5 tips to prepare for your  photographer’s arrival on your wedding day

 

Since the wedding day moves quickly, and every moment is so precious. By using these five tips to prep for my arrival, it truly allows us to maximize the little time we have to photograph the details and getting ready with your favorite ladies!

Tip # 1

I know that my brides typically like to plan things ahead of time so they can enjoy the day.  Preparing for my arrival actually begins before your wedding day starts! 

I start every wedding day on the floor with all the little details important to the bride. Some brides ask why I need to photograph details.  I tell them that it’s the easiest way to document all the things that make your wedding day unique to you and sentimental. Yes, things like wedding rings, engagement ring, the jewelry she’ll be wearing, gown, shoes, bouquet, invitation, and suite. But the really important ones are the family heirlooms (think something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue) like a bride’s grandmother’s handkerchief or ring she wore on her wedding day.  

Photographing the details gets me in the swing of things and warms me up for the getting ready images, as well as the rest of the day. These details are all the items that make your wedding yours.  

Take some time on Monday or Tuesday, the week before your wedding to locate the details that you would like photographed. Place your details in a container to go to the getting ready room.  That way, the moment I arrive, I can grab your box from one of your bridesmaids or mom in the bridal suite and take it by a window and away from the craziness of hair and makeup. This helps to eliminate the time it takes to gather all these items once I arrive.

Here is a list to get you started on what to think about.  This is your day, so you can choose what you want:

  • Your dress and bridesmaids dresses
  • A nice hanger for your dress (this may be the keepsake you bought that says bride/Mrs or a really nice wooden hanger that you’ll use to hang the dress on)  You don’t need one, but photos with a plastic hanger don’t look polished.
  • All three rings This includes the groom’s ring! (don’t be shy about getting your engagement ring cleaned so it sparkles!)
  • Veil and/or hairpiece
  • Shoes 
  • Jewelry you’ll be wearing (Including earrings, necklace, bracelets, etc.)
  • Keepsakes, heirlooms and/or borrowed, blue, old and new.
  • Perfume (some brides purchase a new scent so they can wear it on special occasions like anniversaries to remind your husband of this day.
  • Invitation suite: Save the date, the invitation itself, the invitation envelope, the reply card, reply envelope, reception card, information cards, etc. Basically, anything you sent your guests, save for me to snap a few photos of! Many brides mail it to me when they mail it to the guests.  You can do the same, just send me an email and I’ll provide the address.
  • Bouquet
  • Gift or letter from your future husband or anything else you want to be photographed.

 

Tip # 2

You’ve probably spent months daydreaming about the perfect bouquet. So obviously I want to photograph it when it’s brand new and plump and pretty.  I typically like to put your rings or jewelry with it as the backdrop.  

So, here’s the tip!  Please have your bouquet delivered to your getting ready suite BEFORE I arrive, if possible.  Otherwise, the only time I can photograph it would be during the portraits after the first look or after the ceremony. And think about it, you don’t want to stress about waiting for your bouquet to arrive.  

 

Tip # 3

Picture your regular getting-ready routine in the morning…I don’t know about yours, but mine usually involves my makeup (including brushes), hair bits, jewelry, a tiny bite to eat and probably some Tea to get me through the day.

Now picture that on steroids with multiple ladies also getting ready…. 

That means mess everywhere! Getting ready spaces are often pretty small, like hotel rooms.  Add to that small garbage cans and unmade beds and you have an after-party room.

You can bring a few garbage bags and designate a few besties to tidy up along the way.  Do you want to see a ton of stuff all over? Or do you want a clean and curated version for your wedding album?If you only clear a small area for me, this would be the area.

Tip #4

Clear a 2×4 foot spot in front of a window.  This is the best light around, and I love to use it to photograph your details in the best light.

I will also have you put your dress on (or zip up or button up the back), have mom help with the veil and jewelry all in front of the window.  The best light means even skin tones and flat lighting that allows for no shadows on the face. Think a beauty light. 

Tip # 5

NOW ENJOY!!

Using all these tips, you can then sit back and be pampered and enjoy the day to the fullest, knowing that I’ll capture all those important images.

Are you getting married and looking for a photographer?

I’m a destination wedding photographer which means I photograph weddings all over the world AND I am not charging travel fees (at this time) to help with the cost of weddings for brides during this crazy time!   Click HERE to find out about my packages and other information, as well as scheduling a consultation over Zoom video!!

