| What we Do. We began as a small local company specializing in Portrait Photography, Senior Portraits and Weddings. We have always incorporated out digital art enhancements and creative manipulations in our photographs complementary with our packages. We then noticed that our cliental was built primarily of customers who “wanted something different and creative” and wanted “affordability” without a lot of hassle or confusion. We, Angel and Steven Canary, began this company to provide a realistic price range for quality Photography Services for the “middle class.” We asked ourselves, how can people possibly afford to pay thousands of dollars to have their wedding photographed for 6 hours? Well, of course, the wealthy can, but what about normal people, people like us? Yes there are many companies in this country that offer “top of the line” photo albums for your wedding album, and they are very, very nice…but starting at $500 per small album, and up to $5000 for a larger album? Well, that’s a lot of money, for “normal people.” So we found a way to provide a very nice “magazine style” photo album (the pictures are printed on the pages) custom designed by us, to our clients at a reasonable, affordable price. Our photo albums are ideal for customers who don’t want the hassle of trying to learn PhotoShop to have a portrait or album that displays their individuality and style. We have developed a way that is easy for just about anyone! All you have to do is send us an email with your photographs, the text that you want and the colors and styles you like, and we’ll do all the work for you. Of course, for those customers that want more say in their albums, we offer “designed layout templates” that can be chosen for each page of the layout. Our design services are designed for customers who don’t want the hassle of purchasing software and licenses and learning the tedious task of creating and designing their photo albums, websites, online photo galleries, DVD slide shows, scrapbook prints, invitations, collages, and more, for their wedding, birthday, new baby’s birth, family reunion, family tree, building a new home, senior pictures, family pictures, portraits, and just about any other event you can think of. Our motto has always been, “If you can dream it, we’ll do our best to create it, pictures that reflect your unique style.” We have incorporated our motto into providing our customers with services that they can afford on any family budget with the ease of ordering their products from the comfort of their home. Our services are perfect for Grandparents and Parents alike that want to offer their children and grandchildren great albums for keepsakes. All of the services we offer can be sent either by mail or email directly to the customer or to whom ever they list as a gift from them. Our Pre-designed templates and albums are great gifts for newly wed couples, newly engaged couples, new born baby’s birthday, and just about any other occasion you can think to give someone a gift for! |
Have you ever heard that your eyes are the windows to your soul? Well, it's true, and it shows in your pictures! If you are excited, your eyes will beam with enthusiasm and your face will show your joy and character! This good attitude will show up on every shot you take, documenting the true you! |
You are an unique individual with your own creative ideas and you already know how you want others to view your special occasion or day! Never be afraid to ask to try different things; some of my best portraits are from clients voicing their imaginations and putting all of their ideas together to form a creative and beautiful portrait that is unique to them - just like a masterpiece of art! Not sure what you like? Buy a few Wedding and Bridal Magazines and look around! |
Be prepared, even the smallest details add up. Whether it is your wedding, or any other special occasion, you can take small steps to look your best! You can start deep conditioning for your hair and regular trims, take care of your skin, tan, exercise, treat your nails and most importantly, get your teeth whitened to brighten your smile! (Suggested by bridal magazines.) You of course don't have to do all of these things or any of them at all, the professionals suggest it for those that put 110% of their effort and excitement into their big day! For teeth whitening, I personally recommend Dr. Neeb located in Greenfield. www.cornerstonedentalarts.com/contact.nxg |
| Go Shopping? Find the perfect outfit! Find that outfit that you feel comfortable, sexy and down to earth in - all in one! When you are confident, it exudes into your pictures! Most brides don't realize this outfit is what they will be wearing for most of the day until they change into their dress. We suggest a button up shirt so that your hair won't get tasseled while changing into your slip and dress. You will want to wear a comfortable outfit, but please remember that you will be taking your "before" pictures in this outfit - we suggest something comfortable but "cute" or "sexy." |
Bring Your Make-Up.
The digital age is not the same as the old fashion
film sessions you are probably accustom to.
Digital cameras pick up on every small detail, so
most of the time, less is better. However, it is
always best to start out with a little make-up and
add it as necessary. It's always easier to add
than to take it away. Always bring a clear gloss to
give your lips that luscious shine!
I carry and use it on most of my
shoots, just in case, applied onto
a q-tip, and dabbed onto the lips
makes an instant difference.
Make sure to bring extra
hairspray, bobby pins, and for
touch ups through the day!
The digital age is not the same as the old fashion
film sessions you are probably accustom to.
Digital cameras pick up on every small detail, so
most of the time, less is better. However, it is
always best to start out with a little make-up and
add it as necessary. It's always easier to add
than to take it away. Always bring a clear gloss to
give your lips that luscious shine!
I carry and use it on most of my
shoots, just in case, applied onto
a q-tip, and dabbed onto the lips
makes an instant difference.
