Tips on how to plan your wedding day

Publication date: 10 April 2024Updated: 26 August 2024
Tips on how to plan your wedding day
Destination Wedding Photographer on boat in Positano - Intro

So you’re engaged now, many congrats from the two of us!

We’d love to give you some tips on how to make the arrangement of your wedding day a pleasant and enjoyable moment and to manage the agenda of the day at its best.

That’s why we’ve created this resource for you.

Probably this would be your first time planning such a big event and, since we’ve taken part in lots of weddings, let us give you some little precious advice.

We can help you plan your special day following some tips and a sort of generic timeline that will surely help you to enjoy every single moment of the day and, of course, having the best photos. 

Lifestyle Photography - Engagement photo session

Engagement photo session

An engagement session could be a lovely and unforgettable moment you’re gonna live with your future groom, but also the perfect exercise for you for your wedding photos.

Think about a beautiful place, the perfect backdrop you’d love to have around you. We’ll be happy to help you with that, finding the best spots, the best time of the day for lighting, or to avoid crowds, for example.

We love shooting engagement sessions before a wedding because this lets the couple and us starting knowing each other and starting to build a rapport between us.

You should have to feel at ease with us, in front of our camera and even if you’re really shy, you’ll find out that after a few shots you’ll start feeling at ease.

We always repeat to our couples: you have to try to feel comfortable, because you will look comfortable in your photos, so you will look beautiful!

In any case, if we do not have time to arrange an engagement session, scheduling a video call could be a great idea, so we could start knowing each other and start learning a little bit about our characters and about what you like or dislike.

Planning your wedding - Plan your Elopement

Let’s start planning your wedding

Choose your mood (locations and venue)

Determine your wedding style.

The web is full of wedding inspirations, the best way to organize your own mood board is using Pinterest, where you can create boards with different stuff in it (venues, flower decorations, bridal dresses, makeup ideas and so on).In this way, you’ll find out that you can collect your thoughts and start creating your own vision.

You can also take a look at amazing sites like JunebugThe Lane and Rock My Wedding and so on.Choose your own style on what you like, your favorite colors and what usually inspires you. Regarding the mood, if you search on the dedicated websites and blogs you’re definitely spoiled for choice among Festival Chic, Old Hollywood, Desert boho, Dolce Vita inspired weddings and many many others.

You’ll surely find the theme that perfect suits your taste.

Something very useful, that will let you save your time is making a wedding website. All your guests can visit your site and find there all the information they need (how to reach the locations, timing of the day and so on) and you’ll avoid receiving tons of messages to answer.

Minimize the locations of your wedding day

Since you’re arranging such an important event you have to think about all the details and the perfect timing. A very important matter on a wedding day is the number of locations you’re gonna change. The ideal organization should be that all the main moments of the wedding day, that is getting ready, ceremony and reception should take place in the same location. That’s the secret to avoid stress to you, your families and your guests.

If this would not be possible for some reason, at least try to arrange everything between only 2 different places.

Agenda of the Big Day

After everything is almost done, the next step is organizing your wedding day timeline, whether or not you’ve hired a wedding planner.

You have to decide an estimated start and end time for the main moments of the day.

Bride Getting Ready - Bride Getting Ready
Bride Getting Ready - Bride Getting Ready

Getting ready & details photos

Firstly talk with your make up artist and hairstylist about how many hours do they need and then consider that the photographer will start taking a portrait of you when your make up will be almost done.

To have beautiful photos while getting ready, you should have a nice backdrop, so, ask the venue to give you an agreeable and enough spacious room where to get prepared, even if you’ll be alone or with some people.

Having a quite big window in the room may be very helpful, so you can have a good amount of natural light for your photos.

As soon as you get into the room, choose a bright space where to put the chair you’re gonna have your make up done.

Light is very important for photography, so you should kindly ask your make up artist to get prepared close to the natural light.

This is one of the moments of the day in which you definitely need your best friend’s help, she should be responsible for the order of the room. There might be lots of stuff all around the room and it might not look nice in your photos, so you should keep it neat.

Meanwhile you’ll be having your make up done, before you’ll be ready for photos, we’ll start taking pictures of the details you and your future groom are going to wear: necklaces, earrings, bracelets, flowers or veil for you and cufflinks, wristwatch, tie or bow tie and so on.

This is the right moment to have beautiful photos of your dress before you get in it, of your bouquet, boutonnieres, corsage and last but not least, which is very important to represent the mood of your wedding day: the stationary! So, please, do not forget it at home, remember to bring your wedding stationery with you on your wedding day.Also, remember to kindly ask the florist to bring the flowers into your room.Lastly do not forget to bring with you a nice hanger for your wedding dress, something very simple would be perfect.So let’s recap:

  1. choose a nice and spacious room where to get ready, possibly with a big window
  2. get prepared close to the natural light that comes into the room
  3. keep the room clean and neat
  4. collect all the details you’re going to wear for photos
  5. bring your stationery
  6. ask the florist to bring the flowers into your room
  7. bring with you a nice dress hanger

Bear in mind that getting ready photos may be some of the best photos of your wedding day, because this is a moment full of happiness and expectation, everyone close to you and your fiancé, like your parents, siblings and friends will be very excited, so, enjoy the electric atmosphere of this magical instant.

