5 Ways to Have a Stress Free Wedding and the Best Photographs Ever

See this image above? That’s how I want you to feel on your wedding day.

I put this guide together because, above all else you should ENJOY your wedding day! I’m talking about removing as much stress as possible on the day. 

After having photographed hundreds of weddings, I’ve noticed that the most stress-free and ridiculously fun weddings that I photograph all have a few things in common.

P.S. The best way to reduce stress in your wedding? Hire me to capture it!

Tip #1

Location matters!

Keeping everything close-by goes a long way to ease wedding logistics. The ideal scenario is to have your ceremony and reception at the same venue, and if accommodation is an option at your venue for the night before - book it! It's so worth all being close together on your wedding day. It also makes your photographers job easier and allows them to focus on photographing your day more than logistics! If on-site isn't an option, close-by is the next best thing!

If your wedding is a city wedding and close-by accommodation is not easy to achieve - booking a professional chauffeur is absolutely an expense worth budgeting for! Relying on ride-share is a bad idea - as often these trips are too short for it to be worth the driver's time and you could very well be left stranded! I have witnessed this first-hand and it's not a fun time!

Bonus tip - consider the parking situation on your wedding day - especially for city weddings!

Tip #2

Unplug your ceremony.

When you picture your wedding day, you picture the best day ever…right?! Years from now, when you look back at your photographs, you’ll reminisce about just how perfect your wedding was.

Well, until you come across picture after picture of your guests leaning into the aisle to get that “perfect shot” on their iPhone 48 Pro Max Ultra Plus... This doesn’t seem like the best way to remember your wedding right?

Unfortunately, in our social media-driven society, we are seeing this at weddings more often. Meanwhile, you already had this planned out by hiring the best photographer out there; someone who will produce quality pictures that all your guests (and you!) can share as much as they want.

To prevent the above from happening, couples simply need to make it clear that they would like for everyone to put their phones (and iPad’s – yes I am serious, this has happened!) away and be present for the joyous moment that everyone came together to celebrate, it will create a much happier day and your wedding album will be free of iPhones. You can ask your celebrant to inform your guests at the start of the ceremony, and/or order a cute sign informing guests of your unplugged plans!

Tip #3

Padding is your friend!

Your wedding day is going to be incredible - no matter what! But most weddings there are at least one or two spanners in the works! When something doesn't go to plan - having some extra padding in your timeline can go a long way to manage stress and resolve the situation. Bride arrives late to the ceremony? No problem - you had an extra 30 minutes of padding after the ceremony to allow for this so we can still duck off for those golden hour shots on time!

A key part to padding your timeline is knowing how long you actually need for everything - talk to your wedding planner and/or photographer about these key timings. Advice varies but a good rule of thumb is to place your ceremony start time about 3 hours before your reception (or sunset) start time. This will allow plenty of time for photos and most importantly - some time for you to spend with your loved ones before heading off for photos!

Tip #4

You do you.

Your wedding day is yours. Not aunty Karen's, not uncle Kyle's, and certainly not mine.

When you open your wedding gallery, I want your jaw on the floor. Not just because your photos are incredible (which of course will be the case), but because they tell a story, a story about YOU.

What that means is, if there is a way I can incorporate more of you in your photographs, I'M ALL IN, before you even tell me what it is. If you want to visit that dingy little cafe that you first met at, or desperately want to do a late-night maccas run because you feel like it, I am there for it.

Many couples worry about having an epic location for their photos, rather than thinking about the meaning behind places. The places that tell your story.

I'd like to challenge you to get creative and think outside the box when it comes to locations you'd like in your wedding photos. Have fun with it. I can't wait to hear what you come up with.

Tip #5

It's just a ___

Planning for a wedding, and sometimes even the wedding day itself, can be pretty overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve learned lots of things from working at hundreds of weddings, and I want to share this one last thing with you.

You might have heard of Murphy’s law. It says that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. Fortunately Murphy's law isn't a real law, it’s just a reminder that sometimes we can’t control everything.

On your wedding day, this is super important to remember. Things like when the cake starts to melt, your uncle being late, or a button on the dress breaking might seem like big problems at the time. But guess what? You’re getting married! It’s your wedding day! I can’t count how many times I’ve said, “Don’t worry, everyone else will wait for you. You’re the star, and the day can’t start until you’re ready.”

Not everything will happen exactly like you planned, but I promise, it won’t matter later on.

So, no matter what’s going wrong, just say to yourself: “It’s just a _____, and it won’t ruin my day!”

I've got you!

Wedding planning, and sometimes even the wedding day, can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. All of the tips that I’ve shared are based on the experience that I have gained from shooting hundreds of weddings over the past decade.

The commitment that I give my couples is that when you choose Daniel Faint Studios, you won’t have to worry about your photography. My intentional process gets to the heart of YOU. This means you are able to be fully present and enjoy your own wedding, knowing you will have REAL images intentionally crafted by a photographer who absolutely loves what he does.

I hope that you found my tips for having a stress free wedding day helpful!

If you’d like to talk to me more about your wedding day, or hear about some of my favorite local locations for engagement shoots, please give me a call or fire over an email. I’d love to chat!