Pre-wedding Shoot Tips and Advice
Pre-wedding adventure shoots are a great way to connect with your wedding photographer as you approach your wedding day. They give you the chance to spend time with your photographer talking about all your exciting plans for the big day. All that while getting used to being comfortable in front of the camera. It also gives you the chance to see how your photographer works, and you’ll be able to find out what works & looks best for your actual wedding photos. Pre-wedding shoots can be a lot of fun, and you will end up with some great pictures.
In my experience, couples really benefit from having a pre-wedding shoot. They then feel a lot more relaxed, comfortable and confident about the photography on their wedding day. I totally understand that you may feel a little nervous about doing a pre-wedding shoot but trust me – it’s a totally worthwhile investment of your time! And once you get over the initial 5 – 10 minutes of awkwardness I promise you will definitely enjoy it!
When should we book our pre-wedding adventure shoot?
I contact most of my couples up to 6 months (sometimes even earlier) before their actual wedding day and leave it up to them to pick their favourite time. You may be totally in love with a fresh crisp Spring vibe. Or maybe you would rather wait for a golden summer sunset. Maybe you prefer the beautiful colour palette Autumn has to offer. Or you’ve got your heart set on some gorgeous snow shots. Whichever season you choose – I would always suggest picking sunrise or sunset as the best time for your shoot as this will give you the best light. Your photographer should be able to recommend some great locations, or maybe you already have a particular spot in mind (where you first met, or somewhere you go often as a couple, your first picnic spot, where he proposed, a gorgeous hill walk or a beautiful beach).
What should I wear?
Once you’ve decided on your perfect location it may be time to think about what to wear. It really does not need to be tricky – just think about how you’d like to look. If you want to go all out and put your glad rags on, get professional make-up, maybe have your hair done – do it! Or if you prefer to look like you do pretty much every day – do that instead! It is important to feel good about yourself on your photoshoot so if you’re wearing something you don’t usually wear and it’s making you feel uncomfortable or awkward or super conscious about yourself – don’t wear it!
If you’ve been dreaming about buying that gorgeous flowey red dress for an absolute age and this sounds like the perfect opportunity to get it and show it off – do it! There are tons of inspirational posts like this one over on Pinterest, just have a good look around. The only thing I’d suggest you do is that you both kinda match. If you’re wearing that gorgeous red dress and your other half is wearing a neon green shirt – that might not work so well. Or if you’re really glammed up and he comes along dressed really casual – that might not look so great either. Neutral earthy colours and pastels work quite well together but whichever outfit you decide on – I’m sure you’ll both look awesome! (just like Tim & Ester here who totally rocked their wellies :))
Don’t overthink things
It’s totally normal to not feel comfortable in front of the camera. And of course we all worry about what we look like in photos (I used to really hate my nose. Until I realised that if I love the photo because I look ridiculously happy I couldn’t care less about my nose really :)) I always find that the couples who don’t take things too seriously have a better time and it really shows in the photos. I tell all my couples before the session that I want them to focus on each other, not me. Don’t sweat the small stuff, just make the most of it. Big smiles, lots and lots of eye contact and lovely tactile moments like holding hands, hugging, just being close to one another is all that matters. Extra points for really creative dance moves and lifts. Oh. And rainbows 🙂
