“Hindsight is 20/20″

Photographing weddings has given me a unique perspective that I think a lot of brides-to-be can benefit from. I see a lot of neat ideas and a lot of what I would call oversights. I hope this list will give you some new tools to make sure you get the best wedding images possible.

Hire The Right Photographer At The Right Time

1. Book in advance. One of the first things you should do after you get engaged is start looking at photographers. Good photographers book up fast… sometimes more than a year in advance. Remember that one person can only be in one place at one time.

2. Don’t shop price. Photography is the very most important thing you will spend money on this day, because it is the only thing you will have left after. Don’t skimp. You will regret it.

3. Talk to the photographer(s) you like before making a decision. Sometimes it is not practical to meet in person, so at the very least you should talk on the phone or exchange a lot of email to get a feel for his/her personality. If he/she has videos online, watch them. Some people that are very skilled technically have a less-than-wonderful personality. It doesn’t matter how talented a wedding photographer is if they make you feel uncomfortable.

Look Your Best From Head-To-Toe

5. Don’t let Aunt Flo spoil your wedding. The last thing you want is to get your period on your wedding day, and most people don’t think about this when picking dates. If you usually don’t pay much attention to your cycle, My Monthly Cycles can help you. All you have to do is make an entry on the first day of every period and after a couple months you will know exactly how long your cycle is – and when you are fertile!

5. Avoid tan lines. I see so many brides and bridesmaids in strapless dresses with tan lines, I almost expect it. Yes, it will show up in your pictures.

6. Don’t tan the week before. If you want to be tan at your wedding, do it gradually. Don’t go to the tanning bed the week before you get married and think you can “double up.”

7. Don’t get your hair cut the week before. Enough said.

8. Take care of your skin. You are going to get stressed out, and the pimple gods love that. Pick up some ProActive and start using it at least a month before your wedding.

9. Check your makeup in different light. Sometimes your foundation will look great in the bathroom mirror, but horrible in pictures. The shade may not match exactly (maybe it did before you tanned), or it may reflect light differently than your skin. You want your head to match your body in your pictures, so make sure you have test-driven your makeup in all different lighting scenarios.

10. Wear waterproof makeup. You might cry or smear it.

11. Whiten your teeth. Not the day before, please.

12. Don’t hurt yourself. If flip-flops always give you blisters for a week, don’t wear flip-flops the week before your wedding.

13. Cover ghetto tattoos. I love tattooed brides as much as the next girl, but the tattoos you gave yourself as a teenager should be covered. I’ve heard good things about Dermablend, though I’ve never tried it myself. Again, it is very important to get the right shade so go to a store.

14. Get lots of sleep the night before. Make sure you have a quiet place to do this where the relatives will leave you alone.

15. Have snacks available in the morning. There likely won’t be time to sit down and eat, so make sure you won’t be starving all day until dinner.

Micro Manage Your Ceremony Site & Reception Venue

16. Think about the temperature. If you are getting married in the summer and touring venues in the fall, it’s a good idea to confirm that they have good air conditioning. I have seen many brides shocked to find out on the day of their wedding that their venue is burning hot. Overheated people don’t feel or look good.

17. Think about the weather. Do you have a backup plan in case of bad weather? Do you need one?

18. If you are getting married outside, think about the parking. Parking is a very common oversight. Vendors, immediate family & handicapped guests all need close access to your site. Unless you want their vehicles in your pictures, figure out how to give them access without letting the cars become your backdrop.

19. Walk around with a camera to your eye before making a deposit. You need to see what will be in your pictures, and this really helps. If the venue has issues, it will be apparent in your pictures. Putting up lights and bows will not cover every flaw.

20. Check out the light bulbs. I don’t mean how bright or dim it is, I mean how well maintained they are. If the venue doesn’t replace their light bulbs, that can cause issues in your photographs. A picture of the entire hall, for example, would not be taken using flash. If there are dark spots that shouldn’t be there, that will show up in your images.

