Tag Archive for: wedding photos

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How to keep your wedding guests entertained during photos

 

Your wedding photographs are the one thing that remain once the wedding day is over to show all the little moments – your first dance, getting into your dress, and your first meal as a married couple.

But taking the perfect photos takes time, especially when you and your new husband or wife disappear off to have your photo shoot together.

No matter what part of the day you have your couple’s photo shoot, there may be a significant amount of time where you and your partner, the main stars of the show, disappear for an hour. But what are your guests going to do during this time?

I’ve had a think and have come up with some ideas on how to keep your wedding guests entertained during your photos.

 

If you’re having your photos during the drinks reception…

Lots of couples choose to have their photos during the drinks reception. This seems like a natural time. If you’re getting married at a church, people will be gradually arriving at your reception venue and receiving their welcome drinks and canapés. If you get married at a venue, it’s likely that they’ll want to turn the room around for your wedding breakfast.

So, if you want to have your photos taken during this time, there are a couple of entertainment options you can have.

The first is music. Hiring a string quartet, a pianist, a flautist, or even a singer to perform during your drinks reception is a great idea. Your guests won’t even notice that you’ve disappeared!

The second is games. If your venue has an outdoor space, you could hire some lawn games for your guests, particularly the children.

Finally, you could hire some bartenders who specialise in performance. Otherwise known as flair bar-tending, they can entertain your guests and throw glasses around while creating special cocktails for your guests.

 

Bride and groom posing outside amongst the grass

 

If you’re having your photos after your meal…

Some couples prefer to have their photos later on in the day. There’s usually a natural break between your wedding breakfast/speeches and the evening reception.

Say your wedding breakfast finishes at 5.30 but your evening guests aren’t arriving until 7, you have an hour and a half to have your photo shoot. This can be a beautiful time to have photos in spring or autumn as the sun usually sets around this time.

This would be an excellent time to have a photo booth set up for your guests or even something a little more quirky such as a caricaturist to draw people while they’re enjoying tea and coffee.

 

If you’re having your photos after your first dance…

This would be an unusual time to have your photos, but in the summer, it can still be light outside after 9pm. Make the most of the warm summer evenings and get some beautiful sunset photos.

But your guests need entertaining in the evening. DJs are still very popular so your guests can have a dance. Bands are also becoming increasingly popular. Although they’re more expensive, nothing equals the sound of a live band to create some amazing music.

 

Bride and groom dancing at sunset

 

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How to Display Wedding Photos in your Home

You’ve received your wedding photographs and you absolutely love them. But now what do you do with them?

Your wedding photos are beautiful. They’re everything you dreamed they would be. And now you want to display them in your home so your family and friends can appreciate them when they come over. You may have got a wedding album included in a package from your photographer, but I’ve come up with some alternative ways you can display wedding photos in your home.

Create a gallery wall

You might be struggling to find just one photo from your wedding day that you love. You love all of them! How do you choose?

Well luckily, you don’t have to. You could create a gallery wall using multiple photos from your day, just like Lauren has done:

Gallery wall showing wedding photos

 

Lauren has printed her photos quite large (16″ x 20″) but it’s up to you how many photos you want to incorporate and how you lay them out. You don’t have to do them in a square, and they definitely don’t all have to be the same. Some of your favourites could be printed bigger than others, and you could put them in the centre of your gallery to make them stand out.

You could choose to put them all in the same frames or in different ones. It’s completely up to you. A gallery wall is so versatile and is a great way to showcase your wedding and your personality.

Just make sure you have lots of different photos from different parts of the day so you have a real variety.

Home Accessories

If you wanted to, you could use some of your wedding photographs to decorate your home.

You could have mugs made with your favourite photos on, or have a pillow created for your armchair or bed. There are lots of companies that will print your photos onto a chosen object.

If you’re using multiple photos on one item, just make sure they look right together, for example, check they were taken in the same lighting and include similar colours, otherwise the photos may look odd together.

Use Polaroids

If you’re a fan of polaroids, this is a wonderful option for you and it’s great for people on a budget. You can have your photos printed into ‘Polaroid’ form. Many photograph printers will now do this for you. You can then use the photos to create a Polaroid wall of wedding photos.

 

Polaroid wall for wedding photos

Photo credit: Elevator Musik

This style is great for those who had a more informal/quirky wedding.

Printed Canvas

The final way to display wedding photos at home is with a canvas. Canvases come in many shapes and sizes and can be hung nearly anywhere in your home.

Living room with large wedding canvas above fire

Photo credit: Dream of Home

Canvas on wall above sofa

 

There are so many beautiful and unusual ways you can showcase your wedding photos so have an experiment and see what you can do!

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Why I Love Wedding Photography

With wedding season almost in full swing and my calendar filling up fast, I couldn’t help but think about how much I love what I do. Thinking back to when I took the plunge and became a full-time wedding photographer actually gives me goosebumps. It was such a daunting time, but deep down I knew it was right and I’m so happy I did.

Over the past 16 months, my work as a photographer has developed from a passion in what I do, to an absolute love and I have to thank the amazing couples I’ve worked with for that. I find it such a privilege capturing those magical moments and giving them to a couple to treasure forever.

There are so many things about wedding photography that I love, but there are some things that truly stand out for me:

The Excitement

As a wedding photographer, I do get to miss all the chaos and stress that often comes during the build-up to the big day. What I love is being part of the excitement. I love to see the range of emotions that come when a couple’s planning finally comes to fruition, from love to pure joy it’s an amazing experience being in the midst of it all.

The Relationships

Since beginning my journey into wedding photography the relationships I’ve made with my couples is something I treasure. From the first point of contact to meeting the couple, engagement shoots and communication right up to the big day, I love how natural it feels capturing each and every moment when the wedding arrives., due to the relationships we’ve formed. From often being so closely involved a couple’s magical day, I must say I always take something special away on a personal level too.

The Challenge

Wedding photography is definitely a challenge I love. From the technical to the editing it’s these challenges that drive my passion. With every setting being different from weather to lighting I am always learning something new. I’ve also learnt how important it is to always be on the lookout for the emotions most will miss. Every wedding is unique and you never know when the most tender and emotional moments may come, finding those is a challenge I love and it certainly keeps me on my toes.

The Memories

One of the most wonderful parts of my job is that I am capturing memories to be adored for a lifetime, the I do’s, the first dance and the big family shots are always loved. However. it’s not just the notable moments I look for, I am always mindful that throughout a day the whole wedding party will go through a range of emotions, and being able to capture these often raw moments, give the best memories for my couples too, and their families. It’s touching to know what I do will be passed through generations for years to come, to be able to give that to a couple is something I will always love.