Wedding Planning – A guide for a successful timeline.

When it comes planning your wedding day your timeline is your key to success. So don’t skip this step, plan use your timeline to set yourself up for success so your day will go off without a hitch. If you don’t give enough attention a beautiful wedding day can turn to chaos and panic.

I sat down with David Taylor a fellow photographer, and although Dave is new to wonderful world of wedding photography, he does have five years of experience. He mainly works with models and fashion shoots, he also does seniors, urban photography, and more. He agrees, planning of any photoshoot is the tipping point between success and uncertainty.

So I asked Dave, “What are the important things to look at when setting up a wedding timeline for photographic success?”

1 – Leave wiggle room

The beginning of your day is crucial, it’s hair and makeup time!  This will set the tone for the rest of the day. If you don’t allow enough time for hair and make-up it can set off a chain reaction that can affect your whole day. Plan for the simple things; bridesmaid’s hair isn’t cooperating, make-up getting smudged, someone loses a contact, or misplaces an earring. Once you’ve set how much time you need add an extra half an hour. Everyone in your wedding will be happy to have another glass of champagne rather that stressing because you were supposed to be in the limo 10 minutes ago.

2 – Properly Plan drive time

It may only take you 5 minutes to drive from your ceremony site to your formal photo site, but keep in mind the number of people you have meeting at the site. That 5 minute drive has just turned into 15-20 minutes, you will have to unloading (and don’t forget re-loading) the bride, waiting on others family members to arrive, and of course any traffic delays that might pop up. This is especially critical if your formals aren’t done on site of the ceremony.

Another thing to consider, remember your photographer will need to pack-up all their gear from your ceremony site, drive over to where your formals will be, and then unpack everything when they arrive at the formal photo site.  If you have only allotted 10 minutes in travel time you might want to add an extra 20-30 minutes to encompass all these other ‘things’ you might not have considered. If you don’t adjust appropriately you could inadvertently be behind schedule or you may end up missing some of those intimate photos of just the two of you.

Photo by David Taylor

3 – Make sure your wedding planner and your photographer are on the same page

Each one of these people has their own expertise; while a planner may think a certain location is perfect for formal photos because of the timeline, your photographer may disagree because of poor lighting or some other factor.  Having everyone on the same page will be helpful on your special day so any disagreements can be squashed quickly. The easiest way to get them on the same page is to meet with them both at a planning meeting. This way everyone will know your priorities and what you want to happen. Remember both your planner and photographer want you to have the best wedding day possible so simply making sure they are on the same page initially will help tremendously, and really that’s minimally effort on your part when you think about it.

4 – Make sure your photographer knows your itinerary.

Part of making your wedding day photos spectacular is the setup. There are lights and angles and other technical things that go into making you photos look their best.  Your photographer needs to know where and when that setup is needed.  With a variety of traditions, that are kept, left out, or have a variation, there is no such thing as a “typical wedding”. You may be having your first dance just after your introduction. Toasts may take place during, before, or after dinner. You may cut your cake early, or maybe not at all.  These are all very important details for your photographer to know for the day of your wedding. You’ve spent months planning all the little details so make sure things are communicated all the way to your photographer too. Let you photographer know the order of your day, and any changes that you make.

5 – Create a shot list

This list should consist of all of your “must haves” for the day. Your photographer doesn’t know all of your guests or how important they are to you so making a list ensures your photographer gets all of the photos that are important to you. It can be an email, a spreadsheet or a handwritten piece of paper – it will help your photographer a lot.

6 – Have a list of inspired shots

You’ve been Pinteresting all of you favorite details, and probably a few shots you want of the two of you for the day of so make sure you share these with your photographer.  Don’t go too crazy but share a private board with your photographer so they know what “must have” poses you want that you saw on Pinterest.

David and I both agree that most photographers would be ok with doing some Pinterest re-creations but limit it to just a couple of those. Getting shots that are uniquely you and spending time with your guests is more important than any Pinterest re-creation – trust us. If some of those photos really are that important, consider having a styled session the next day or later on with you both dressed up again. Or on a different note, Pinterest some “trash the dress” sessions.

Photo by David Taylor

7 – Create a style/mood board

This gives your photographer a general idea of what kind of look you’re going for. You may have a style in mind, but you don’t know how to express it in words so lucky for you a photographer’s specialty is pictures. Working with your photographer so you can select photo styles you like (and dislike) without the stress of knowing all the technical jargon.