Make sure to bring extra
hairspray, bobby pins, and for
touch ups through the day!
| Strike a Pose! Practice your posing in the mirror, don't worry, nobody will see but you! This will help you know what poses look best for your facial features. Although it will help with posing, don't be afraid to try something different. Not every picture needs to be a big smile, they should reflect several aspects of YOU. When asked to sit for a pose, try to sit naturally, the same as you would anywhere else. Make yourself comfortable and it's alright to move around. |
| Do Your Homework. Shop around! If you are using the same photographer that everyone else is using you are more than likely going to get the same poses that everyone else does. Make sure that the photographer is versatile and knows how to use digital software to create artistic and unique photos catered to you and your specific wants and style! Ask lots of questions in reference to air brushing, adding text, collages, etc. Some add a lot of hidden fees sometimes - so watch for them! All of our digital enhancements and air brushing are complementary - Always! |
| The Small Things. Bring your Jewelry & Accessories! Earrings, necklaces, bracelets , roses and other clothing accessories are great to have along. Girls - fake eyelashes make for dramatic glamorous and sexy photos! Done right, they look real! Don't forget to bring your something blue, borrowed and new! |
| Angel Studios Photography did not create this image, this is to be used as an example of a picture sought out to create. |
| © Copyright 2008, Angel Studios Photography LLC Angel Canary Photography Incorporated |
Photo Tips for the Bride – from a Photographer’s Point of View
The Makeup
1.If you can afford it, hire a professional. If you can cut anything else in your wedding to ensure you have the $30 or $40 to have your makeup
professionally done, do it. Why not pay someone $30 that can make you look like a million bucks? This is the most important and most photographed day
you will probably ever have, why not look the best you ever will? Besides, don’t you want your husband to look back on his wedding day and think, wow, I’
ve never seen her glow like that.
2. Less is more. This is the digital age and trust me, the camera picks up everything. There are important things to keep in mind to tell the person doing
your makeup. They will need to know if your event will be indoors and or/outdoors and if it will be dimly lit, etc. For example, if you are getting married on
a beautiful summer day at 2 p.m. outdoors, you would want your make up to be a little bold. The more lights and the brighter the lights, the more the lights
will wash out your color. This is the opposite for dim lit conditions. Let’s say that you are getting married indoors and the church is very dimly lit, not a lot
of windows, and the lights are a yellow tint. If you told this to the professional doing your make up, they would try not to use makeup with a yellow tint, and
would make sure that your make up was modest. Do not wear bright lipstick, really dark eye shadow and especially watch the blush. You can, but I assure
you that you will probably look on the “clown” side because dim lights exaggerate the colors. Now, that’s not saying you can’t wear bright colors with dim
lights, a professional makeup artist can use bright colors in a way that is flattering, but a friend or family member will more than likely end up making it
worse because of their lack of knowledge. Okay, you’re probably thinking well, shouldn’t I have good lighting for the formals? Well, or course, but unless
you want big umbrella lights and light stands on at your ceremony, your pictures will be in the normal lighting of the church or location. Most receptions
are also in dim lit conditions. It’s better for your makeup to be in accordance of the settings without lighting assistance, as we as photographers for your
formal pictures can adjust our lights accordingly to flatter you as best as possible.
3. Always bring clear lip gloss and touch up makeup with you. Through out the day your makeup will “melt” and/or fade out. We strongly recommend
bringing oil blotting paper in lieu of powder, because every time you reapply powder, it will start to look “caked on.” Most professionals will offer you
samples to use throughout your day for purchase or complimentary.
The Dress
1.Make sure that the top portion of your dress is not too tight. When you try it on at the fitting, move around in it in the mirror and make sure it’s not
cutting in and making bulges that you normally don’t have.
2. Make sure that it is also not too loose – you don’t want to be pulling it up the entire day. We often see a Bride’s frustration throughout the day,
constantly pulling up her strapless dress.
3. Make sure that if your dress shows cleavage, that you look in the mirror and bend over. Ask yourself if that is the amount of cleavage you want your
family members and guest to see (and all of your pictures to show) because most brides comment when looking through their pictures that they had no
idea that they were showing that much cleavage when cutting the cake, leaning in and/or over for poses for the photographer and family members,
dancing, etc.
4. We also suggest taking a small hand held mirror with you. Sounds silly right? But having two teenage girls I often make them do this – take the mirror
and hold it above your cleavage – now look down. Wow right? Often women forget that men are taller than most women, and their view is, you guessed it,
the same you see in the mirror, straight down your dress.
