Picture Perfect, Part 1

The happy couple will usually drop around $3,000 on photography for their wedding. These packages usually include an engagement shoot, 5-8 hours on the day of, one or two photographers and your album at the end.  A lot of people will tell you not to skimp on the photographer, because at the end of the day, that is what you have left, along with your memories, a top tier of wedding cake sitting in your freezer, and a few credit card bills you probably don't want to think about.  

And that's true... your photos, at the end of the day, are the living proof, the reminders of what an amazing day you managed to pull together and all the love and fun that was part of it. I'll do another post on how to find a great photographer and plan out the shots you want, but today I thought I'd delve into another topic: how else can you work in photography to get as many perspectives on the day as possible?

I'm sure you've been to a wedding by now with the ubiquitous photo booth, I have to say that this is a trend I absolutely adore! Whether you rent from a local provider of the ones like you used to take pictures in at the mall with your friends or you decide to DIY, the photo booth can be such a great way to capture the spirit of each of your guests! I suggest you consider making it your guest book-- each person/ group that takes pictures together will also sign a page of an album/book together so that after the wedding (or, if you have an attendant right there you can do it on the spot) you can put the picture that corresponds on the page opposite of the well-wishes. It's also a great enclosure to their thank you note, a copy of the pictures they took in the photobooth (this is especially true if you go DIY and need time to print the photos after the wedding)! Whether you pick a theme and have props or simply want to see your guests as they were that day, it's a great way to capture the fun spirit of the day.

Go social! Last year I attended a fabulous wedding that had guests clicking pics of everything using their phones... it was like being on a red carpet with paparazzi the flashes were going so fast and furious. But afterwards it took almost a year for pictures to start circulating back to guests at the party. Everyone had tagged the bride, but that didn't mean the groom's friend from college could see them. Well, now you have so many options to get guests posting all to the same place! There are some services you can pay a small fee (around $100-150) to host a website for your wedding and after your guests download an app on their phones, they can tag pics of the wedding to be sent directly to the event page. Another option would be to simply set up a portion of your wedding website for uploading of pictures, and in the ceremony program include a link or a QR code to direct guests to that site. And don't just keep it to your wedding day, have people shoot your rehearsal, your day after brunch... you could even post the pics of your bridal shower, all to this one central site!