21. Check out the spotlights. If spotlights are not aimed correctly, that can jack things up as well. If the church uses spots that are aimed straight down, they will cause horrible shadows on your face. Spots should be aimed at an angle. If you are unsure about the lighting, stand in the same spot where you are getting married and have a friend look at you. Sometimes taking a step back can remedy the situation, sometimes the lights need to be re-aimed.

Give attention to detail

22. Check out your linens. A lot of them come with creases and may need to be steamed. Don’t use throwaway if you can avoid it – they look terrible in pictures.

23. Clean your room. If your photographer is going to be with you when you get ready, make sure your room is clean. That includes the bathroom.

24. Get your engagement ring cleaned the day before. It will be in your pictures.

25. Take the tags off your jewelry and the stickers off your shoes. Your photographer may want to photograph these things for you before you put them on.

26. Take your dress out of the bag. If your photographer is going to be with you when you get dressed, he/she may want to photograph it before you put it on.

Think Ahead For Beautiful Formals

27. Make a list. Make a list well in advance of what groupings you want. If you want a picture of every family or person there, I recommend renting a photo booth. If your photographer is chasing down groups of guests all day, he/she is not photographing you and your husband. This photo booth rental company actually has a links page with websites for other photo booth rental companies.

28. Have a plan. Have a plan to get everyone to the picture site at the same time. More time is usually spent corralling people than actually taking photos. If the formals are only going to include immediate family and the wedding party, word-of-mouth is fine.

29. Draw up a family tree. If you can doodle a quick family tree, it will help your photographer immensely.

30. Allot enough time. Formals take time. Make sure there is enough. For an average amount of formals (10-12 groupings) it takes about an hour to do it right. If there are distractions, it will take much longer.

31. Schedule for the right time. The best time to start outdoor formals is 1.5 – 2 hours before sunset. The worst time is in the middle of the day. If they must happen in the middle of the day, make sure there is shade. If they are being taken in the church it mostly likely won’t matter, so don’t worry about it.

32. Ban the paparazzi. These are the people that tag along and get their own shots of the formals. Keep them away! They slow things down, distract people and cause frustration. If your wedding and reception are in the same place, your planner or DJ can make sure people know where to go (not with you). Cocktail hour works!

Get Photos Of Everything

33. Get your guests’ photos. Everyone and their gramma (literally) will be taking pictures, and it will be near-impossible for you to track them down later. Figure out ahead of time how to make sure these pictures all get to you. If you have your own hosted website, you can install Gallery or Coppermine for free. Have a family member hand out cards to all the guests that are taking pictures with instuctions on how to upload them to your online wedding gallery. If you don’t have your own website, you can open an account at The Wedding Lens. Alternatively, you can have CD mailers made and handed out.

34. Put cameras out – but take heed! First, don’t waste your money on disposable cameras. You can rent digital cameras and they will turn out much better. But be warned! If you put out cameras, everyone is going to paparazzi you cutting the cake, dancing, etc., and the excessive flashes will only ruin other people’s pictures including your hired photographer’s. Digital cameras have a built-in meter that does not predict other flashes. In order to benefit from putting out cameras, have the DJ make an announcement during dinner that they are there for people to take photographs at their table. If you are not sure if your guests will follow the rules, you’re probably better off not doing it.

35. Keep your photographer in the loop. If there is going to be a surprise, make sure your photographer knows about it.

Keep The Party Going

36. Hire the right DJ. Unless you have seen your DJ working before, you don’t know for sure if he/she will keep the party going. Ask for references and look for feedback online. If you are using an Ipod instead of a DJ, make sure the person who will be acting as your MC knows what they are doing.

37. Have your playlist ready in advance. The day of your wedding is not the day to be downloading music.

Get Help

38. Use a planner. Yes, it’s true that you will probably spend less money by doing all the planning yourself, but do you really know what you are doing? Planners do this all the time. They know what will happen. Christine Eveleth & Jean Neff are great ones. Remember, there is no “redo.”

39. Let the pros do their jobs. That’s why you hired them. It’s not your job to worry about things getting delivered on time or being put out correctly. Hire the right people in the first place and then don’t worry about it.

40. Enlist the help of relatives. You shouldn’t be driving around the day before, picking people up from the airport, you should be getting rest and rehearsing.