Even if you have already purchased your wedding dress, you can always get these things altered. We understand that you are planning a wedding with a
budget but the dress fitting is not something to skimp on. How you look and feel in your dress is always reflected in your photographs whether you like it or
not. Too many times we can see the bride’s frustration in her dress being too heavy, too tight, too loose and flat out uncomfortable. If you can afford it, or
course we would suggest purchasing a separate wedding dress for the reception if your ceremony dress is too big and awkward for dancing and having a
good time in. If you are like most brides and cannot afford a second dress, we strongly recommend that at your fitting you ensure you have a good bustle
to tie up your train. And please, don’t wait until your wedding day at the reception to figure out how to do it. Too often we have seen guest waiting for 20
minutes for a bride to get her dress bustled up because the person they delegated did not practice before hand. Brides, if your maid of honor or mother,
or whom ever is the person that will be doing this task for you, make sure that you take them along with you when you purchase your dress and at your
fitting and have the professionals there show them how. You cannot possibly show them how to do this with your dress on. We have seen time after time
a bride become so mad because their mother or maid of honor cannot tie a bow right, knot or button, zip or bustle their dress. Why ruin your happy joyous
mood? Don’t make the mistake in assuming that it’s easy and they will know exactly what to do and can do it fast, always do a test run and make sure they
can do it and do it right and fast. You’ll thank yourself later and you’ll have pictures of you relaxed in your dress, not pictures of you giving your maid of
honor or mom a look of frustration.
Wedding Emergency Kit
1. We of course sell these if you don’t want to take the time to gather everything yourself, or if you are looking for a gift for the bride. You should always
have Imodium, aspirin, antacids, snacks, bobby pins, safety pins, deodorant, hair spray, etc. We recommend the bride and groom sit down and take 15
minutes and make a list of all of the things they will need throughout the day, including all of the medications they normally take, and any drinks they might
need for the day.
The Schedule
1. You will always want to begin with the basic structure of your wedding day and how you want it to “flow.” This of course, depends on what type of
wedding you are having, how big it is, how many guests you have and what you incorporate into your wedding. We strongly recommend hiring a wedding
planner for this, but if you are like most brides, you will have to plan your wedding yourself. You can have a perfect wedding day planning it yourself, but
only if you are organized, thorough, and detailed. We have seen many brides that have had every 5 minutes planned of their wedding, and then we have
seen many brides that decided to “wing it.” Obviously the brides that had their wedding planned out to the detail with every event having a timeline or
schedule guideline, had a pretty smooth, joyous, relaxing wedding day. They also had a lot of really great pictures with a lot of variety of locations. And
then the brides that had no schedule, or just did a brief “outline” of their day, were shocked and surprised to see how much time would go by so soon and
were rushed through everything. They usually ran out of time for the photographs that they wanted, and because they did not make a list for the
photographer of the formals that they wanted with what family members in the photograph etc, in their times of stress and rushing to beat the clock before
their ceremony starts, they clearly forget to instruct the photographer to take a picture of them with their favorite aunt, best friend, etc. It’s always sad for a
photographer, because we run around and we get all of the great shots of the events as they unfold during the wedding day, but when it comes to being
psychic and knowing who the bride’s favorite aunt is and that she wanted a picture alone with her, well, it’s just not going to happen – we rely on the bride
and groom’s input and lists for these things. The couples who had their weddings planned out and worked with the photographer to have a schedule to
coincide with their wedding day plans would have 50-200 beautiful and varying couple pictures and the couples who decided that they didn’t need a list or
a schedule in a lot of detail, or were often rushed out the get to the reception, or plan ahead, were disappointed and would ask, I thought we took more
pictures together…and sadly we would have to reply, no, I’m so sorry, you told us that you didn’t want to stay for 10 minutes and all you allowed us to take
were 5 pictures and you said you had to go. If they would have simply planned ahead, they could have had a lot of great photographs. Remember, the
Bride and Groom is our Boss. We make suggestions to them, we make requests to them, and we even make sure that they understand the urgency or the
need for our requests, but ultimately, they are our Boss and if the Bride says no, well, we don’t do it. Sadly, this rule has cheated brides and grooms out of
the pictures that they could have had, if only they had waited 3 more minutes. Best rule of thumb, don’t be in such a rush, it’s 5 minutes, trust us, your
guest won’t care, they love you and want you to have great pictures! And they never know the difference. The amazing thing that we see all to often is
the bride and groom giving the photographer 10 minutes for ALL of the formal pictures and their couple pictures after the wedding, then rushing out to get
to the reception, so worried about their guests, then arriving before half of their guests, then they wait outside in the car for 25 minutes before they can
come in and arrive at their own reception. Sometimes, you need to just trust the photographer.
