is getting married this summer!  And in classic little brother fashion, he just assumed that I would be in the wedding...no asking, discussion or talk.  I had to hear from my Mom that I was in the wedding.  He finally got around to asking if I would be in the wedding after the rest of the fam was giving him crap about it over Christmas (months later).  Anyway, the moral of the story here ladies and gentlemen is to make sure you ask your attendants if they will be in the wedding (don't assume anything)...furthermore make it special somehow and personal to you both!  I mean you are asking them to stand next to you on the big day after all!  For our wedding Jen actually had some super cute laser cut bridesmaids boxes made on Etsy for her attendants and even did one for my Mom that said "Thank you for raising an amazing son, will you be my new Mom?"  

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert-Ceremony Lighting and Shadows

When you're deciding on the details of your outdoor ceremony there's something you may not have taken into consideration...the lighting!  The lighting is extremely important not only for the photographs but also the guests and even the couple.  Too often I see shadows on the couple, or worse yet just on one or the other.  I've seen couples crying, not from emotion but from having to stare into the sun.  I've seen guests, blinded not by the beauty of the bride but the glaring sun right in their faces.  The best thing you can do is to try and orient the ceremony so that the entire bridal party is evenly lit by the sun and the guests have their backs to it.  Don't stand directly under a gazebo or tree unless you can ensure even shade throughout.

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert: Wedding Group Shots

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Wedding Group Shots. Have you ever tried to take a picture of 250 people at once?!?! Whether your family group shots are a few people or a few hundred there are a few things you can do to help. First off, make sure you move all the shoes, purses, bouquets, etc behind the photographer (not to the side). Secondly, fill in the gaps...if you can't see the camera...the camera can't see you. Finally, just keep smiling and looking at the camera...don't check to see if the person three people down from you is smiling (nothing ruins a shot quicker than people looking in every direction). A good photographer will roll through group shots quickly and effortlessly making sure everyone is entertained through the whole thing. I usually start with the large group (to make sure everyone is there) then peel off people as needed. Even with the biggest family groups these shots shouldn't take more than 40 minutes to take. Love, your friendly neighborhood photographer. :) To see the ultimate list of bride tips, click here: http://www.daxphotography.com/bride-tips/

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert: Asking For Discounts

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Asking For Discounts. I know how expensive weddings can be and fully understand that EVERY bride is on a budget. As a bride you should never be afraid to ask for discounts from your vendors...you never know until you ask and they just might surprise you. One of your best ways to get discounts from vendors is if you have a wedding date that is an off day (i.e. not a Saturday or holiday weekend). If a vendor doesn't have anything booked for a Friday or Sunday they may consider a discount more. Your chances of getting a discount also increase if it's later in the season and they don't have that date booked (i.e. last minute weddings). DON'T tell the vendor that you would like a discount because your wedding will "only be a few hours"...if they book a wedding at a discount for that day they are giving up the opportunity to book that day at full price and probably will say no. DON'T ever tell them it will be great exposure...just don't! DON'T tell them that you can do some of the work (editing photos for example)...a professional wedding vendor takes pride in giving you their best products and services and won't want to jeopardize that. Bottom line is that everything is negotiable and it doesn't hurt to ask but don't be alarmed if the vendor simply says no...they are making a decision based on what's right for their business. www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert: Smiling During The Ceremony

Bride Tips From Dax Photography-Smiling During The Ceremony. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've seen a wedding party that doesn't smile during the ceremony. No more RBF people!!! This goes for EVERYONE! Remind your wedding party that they NEED to smile during the ceremony! During the entrance it always looks best if the couples entering are smiling and laughing at each other. While standing up during the ceremony, some smiles and glances at family and friends in the crowd is perfect. During the exit smiling and high five'ing the guests in the aisle is wonderful. And let's not forget the couple should be smiling at each other with a few laughs towards the crowd. It should be the happiest time for everyone involved...show it. Love, your friendly neighborhood photographer. www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert: The Kiss

