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

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Tipping Vendors

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  Tipping wedding vendors.  There are no hard and fast rules here and certainly no expectations from any of the vendors.  The general rule here is that you really should try to take care of a vendor that goes above and beyond what you expected from them.  If you do tip by no means does it mean cash, could be as simple as a heartfelt thank you note.  The one exception is if you have a wait staff serve you at your wedding...make sure you ask the caterer if the "service charge" is an actual tip or just an on site fee.  Bottom line if a wedding vendor goes above and beyond the call of duty do your best to thank them in some way. :)  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: The Schedule

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: The Schedule. I've had a lot of questions about the schedule for the day of the wedding. While each one is different, one of the main time factors is how many bridesmaids you have (expect 40 minutes per hair style and 35 minutes per makeup application). My wife said it best..."Would you rather I show up on time, or ugly?" Remember that everything is going to run late the day of your wedding...just roll with it. Here is a general guide to go by.•10AM getting ready (This includes makeup, hair, and getting dressed…I will start shooting then) •1PM glamour shots of the bride and bridesmaids with the photographer •3PM shots of the groomsmen getting ready and in their tuxes •4PM relax for an hour while guests arrive •5PM ceremony •5:30 receiving line •6PM shots of the family •6:20PM shots of the wedding party •6:30PM Reception/Dinner •8PM I like to pull the couple away from the reception for a few minutes to get some intimate sunset shots of just them •9PM cake cutting, first dances, and bouquet toss •10PM couple send off www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Fake Lashes

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  Fake Lashes.  Bottom line you NEED these as a bride!  I take so many shots that feature eyes and lashes during a wedding it's crazy.  The subtle addition of fake lashes draws more attention to your eyes...never a bad thing!  But be smart about it...you want a subtle addition, not butterfly wings.  I've actually seen girls wear two full racks of lashes on each eye at once...just don't!  I would recommend going with the individual lashes (i.e. 2-3 lashes per piece glued on) to make a subtle yet dramatic difference.  Again, the girls at Skin Chic​ are the best at putting these on and making sure you look beautiful!  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Where to get ready

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Where to get ready. This is something that is often times an afterthought for most brides. However, as a photographer it makes a HUGE difference! I totally understand that you may be limited by the venue/location and that's perfectly fine (I'll get creative with it for sure). But just keep this in the back of your mind when selecting where to get ready on your wedding day...ideally it's a large open room with lots of natural light, the walls aren't cluttered and the lights in the room aren't a mix (i.e. fluorescent and normal bulbs), there's plenty of seating and mirrors for you and your girls to get ready. This image was shot at the Ranch Club Missoula just after she got in her dress.  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Guests Dancing.

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Guests dancing. One of my biggest pet peeves at weddings is when guests just sit and watch as other guests dance. You wanna know what the best gift you could possibly ever give the bride and groom the day of their wedding...show them you're having a good time! I don't care if you can't dance or whatever other lame excuse you have...get out there on the dance floor...period! Trust me, there are countless other people in your same mindset but imagine if EVERYONE was on the dance floor...no one would care, and everyone would have a great time! Brides; my best advice here is to assign at least 2-4 good looking people to bring the party on the dance floor the entire night and literally pull people onto the dance floor. www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Cell Phones During The Ceremony

Bride Tips From Dax Photography​:  Cell phones during the ceremony.  In this day and age this has become a HUGE issue.  As a photographer it's of particular concern...I can't tell you the number of guests that ruin shots by standing in the middle of the aisle, standing up, etc trying to get pics on their cell phones.  I'll never understand why a guest who is actually there during the ceremony chooses not to be "present" by trying to capture the whole thing on their cell phones or cameras the size of one of my batteries.  If you're gonna be there...be there!  Honestly, the only real way to ensure that your guests sit and enjoy the ceremony you've painstakingly prepared is to have a basket at the end of the aisle where the ushers will confiscate the guests cell phones as they sit down.  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: Reception Schedule

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Reception Schedule. Make sure you touch base with both the DJ and Photographer about what/when you'd like to have happen during the reception. There are a few exceptional DJ's out there who always work with photographers and coordinate as the night progresses. Bad things happen when they don't coordinate. Bottom line if you give a rough outline of a schedule to both vendors, things run much smoother. Generally, toasts shouldn't start until after dinner. Make sure your DJ gives you enough time to mingle with guests and make an appearance at each table before toasts (since most brides don't want a receiving line anymore). After toasts, it's usually cake cutting and then the first dances. The bouquet and garter toss usually comes later, but not too late as some guests like to leave soon after the first dances.  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: The Schedule

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: The Schedule. You'll need to come to terms with the fact that any schedule you make the day of a wedding is merely a suggestion! Things will undoubtedly run late and take much longer than expected. My best advice to brides is to just roll with it and do your best to enjoy the ride.  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: Makeup

Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Makeup. Get it professionally done...period! There is a major difference between makeup that is photoshoot ready and what you normally wear.  Skin Chic is flat out the best for weddings! Regardless of who you use, a professional will use the best quality products (often using an airbrush for your foundation) and will make sure everything is perfect. The best thing I can recommend to brides is make sure you work with them well in advance to go through a few run-throughs. A professional makeup artist will make sure your vision matches your facial features and the ultimate look you're going for. Don't wear makeup...don't worry they are professionals at making it light and natural yet smooths everything out for photos. Make sure you get a sample or buy a tube of what they put on your lips...it's the main thing you'll need to touch up throughout the day. I carry a full makeup kit with me for touch ups, but not many photographers do so you'll want to be prepared.  www.daxphotography.com

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Family Photos

Bride Tips and Favorite 2014 Wedding Photos From Dax Photography​:  Family Photos.  I get a lot of brides who request that the family photos be done before the ceremony.  While this seems like a great idea in theory...in real life, this virtually never works!  There is always a key family member who is either not ready or worse yet not even there and we have to do the shots after the ceremony anyway.  Plus guests (especially guys) don't like to be dressed up more than they have to, in particular on hot summer days.  My advice; always have the family portraits right after the ceremony...everyone will be there and will be ready.   Even with the biggest families I'm able to get all the shots in 30 minutes or so...so your guests won't be waiting.  www.daxphotography.com  

Bride Planning Tips From A Wedding Expert: Food for the bride and groom

Food for the bride and groom.  This one goes out to all the bridesmaids, groomsmen, family caterers, etc.  Make sure the bride and groom get fed during the reception!  Too often the couple gets pulled away from their meals for one reason or another (photos, dances, socializing, etc, etc).  As a general rule I would suggest that a to-go box/plate should be made for them regardless...period!  So brides, make sure you either assign this task to someone or make sure your caterer does it.  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: Flowers

Flowers.  One of the best ways to save money is to do your own flowers.  If want to save even more...make them yourself and get creative with it.  One of my favorite bouquets of all time was dried wheat wrapped around dried poppy pods...it was only $15 at the farmers market!  For Jen and I's wedding we actually made our own out of fabric, paper, sola flowers (balsa wood), and old negatives I had lying around.  This saved a ton of money, made it our own and allowed us to get them done way in advance.  Added bonus...dried or made flowers will last forever...ours are currently the centerpiece of our dining room table :).  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: The Details

The Details. Make sure you have the rings, shoes, flowers, jewelry, etc with you first thing in the morning. The sooner your photographer can get the items like these for the detail shots, the better! It will result in better shots that have a ton more creativity! www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: Vendors

Vendors.  As a general rule, the old adage rings true... you get what you pay for...especially when it comes to wedding vendors!  Please make sure you hire professionals.  A general standard I use for determining if a vendor is an actual professional or just doing it on the side is to ask if they have insurance for their business.  This is a great litmus test to determine if they are the real deal or faking it until they make it.  There is simply no replacement for years of experience when it comes to making sure the happiest day of your life is perfect.

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: Invitations

Invitations. These need to go out 2-3 months ahead of time. Again you can get as creative and crazy as you want! Jen and I wanted some epic invitations that reflected who we were. We wanted something that no one had seen before. The only way we found to do that was to make them ourselves. Plus it saved us a ton of money while still getting creative! Again...we made these entirely ourselves cutting, gluing etc!!! www.daxphotography.com  

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: Save The Dates

Save the Dates.  Generally these are sent about 5-6 months ahead of time (for a non destination wedding).  You're welcome to get as creative as you'd like, but don't forget to say where the wedding will be (common mistake).  These aren't 100% necessary, but make a nice touch.  If you're looking to save money you can always send them via email (with a nice layout).  www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Tips From Dax Photography: The Groom's Ring

The Groom's ring. Guys typically don't give much input into a wedding and the ring is no exception. Don't just drag him to a jewelry store and have him pick one...let him know that he can get creative with it. My wedding ring is made entirely of a Brazilian wood...it's absolutely stunning, lightweight and is extremely durable (that was my biggest concern is it would get ruined cause I'm hard on my ring). It can also be a way to save money. Bottom line make sure he knows that he doesn't have to go with traditional materials, etc. in picking the symbol of his eternal love. www.daxphotography.com

Wedding Photography Tips From Dax Photography: The Veil

If you're going to wear a veil for your wedding make sure it's properly secured into your hair...just setting it in with the comb won't last long. Make sure you have 2 bobby pins on each side of the comb and push them in so they form an 'X' over the teeth of the comb. Anytime anyone goes to hug you on your wedding day make sure to whisper "Go under the veil." Otherwise every hug will end in whiplash for you.