2. We are photographers, not wedding planners. We are often shocked when we are pulled away from taking a photograph and asked to fold the
handkerchief, put on the boutonniere, and do tasks that the bride’s maid, best man, mother, father, friend etc. should be doing. We have no idea how to
fold a handkerchief, but we can take a great photograph of it. We of course, have no qualms with helping by any means, but we don’t know how you
should plan your wedding day and the events that should transpire – we have had clients that for some reason were under the impression that it was our
job to schedule out their entire wedding day and events for them. We don’t do that and no photographer does that. What we do, and all other wedding
photographers do, is take your schedule that you have made or your wedding planner has made and we make a schedule timeline for your photographs
that co-insides with your wedding plans. To clear this up for some couples, I will use the example below to help. Of course, this is just for the sake of
showing you how it works.
Example:
You or the Wedding Planners Schedule
Arrive at the Salon to get hair done for the bride’s maids and bride at 8 a.m. They will work on the all of the maid’s hair first and the bride’s hair last. After
they finish the hair, they will begin on the makeup in the order that their hair is finished.
The Schedule the Photographer will give you based on what You made.
We will arrive at the salon at 7:45 a.m. We will leave the salon when the bride is almost completed with her makeup. (We called and asked the salon that
is doing the hair and makeup how long they thought it might take for 5 bride’s maids, 2 mothers and the bride’s hair and makeup with the staff they have
scheduled for that day and the salon said 2 hours) We will plan to leave the salon at 10 a.m.
You or the Wedding Planners Schedule
Leave the salon and arrive at the church at 10:45. Need to arrive at the church no later than 11:15. Unload and set up make up and dresses, order out a
quick lunch, get dressed and ready for formals by 1 p.m.
The Schedule the Photographer will give you based on what You made.
We will arrive at the church at 10:20. We will get pictures of the details, church, etc and set up our equipment before the bridal party arrives to the
church. Bride and maids begin getting dressed and ready (candid shots) no later than 12 p.m. We would suggest that you arrive at the church and
unload and set up neatly your makeup, dresses, etc. and then eat lunch. This will ensure that you don’t get food on your dresses. Please remind your
wedding party not to “throw things on the floor” and to keep the dressing room neat as you would not like to have distracting backgrounds for your
photographs. During the time you are unloading and eating, we will be observing locations for your formals, setting up our equipment, etc.
And so on. To sum it up we have made a quick list of what you should provide to the photographer to ensure that you get what
you want for your wedding photographs.
1. A Detailed List of all of the events that will transpire on your wedding day. This includes the order of the reception (cutting the cake, first
dance, speeches, food service, etc.) This helps the photographer know where to be and when. You would want the photographer to have time to get a
quality photograph of the wedding cake, not have the DJ announce the cutting of the cake and get a mere “snap shot” of it seconds before you cut into it,
simply because the photographer had no idea of when this would transpire or the schedule changed and nobody informed the photographer. This should
be given to the photographer 3-4 weeks before your wedding day. (The photographer will then make a list and schedule time line for your photographs for
that day to co-inside with your plans.) The more detailed your list of events are and order they will transpire, the better your photographs will be because
it will mean the photographer is more prepared and in the place that she needs to be in and ready for you. This is especially helpful if the photographer
notices the lighting or style of the photographs can be improved by having the bride and groom stand in a certain place or way to cut the cake, rather than
have them just walk up and grab the knives and start cutting with little to no notice to the photographer.
2. A Detailed List of all of the Formal Pictures that you want. These should include if you want indoor and/or outdoor photographs of that group,
party or person. Who you would like the photographs with (one of Bride with Favorite Aunt Jean Outdoor Pictures if no rain) (The Groom wants a picture
with all of the groom’s men outdoor only and the bride wants pictures of her with the maids indoors and outdoors, and also wants a picture with each one
separately.) This will help the photographer make a list of how long you will need to plan to take photos to ensure you have time to do all of them and to
ensure they are not forgotten by checking them off the list during the day.
3. A Detailed List of all of the Small Things that are important to you – that you want pictures of. They can be two different things. If you tell the
photographer that you love the way the bathroom is decorated, and you love the way your mom set up all of the bride’s maid’s bouquets, you love your
grandmother’s ring and you’re wearing it on your wedding day, and you love your shoes and the flower girl’s basket, your programs, rings, etc – don’t be
alarmed when you get all of your photographs back for proofs and there are pictures of all of these small things. We as photographers are merely doing
what we are asked, and we take pictures of what you said you loved. That’s what we do. We record all of the small things that tell the story of your
wedding day. If you do not want pictures of your shoes, the flower girl’s basket, your grandmother’s rings, your programs, etc, we of course would simply
suggest letting the photographer know that although you went out of your way to point these details out and how much they mean to you, that you don’t
want any pictures of them, that way we can focus on the pictures of things that you do want and that are important to you. Of course 99.9% of our brides
and grooms Rave about how glad they are that we documented in a beautiful way all the small things of their wedding. After all, these are the things that
the bride has worked on for a year!! To make it simple, just make a list of what you want pictures of, that’s important. Don’t want pictures of my garter on
my pale legs!! Do want pictures of my New Shoes! Of course, to date we have only had one bride complain that she had too many pictures and 0 that
have not had enough pictures. As a photographer, I’ll take that.