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: The Kiss. My best recommendation regarding the kiss at the end of the ceremony is to actually kiss twice! I guarantee that you won't be able to not smile in that moment which is absolutely adorable! If you're going to do a dip make sure it's perpendicular to the crowd. No tongue...period! Take your time up there and revel in the moment. By all means practice ahead of time...photographers orders :) www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Size of the Bouquet

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Size of the bouquet. This post may be a bit touchy for some of my fellow wedding vendors, but I'll try and be as tactful as possible. I'm seeing a troubling trend with florists and wedding planners...the bouquets are getting HUGE! As a general rule, the bouquet on your wedding day should never be larger/wider than the bride...period! Don't get me wrong they are still beautiful but let's not forget that the bouquet is an accessory for the bride to carry down the aisle. In fact...probably the least important accessory (think family jewelry, etc) and is meant to enhance how she looks the day of her wedding...not be the focus. From a visual perspective if you have a bouquet wider than the bride it naturally makes her look bigger than she really is. Ladies, simple and elegant should always be the rule, plus a smaller bouquet will save you money. www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From a Wedding Expert: Who gives this bride away.

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Who gives this bride away? ALWAYS hug your Dad...and Mom for that matter during the part of the ceremony where the officiant asks "Who gives this bride away?" I get it...in that moment all eyes are on you, your heart is racing and you can't take your eyes off of your groom, but just breathe and make sure you hug your parents! It's a small but VERY important gesture to acknowledge how much they've done to help get you to this moment. Enjoy that moment, revel in it, hug it if you will. :) www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert: The First Look Is NOT Required!

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: The First Look IS NOT Required. A first look is when a bride a groom see each other before the ceremony. I've heard from a few brides now who were, let's say pressured, into doing a first look by either their photographer or wedding planner. Despite what wedding vendors may tell you it is NOT necessary to see each other ahead of the ceremony. For me whether you do a first look or not is totally up to you and really doesn't save any time or make things easier in most cases. I LOVED seeing my bride the day of our wedding at the end of the aisle and I wouldn't trade that moment for anything...in fact I encourage couples to do just that; wait til the ceremony. www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Planning Tips From a Wedding Expert: Hair and Makeup Order

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​: Makeup and Hair order.  The order in which you and your girls get your hair and makeup done the day of the wedding can make a huge difference in the flow and schedule of the day.  I've seen some weddings where they save the bride til last to get her hair and makeup done...DON'T!  Say you have 5 bridesmaids all getting hair and makeup done by the time they get to the bride things are undoubtedly running late (it's a wedding after all) which puts pressure on the hair and makeup people to get done faster and adds stress to the bride in general.  My best advice is to never have the bride go first or last with hair and makeup but rather to have her go 2nd or 3rd.  That way she's done and can relax and if something needs to be touched up it can be done before she leaves the salon.  Not everyone has a photographer that can do hair and makeup ;)  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Planning Tips From Dax Photography-Dance Circles

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​.  Dance Circles.  No...just no!  These are the worst during a reception and yet they always seem to happen.  We've all seen them...it's when all the guests awkwardly circle around someone on the dance floor who has some moves.  But once the person in the center is done doing the worm then it get super awkward.  It breaks up the flow of dancing and makes it super awkward for all the people on the dance floor who don't want to be the center of attention...those who just want to dance and have a good time.  My advice...give instructions to your wedding party to do their best to break them up if they occur.  www.daxphotography.com  

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert-Prints

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  Prints.  After you get your wedding photos back...get prints!  I don't care if they're large, small, canvas, metallic, etc, etc...just get them done!  My wife and I took 6 months to get some prints made and I'm a photographer!!!  Don't just post them to Facebook or worse yet just leave them on the discs to only be viewed on anniversaries.  Too often I see couples' homes that don't have a single image from their wedding.  If you're looking to save money the best places to use are AdoramaPix​ and Costco.  Adorama's metallic finish is just beautiful and Costco believe it or not does a pretty damn good job for how cheap their prints are...seriously a 20x30 inch print is only $8.99!   For Canvas prints...CGProPrints simply can't be beat in quality and price!  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Heels

