By Sarah Marie

Despite all the time and money you’ve spent ensuring this will be the perfect day, perfection is rare. Here are a few things you should know about your upcoming wedding day so you can prepare yourself for anything and enjoy your day—because your photos will show it!

YOUR DRESS IS GOING TO GET DIRTY

We’re sorry to tell you this, but it’s (typically) all white, and the world is a dirty place. And there might be a lot of people around you having drinks and food, not to mention makeup. I’ve seen countless dresses get smudges of makeup on them before the bride got completely buttoned and zipped up in the dress. Here’s a tip from all that experience—let it get dirty. I know that sounds absurd, but the brides who shrugged it off and went on to have an amazing day never even thought twice about it afterward. My advice is embrace it. The second you stop obsessing over that little smudge, the more you’ll enjoy your day. And if you’re concerned about your photos, we’ll do our best to edit you to absolute perfection.

DON’T ASK FOR THE RAW UNEDITED FILES

I’ve had many clients who have asked to save a few bucks by editing the photos themselves. Don’t ask this though because not only do you risk insulting your photographer, you also risk damaging their brand. Not everyone spends the time to learn how to edit photos properly, and it is a skill that takes years of perfecting. Photographers take pride in both the photos they snap that day, AND the edited final product. We have a reputation and brand that we want to uphold, and the editing portion is part of that.

WE AREN’T GOING TO SEND YOU EVERY PHOTO FROM THAT DAY

Let’s be real for a moment. The last wedding I photographed had a grand total of 2,000+ photos, and less than 1,000 of them made it past the cutting room floor. Why? Some had closed eyes, blurring, bad lighting, and photo bombers in the background. A lot of the photos we take are to ensure we capture the right moment, and we promise to share every moment from that day that you’ll want to remember. That means a lot of them will be unnecessary or discarded for not turning out too great. The final edited number varies with every wedding, so have a conversation with your photographer to make sure your expectations are met.

WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT CAPTURING THE RIGHT MOMENTS

I had a wedding a few years ago where there was a sibling of the groom who was quite the prankster. He managed to photobomb nearly every photograph possible, and while it might have seemed funny at the time it’s a nightmare during the editing process. I was able to remove him from a majority of the photos he wasn’t intended to be in, but he managed to pop in on a photograph that the bride had of her and her elderly great grandmother. It happened to be the last cherished photo of them together, and it took hours to remove him from the moment. This sort of thing isn’t funny and it costs photographers (and sometimes clients) a LOT of extra money. So if you’re a prankster who pulls this, don’t. And if you have members of your family who might want to pull antics like this, have a conversation with them beforehand.

WE CAN’T WORK NONSTOP THAT DAY

The last wedding I photographed started at 9:30am and didn’t end until midnight. It gets hard to focus after that many hours of photos, and yes, your photographer needs a breather. Outline the entire day together so you can make sure the photographer is aware of when and where all major events will be taking place that you want included in the photographs because we are human beings who need breaks to eat, drink, and use the restroom. And since we’ll be on our feet most of the day, taking a 15 minute break to have a seat doesn’t mean we’re being lazy. We’re just trying to regroup.

JUST BE YOURSELF

This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many clients clam up and can’t pull this off. If you are relaxed and happy with yourself, it will come through in the photos. Don’t force smiles or make expressions you wouldn’t normally make, and pose in ways that feel natural to you. If we see something that doesn’t look right, we’ll let you know and pose you properly to make sure you look perfect.

SPEAK UP

If there is something specific you want, your photographer wants to hear your ideas! Whether it’s a special tradition you want captured, or family awkwardness you want to avoid, just be open and communicative with your photographer about what you want us to shoot. I suggest that clients look through wedding photography on the internet to see what kind of style they want because every bride is different and I want to deliver photos they’ll cherish forever.