My Number One Piece of Advice for Planning a Wedding

When I talk with engaged couples about their wedding, my number one piece of advice is this: 

Focus your planning efforts on how you want to feel on your wedding day, not just on how you want it to look.

In our media-driven culture, there is so much emphasis on appearances. We want pretty photos for our socials and to hang on our walls. We want our wedding guests to be wowed with beauty and elegance. And let me be clear - there’s nothing wrong with this! Beauty is so essential to the human experience, and I’m a firm believer that making things beautiful is a good and worthy investment - and a part of our human nature. 

However, 

I see so many couples agonize over the details of their wedding day, often driven by timelines and budgets and the proverbial unspoken need to impress. Not to mention the many unpredictable factors outside of our control, like the weather and ifyour distant relative is going to talk about politics. 

So maybe it’s allowing a little extra margin in your timeline, or having a private meal after the ceremony, or just taking a moment to walk away during the reception and hold hands and take it all in. Maybe it’s just remembering to taking deep breaths whenever you start to feel disconnected from yourself. Maybe it’s breaking a tradition to do something that feels more in alignment with your soul. 

Because what I want most for you, as a photographer and also a fellow human being, is for you fully inhabit your lived experience and actually be present on your wedding day: to remember each little moment, sound and smile. 

So plan a day that feels fun, and spacious. Give yourself margin. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Because when you’re fully present and enjoying your day, it’s so easy for me to take photographs of you that exude beauty and joy. That’s the magic.