How To Be Present at Your Wedding
Your wedding day is hands down one of the most important days of your life. When I was engaged, my sister gave me the best piece of advice. It was this: “take some time to look around all throughout the day. Each time something new is going on, take the time to physically look around and take mental pictures.” As a wedding photographer, it’s important for me to help my couples in any way I can. Aside from receiving professional photos, allowing couples to be present is seriously the biggest thing I hope I can help with on wedding days. Now let’s talk about how to actually make that happen!
Mindset
Oftentimes we get disappointed from unmet expectations, not something going wrong. Read that again!!!!! This is doubly as important on your wedding day. Figure out right away what you and your future spouse’s expectations are for your wedding: intimate ceremony with only family and friends? Massive party with a live band and lots of dancing? Small elopement with mega emotions and connection? Destination reception in a dream location? Something else?
Understanding your mindset helps you realize what being present will actually look like on your day. This is different for every wedding.
Choosing Professional Vendors
I can’t stress this enough. The last thing you want on your wedding day is feeling like you need to follow up with all of your vendors to make sure they are doing their job. To avoid this, choose vendors that you feel confident in.
If you have any red flags, it isn’t the vendor for you. You should feel comfortable through the whole booking process.
Your Timeline
Your timeline can be huge part of how you and your future spouse allow yourselves to be more present throughout your day
Like I mentioned earlier, I help my couples plan their wedding timeline. I love talking through their vision for their wedding day to see how we can best build photos into their day. For example, doing a first look prior to your ceremony can give you more time together which to some, can equal being more present in that aspect of their day (click here to read about first look options and what it means for your timeline.)
Some couples choose to integrate more alone time in their day. If this sounds like something you want to do, let’s do it! Take some time for the two of you before your ceremony, after your ceremony, or at golden hour if it will help you be more present (with or without cameras!).
I like to tell my couples that I am an organized, relaxed person. These two things don’t always go hand in hand but for me, this means I am super hands-on with helping couples plan their timeline beforehand in order for myself and my couple to be relaxed during the wedding day.
You Can Do It!
A fully present, fully YOU wedding day is possible! By communicating your expectations to each other, choosing professional vendors, and writing a timeline that feels comfortable for you, you can absolutely remember your wedding day for years to come. Also, can I come? Hehe. Browse my wedding galleries here and let’s connect!
