This week’s “Wedding Day Planning and Tips” post is all about the most vital part of the wedding day, the ceremony and reception! If you missed the part before this one which was all about a First Look, you can see that here.

It’s the moment everyone has been waiting for! There’s been planning for months, primping for weeks, and prep for hours and it’s almost the moment for the bride to walk down the aisle to the love of her life. As a girl, you have probably dreamed about this for your whole life, and now it is all coming true! Promises will be made, vows given. This is the moment that really matters!

Here’s the four main tips I think are most important!

1.Think about lighting!–It’s best to plan an outdoor ceremony about 2 hours before sunset IF you are having a first look. If not, then it’s better having it 3 hours before. If you were to have an outdoor ceremony at 12 PM, you would have harsh sunlight on your faces, and you and your bridal party will [most likely] all be squinting. If you wait just a few hours before sunset, you will have nice even lighting and GORGEOUS photos to go with it! For an indoor ceremony, it is best to have EVEN lighting at the altar. If there’s only one of two spotlights on the bride and groom, the bridal party won’t be exposed correctly. It’s better to have even lighting across the entire altar so everyone is visible in the photos.

2. Make your ceremony important to you! — There’s so many things than you can do during your ceremony. I’ve seen everything from creating a canvas together, to sand ceremonies, rope tying ceremonies, even couples who wash each other’s feet before-hand. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s what YOU want. If you can be creative, DO IT!

3. You don’t need a program for every guest! — Chance are that not everyone at the wedding will take a program, nor do they need to. If you order one for each person coming, you will end up with possibly hundreds of extras! Also, before you order them, have more than one person proof read it! This will ensure that you have everything perfect BEFORE you get them printed!

4. Hiring a full event planner or just a day of coordinator is SO important. You put so much effort and probably blood, sweat, and tears (and money) into the planning of this wedding! Brides can soon realize that even though they had planned, they aren’t the ones that will be able to coordinate everything on the big day. Ultimately it falls on the mother of the bride, the photographer, or heaven forbid, the bride. When the photographer is in charge of the timeline and has to act as the coordinator, the images will suffer. All of the stressful wedding situations I have been in were because of a lack of coordination and organization. This MUST be a priority!

With those tips, your ceremony will go off without a hitch! “You may kiss the bride” is stated, and everyone cheers!!! This is such an exciting time of the day, and it leads perfectly into the reception!

Receptions can be a blast, but it is important that it is well thought out. This is taken care of by your coordinator and DJ, as well as your caterer! They can help plan the layout the area to ensure that people can move freely if they are needing to find the food stations if you’re not having a meal served. For plated dinners, they will be able to arrange the escort cards, full place settings, and a space for your guests. Your coordinator and DJ will also help set up the evening so guests don’t leave early or have to wait long periods of time for the next thing to happen. Just like the ceremony, you can make the reception your own! It should be just what you want it to be! Some things that usually happen during the reception are: first dance, welcome by the father of the bride, blessing, daddy-daughter dance, mother-son dance, anniversary dance, money dance, traditional religious dances, cake cutting, toasts, bouquet and garter toss, large group portraits with friends, and the exit of the bride and groom! Some things to keep in mind for planning your reception is taking into considerations your guests when planning your timeline. If there are elderly people there, make sure the plan the cake cutting at a earlier time so they can be there for it.

Remember, this is for YOU! This is another part of the day only has to be what you want it to be. Details are pretty and fun but they can steal the importance of your day. Forget if your tables aren’t set up JUST right. No one is going to remember that, but they will remember how beautiful you looked!

When it comes to the exit, if you haven’t purchased enough coverage time for you photography to last until your exit, we can do a faux exit! With just the bridal party and a few family members, I can pull you away from the party, and most people won’t even notice! It’s almost impossible to tell that the whole wedding party isn’t there sending off the happy couple! This way you can save money, but still get the shots you were hoping for!