Welcome to your wedding photography Experience!

First of all we are truly honored you’ve chosen us to capture one of the most meaningful days of your life. This guide is designed to help where we can with planning but also to help make sure your wedding day photography is relaxed, natural, and full of real emotion.

“I can’t get over how gorgeous our pictures came out! Melissa and Bryant are masters at their art. They are professional, kind, and welcoming. They made us feel comfortable, leading up to our wedding and also the day of, and truly listened to our wants….They day of our wedding was flawless, and Melissa and Bryant stuck to our tight timeline with zero issues or complaints. They’re wonderful people and so good at what they do. I feel so lucky we chose them, and are now blessed with the most beautiful pictures to look back on for years to come. I can’t recommend they enough.”

Caitlyn & Luke

How we work

Our goal is to document your day authentically- real laughter, real tears, and all the beautiful in-between moments. We will gently guide you when needed, but we never want your wedding to feel like a performance. This guide will give tips on how to stay present in your day, and how being organized can lead to that low stress, free spirited feeling.

Planning Tips

Light shapes the mood, texture, and clarity of every wedding photograph. and can play a part in the feel of your final images. While we have experience in all lighting scenarios, making any decision feel safe with us, we still like to share the impact light can have. Mid-day, bright sun, offers vibrant colors and contrasts, bringing a bright, fun feel, while golden hour adds rich, deep tones, that highlight emotion. Here are a few examples of a first look and portraits done at mid day before the ceremony, and a private vow exchange at sunset after ceremony and family portraits, As your photographers we will work with any time of day chosen, not fight it. However, expectations are important to us, and we want to make sure yours are met.

Think about light

In our timeline guide we will go into more detail about how your day will look if you do a first look before the ceremony or have it be the ceremony. Sunset photos can always be an option if you have your ceremony at least 2hrs before the sunset. We can always pull you away for about 10 minutes if the light is on fire.

Allow Buffer Time

We love recommending some buffer time in between big events. When creating your timeline (which we can totally help with) Add about 10-15 minutes to prevent rushed photos and to help keep the day calm. More details will be provided in our timeline guide

Getting ready spaces

Sometimes you don’t have a lot of options for your getting ready space and that’s ok. But if your on the hunt for a place here are some things to consider":

Big windows- natural light is the bestest light

Minimal clutter-(unless its super cool maximalist interior and you love it, cause I will too)

A tidy space-this is optional. sometimes couples like a clean small space to get those final getting ready photos. However sometimes the chaos of the room reflect the real and the fun that the morning Brought. This is something to think about in advance and let those that will be getting ready with you know.

Prep Details

Details can add a beautiful touch to the story of your day. Like all these other tips and/or advice, this is totally up to you. We just like to provide this information so you don’t look back and have regrets or feel like, “I wish I would have known”

If you are interested in those fun detail shots here is a little tip. Think about what is important for your day. Your grandmothers bracelet, your customized perfume, etc. Make sure you or someone you have delegated to compiles all these things into a shoe box or a bag and have them ready, this will prevent hunting, or scurrying the morning of. Some popular items:

  • rings

  • invitation

  • Jewelry

  • Extra flowers - ask your florist to leave behind the extra flower bits that were not used in making your arrangements.

  • shoes

“Thank you SO much for letting us be able to constantly relive this day through your amazing pictures. Every favorite moment was captured perfectly. Truly better than I could have ever imagined. We’re so happy!”
Dawson & Rebecca

Now for the final tip. How to have the best wedding photos ever!

The goal is to have the time of your life together.

Be present: Feel the day and we will take care of the rest. This may mean taking moments to ground yourself. Grounding helps anchor ourselves in the here and now, so you can really connect with your day. Notice the colors outside, the way your loved ones look all dressed up, the feel of your dress as you put it on, the smell of your perfume. This will help slow things down and keep you in the present.

Stay close together: We can’t get those sweet candid, real moments of you two together if you spend the whole night apart. We get getting pulled apart happens and that’s totally ok, but take moments to reconnect, this whole day is celebrating you two!

Ignore the camera: You often won’t even know we are there, however it’s good to tell yourself in advance that your picture will be taken and it’s going to be ok, be amazing, and not be intimidating or scary.

Make room in your day to breathe: If grandma comes up and wants to hug you and tell you you're beautiful on your way to portraits, we are going to do that. If mom wants to take just one photo of you with her phone, I'm going to say yes. This day is not about moving you from one event to the other, its about connection with those that matter, it’s about celebrating the work that goes into choosing each other everyday, it’s about recognizing the significance of the day and how everyone there played a part in it. So don’t create a super tight timeline that is going to leave you anxious when spontaneous moments happen.

Delegate: Find some trusted friends or family members that you can delegate responsibility to. We can’t tell you how many weddings we have done where the bride and groom are getting asked a million questions all through out the day, and it always pulls them from the moment. Better yet, hire a coordinator that will take care of everything for you. Some things that get often forgotten:

-making sure you luggage, things are gathered from the getting ready space and taken to the venue so you will be ready for your honeymoon getaway.

-making sure all the bridal party flowers are onsite for ceremony.

-making sure marriage license is ready for signing after ceremony

Trust Usr: If anything runs behind, honestly, don’t stress! - We will adjust and make sure nothing important is missed. We got you! We are your advocates and will protect your experience like a raccoon protects his snacks-fiercely, personally, and with a little attitude.

We hope this guide has given you some helpful tips and has given you ways to support the feel you want for your day. Remember, we are always here if you have any questions or want to bounce ideas off of. Your day is going to be amazing! And we can’t wait to capture it.