4.A complete list of all of the locations that the photographer will need to be at – for the entire day. Even if you’re not sure of the times, at least
provide this complete list to simply ensure that the photographer has time to utilize this information to make their own maps and driving directions. We
always have two copies of driving directions to and from each location in conjunction with the main schedule. This will ensure us that we will not be late or
get lost. Include the full Company name and the complete physical address and if possible the phone number with area code.
For example:
Do Give: The Sunshine Salon
1234 Melody Lane
Greenfield, IN 46140
317-123-4567
Do Not Give: Salon in Greenfield off Melody Lane.
5. Complete list of your Wedding Party and the names of your parents, on both sides. The easiest way to do this is to simply copy your program.
We also strongly suggest that you assign or request one person to be in charge of “gathering” everyone for your photographs per the schedule. This
needs to be someone that knows who everyone is. This person can assist the photographer’s assistant in gathering everyone together at the times and in
the locations that they are needed for photographs to ensure you stay on your schedule. You don’t have to do this but it will be easier on you, because if
you look at the assistant and tell him that Mary is missing, he doesn’t know who Mary is. This is not something that most people think about, it’s just
something that we noticed and developed and so far it works wonders and relieves the brides and grooms from gathering everyone that is missing or late.
6. A list of any changes, or requests in the schedule that the photographer made for your wedding day for your photographs. If for any
reason, you don’t want to eat lunch before you put your dress on, let’s say you want to eat your lunch after you put your dress on. Well, you’re the boss;
just write that on the list to change and the photographer will make the changes as needed per the bride and groom and/or wedding planner. It will be
easier and less confusing for all parties involved to have all of the “kinks” in the schedule worked out ahead of time to ensure your day goes as smooth as
possible.
7. A copy of any lists or schedules you have made for your family or wedding party. This would include deliveries, etc. We have actually had this
come in handy often because the bride’s mother or maid of honor had either lost the list, or had brought the wrong or old one. These lists included how
many bouquets and boutonnières should have been delivered and who to pass them out to, etc. Like we said, we’re always happy to help.
Of course you don’t have to provide any lists at all. But I assure you that it will be reflected in your photographs. The Brides and
Grooms who are overwhelmed or/and rushed and pulled here and there due to not having any idea of what was going on, had
the deer in the headlight look or the I have a headache and want to choke someone look in each one of their pictures. They can
smile all they want and pose all they want – but the eyes are the windows of the soul and they don’t lie – and a photograph
catches it all. Then there are the Brides and Grooms that took the time to make the lists and the schedules not just for the
Photographer, but for their wedding party and family. Their pictures always are the best, they don’t even have to be posed,
because they experienced the joy, peace and love of the day and it was reflected in each and every photograph displaying the
laughter and joyful tears of the day, not the confusion and frustration of an unplanned and unorganized day.
The Makeup
1.If you can afford it, hire a professional. If you can cut anything else in your wedding to ensure you have the $30 or $40 to have your makeup
professionally done, do it. Why not pay someone $30 that can make you look like a million bucks? This is the most important and most photographed day
you will probably ever have, why not look the best you ever will? Besides, don’t you want your husband to look back on his wedding day and think, wow, I’
ve never seen her glow like that.
2. Less is more. This is the digital age and trust me, the camera picks up everything. There are important things to keep in mind to tell the person doing
your makeup. They will need to know if your event will be indoors and or/outdoors and if it will be dimly lit, etc. For example, if you are getting married on
a beautiful summer day at 2 p.m. outdoors, you would want your make up to be a little bold. The more lights and the brighter the lights, the more the lights
will wash out your color. This is the opposite for dim lit conditions. Let’s say that you are getting married indoors and the church is very dimly lit, not a lot
of windows, and the lights are a yellow tint. If you told this to the professional doing your make up, they would try not to use makeup with a yellow tint, and
would make sure that your make up was modest. Do not wear bright lipstick, really dark eye shadow and especially watch the blush. You can, but I assure
you that you will probably look on the “clown” side because dim lights exaggerate the colors. Now, that’s not saying you can’t wear bright colors with dim
lights, a professional makeup artist can use bright colors in a way that is flattering, but a friend or family member will more than likely end up making it
worse because of their lack of knowledge. Okay, you’re probably thinking well, shouldn’t I have good lighting for the formals? Well, or course, but unless
you want big umbrella lights and light stands on at your ceremony, your pictures will be in the normal lighting of the church or location. Most receptions
are also in dim lit conditions. It’s better for your makeup to be in accordance of the settings without lighting assistance, as we as photographers for your
formal pictures can adjust our lights accordingly to flatter you as best as possible.
