How to Plan an Awesome Wedding
And get amazing wedding photos.
After photographing more than 400 weddings, I’ve noticed the couples who have the most fun usually do these things.
If you’re overwhelmed with wedding advice that doesn’t really feel like you, think of this as an alternative guide to planning your wedding.
The main thing is to do whatever you want. It’s your day and you don’t have to let everyone tell you what to do.
You might also want to check out my Elopement Planning Guide for some more tips that you might also find useful too.
Plan a party, not a wedding.
A wedding is a party. Probably the biggest party you’ve thrown, and everyone is dressed extra nice.
Everyone wants to celebrate with you. Think about the things you like when you go out, great events you’ve been to and combine the best elements and build them into your day.
Don’t get too hung up on all the “wedding” details.
What you'll remember most is your friends going nuts, your family being over the moon for you, and everyone having the best time together.
Create that vibe. Pump great tunes. Spend heaps of time with your guests. Get loony at your own party.
There’s also a lot of wedding traditions that might make no sense to you – feel free to scrap them and do your own thing. Just think about how fun your day should be and go from there.
Do your own thing
Which is another way of saying – you don’t need to listen to everyone’s advice. Your friends and family will have some awesome suggestions and ideas for your wedding. They will also have some less than awesome ideas and suggestions. Filter them out and don’t worry about trying to please everyone.
Do something different if you want. Maybe you want to get ready in the same house. Or rock up together and hang with your guests before your ceremony (that’s what we did). Maybe you want your mum or both parents to walk you down the aisle. Maybe you don’t want to wear a white dress. Or cut a cake. It’s all good.
Do something because you want to do it, and not because you think you should do it.
Get a dress you can walk in
If you're wearing a wedding dress, choose one you can actually move in.
Choose something that you’ll be comfortable in, and one that you can move freely in. You’re going to spend the day dancing, hugging your friends, sitting down and enjoying your party.
Comfortable people always look more relaxed in photos.
Plus you'll want to actually hug your new husband or wife without needing a small team following behind to carry your dress every time you move.
Have an unplugged ceremony
I love unplugged ceremonies because everyone is actually present.
When you walk down the aisle you’ll see smiling faces instead of phones, and your photos will be better because I'm photographing genuine reactions.
Those little moments when your dad sees you walk down the aisle, or your friends laugh and cry, are the photos you'll treasure.
Right up to the start of the ceremony, and as soon as it has finished, everyone can go nuts with phones. Snap away! But just give yourself this awesome, wonderful unplugged window.
Write your own vows
Make your ceremony funny, touching, and heartfelt. Tears (happy or sad) are good. Laughs are even better.
Choose an awesome celebrant and they’ll help you with all of this.
Ceremonies don’t have to be serious and all the same. Make it your own and have some fun.
Confetti
Because everyone likes throwing things at you. It’s awesome fun as you walk back up the aisle. Your photos look incredible. It’s a win-win.
I really like rice paper confetti. Or get a box of flower petals from your florist, or some other biodegradable confetti (ask your venue what you’re allowed to use).
While you’re signing your marriage certificate, ask a couple of guests to make sure that everyone in the aisles has a handful of stuff to throw when you walk back up the aisle. Trust me. It’s great.
Spend time with your guests after your ceremony
Hugs and congrats are important. Stick around and celebrate with your guests - that’s the whole point of inviting them. Everyone always looks at this part of the timeline and thinks they can cut it out, or chop it in half.
But it’s the best bit. Everyone’s psyched for you. There’s so much joy in the air and I get to capture moments with everyone crazy stoked.
The energy can drop when you disappear for photos straight after your ceremony.
People have made a big effort to be there for you, and they wanna give you a mad hug and say hi. So hang, soak up your congratulations, have a couple of drinks and enjoy your party!
Once the dust has settled and some time has passed from your wedding, you are going to treasure these photos of your guests.
And open your bar straightaway too
While you're soaking up all the hugs and congratulations, your guests can grab a drink and start celebrating too.
