Wedding Planning Tips

• Get a Nice Hanger for Your Dress – A pretty wooden or custom hanger makes your dress photos so much better. Bonus points if you get matching ones for your bridesmaids!
• Put All Your Details in One Box – Shoes, jewelry, perfume, invitations, rings - have them all together so no one is hunting them down and your photographer can start on your detail shots quickly. Click here to see what details you should include!
• Clean Your Bridal Suite Before Photos – Have it looking neat and photo ready!
• Steam Dresses the Night Before – Last-minute steaming can mess up hair and makeup. (If you forgot to do it the night before, take the steamer to another room where no one is doing hair or makeup! Steam makes curls fall, hair frizz, and makeup run.)
• Tell the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen to Smile when Walking Down the Aisle – Smile and look straight ahead, try not to look down!
• Groom & Groomsmen: Empty Your Pockets – Phones, keys, and wallets will show up in photos. (If you're the bride and your dress has pockets, you deserve to pack them full of whatever you want, such as tissues, m&ms, or perhaps a hamster)
• Don’t Forget an Emergency Kit – Bobby pins, safety pins, double-sided tape, blotting sheets, mints, baby wipes, deodorant, floss, and a mini sewing kit can be lifesavers.
• Practice Your First Kiss – A slow, romantic kiss gives your photographer time to capture the moment. Tip: Count to 3 in your head.
• Practice Your First Dances - You don't have to take a dance class, but it helps to at least know where to put your hands! (If you don't want to dance, you don't have to!)
• Eat & Drink Water - You do not want to pass out on your big day. Mississippi heat is no joke, drink lots of water especially if your wedding is outside on a hot day! (This applies to the wedding party, vendors, and the guests.)
• Tell your family what time family photos are! - You can't take family photos if the family isn't there! Tip: If family photos are at 3pm, tell your family to be ready at 2:45pm.
• Include the names in the family shot list - Family photos go smoother if we can call out "Sally and Paul" instead of "Parents of the groom" (Tip: your shot list can look like this: "Bride and Groom with Groom's Parents: Sally and Paul")
• You can do literally whatever you want - You don't have to do trends or traditions if you don't like them or think they're silly.

• Have an Unplugged Ceremony – This is totally up to you, photographers suggest it because we don't want someone stepping into the aisle causing us to miss an important moment!
• Walk Slowly Down the Aisle – Gives your photographer time to get those shots! Also, it helps you soak in the moment. No need to rush through your biggest moment. (Again, remember to smile and look at your groom!)
• Pause for a Mid-Aisle Kiss – After the ceremony, stop for a quick kiss on your way out. It makes for the cutest exit photo! Bonus points if you do a dip or fist pump.

• Hold Your Bouquet Low – Around your belly button. Too high, and it can hide your dress.
• Make Time for Golden Hour Portraits – Sneak away for 10-15 minutes before sunset for the most magical light.
• Your Dress will get Dirty - It will show how much fun you had! When you accept this, you will feel so free.
• Consider a Private Last Dance – A quiet moment together before your big exit? Yes, please. It’s sweet, intimate, and makes for a beautiful memory. Tip: Your vendors can leave too, even your photographer if you want!
• Have a Send-Off Plan – Sparklers, bubbles, glow sticks, flower petals, ribbon wands, guests shining their phone flashlights- whatever floats your goat. I don't recommend throwing birdseed, rice, or anything similar. It doesn’t float whimsically in the air, it makes people duck and cover like they’re under attack. Not the look you’re going for!
• Remember, it is YOUR day. If you want to elope, do it. If you want to have cozy backyard wedding, do it. If you want to hire a magician for the reception, DO IT. The most memorable weddings are the unique ones where people had fun.