3. Always bring clear lip gloss and touch up makeup with you. Through out the day your makeup will “melt” and/or fade out. We strongly recommend
bringing oil blotting paper in lieu of powder, because every time you reapply powder, it will start to look “caked on.” Most professionals will offer you
samples to use throughout your day for purchase or complimentary.
The Dress
1.Make sure that the top portion of your dress is not too tight. When you try it on at the fitting, move around in it in the mirror and make sure it’s not
cutting in and making bulges that you normally don’t have.
2. Make sure that it is also not too loose – you don’t want to be pulling it up the entire day. We often see a Bride’s frustration throughout the day,
constantly pulling up her strapless dress.
3. Make sure that if your dress shows cleavage, that you look in the mirror and bend over. Ask yourself if that is the amount of cleavage you want your
family members and guest to see (and all of your pictures to show) because most brides comment when looking through their pictures that they had no
idea that they were showing that much cleavage when cutting the cake, leaning in and/or over for poses for the photographer and family members,
dancing, etc.
4. We also suggest taking a small hand held mirror with you. Sounds silly right? But having two teenage girls I often make them do this – take the mirror
and hold it above your cleavage – now look down. Wow right? Often women forget that men are taller than most women, and their view is, you guessed it,
the same you see in the mirror, straight down your dress.
Even if you have already purchased your wedding dress, you can always get these things altered. We understand that you are planning a wedding with a
budget but the dress fitting is not something to skimp on. How you look and feel in your dress is always reflected in your photographs whether you like it or
not. Too many times we can see the bride’s frustration in her dress being too heavy, too tight, too loose and flat out uncomfortable. If you can afford it, or
course we would suggest purchasing a separate wedding dress for the reception if your ceremony dress is too big and awkward for dancing and having a
good time in. If you are like most brides and cannot afford a second dress, we strongly recommend that at your fitting you ensure you have a good bustle
to tie up your train. And please, don’t wait until your wedding day at the reception to figure out how to do it. Too often we have seen guest waiting for 20
minutes for a bride to get her dress bustled up because the person they delegated did not practice before hand. Brides, if your maid of honor or mother,
or whom ever is the person that will be doing this task for you, make sure that you take them along with you when you purchase your dress and at your
fitting and have the professionals there show them how. You cannot possibly show them how to do this with your dress on. We have seen time after time
a bride become so mad because their mother or maid of honor cannot tie a bow right, knot or button, zip or bustle their dress. Why ruin your happy joyous
mood? Don’t make the mistake in assuming that it’s easy and they will know exactly what to do and can do it fast, always do a test run and make sure they
can do it and do it right and fast. You’ll thank yourself later and you’ll have pictures of you relaxed in your dress, not pictures of you giving your maid of
honor or mom a look of frustration.
Wedding Emergency Kit
1. We of course sell these if you don’t want to take the time to gather everything yourself, or if you are looking for a gift for the bride. You should always
have Imodium, aspirin, antacids, snacks, bobby pins, safety pins, deodorant, hair spray, etc. We recommend the bride and groom sit down and take 15
minutes and make a list of all of the things they will need throughout the day, including all of the medications they normally take, and any drinks they might
need for the day.
The Schedule
1. You will always want to begin with the basic structure of your wedding day and how you want it to “flow.” This of course, depends on what type of
wedding you are having, how big it is, how many guests you have and what you incorporate into your wedding. We strongly recommend hiring a wedding
planner for this, but if you are like most brides, you will have to plan your wedding yourself. You can have a perfect wedding day planning it yourself, but
only if you are organized, thorough, and detailed. We have seen many brides that have had every 5 minutes planned of their wedding, and then we have
seen many brides that decided to “wing it.” Obviously the brides that had their wedding planned out to the detail with every event having a timeline or
schedule guideline, had a pretty smooth, joyous, relaxing wedding day. They also had a lot of really great pictures with a lot of variety of locations. And
then the brides that had no schedule, or just did a brief “outline” of their day, were shocked and surprised to see how much time would go by so soon and
were rushed through everything. They usually ran out of time for the photographs that they wanted, and because they did not make a list for the
photographer of the formals that they wanted with what family members in the photograph etc, in their times of stress and rushing to beat the clock before
their ceremony starts, they clearly forget to instruct the photographer to take a picture of them with their favorite aunt, best friend, etc. It’s always sad for a
photographer, because we run around and we get all of the great shots of the events as they unfold during the wedding day, but when it comes to being
psychic and knowing who the bride’s favorite aunt is and that she wanted a picture alone with her, well, it’s just not going to happen – we rely on the bride
and groom’s input and lists for these things. The couples who had their weddings planned out and worked with the photographer to have a schedule to
coincide with their wedding day plans would have 50-200 beautiful and varying couple pictures and the couples who decided that they didn’t need a list or
a schedule in a lot of detail, or were often rushed out the get to the reception, or plan ahead, were disappointed and would ask, I thought we took more
pictures together…and sadly we would have to reply, no, I’m so sorry, you told us that you didn’t want to stay for 10 minutes and all you allowed us to take
were 5 pictures and you said you had to go. If they would have simply planned ahead, they could have had a lot of great photographs. Remember, the
Bride and Groom is our Boss. We make suggestions to them, we make requests to them, and we even make sure that they understand the urgency or the
need for our requests, but ultimately, they are our Boss and if the Bride says no, well, we don’t do it. Sadly, this rule has cheated brides and grooms out of
the pictures that they could have had, if only they had waited 3 more minutes. Best rule of thumb, don’t be in such a rush, it’s 5 minutes, trust us, your
guest won’t care, they love you and want you to have great pictures! And they never know the difference. The amazing thing that we see all to often is
the bride and groom giving the photographer 10 minutes for ALL of the formal pictures and their couple pictures after the wedding, then rushing out to get
to the reception, so worried about their guests, then arriving before half of their guests, then they wait outside in the car for 25 minutes before they can
come in and arrive at their own reception. Sometimes, you need to just trust the photographer.
