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Do satin wedding dresses photograph well?

Your wedding dress will likely be the most special and important item you’ll ever buy, so you want it to be absolutely perfect. However, many brides seem worried about the prospect of a satin dress, thinking that it may look unflattering or come out too shiny in the photographs.

Well, I’m here to prove that your satin wedding dress will look beautiful in your photos. Below, I’ve identified some ways that you can make sure your dress comes out looking as beautiful in the photos as it does in real life. I hope you find them helpful and that you can find the perfect satin wedding dress for your big day!

 

Make sure it fits properly

As with any wedding dress, if it doesn’t fit properly, the photos will show this. And when it comes to a satin dress, sometimes it isn’t the dress that doesn’t photograph well, but the way it fits you. In order for your satin wedding dress to look amazing in your photos, it needs to fit like a glove.

You should ensure that you make any needed alterations to the dress. Even if you bought it in the size that’s right for you, it may still need altering slightly, as every body shape is different. For example, if you have a strapless dress, you need to make sure that you won’t be pulling it up all day and night.

 

Bride with a strapless satin dress standing with her bridesmaids

 

Choose the right accessories

Because satin has a natural sheen to it, it’s important that you use the right accessories to compliment the dress. Lots of glitz and blingy jewellery or shoes might not be the best option. Keep it simple with a delicate necklace and some simple satin shoes.

 

Ensure it’s the ‘right’ satin

As with any material, there are tons of options when it comes to satin. Some satin is shinier than others, and it comes in variations of white, off-white, ivory and cream and other colours besides.

Satin will photograph better when it’s not a pure white. Instead, soften the look with an off-white or ivory. It’ll still look really white in the photos, but without becoming too fluorescent and glaring.

 

Satin wedding dress hung up on a doorframe

 

Choose a good photographer

Finally, your photos will only be as good as your photographer. A well-experienced photographer will be able to capture the dress in the correct light and make the best, most professional edits to make you and your dress look their best. It’s so important that you make the right decision, as you’ll have your photos forever and you need to truly love them.

When looking at different suppliers, you could ask to see examples of when they’ve photographed a satin wedding dress to ensure it looks as you want it.

 

Satin is a beautiful fabric that adds a touch of luxury to any wedding dress and is suitable for use all year round. Don’t be put off buying satin because you believe it’ll look wrong in the photos. Any good wedding photographer will be able to work their magic and make the dress look incredible!

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What questions should you ask your wedding photographer?

As you plan your wedding, it’s likely that you’ll get to know each of your professionals very well. Hair and makeup trials take time, so you’ll probably spend a couple of hours speaking to your hairdresser and makeup tech. You’ll usually have various wedding dress fittings and appointments with your wedding photographer or videographer to make sure you’re on the same page. This is why it’s so important that you get along with each of your suppliers. You should see eye-to-eye and have the same ideas about what you want from them.

When it comes to choosing your photographer, every one has slightly different methods and techniques and their photos can look very different from one another. This is why it’s imperative that you choose a photographer because you love their work. But what kind of questions should you be asking a photographer before you go ahead and book them for your big day?

I’ve included a list of questions that I get asked by brides and grooms all the time to help you choose your photographer when the time comes.

 

Are you free on my wedding date?

How long have you been a wedding photographer for?

Do you have any examples of your work?

  • Every photographer should have a website and a couple of social media channels. You should look at all of these to see some examples of their work. You could also ask the photographer to send you some additional examples when you’re making the decision.

How many weddings do you do a year?

Have you shot a wedding at [X] venue?

Will you visit our venue before the wedding day?

Have you shot a wedding similar in size to ours before?

How would you describe your photography style?

What packages do you offer?

How much do you charge?

Do you have a contract that we need to sign?

What information do you need from us before the day?

  • There’s quite a lot of information that your wedding photographer will require. They may need to know what formal shots you want (e.g. which groups of people), what photos you absolutely want from the day, where you’re getting married and where the reception venue is and what the schedule of the day is.

Do you have any reviews from previous couples?

Do we need to cover your travel costs or are these included?

What’s the farthest distance you’ll travel for a wedding?

  • If you’re getting married 100 miles away from your hometown or even abroad, you need to make sure that the photographer is willing to travel this distance. For this reason, it’s also important to ask the question above this one to check what the additional costs are for this. Remember, an abroad wedding could take up more of the photographer’s time, meaning they have to turn down other couples.

What time do you start photographing on the day?

