Welcome ladies + gents to your one-stop-shop. Not only is Paige Brittany offering her photo services, but also her unsolicited advice đ
– In all seriousness, I hope this guide helps you navigate all the twists and turns that come from being newly engaged. –
First of all, congratulations! As a married lady, I remember that ridiculously cheesy smile that wouldnât leave my face, and allllll the insta posting of my ring.. Getting coffee? #engagedbutcaffeinated Driving to work? #engagedworkinggirl. BUT then a couple days go by and I started internally freaking out about all of the different details, and all the questions that started flooding in and I about lost it.
There’s so much pressure in todays society to have the perfect instagrammable wedding that so many people lose sight of what the big day is all about: you + your partner committing to each other for a lifetime. Itâs not about the candle votives and the perfect table accompaniments. Itâs about you two dedicating yourselves in front of the people (or even to just each other).
So, why am I writing this? Because I want to help! I reached out to brides far and wide and gathered some of their advice to help you stay on target and alleviate some of the questions and anxiety you may be having.
The most overwhelmingly requested item I add to this list is: hire a videographer.
Nearly every bride I talked to had major regrets about not doing this. I get it, budgets are tight and it doesnât always seem like something thatâs necessary. I mean you have a photographer, so why do you need both? The truth of the matter is (and Iâm a photographer, myself, so it should really hit home to you): photos donât put you back into the moments and the day as well as a video does. A video, especially ones with sound clips, just bring all of those memories flooding back in. Photos you can look at, and remember the day, and remember the moment that photo was taken, but it doesnât remind you what happened leading up to that point. When the years pass by, and your memories seem to fade, having a video to show your future kids, and grandchildren is irreplaceable.
The next most regretted detail people had looking back was not doing a first look.
When couples ask me my thoughts on this, Iâm honest. I whole heartedly suggest and encourage first looks. Thereâs SO much chaos during your wedding day that having those few quiet and intimate moments alone are just so damn important. I know that the argument against is is built around old wiveâs tales, and a want to see your future spouseâs reaction when youâre walking down the isle, but just think about this: having this moment done in private prior to the ceremony allows your future spouse to react 100% authentically. Thereâs far few worries about âwhat people might thinkâ and this incessant need to be big and macho. When all of the chaos and limelight is stripped away, youâre giving your partner a chance to truly take it all in and react in the way that he/she truly was meant to react.
Listen and respect your partnerâs wishes for the wedding day.
Thereâs a few other items that people recommended that I absolutely love and really encourage you to consider for your wedding day. #1 seems like a total no-brainer, but sadly a lot of times itâs not the case. Listen and respect your partnerâs wishes for the wedding day. A lot of people have this mentality of âoh the groom doesnât care, itâs all about the brideâ and thatâs just simply not true. I mean, donât get me wrong, it definitely can be the case sometimes, but more often than youâd think, your partner does care and his/her vision is just as important as yours. Kais didnât have too many requests during our wedding planning but when he did request something, or challenge me on a certain thing I had in mind, it was really important to me to listen and incorporate his vision too.
The second item goes hand-in-hand: tune out all of the (unsolicited) advice from the start and stop trying to make everyone happy.
The second item goes hand-in-hand: tune out all of the (unsolicited) advice from the start and stop trying to make everyone happy. At the end of the day, no one elsesâ vision or thoughts matter. Itâs your day. Not theirs. But, itâs easier said than done, especially when other people are pitching in to make this day happen. So my advice here is to listen selectively and pick your battles. If someone suggests something and itâs a hard-pass for you, stand your ground, but if itâs something super minor that really wonât make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, just breathe and let it be.
Choose vendors that you connect with and vendors you trust.
The last item Iâm going to mention, which I strongly encourage more couples aim to do this, is: choose vendors that you connect with and vendors you trust. This really helps to ensure your day goes as smoothly as possible. Having legitimate connections with the vendors you hire helps the day run so much more smoothly. When you know your vendors, youâre more than just a face to them and it makes them THAT much more eager to produce amazing results for you. Youâre a friend now, and who doesnât want to make their friends happy? đ I wonât take on a couple if I donât see us working well together. I want you to feel comfortable with me, and know that I have your best interests at heart, and I want to know that you respect me, and my vision.
If youâre interested in a more in depth guide on wedding planning, or if youâd like to chat more about my services, shoot me a note. Iâd love to hear from ya.
