The morning of your wedding is such an exciting time. It’s full of pre-ceremony nerves, excitement for the future and the anticipation for how the day will unfold. As a wedding photographer, the morning is one of my favourite parts of the day to capture on camera. From the emotions and fun with your nearest and dearest, to the beautiful flatlays and details. Documenting this time can really help tell the full story of your day. I’ve been lucky to be a part of plenty of wedding mornings and have put together a few tips I have picked up along the way to help you soak it all in and get the best from your photos.

Here’s how you can really make the most of your wedding morning…

Space & Natural Light

As a wedding photographer, I always recommend to my couples to get ready somewhere that has plenty of space and lots of natural light – your photographer, makeup artist and hair stylist will thank you! If you’re getting ready at home, have a declutter to create a real sanctuary ready for your special day. It will immediately help you to feel calmer and more relaxed on the wedding morning. If you’re able to get ready on site at your ceremony venue, then this will give you extra time for photos which may otherwise be spent traveling. Give your bridesmaids the task of keeping things tidy, and keep bags in another room or shut away where possible.

2. Create a timeline

A timeline is not only helpful for you and your bridal party, but also handy for the photographer and other wedding morning suppliers too. If we can see your schedule of events, such as your hair, makeup, and time you plan to be dressed, it means we can make sure we’re in the right place at the right time and capture everything as it unfolds. Time can easily slip away on a wedding morning creating a last minute rush, so having a timeline will help keep you and your bridesmaids on track. The less stress, the more seamless and enjoyable the wedding morning will be.

3. The Details

It’s often the smaller details that have taken the most thought, which is why I love to capture them for you to remember long after the day is over. Gather up all your special items and pop them in a box in the lead up to your wedding day. This means I can easily create some gorgeous flatlay and detail shots for you without you having to fetch me anything mid-hair or makeup. This could include any accessories, jewellery, stationery suite, perfume, shoes, engagement ring and veil. You could even ask your florist for some floral or foliage offcuts for the flatlays, they’re a beautiful addition and will tie in your colour scheme effortlessly.

Don’t forget to hang up your wedding dress and bridesmaid gowns, it’ll save time for the photographer and means you can easily put them on once your hair and makeup is finished. Try and avoid using plastic hangers if you can, plain wooden ones or personalised options are best for photos. If you’re wearing Bride & Bridesmaid robes, make sure they’re freshly ironed so they’re not creased in photographs too. These little details make such a difference to your wedding gallery, and you’ll love looking back at all of the photos even more!

4. First Look

I often get requests from Brides that they’d like a first look, whether that’s between their Dad, Mum, bridesmaids or even the Groom. I encourage you to factor this into your timings so it isn’t a rush when the photographer needs t0 head off to the ceremony. Make sure your hair and makeup artists also know you’ll need to be dressed and ready with plenty of time. It’s always a special moment to capture on camera and something I adore doing, however, it’s not something you have to do if you’d like to keep thing more low-key. If you’re getting ready onsite at your ceremony venue, it’s good to aim to be dressed one hour before the ceremony starts. This allows time for photos, hair and makeup touch ups and bubbles to help calm any pre-ceremony nerves!

5. Disconnect

I’ll be on hand to document every detail of your wedding day, including the morning preparations. So, try and encourage those with you in the morning to put their phones away and to just really enjoy the moment. Chances are, you’ll be getting lots of kind messages from everyone and you’ll want to take a few selfies with your loved ones, but it’s important to try and stay present, enjoy and soak it all in!

I hope this helps to give you some good ideas on how to savour every moment of your wedding morning and prepare for some incredible photos. If you’re planning your wedding in the UK and would love beautiful fine art wedding photography then get in touch, I’d love to chat with you!

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