Top 10 Tips for Best Wedding Day Photography Results

While wedding planning, brides have SO MUCH to think about how the actual day is going to run. Sometimes they miss the little things, and that's OKAY! But your photography is what is going to help you remember all these things that you put so much effort into. SO here are some times that I have found helpful to educate my brides on. 5 of them are excellent points made by my girl, Katelyn James.

1. Have the bouquets need to be delivered to your getting ready location.

If you have your bouquets delivered to where you are getting ready, you’ll be able to have detail shots with your florals incorporated! Even if you’re not sharing a first look, we still need your bouquets for bridesmaids portraits! Same for the boutonnieres! TIP: For the optimal getting ready photos, make sure you have a large window in the room with lots of natural light pouring in,

2. Don't run away with the rings! Have them in your getting ready location too!
Every planning book says to give the best man the rings to hold onto before the ceremony but that actually isn’t ideal for your pictures! You’ll have more variety and natural light if I shoot them during your details in the morning! They can be incorporated very well into shoe and invite shots. The maid of honour can bring them to the ceremony and hand them over to the best man then.

3. Speaking of wedding details...
Here's the full list of everything you could possibly have at your getting ready location to provide for the most variety of detail shots. Not saying you have to have all of them, just what suits you! I like to say if you're going to have any of these items anyway, may as well get details shots of it. After I arrive and give the bride a big “It’s your WEDDING DAY!” hug, I begin to get settled and these are the items I start looking for! I realize not EVERY bride is going to have ALL of these details…. these are just the most common items I shoot:
- Dress (TIP: make sure you have a nice hanger for your beautiful gown. Having a classy wooden hanger makes a HUGE difference in your images.)
- Rings (all THREE!!)
- Veil & hairpieces
- Shoes
- Earrings, necklace (don't put them on until you have your dress on so I can shoot you putting them on)
- Other jewellery
- Keepsakes (handkerchiefs, heirloom pins, something blue, etc)
- Perfume
- Invitations
- Bouquets & bouts
- Gifts (bride's gift to groom, groom's gift to bride, if you wait for me it makes for great emotional shots if you wait for me to shoot you opening them for the first time)
- Clutch/purse

I ADORE this golden hour shot of Nicole + Tom

4. Sit down in your dress before the wedding so you’re aware of how hard that may be!
I can tell you, I should have done this with my prom dress! The last thing you want is not being able to sit for dinner because your dress is too tight! Try your dress on beforehand and try sitting to make sure it’s possible! This is especially important if you’re having a sit down dinner!

5. Good portraits usually require grass, and your heels are going to sink in the grass!
Let's go take some amazing portraits under some gorgeous trees… but your precious heels are going to SINK on their walk out to the their portrait location. Having a spare pair of flats or some HEEL STOPPERS will save the day!

6. You can’t see that little smudge on your dress!
I don't know how many times during the day that my brides freak out because there is a small dirt stain after doing their first look. Maybe you can see it, your guests probably won't, but I'll tell you your photos most definitely will not. It is never noticeable so don't fret the small stuff. If there's ever something crazy, I won't leave you hanging, I can fix it, girl.

7. Slow down and enjoy your day.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I have gotten an email from every one of my brides saying to tell my future brides to slow down and enjoy the day. You hear it all of the time, but it seriously goes by so fast. Your wedding day is going to go how it goes, and you can't change it. Take it for how it is and enjoy every minute of it. If you're a worrier like me, hire a day of planner, or a friend to keep everything in check for you.

8. Make sure you leave time for me to get the untouched shots.

You put so much time and money into your beautiful ceremony location and reception space. I'd love if there is some padding in the timeline for me to get some great wide editorial space shots of both locations before any guests see or touch anything (especially the reception location because a lot of guests like to try to leave their jackets at their seat). Often the bride & groom don't even get to see either space without guests in it as they arrive later!!! It's super important for publication and it's part of your "wedding experience story" in your album. I also like to share these shots with the vendors who put so much work into it as well.you.

9. Professional lighting goes a long way.

I don't mean my flash, I mean decor lighting such as uplights. A lot of couples think this is frivolous and unnecessary but they actually improve the ambiance a lot as well as make your photos look fantastic. It's another dimension for me & your guests. It's a little something that does a whole heck of a lot.

10. Ponder a first look.

Even if you are completely against it. Sit down, and ponder it for at least a couple of minutes. It's the happening thing right now, and I'll tell you not because it's just a "trend." It actually benefits a lot of things on your wedding day. Yes, it's not "traditional" but what's him seeing you before the ceremony going to harm if you're meant to be together forever?