A big thank you to David for sitting down with me. If you would like to see David’s work you can find him at http://www.stopandstarebytaylor.com.

As we finished our conversation I asked him one final question; I asked Dave, what is your advice for any bride during the planning process? He said “Breath, relax, and have fun. It’s going to be over before you know it”.

The Victorian Rose – Vintage Bridal Shower

Earlier in the year, I photographed a bridal shower, although I’ve photographed bridal showers before, this one stood out. It was a step back in time, the décor was perfect, and most important the food was spectacular.

The Victorian Rose is a small tea-house that serves a brunch, not just small bit-sized sandwiches but full-sized portion. Loretta Curry has owned and operated her tea house for 21 years. After having my own experience, I asked Loretta to tell me about her tea-house and what makes it so special.

A little background, Loretta started catering before she opened the tea-house itself. Loretta loves being in the kitchen and loves serving food. She often times goes home after cooking in the tea-house to make her homemade Italian stuffed shells. Unfortunately, this is delicacy you won’t find on the menu but you will find other delicious options on her menu. The ladies from the shower I photographer raved about the quiche that has three different types of cheese; Gorgonzola, fresh vegetables and served with their Victoria Rose Salad. There is also Loretta’s famous chicken pie and my personal favorite, the Extreme Victorian Rose salad with cashew chicken, dried cranberries, pecans, oranges, raspberry dressing and a scone. There are many options on the menu so it makes choosing 1 meal is difficult.

Family is the core of Loretta’s life and she loves to cook for them, all 6 of her children! She said, she always wanted to own a restaurant, so when the tea-house was up for sale she grabbed it and held tight! She said, some of her fondest memories are back in the kitchen; rolling dough with her children, teaching them to make homemade noodles, having her children work alongside her in the tea-house as they got older, and now her grandchildren coming over for tea. In fact, she said her favorite memory at the tea-house is, “When our family was on the porch and we sat to get a photograph” and this photograph is still on Loretta’s website today.

Are you considering having a bridal shower at a tea-house? Here’s why Loretta thinks it’s the perfect place to host.

1 – It’s Private

Traditionally held in someone’s home or yard, a shower is an intimate event. Rather than having it at a public restaurant or large public hall, the Victorian Rose Tea-house closes to the public for a few hours during your event, re-opening again when you shower is over. It keeps things private and intimate.

2 – It’s like stepping back in time

If your theme is a vintage wedding, the Victorian Rose will fit your style like a lace glove. Decorated with colorful teacups, and vintage china, it is truly like stepping into another era.

3 – Everything is included

Anyone who has hosted a party at their home knows that the set-up and clean-up are the worst parts of hosting. Why not skip that?!  The tea-house provides dishes, stemware, teacups, center pieces, table linens, etc.  The space is already decorated for you when you arrive, and best of all you get to leave the cleaning to the pros. It’s completely hassle-free.

4 – No need to cook

The Victorian Rose has a delicious, made-from-scratch menu. I (the photographer) had the Extreme Victorian Rose salad, which was delicious, and everyone was raving about the food. Nobody had to bring a dish or cook for everyone attending. It’s an all-inclusive tea-house; tea, food, décor – the works!

5 – You can bring you own wine

The tea-house doesn’t serve alcohol but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring some! Whether it’s champagne for mimosas, or you favorite bottle of wine for an evening event.

Oh and the tea-house will even provide orange juice for those mimosas, just ask!

6 – Location

Just because you shower is over doesn’t mean you’re ready to stop celebrating. Well you’re in luck with the Victorian Rose, it is located just off the main strip of downtown Rochester. You can continue your celebrations with shopping, dining, and much more in the upscale setting of downtown Rochester.

7 – Catering

If you have a different location in mind, or perhaps a larger party than the tea-house can handle - no problem - you can always get the delicious food brought right to you!  They will still provide service and cleanup so your guests can sit back and enjoy your shower.

On a final note, I asked Loretta what her favorite part about owning the tea-house is. She said, I have a level of comfort with my clients and staff. “I have clients that are like family. I love the ability to welcome them as family.”  And as the first customer of the day came in, just like family, I saw Loretta welcome them to the tea-house, gave them hugs, and sat them at their table. Loretta’s tea-house is a true gem in right in downtown Rochester. 

7 things to know before hiring your wedding makeup artist.