2. We are photographers, not wedding planners. We are often shocked when we are pulled away from taking a photograph and asked to fold the
handkerchief, put on the boutonniere, and do tasks that the bride’s maid, best man, mother, father, friend etc. should be doing. We have no idea how to
fold a handkerchief, but we can take a great photograph of it. We of course, have no qualms with helping by any means, but we don’t know how you
should plan your wedding day and the events that should transpire – we have had clients that for some reason were under the impression that it was our
job to schedule out their entire wedding day and events for them. We don’t do that and no photographer does that. What we do, and all other wedding
photographers do, is take your schedule that you have made or your wedding planner has made and we make a schedule timeline for your photographs
that co-insides with your wedding plans. To clear this up for some couples, I will use the example below to help. Of course, this is just for the sake of
showing you how it works.
Example:
You or the Wedding Planners Schedule
Arrive at the Salon to get hair done for the bride’s maids and bride at 8 a.m. They will work on the all of the maid’s hair first and the bride’s hair last. After
they finish the hair, they will begin on the makeup in the order that their hair is finished.
The Schedule the Photographer will give you based on what You made.
We will arrive at the salon at 7:45 a.m. We will leave the salon when the bride is almost completed with her makeup. (We called and asked the salon that
is doing the hair and makeup how long they thought it might take for 5 bride’s maids, 2 mothers and the bride’s hair and makeup with the staff they have
scheduled for that day and the salon said 2 hours) We will plan to leave the salon at 10 a.m.
You or the Wedding Planners Schedule
Leave the salon and arrive at the church at 10:45. Need to arrive at the church no later than 11:15. Unload and set up make up and dresses, order out a
quick lunch, get dressed and ready for formals by 1 p.m.
The Schedule the Photographer will give you based on what You made.
We will arrive at the church at 10:20. We will get pictures of the details, church, etc and set up our equipment before the bridal party arrives to the
church. Bride and maids begin getting dressed and ready (candid shots) no later than 12 p.m. We would suggest that you arrive at the church and
unload and set up neatly your makeup, dresses, etc. and then eat lunch. This will ensure that you don’t get food on your dresses. Please remind your
wedding party not to “throw things on the floor” and to keep the dressing room neat as you would not like to have distracting backgrounds for your
photographs. During the time you are unloading and eating, we will be observing locations for your formals, setting up our equipment, etc.
And so on. To sum it up we have made a quick list of what you should provide to the photographer to ensure that you get what
you want for your wedding photographs.
1. A Detailed List of all of the events that will transpire on your wedding day. This includes the order of the reception (cutting the cake, first
dance, speeches, food service, etc.) This helps the photographer know where to be and when. You would want the photographer to have time to get a
quality photograph of the wedding cake, not have the DJ announce the cutting of the cake and get a mere “snap shot” of it seconds before you cut into it,
simply because the photographer had no idea of when this would transpire or the schedule changed and nobody informed the photographer. This should
be given to the photographer 3-4 weeks before your wedding day. (The photographer will then make a list and schedule time line for your photographs for
that day to co-inside with your plans.) The more detailed your list of events are and order they will transpire, the better your photographs will be because
it will mean the photographer is more prepared and in the place that she needs to be in and ready for you. This is especially helpful if the photographer
notices the lighting or style of the photographs can be improved by having the bride and groom stand in a certain place or way to cut the cake, rather than
have them just walk up and grab the knives and start cutting with little to no notice to the photographer.