- In a day full of craziness and being apart for most of the day, you actually get to spend time together on your wedding day. If you don't do a first look, you may not see your hubby to be until your 1pm ceremony, or I've had ceremonies as late as 6:30pm!!

- You cut the nerves in half (well a lot more than half). There are brides who are against the first look and the reasoning is usually because they don't want to "ruin" him not crying while you're walking down the aisle. Well, here's a surprise. You'll actually get BOTH! TWO reactions!! And often the walking down the aisle cry is MORE than what it would have been AFTER a first look!! If your man isn't a crier, I'll tell you, don't have your hopes up. But I have seen the groom cry during the first look in an, "OMG you're so beautiful" sense. Then he cries AGAIN when you walk down the aisle, because he's seen you, let his guard down, not concerned about the guests staring at him, then has an, "OMG it's happening right NOW" cry.

- You get more portraits in better light. We can get all of your bride and groom portraits, bridal party portraits, and often family formals done before the ceremony. This leaves you time to actually go to your cocktail hour with your guests, OR run off with me again for more portraits ;) Escaping from your reception for a couple of minutes during golden hour also deems for some amazing romantic shots.

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Vendors are like first dates...here's why....

When inquiring to a wedding photographer (or any vendor) for the very first time, it should almost feel like a first date. Why? You like them from afar, it's new, you like who they are, you like what they're about, and you like what they can do. It's a new relationship. I want to thank my girl, Christy Nicole for sparking this post idea. 

It should feel like that for you, and it should feel the same for any vendor; finding new clients is an exciting experience for us too, and it's the perfect comparison. You want to make your vendors feel just as excited for your wedding as you are. And I'm going to say if you're not on cloud 9 about planning your own wedding, you're probably not a Nicole Amanda bride ;) When I meet a new potential client for the first time, it's either a small talk with a stranger, or I have butterflies in my stomach just like I would on a first date.

It IS a first date. You need to be on the same page, have the same excitement & end goal in mind. You have to connect, and if you don't, there's rarely a second date in sight. Share details about your relationship and wedding plans, tell them WHY you feel their work will compliment your vision. They want to hear all of these things to see if your wedding will compliment their vision. It should be one in the same.

As a photographer, I understand price is sometimes the only question a couple will feel that matters, but for the most important day of your life, it should be much more, an experience. If you go on an awkward date, even if they're a good person, you're unsure about seeing them again because you don't want to feel like that again. I say it all of the time, there is emotional memory behind everything. If you feel awkward while taking a photo, as beautiful as the image and yourself may be, all you're going to remember is how awkward you felt at that moment.

I never want anyone to feel that way about their wedding photos, ever. If we're not a 100% perfect fit, I'm probably not going to accept your wedding - as much of a compliment as it is, I don't want anyone to possibly get that outcome and I don't believe you deserve any less. You need someone you can laugh with, joke, trust and feel comfortable in front of to be able to look at your photos and feel the same. I'm not going to leave you hanging, I'll help you find someone perfect, but I'm not going to take it on myself.

Price is obviously important, and most need to set a budget. If you can't do it, you can't do it. But don't go in looking for the one that can get you the cheapest deal. Find someone within your range, and then find the one who FITS the best. I also want you to know that vendors are often a lot more flexible than you may think. If you fall in love with someone who is out of your budget, they may be firm on price, but may be able to make you a payment plan to make it a possibility.



And the last thing, those "100 things to ask your wedding vendor" type lists drive us crazy ;) Usually because they're things that any responsible professional would do and are offended when asked. Or things like "what type of equipment do you use?" You're probably not going to get much use out of an answer like, "I shoot with Nikon FX bodies, SB700 speedlights and only fixed G glass lenses" unless you're also a professional photographer. I don't even know what equipment DJs use so I wouldn't get use of their answer either ;)

Any good vendor just wants your best interest. Ask questions that will help make your decision easier. And feel free to email me questions even if you know we're not the right fit!

Ps. This post had much mediation by Max ;)

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I never want to feel like I'm a superstar pro

It sounds like something nobody would ever say, and it's something I never thought I'd say before either. Growing up, I always wanted to be a celebrity or known for something. I think I've been following Katelyn James since early 2013 if not late 2012. I've always thought that she "has made it" and looked up to her so much. Okay, I shouldn't say it that way, I still majorly look up to her.

It's been a really big learning curve since then; trying to develop who I am as a photographer and what I want to make of myself. I wanted to take leaps and not hold back like I did in high school and college. I was always the one that played it save. In a matter of a couple months, I decided to book a seat to Katelyn's workshop and drive all the way from Ottawa, Ontario to Richmond, Virginia. That's almost 11 hours if driven straight, guys!! She is so consistent with her blogging and online personality, that I couldn't help but fall head over heels for this girl. I wanted her to be my best friend. Her marketing worked.