I sat down with Larrissa Spears, a hair and makeup specialist and owner of MI Bride Hair & Makeup. I’ve worked with her on multiple occasions. Larrissa is fun and joyful person, doing work for professional shoots like my own, to doing her own makeup as an homage to Prince. Finding her inspiration as a child by watching her mom put on makeup, Larissa said “My mom would wake up every morning at like 4:30 or 5:00 and do her makeup before work.”

She has been in the industry for 5 years as an assistant as well as the lead makeup artist and hair designer at a local boudoir photo studio before building her own artistry team. I asked, “What are the important things brides should be looking for when they are ready to hire a makeup artist for their wedding?”

LOOK AT THEIR PORTFOLIO:

7 things before hiring makeup artist, Boudoir Shoot. Bloomfield Hills MI

This will tell you a few things right away. Is their portfolio on a website or only social media?  Any professional selling their services should have a website and any easy way to get a hold of them. If they don’t it could be a red flag. Are their portfolio made up of quality photos or cell phone pictures?  This again points back to professionalism.  Makeup artists and photographers work closely together and often on multiple occasions, easily becoming friends. It should be an easy task for a good makeup artist to ask the photographers they work with for a few good shots for their website.  If all you see are cell phone pictures that may be a sign of inexperience. They might be a little less expensive, but is it worth the risk on what is arguably the most important day of your life? Most importantly look at the style in the photos. Does it match up with your vision of your makeup look? If it does don’t wait to contact them wedding dates can fill up fast.

CHECK THEIR REVIEWS:

Look both on their website and off, checking, google, yelp, or the knot to get an idea of how they stack up. Ask them for references. As a business owner I won’t give out any client information but I am happy to share the names and numbers of other wedding professionals I’ve worked with. Expect your artist to operate the same way.

GET A QUOTE IN WRITING:

7 things before hiring makeup artist, Boudoir Shoot. Birmingham MI

There’s nothing worse than being told a price verbally and it’s different on your wedding day. This usually isn’t done on purpose. Your artists may have been running a special or was in the process of changing their prices.  So like all things happening on your wedding day, get it in writing. You can get away with an email quote, but ideally having a proper invoice and payment schedule keeps everyone on the same page and lowers the chance of wedding day surprises.

HAVE A TRIAL MAKEUP SESSION:

Before putting down a deposit or signing a wedding day contract. You can test a few things out. Do they have a good personality? They will be with you while you getting ready for your day, and it’s always nice to have people around that you get along with.

You can time them. Did it take too long to get your look done? Do you love their work enough to adjust your wedding timeline? It’s better to know now than on your big day. Some artists offer this for free but some may charge a small fee, after all makeup isn’t free.

BE HONEST:

If you don’t like something about your makeup during your trial session, it’s important to say something. Your artist may be able to adjust to you. Just like any other beauty industry makeup has its styles which are constantly changing. Just because you don’t like your artist regular look doesn’t mean that’s all they can do.  They might do these changes at your trial or have you schedule a second one. Keep in mind there may be an additional cost even if the first trial was free.

CAN THEY HANDLE YOUR WEDDING:

Your artist may be the greatest thing since the blush brush, but if they are a solo operation and you have a large bridal party you could be in trouble. Ask how many people they can handle. Do they have a team of artists to bring?  If not, you may want to consider hiring another team of artists to take care of your bridesmaids leaving your favorite artist to concentrate on you.  

HOW TO FIND YOUR MAKEUP ARTIST:

7 things before hiring makeup artist, Boudoir Shoot. Birmingham MI

The best way is though the wedding vendors you already love. If you’ve booked your photographer and they recommend an artist. It’s likely you’ve already seen some of the artist’s work, and they probably get along pretty well. If you get along with your photographer it’s not a big leap to say the artists they recommend will be similar.

Recommendations from friends who have gotten married. This would be a second way if referrals don’t work out. You don’t always like the friend of a friend. The same can be said for wedding vendors they may have been perfect for your office buddy but are they perfect for you?  Last you can always do a google search, or use sites like GigSalad.

In the end just make sure your happy, don’t settle, and do your best to avoid wedding day surprises.

I want to thank Larrissa for taking the time to sit down and provide some helpful tips in the wedding makeup world. If you’re in southeast Michigan, and in need of and absolutely awesome makeup artist, follow one of the links to check out her website.

Update: To see tips on how to prep your skin for you wedding day click here.