one thing i have been thinking a lot about for the past few months is sharing some of the things that i have learned in the wedding world with you.  i have been surrounded by all things wedding for a really long time.  i worked at a bridal gown store in high school (david's bridal with like 4 of my best friends! so fun!) and my mom worked at a bridal store while i was in college (a joyous occasion).  not to mention, i think i started buying wedding magazines at the age of, ohhhhh 12.  now, after being in the industry for a couple of years and after planning my own wedding a little over a year ago, i feel like i have picked up on a few things that might be of a little help.  especially from a photography perspective.

this year is going to be crazy busy between following my rock star husband around and shooting tons of awesome weddings, but i am going to try to offer some tips every other week or so.  now, don't get me wrong.  i am by no means saying that i know everything that there is to know about planning a wedding, but these are just some things that i think will allow you to have the most amazing wedding photos around.  as well as a stress free, beautiful day.

so, wedding tip number 1.

it's all in the details!!

shoes. you do not have to have a huge budget to have an awesomely beautiful and unique wedding.  for instance, you have to wear shoes on your wedding day.  so why not wear something fun.  don't be afraid to wear some pink pumps, or some sweet flats, or even cowboy boots or converse tennis shoes.  make it fun!  make it you!  not only will it make you feel great on your wedding day, but it makes for some great photos!  

accessories.  and i don't just mean jewelry.  i mean all the little things.  lighting, centerpieces,flowers, etc....  this is one thing that i wish i would have paid more attention to in my own wedding.  not that i didn't pay attention to detail, i did, but i could have done even more.  weddings are all the rage right now and the internet is full of awesome wedding blogs such as, style me pretty,once wed,snippet and inkthese are all such great resources for planning a wedding.  and they always feature amazing photography by amazing photographers from real weddings so you can invision what these things look like and how they translate into photos.  one great place to purchase awesome, unique things is etsy

i'm sure most of you already know about this site, but if you don't, oh just get ready.  this highly addictive, crafty, totally awesome site is going to rock your world.  another great place is antique shops or thrift stores.  you can get awesome things for dirt cheap and you can almost always get them to give you an even better deal if you are buying something in bulk. 

one of my favorite people, dane sanders, is an awesome photographer out of california who has started a series of videos on his blog called, Make Your Day You.  from the moment i saw this line, it has just been on repeat in my head.  i just could not agree more.  this is YOUR day.  make it YOU!  have your wedding day reflect your personality.  if you love things that are vintage, earthy, and different, you don't HAVE to get married in a church and have your reception ballroom.  get married at someone's house, or a field, or a barn.  if you are more of a traditionalist, get married in a church and an awesome ballroom, but embrace those things!  make those things exude your personality.

last little thing for today is, utilize your vendors.  if you have something strong in mind for your flowers, bring those ideas to the table and see what they can do.  ask your venue if you can see past weddings to get an idea of what things will look like at your own wedding in that space.  if you have a wedding planner, let her go to town!  it will only make your day that much more amazing and your photos will absolutely reflect that.  whatever money you do spend on little details, will pay off ten fold.  i can promise you!

most of you have probably already seen these photos from my blog post about this back in september, but when talking about details, i couldn't help but think about this amazing set up.  at jessica claire's workshop she had an amazing event design company, grey likes weddings, come out and design our mock wedding and reception.  almost everything they had here was from an antique store or thift shop.  it doesn't have to cost an arm and and leg to look amazing, just go for it!  don't be afraid to really make your day YOU!

laahhhuuuvvveee this.  if you want to have a little lounge area, jazz it up with some cute pillows.  target makes awesome, cute pillows for really inexpensive.  great way to tie in any color scheme that you have.

make some thing cute.  this could not have cost very much but looked sooo cute hanging above the cake cutting table.

one of my favorite details for this was the awesome use of old books.  and even just some old pages tied with a little twine.  you use these to add hight changes to your center pieces.  if you can't afford tons of flowers, get some cool candles and candle holders!

amazing vases and use of glass bottles

 

great thrift store find.  would make a great center piece on it's own!

so, i realize if you are having a large wedding this isn't really feazable, but maybe do this for just the wedding party table, or just the bride and groom's table.  what they did was, they used all different chairs for the entire table.  again, all came from either antique stores or thrift shops

look at that cute suitcase!  who would have thought to do that???  don't be afraid to think outside of the box!

different flowers than your traditional flowers but look AMAZING.

loved their use of dishes and silver ware.

one of my favorite things is, if you can't afford an open bar, or don't want to have one, think about maybe doing a signature drink.  if you have a yellow color scheme and a really summery wedding, have a lemon drop signature drink!  so cute!

again, love the use of books.

oh, and i just thought of one more thing!  bring a copy of your invitation and save the dates to the wedding!!!  i know so many of you value your invitations as a huge priority in your wedding budget, so why not get some awesome photos taken of them!  just another way to add great details to your wedding photography!!

ok, so i know that this is a very distinct style that is not for everyone, (personally, i'm obsessed :)  but just wanted to give you some ideas of how you can really give your own little personally touch and it doesn't have to empty your bank account!  

hope you have a great weekend and i'll be posting a beautiful and sweet winter wedding next week!!