Then, whenever you will be ready we can take some quick solo portraits of the two of you separately, dressed and ready to go.

Ravello Wedding First Look - First look

First look, yes or not?

This decision is totally up to you, guys. After getting ready photos as soon as you and your future groom will be dressed, you can choose to have your first look with your fiancé and/or your dad.

If you’re planning of having your first look, please talk about it with us, so we can help you to find the best hidden and beautiful spot in the venue with good lighting.

Ceremony

So now… you’re ready for the celebration, guys!

That’s the crucial moment of all the day, the moment when you’ll become husband and wife, a true explosion of emotions, for the two of you, your families and all the people surrounding you.

Choosing a good moment of the light, if you’re getting married outdoors, is the key.

Sunset time may be the perfect moment, but if for some reason you have to arrange the ceremony before it, please ask about light to the owner of the location and the wedding planner if you have one, and then talk to us before choosing the time, we can help you a lot with that. 

None want bad light during such a special moment, so please avoid harsh light of the day, the risk is that you’re gonna have the light directly in your eyes and the photos will be too contrasting, because off sunlight and shadow different areas.

A good idea to have some amazing photos during the day is providing some toss items like flower petals, leaves or confetti. You may use them just after the ceremony, during wedding party photos, during a toast or your first dance. You’re gonna have beautiful candid portraits of you and your guests having fun. Using sparklers is a good idea as well, they always create a moment of fun and waves of laughter.

Cocktail hour

Usually, after the ceremony, the newlyweds say hi to their friends with a quick aperitif, then our advice is leaving the guests for a while to have some beautiful photos, this is the moment of your couple session.

Ceremony - Tulum Bride Mexico

Couple session: bride and groom portraits

This is such a sweet moment, these are the first instants of the two of you like husband and wife. It’s a delicate moment you share with your photographers. We’ll lead you in the best spot of the location, to have some amazing shots together. We’ll let you relaxing, chatting and having fun. 

We’d love you to enjoy this moment, we’ll do our best to make you feel at ease. Our style is no-intrusive, so we’ll only give you some tips about having the best backdrop behind you or to have the correct position while walking in regard to the best light.

That’s all, we’re searching for some amazing candid portrait of the two of you, to catch the authentic happiness of this moment.

Right after the couple session, we usually advise our couples to have some portraits with the wedding party and their immediate family members (in this case, we’d need a bridesmaid or the best man having the list with the names of the people you want in the portraits, to call them at the right moment, to have the photos with the newlyweds).

Reception and Dancing Party

We know you’ve spent many hours thinking about the best lighting to create the right atmosphere and we’ll do our best to translate these precious moments in our photos.

We’ll take photos of your beautiful table setting and decorations, flowers, candles, placeholders and favors. During the reception we’ll be documenting every special moment, the touching ones, the funny ones.

It would be really useful if you could lt us know when and how many speeches will be expected and also, if there will be any special moments during the reception.

Every detail you give us, the best it will be: there will be any fireworks? Sparklers? Or maybe a surprise for the bride, the groom or both of them.

We’ll be close to you all day long to document your special day until the cutting of the cake, a very joyful moment. You’ll be surrounded by your family and friends to toast at your bliss.

Then last, but not least we have the first dance, one of the most exciting and memorable moments of the entire day.

Your favorite song, the lights go down and the atmosphere takes on a magical quality, it’s an intimate instant shared with your loved ones.

And then, the lights get crazy, the music comes up: it’s time to perform, it’s dancing party time! We definitely love shooting photos while you’re dancing, it’s the only moment we use the flashlight to create stunning effects and catch the happiest and funniest moments.

And… that’s it guys, what more can we say? We simply definitely love shooting your weddings and we’re very thankful to you for letting us being part of such a  unique moment of your lives.

We do really hope this little advice could help you.

Don’t forget that your wedding day is Your day, and it has to be tailor-made on you. So feel totally free to express yourself while arranging it, this event represents you, guys. For example, if you don’t like certain traditions, because maybe they’re simply not suitable for your personalities, just avoid them.

Choose your own style, what you really like, choose what’s meaningful to you.

If you’d like to talk to us, we’ll be very happy to help. You can directly message us or we may arrange a video chat.

About the photographers

Mary and Maurizio are wedding photographers in Italy. They love capturing moments of genuine happiness and fun, feelings and emotions.
They shoot weddings in Tuscany, Como Lake, Apulia, Amalfi Coast of course, and abroad. They’ve worked together in adv agencies for several years, dealing with fashion and lifestyle, and this still has a strong influence on their style. Travels and cinema are also some of their greatest sources of inspiration.
Their photos are always devised with a look that comes directly from advertising, fashion and movies. They translate true moments of life through a kind of glam eye, they “aim to document reality in a glamorous way, always without taking away spontaneity from our shoots”.
They love to make their couples feel at ease in order to let them look spontaneous and gorgeous in their photos. Their main goal is catching authentic moments of joy and raw emotions