When is the right time to book your wedding photographer

Planning your wedding takes serious skill. It comes naturally for some and not so naturally for others. When it comes to booking your photographer there are just a couple of things you need to already have planned and executed. At the top of your wedding planning list (and I think the MOST important) you have the man. Check ✔. The wedding date will need to be nailed down. so you can check off the next thing. You have your dream venue. Check ✔. The next thing you will want to book is your dream photographer. When you book majority of professional photographers will save a deposit on your wedding date but the price may very based off location! So make sure you have your wedding venue booked before sending off the inquiry with your dream photographer.

Most photographers book 1 year in advance. So if you find the photographer that is the right fit for you in both personality and photographic style you better message that photographer quick before someone else gets your day!

It is really that easy just those three things will need to be completed before reaching out to your photographer.   Popular months that book up fast are July - September.  You can wait longer, but that just leaves to chance that another bride might books with them.
 

I hope this helps make a small piece of your wedding planning easier! 

When To Wear The Veil At Your Wedding | Bridal tips | St. Paul & Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

Having a veil has been an age old tradition in the wedding world, which ,any brides still choose to follow today.  I love when brides have veils; they add a timeless/classic look to have in your wedding album, but veils are not something you will need all day! Can you imagine trying to attempt that with a catherdial veil?

I have a couple of tips for my MW Bride on when to wear the veil on the wedding day.  

 Firstly, wear it on your first look! Your hair and makeup will be fresh and beautiful, and the veil is the finishing touch. What better way for your groom to see your completed planning then to see you 100% dolled up to marry him!!  

Next, wear your veil for the ceremony. This is what your veil was orignially intended for, so there is no better time to wear it!  All your ivited guest will be swept away by the your vision as you walk down the aisle. And don't worry your maid of honor will make sure it is sitting perfectly as you marry the man of your DREAMS! 

Lastly, after vows are exchanged and you are husband and wife wear your veil for some photos with you groom!  As the party is really starting to kick off at your reception, I will try to steal you away for some sunset portraits. This is the time that your veil will make your photos pop. It does not have be in all of them, but it will help add a little more variety in your portraits!   

Bonus: These are times where it comes to your personal preferrence - wearing your veil for family formals or wedding party portraits! These times it really varies from brid to bride! 

I hope these help give you insight to the best times to wear your veil on your wedding day!!

Should You Shoot Family Formals Inside The Church or Outside? | For the MW Brides

I remember sitting on my family couch turning page after page of my parents wedding album. I made sure that none of the prints fell loose of there respectable place holders. I was absorbed seeing how young my parents were! (Because for real were my parents not always old?) And as my mom and dad smiled back up at me through the pages i was also able to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles with fewer lines on their smiling faces. Those family photos will always be treasured in our house hold because family is close to my heart. 

Years after your wedding you will be looking back on your own family photos and smiling at all those who were able to attend. So now you are trying to decide where your family photos will be? And I think it comes down to deciding if you want to be more traditional or more modern in your family formals. Let me share with you a couple of pros for both to help you decide.  

Pros for having your family photos outside. The lighting will be more natural and go better throughout your gallery. As a natural light photographer a lot of your photos will already be shot outside. Having your family formals outside will help with the over all flow of your gallery. The lighting will be more beautiful. There will not be any distracting background that your venue will have such as speakers,crosses, all that stuff you cant move off of the stage. It will be a more modern look. 

It will be enough space to host larger families.  

Doing your family portraits inside your venue is more traditional .

Pros to shooting them inside. It will be very similar to the photos that your mom and her mom have in their wedding album. You will have your venue stage show cased in your photos so you can have a little piece in your album other than the ceremony. Inside will be cooler on a hot summer day or shelter from a stormy or winter day. It will be easier for any elderly family member to sit down while they wait and easy to get to.

I personally love the more  modern look of having family formals outside when possible. I think it fits my photographic style more.