What time will you finish for the day?

If we want you to stay longer, is there an additional cost?

Can we have a secondary photographer and can you provide one?

Do you need to meet the videographer before the day to discuss anything?

What happens if you’re ill and can’t work on the day?

What will you wear on the day?

Are guests okay to take photos while you are?

  • Guests can sometimes get in the way and some photographers may prefer that guests don’t try to take photos while they are, for example during the wedding service or the speeches. It’s definitely worth asking your photographer what their stance is on this.

What extras can we have? (e.g. smoke bombs, props, etc.)

Can we provide examples of the kind of photos we’d like?

What kind of camera do you use?

Do you bring back-up equipment on the day?

  • Most photographers will be organised and bring backup cameras, memory cards and batteries so that there’s no chance of anything going awry, but it’s always good to check this with them beforehand.

Do you have insurance?

Do you require a deposit?

When is the full payment due?

Do you offer a payment plan so we can pay in instalments?

Are albums included in the price or can we pay extra for these?

Do you edit all the photos?

How long will my photos take to arrive?

How many final photos will we receive?

Do we just receive the prints or do we get a USB with the photos on that we can download unlimited times?

  • Many couples want to get their photos on a disk or USB so that they can have additional albums made, send the photos to friends and family, or even create memorabilia such as printed canvases or cushions. Therefore, you should double check that you’ll be sent all the photos digitally to do what you want with.

 

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How to create a hashtag for wedding photos

Custom wedding hashtags have become all the rage in the last few years.

Your wedding photographs can take a long time to be edited and delivered back to you, and you may want to look at some non-professional photos of the day to remind you of how amazing it was. This is why coming up with your own wedding hashtag can be a great idea. Imagine if there was one place where all of your guests could share their photos from the day so you could view and share them at any time? With a wedding hashtag, that’s exactly what you can do. It’s a fun (and free) way of allowing your guests to share their favourite aspects of your day online.

Below, I’ve come up with some ways you can create your own wedding hashtag.

 

How to come up with your wedding hashtag

Once you’ve decided that you want to have a wedding hashtag, you’ll have to think of a unique hashtag that you and your partner can use on the day. You could go with something as simple as your surname, such as #MrAndMrsMcDonald, however the chances are that someone else has already used this tag for their own wedding. This is where you need to get more creative.

You could try adding the date of your wedding, such as #MrAndMrsJones2020 or #MrsAndMrsJonesMay21. This is a relatively simple hashtag.

The best hashtags are the ones that are memorable, funny or a play on words. Use your surname-to-be to think of a play on words. If your new surname will be Seal, your hashtag could be #WeSealedTheDeal. You could even use an inside joke as your hashtag. Suits star, Patrick Adams, and Pretty Little Liars star, Troian Bellisario used a memory from their first date for their wedding hashtag, #FortDay2016. She explained that Patrick had built her a pillow fort in his apartment, where they spent most of the evening watching films and eating pancakes. This became known as Fort Day. They actually got engaged on the anniversary of Fort Day too. This cute story is what formed their hashtag. So be creative and think of something that sums you and your partner up.

 

Troian and Patrick's wedding photos feed

Troian and Patrick’s hashtag feed from Instagram

 

I’d advise staying away from words that are hard to spell, as it’s likely that your guests will accidentally spell the hashtag incorrectly and their photo may not show up on your feed. I’d also advise avoiding hashtags that are excessively long, such as #TheWeddingOfMrAndMrChestertonDecember2019. Something short, snappy and memorable will work best.

Alternatively, if you or your partner can’t decide on one, you could use a wedding hashtag generator which will create one for you. Just check on Instagram to make sure that the hashtag hasn’t already been used for someone else’s wedding! It should be unique to you both.

 

How does a wedding hashtag work?

First, you need to make all of your guests aware of the hashtag, otherwise having one will be of no use. You could include it on your save-the-dates, on your invitations, on your table menus and even on a chalkboard sign at the venue. Make it clear to your guests what it is.

Every time a guest takes a photo of a special moment of your day, whether it’s a selfie of themselves or a picture of you walking down the aisle, the photo can be shared on social media with the special hashtag. The morning after your wedding, you could log into Instagram and find a whole host of pictures that have been taken by your guests. These pictures will stay there forever and can be looked at whenever you want to.

Obviously, these images are amateur ones that may be bad quality and taken on smart phones, so you should still have a professional wedding photographer there on the day to capture those beautiful moments in incredible quality.