Sometimes there's an awkward gap if your guests are waiting for the bar to open, and your party can lose a bit of momentum
If you're getting married on the beach or out in the forest, it's worth having a plan for drinks. And if your venue usually opens the bar a little later, see if they can make an exception.
It's not about getting everyone drunk. It's just one of those little things that helps get the party going from the moment your ceremony ends.
Skip the big group photo
If it's genuinely important to you, let's do it. But if you're on the fence, I'd probably give it a miss.
I reckon you're better off spending those 10 minutes hanging out with everyone and enjoying the party. You'll get great natural photos of your friends and family laughing, chatting and having a good time.
Personally, I think that's a much better use of your time than trying to round everyone up for one big photo while I have to put my school teacher voice on.
Don’t forget the tunes
Good tunes get everything cranking. It sounds so obvious, but quite often music gets forgotten. Pump it when you get ready. Choose your fave song as you walk down + back up the aisle (it can be anything, it does’t have to be something off a “wedding” playlist). And tunes straight after your ceremony too, even if it is just through a Bluetooth speaker or the venue’s system
Have an acoustic performer, get a great band or DJ… music keeps things flowing and everyone happy.
Oh yeah, phone reception can be patchy down south – so if you’re running a Spotify playlist, save those songs to your phone and don’t rely on having internet - there’s weird mobile blackspots everywhere.
Relaxed photos that feel like you
A lot of couples tell me they’re worried they’ll feel awkward in front of the camera. The good news is you don’t need to know how to pose, and you definitely don’t need to spend hours taking photos.
The best photos don't happen because you're good at posing. They happen because you're relaxed, having fun and just being yourselves.
All the stuff we’ve talked about above - hanging out with your guests, having a drink, listening to great music and actually enjoying your wedding - makes a huge difference. By the time we head off for some photos, you’re already feeling happy, relaxed and totally yourselves.
We’ll go for a walk, chase the good light around and have some fun. I’ll guide you when you need it, but the magic usually happens in the little in between moments.
You’ll probably laugh when you see how excited I get when everything lines up and we nail those magic photos.
Usually we’ll need about 20 minutes for wedding party photos plus around 45 minutes for the two of you. It’s enough time to create something beautiful without missing the party you spent so long planning.
And after all the build-up to your wedding, it's pretty nice to have a little quiet moment together before heading back to the party.
Hit the dance floor
Some of the best moments happen once the dance floor is cranking.
The energy is always highest when the two of you are right in the middle of it.
Dance with your friends and family, and soak it all up.
I love it when a couple are in the middle of a packed dance floor, with everyone everyone them going mad.
The hugs, the laughs, the mad dance moves, your mates, your cousins, your parents out on the dance floor. These are the photos that bring back the feeling of your wedding.
Should you get a videographer?
A great wedding film can bring back the atmosphere of the day in a way photos never can.
The only thing I'd suggest is finding someone whose approach matches the kind of wedding you want. The best videographers are relaxed, unobtrusive and let the day unfold naturally.
Having an extra person, or sometimes two people, filming you all day can make your wedding feel a bit more like a production. A lot of couples don't realise this until they're in the middle of it.
Print your photos
Because actual prints – liked a framed photo or a wedding album – are the best way to enjoy your wedding photos for years to come.
Photos are easy to forget when they only live on a screen.
We truly believe that albums are the best way to remember your wedding. And when your kids and grandkids are old enough, they can look through your album and freak out about how hot you looked on your wedding day.
Use your photographer’s experience
Your photographer isn't just there to take photos. They've seen how hundreds of weddings actually unfold, and they can help you avoid a lot of the little things that make a day stressful.
A big part of what I do is help couples create a timeline that flows naturally. One that gives you time to hang out with your guests, enjoy the party and still get amazing photos when the light is at its best.
I can also recommend other wedding vendors, help with ideas, and answer all those random questions that pop up while you're planning.
There are things you might spend hours researching online that I might be able to answer in a couple of minutes. So ask away. If I can help, I will.
Ready to take the next step?
Awesome!
I’m keen to hear more about your wedding plans and everything you’re excited about – let’s chat about your big day.