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to prepare for your photographer's arrival on your wedding day
to prepare for your photographer's arrival on your wedding day
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to prepare for your photographer's arrival on your wedding day

Black Friday Deals

IDENTIFY | ATTRACT | BOOK Course:

This 8-week course taught in a private Facebook group where you can ask questions directly for your unique business. You’ll learn along with a handful of students how to identify your ideal bride (who you will love to work with), attract them through a simple but effective system of marketing (all my tricks over 10 years as a wedding photographer), and step by step how to book them.

BONUS:

You’ll get both the 50 Content Ideas for Wedding Photographers and How to Create an Ideal Bride Avatar (a $59.98 value free!)

50 Content Ideas:

Creating content like blog posts and social media posts can be hard. This workbook helps you to be a content creating machine! So what’s included?

  • 8 pages of content
  • 50 Content Ideas For Wedding Photographers
  • An exercise that jogs your brain to create more ideas
  • A few pointers to get you started
  • A thorough example
  • BONUS:   5 “done for you” social media posts where you just fill in the blanks AND you can reuse them over and over including new information! 

How to Create an Ideal Bride Avatar Workbook:

This workbook helps you to be a content creating machine because it tells you WHO you are talking to! So what’s included?

  • 9 pages of content
  • Fill in the blank questions to ask
  • It’s a step by step workbook to help you identify who your ideal client is
  • Learn who you are and who your business serves
  • Learn who you’d love to work with
  • Learn what other wedding photographers are doing in your market so you can be unique

Five Tips How I make blogging my weddings EASY and EFFECTIVE!

Jen Vazquez of Women Who Execute helping wedding photographers to identify their ideal bride and book her!

Below we’ll be discussing 5 tips on how I make blogging my weddings easy and effective — now don’t click away! Hear me out and I may just change your mind if you (like me) HATE writing blogs!

Tip One: WHY? 

If you are like me and HATE writing blogs, here’s WHY you HAVE to write  them:

  • Consistently posting boosts your SEO. That’s a No brainer.
  • It’s 100% FREE marketing. Who doesn’t love free?
  • Your clients will LOVE being features and share it with family and friends and those people will refer YOU when asked if they know a wedding photographer.
  • An inactive blog can make it appear to a future client that you’re out of business. YIKES

Right about now, many of you are thinking, UGGHHHH – I know I should BUT:

  • “I am terrible at writing.”
  • “No one reads my blog!”
  • “Uhh one more thing to add to my ever-growing list of things to do!”

Stay tuned, and I should overcome each of those things you may think!

How I help my wedding photography clients is I’m all about creating systems to make this crazy wedding business easier and more effective.  

TIP TWO: Pre-Wedding Questionnaire 

One way I do that is with my pre-wedding questionnaire for my clients:  This enables me to easily and quickly write a blog to post within 72 hours after the wedding (YES I know, roll your eyes – I’ll explain more in a sec)

TIP THREE: Include four basic things in each blog post

These are four things I put in every single blog post as a minimum: 

  • What is the name of the venue, where is it located (city name and area), and the couple’s first name. TIP: make sure all of that is in the FIRST PARAGRAPH as this is what will spike your SEO and get you found. 
  • How did the couple meet? 
  • How did the groom propose? 
  • Describe their first date? 

TIP FOUR: Include 35-50 images

Then after writing the blog, I take my favorite images typically 50-75 (yes I know that’s a lot but this is my sneak peek for my brides 48-72 hours after the wedding) and it boosts your SEO.  It’s part of my process so I can photograph my wedding, deliver the sneak peek in 72 hours and enjoy all of the traffic to my website and social media accounts because the bride and groom are sharing it with all their friends and family.  I get the work done, and my clients and their friends and family are blown away because RARELY does that happen.

Naming/Sizing your images:  I use Blogstomp (but there is other software out there) and it resizes and names them so incredibly fast (and who has time?).  Things to think about. Why? Well images names are also SEO searchable and when your title, your blog details, and your images have keywords, your website/blog will start rising in google algorithm and you’ll rise higher on the search page for your location or venue:

  • You must resize them as you don’t want your blog loading slowly or people will click away
  • Name them important searchable words like venue, city, state, your name, wedding.  EX. SanJoseCAWeddingatXYZbyJenVazquezPhotography1

TIP FIVE Including Branding words:  

Lastly, make sure that you include your branding words (three words that describe your ideal bride and brand – for me is adventurous, playful and fun party brides).  You can use these words somewhere in each blog post and an unconscious pattern will develop for your brides to be about your brand and it helps google show your content to your ideal brides.

Want more info?

If you found this helpful – I will have more of this in my upcoming course, Identify Attract Book: A course helping Wedding Photographers identify their ideal brides and book them with a simple but effective system. You can sign up on the waitlist to hear when it opens HERE.