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  Heels.  Don't get me wrong I absolutely love heels as much as the next girl...the 4 pairs of Camuto's and Melani's we just got for my wife last weekend from Dillards can attest to this!  I would however, recommend to most brides that they skip the heels and only rock flats or cute boots (that hurt just even saying it).  It will save you money, most people will never see them anyway, your feet will be more comfortable and most brides end up in flats at some point during the day anyway (messing up the hem that was for heels).  The only caveat to this would be if they make you feel more confident or if you need the height.    www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: The Cake

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Cake. I'm a conessueir of cake...I've had A LOT of it over the years. As far as local cake vendors are concerned here's what I've found to be true. Best tasting-ranked from best to worst...Rosauers, Black Cat, The Pearl, Bernices. Cost-Rosauers (barely beat BC), Black Cat, Bernices, The Pearl. Creative look/beauty-Black Cat, Bernices, The Pearl, Rosauers. Make sure that whomever you select that they can make your vision become a reality...Rosauers simply can't do some of the creative cakes you see on Pinterest, but they do make a delicious cake. Additionally, when my wife and I got married we wanted a tier that was metallic silver, Bernices literally told us that they could do it, but it would be inedible...WTF! Bottom line we've chosen Black Cat whenever we've needed a cake and they haven't let us down!  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Wedding Website

Bride Tips from Dax Photography​:  Wedding Website.  This is a great way for couples to provide details of the event to the guests and to get more accurate RSVP's.  Many wedding sites allow you to build your own site within theirs that just has the basics (the knot, etc).  If you're feeling even more creative you can build your own from scratch...I'm a huge fan of the wordpress platform.  Check out what Jen and I did for ours to get ideas:  www.daxandjennifer.com It's a great resource on so many levels...in this day and age, every couple should have their own dedicated site!

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: The First Look

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  The First Look.  Some couples choose to have a first look before the ceremony.  It allows couples more time to spend together the day of their wedding.  There are countless ways to do a first look but my favorite has to be the bride sneaking up behind the waiting groom...it's a beautiful and intimate moment when he turns around.  One of my favorite things that I've seen during the first look was a bride and groom who read letters to each other about how much they meant to one another and what this day and future meant to them.  It set the stage for a truly emotional and fantastic day.   If you choose to do a first look make sure you let your vendors know and if you have some ideas that you want to try or incorporate please let them know.  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Engagement Portraits

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Engagement Portraits. I highly recommend couples to get engagement portraits. Not only do you get beautiful images to use in invitations, etc, but they are a great way to get to know your photographer and their style. Make sure your session speaks to who you are as a couple! If you have favorite places or things that have meaning to you, mention that to your photographer...we love incorporating those little details! If you book your photographer soon enough you can pick your favorite season for your session! This image was one of my favorites from last year! www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Pets in the wedding

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  Pets in Weddings.  My wife and I absolutely love our puppies...they are our family!  In fact I love weddings so much I named my dog Veil!  I often hear couples the day of their wedding say "awww...I wish our puppy was here!"  My advice is that you really should do what you can to incorporate your dogs into the wedding (other animals are a different story lol).  Sometimes it's incorporating them as a ring bearer with a bow tie, and other times it's a full on wedding dress and veil.  Sadly not all venues allow pets and the biggest hassle is logistics and trying to get someone to watch your puppy the entire day.  Ultimately my best suggestion is that you ask whomever is watching your dogs that weekend to bring them to the reception at some point so you can at least get some pictures with them!  We made some magic happen with the couple in the photo.  It was before the wedding and they didn't want to see each other yet, but still wanted a picture with their puppy...fortunately she cooperated for a split second! :)  www.daxphotography.com