2. A Detailed List of all of the Formal Pictures that you want. These should include if you want indoor and/or outdoor photographs of that group,
party or person. Who you would like the photographs with (one of Bride with Favorite Aunt Jean Outdoor Pictures if no rain) (The Groom wants a picture
with all of the groom’s men outdoor only and the bride wants pictures of her with the maids indoors and outdoors, and also wants a picture with each one
separately.) This will help the photographer make a list of how long you will need to plan to take photos to ensure you have time to do all of them and to
ensure they are not forgotten by checking them off the list during the day.
3. A Detailed List of all of the Small Things that are important to you – that you want pictures of. They can be two different things. If you tell the
photographer that you love the way the bathroom is decorated, and you love the way your mom set up all of the bride’s maid’s bouquets, you love your
grandmother’s ring and you’re wearing it on your wedding day, and you love your shoes and the flower girl’s basket, your programs, rings, etc – don’t be
alarmed when you get all of your photographs back for proofs and there are pictures of all of these small things. We as photographers are merely doing
what we are asked, and we take pictures of what you said you loved. That’s what we do. We record all of the small things that tell the story of your
wedding day. If you do not want pictures of your shoes, the flower girl’s basket, your grandmother’s rings, your programs, etc, we of course would simply
suggest letting the photographer know that although you went out of your way to point these details out and how much they mean to you, that you don’t
want any pictures of them, that way we can focus on the pictures of things that you do want and that are important to you. Of course 99.9% of our brides
and grooms Rave about how glad they are that we documented in a beautiful way all the small things of their wedding. After all, these are the things that
the bride has worked on for a year!! To make it simple, just make a list of what you want pictures of, that’s important. Don’t want pictures of my garter on
my pale legs!! Do want pictures of my New Shoes! Of course, to date we have only had one bride complain that she had too many pictures and 0 that
have not had enough pictures. As a photographer, I’ll take that.
4.A complete list of all of the locations that the photographer will need to be at – for the entire day. Even if you’re not sure of the times, at least
provide this complete list to simply ensure that the photographer has time to utilize this information to make their own maps and driving directions. We
always have two copies of driving directions to and from each location in conjunction with the main schedule. This will ensure us that we will not be late or
get lost. Include the full Company name and the complete physical address and if possible the phone number with area code.
For example:
Do Give: The Sunshine Salon
1234 Melody Lane
Greenfield, IN 46140
317-123-4567
Do Not Give: Salon in Greenfield off Melody Lane.
5. Complete list of your Wedding Party and the names of your parents, on both sides. The easiest way to do this is to simply copy your program.
We also strongly suggest that you assign or request one person to be in charge of “gathering” everyone for your photographs per the schedule. This
needs to be someone that knows who everyone is. This person can assist the photographer’s assistant in gathering everyone together at the times and in
the locations that they are needed for photographs to ensure you stay on your schedule. You don’t have to do this but it will be easier on you, because if
you look at the assistant and tell him that Mary is missing, he doesn’t know who Mary is. This is not something that most people think about, it’s just
something that we noticed and developed and so far it works wonders and relieves the brides and grooms from gathering everyone that is missing or late.
6. A list of any changes, or requests in the schedule that the photographer made for your wedding day for your photographs. If for any
reason, you don’t want to eat lunch before you put your dress on, let’s say you want to eat your lunch after you put your dress on. Well, you’re the boss;
just write that on the list to change and the photographer will make the changes as needed per the bride and groom and/or wedding planner. It will be
easier and less confusing for all parties involved to have all of the “kinks” in the schedule worked out ahead of time to ensure your day goes as smooth as
possible.
7. A copy of any lists or schedules you have made for your family or wedding party. This would include deliveries, etc. We have actually had this
come in handy often because the bride’s mother or maid of honor had either lost the list, or had brought the wrong or old one. These lists included how
many bouquets and boutonnières should have been delivered and who to pass them out to, etc. Like we said, we’re always happy to help.
Of course you don’t have to provide any lists at all. But I assure you that it will be reflected in your photographs. The Brides and
Grooms who are overwhelmed or/and rushed and pulled here and there due to not having any idea of what was going on, had
the deer in the headlight look or the I have a headache and want to choke someone look in each one of their pictures. They can
smile all they want and pose all they want – but the eyes are the windows of the soul and they don’t lie – and a photograph
catches it all. Then there are the Brides and Grooms that took the time to make the lists and the schedules not just for the
Photographer, but for their wedding party and family. Their pictures always are the best, they don’t even have to be posed,
because they experienced the joy, peace and love of the day and it was reflected in each and every photograph displaying the
laughter and joyful tears of the day, not the confusion and frustration of an unplanned and unorganized day.
Copyright Angel Canary Photography Inc.