Here are a few tips from a wedding professional who’s been through it all. Years of working as a wedding photographer have taught me to make sure that my customers remember to:

Call or email all vendors the day before the wedding. Confirm times and amounts owed. Who wants to be in a situation when limo does not show up or bride’s bouquet is not ready on time? Speaking of flowers,

Make sure to ask your florist to include two pins per boutonniere. If you need instructions on how to pin a boutonniere, you may refer to this video: http://vimeo.com/9290792.

Expect a long and exhausting day ahead. It might be a good idea to have a few cans of an energy drink handy before leaving for the main photo session. Take a pair of flats or flip flops with you, walking between the various photo locations can take its toll on your feet! Put on your stunning high hills only immediately before you are all set for the next picture. Please, bring along a small container with baby powder (especially for a summer photo shoot), you will thank me later…

How long is the main photo session? A main photo session usually takes place before the ceremony and the reception. It is a good idea to set aside at least 2 hours for portraits and a photo session with your bridal party. Budget another hour for a photo session with your immediate family.

HAVE FUN! – This way your happiness will be captured in the most professional and creative way.

If you are getting ready at the hotel, let the photographer, videographer and florist know your room number when you check in. The wait at a front desk can be lengthy and the vendors may end up using up valuable time to find out where you are. I also had brides who checked in under a different name and the front desk had no idea what room they were at.

During the ceremony, make sure your videographer uses lapel microphones to capture your “I do’s”. A lapel mic will pick up your words while an on-camera mic will record the ambient sound.

First Kiss – Make it Count! Don’t try to set any speed records on your first kiss as husband and wife. Make it last. The longer the kiss – the more great pictures of the moment you will get.

And most importantly, make sure you hire professional photo and video team to capture your once-in-a-lifetime event. Weddings are not just another birthday where you can do it all over again next year…

Congratulations and happy planning!

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