Her blog is what she calls her claim to fame. And some say when you get to the point of teaching, that's making it. And both are kind of fame. But that's what's the humbling part. She says that she doesn't feel like she's "made it," and never wants to. The moment you feel like you're the pro and you don't have anything else to learn, that's when you business will start to fail. Not just this business, but almost any business, things are ever-changing. If you're not consistently keeping up with the times, you're going to fall behind and become obsolete. She's still learning.

It made me feel so normal to not feel like I knew enough and wanted to keep learning, because she says everyone who's at the same level as her feels that way too. She's still learning things that I'm learning. This post totally wasn't meant to evolve around her but I guess that's how it ended up, because I've had an impression on almost every aspect of this business from her.

I came here wanting to share with you how I am now continuing to learn. Katelyn, among many other epic photographers I have been following for so long (no, it's not just her) have banded together and created this online "Academy" resource that is almost like workshops. Though The International Academy of Wedding Photographers, you can take the whole certificate program or just a few classes in areas you feel you need a life. The coolest thing is that they are trying to make it a certified online school! There is no "school" that you can take a degree in wedding photography (I don't think?). This could be a standardized place that most people seriously interested in doing this for a living go to! I've almost finished my second out of eight courses with them and am absolutely loving it.

Seriously, if you're a photographer, consider checking out The Academy to see what they may have for you. If you are inspired by a photographer on the other side of the country, go. If you can't, see if you can have a Skype mentor meeting. Not only do you feel like you're doing something big, but it could do big things.

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Black Friday! My shopping & maybe a deal for you...

So, yes, I'm Canadian - but who isn't doing Black Friday and Cyber Monday these days. So I'm sure exactly what I'm buying on Friday (or what I can afford) but I'll let you in on some stuff I know about. These are programs that I use all of the time an they make my life sooooo much easier! All I can tell you is that I will be sitting on the computer all day and most likely spending more than I can afford anyway!

Pixifi is an understatedly amazing service for photographers, allowing you to manage your leads, clients, emails, calendars and billing with ease. They will be doing a Black Friday deal of 25% off 3 or more prepaid months, or a $1,300 lifetime account and then never pay for it again. So sign up for Pixifi here and try it out for free before the deals strike!

ShowIt is the program I use to build and host my website. Such beautiful flash websites that you can easily edit and post live instantaneously without waiting for web hosts. I'm not sure what they'll do in terms of deals but they'll most likely do something! They, as well, sometimes do lifetime memberships which is something that I will want to jump on in the near future when I have more cash. Also a free trial if you wish!




PASS is like the daughter site to ShowIt. There are a couple of different sites hosting digital images for photographers' clients to download, but PASS was the  revolutionary trendsetter. They stopped the world of needing to wait for CDs and USBs with the automatic digital download. You can now order prints directly from the program as well. It costs $29 in PASS credits per event (usually $1 per credit) but I just got an email! It says they will be doing buy 1 event get 1 event free, buy 3 events get 5 events free, and buy 10 events get 10 events free. Like their mother site, PASS also sometimes sells PASSports, or 'lifetime one year PASS galleries.' This is the first lifetime boat that I want to jump on if I have the choice..but it doesn't look like that will be this weekend. Check out one of my PASS galleries here to see how it works.


KISS Books. Wow. Where do I start. This is where I order my client guestbooks and wedding albums from. The material that you can get these wrapped in is just gorgeous. As a start up business, there are a lot of upfront costs…but I'm hoping for a Black Friday sale to get some beautiful sample albums for bridal shows early next year! I can't wait to some of these stunning albums into brides' hands and share the love! But only photographers can order these so book a session to purchase one of these beauties. Included in most of my wedding packages.




On the geekier side, I'm kind of hoping Origin might put some Sims 3 games up for grabs really cheap….since I can't wrap my head around spending much on myself lately.

I can't wrap my head about buying things for myself but I may or may not look at clothing websites and dream.





For you? Yeah…I might be able to do something ;) In honour of 300 likes on Facebook (hey, you can still hit that like button if you haven't yet..it's just below for your convenience) I am running 25% off engagement and couples sessions ad. Head on over to my Facebook page to claim that deal. 

For Black Friday weekend, book your wedding now though December 3rd and receive $300 off of any package.

I'm also running another Livingsocial promo soon, but it will only be $150 off - so take advantage of this weekend's deal!

Have fun with your shopping! Doubt I'll contain sanity to hit physical stores but the thought crosses my mind. My luck to you if that's your plan!

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