What is a First Look & Why It is Important | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer | MW Photography

Planning for your wedding day can seem overwhelming because of all the choices you have to make! I know you want everything to be perfect and that through this process you have consumed many cups of coffee trying to figure it out. (I am currently on cup number 2 of the day) I wanted to help give you some insight regarding choosing whether or not to do a first look on your wedding day. 

The First Look is simply a intimate time at the beginning of the wedding day when the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony.

In my experience (with other MW couples and my own) the first look between the bride and groom can be the most intimate part of the day. It helps get all the jitters and emotion out at the beginning of the day. It gives time to your groom to truly admire the hard work you have put into the details you have planned for months working out : your dress, jewelry, hair, and makeup. Another benefit having a first look is getting all photos taken care of at the first half of the day. Once the first look is done you can jump into wedding party portraits and by the time the ceremony comes all the formal photos will be done; giving you the advantage to party the rest of the night and to enjoy your time  with your guests to the fullest.

One of my favorite memories from my wedding day was seeing Marcus before the day even began. First thing that morning we drove to get our marriage license and afterwards went to grab coffee. As we sat in the corner of Starbucks we talked about what we were most excited about for today. It was the best thing just the two of us relaxed and eager for our day to start.  The our two time first look on the wedding day isn't normal, but it is a memory i will always cherish. 

I will be having a Facebook Live on this topic at the end of the month, which you can watch here : https://www.facebook.com/mwphotographymn/

5 Tips for Your Getting Ready Room | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer | For The Bride

Hey Beautiful! I know at this point your well on your way to planning through your wedding day, trying to make each part unique to your vision.  To start the day off, you are imagining yourself with your girls getting ready and jamming out to your favorite tunes. I gathered some tips to help you choose your location in the morning that will help make your getting ready photos fabulous. 
 

 1. Choose a location with lots of natural light. Having proper window light in the room makes photographing it so much easier. It evens out the light on your skin and can give a more dramatic look with the lights and shadows. The light on your face becomes more evening making any overhead yellow lighting disappear and can save you from harsh shades from overhead lighting. This is one of my stables for getting ready photos!

2.  Choose a spacious location.  Having bigger room to get ready in makes for easier mobility for everyone in the group. It also benefits when taking your photos because you can have a corner with all your stuff and the other corner cleaned up for photos!  Having a large getting-ready room is a luxury, I know, but think about how many people will be in your getting ready room overall, just you and your bridesmaids? Nope! You will also have your makeup artists, hair stylist, your photographer and cinematographer. Don't forget about your family.  They really start to add up! 

3. Choose a location personal to you.  Having the location at your home or apartment showcases more of your personality! It gives your photos a personal touch of your life and lifestyle with your room, your photos on the walls. I love shooting in this kind of enviroment because it also helps your be more relaxed durning the morning process.

4. Choosing on-location room will eliminate travel time. If you are planning on cramming a lot of things in a short amount of time, a getting-ready room at your ceremony location would be ideal. It  helps keep travel times to a minimum on your timeline and you will not have to worry about traffic or unforeseen issues on the roads. It will also give you the opportunity to start on your photos immediately while incorporating your ceremony location in your photos!

5. Choosing the same location as your groom gives you more photos of both of you getting ready. Having your bridal ready room in the same hotel or house as your groom gives your photographers the opportunity to go back and forth between your rooms. Your wedding day gallery will have both sides documented.  If you are considering an album, this option would be ideal to capture the complete story of your wedding day. it will also give you the opportunity to immiduately jump into first look photos once you are all dolled up and ready to go!

We Bought Our First Home! | Personal

I wanted to give you a little insight in a big update in my life!
This weekend was full laughter, family time, and tired backs. Marcus and I closed and moved into our first house!!!!! We are both SO excited and we are still a little awe-struck knowing that it is ours (Fully after 30 years of payments of course ;)) My family graciously gave up their Saturday to move into our new digs, which made the day that much more enjoyable! My dad kept saying he was just a happy camper that it was a balmy 34 degrees, because everybody knows moving in negative degree weather is not fun for anybody! And to top it all off, NOTHING broke!

Marcus did an amazing job doing all the heavy lifting; I did all the unpacking while being serenaded by Ingrid Michaelson until the sunset! After hours of unpacking and finding all our things a new home, my mom brought over some of her wild rice soup; If you should know anything about my mother it is that she makes the most DELICIOUS soups!  We all took a breather around the table and enjoyed it together. It was the perfect way to end such a productive day.

Naturally, we snapped a few shots before all the moving took place!

This house has truly been an amazing gift!