Weddings are filled with so many important events and sentimental moments. The day can move quickly and your photographer works hard before, during, and after wedding day to ensure all moments are documented and shared with you. Every wedding is different and every gallery size is different. Some weddings are multi-day affairs, some couples secure experiences for their guests to enjoy, and some couples design dream details to wow their friends and fam. If you are anxious about waiting around for things to happen as your ceremony approaches, you can schedule fun events with your photographer so everything is remembered. Scroll down for a few ideas on how to get 100 extra photos in your wedding gallery:
Add on a second shooter
Many couples weigh the pros and cons of adding on a second shooter to their wedding. I enjoy having a second shooter alongside me at weddings because I ask my partners to focus on guest reactions, interactions, and little details throughout the day. That could be your family tearing up during the first dance, your friends enjoying your signature drink during cocktail hour, your grandmother accidentally dragging the ceremony program with her in her crack, and many more fun/silly/sentimental moments that happen all day that you may be too preoccupied to witness yourself.
Invest in details that enhance the experience
If you’re ready to wow your guests, choose vendors that can execute your vision and create new ideas for your wedding design. Seating charts, thank you notes, on-site dinner prep experience, musical guests, entertainment, and unique exits are all incredible details that make your day special and will add 100 extra photos to your wedding gallery.
Have a bouquet reveal
This is a fun moment during the day I witnessed at Eliana and Frank’s wedding in Palm Springs. The florist arrived with Eliana’s bouq and we photographed her reacting to the design she had waited so long to see in person. It was super sweet and a fun moment to remember on wedding day.
Treat the dudes to drinks at a cool bar
If you have a side of the wedding party that is arriving with no makeup and slipping into suits in the back of the ceremony venue, consider taking them up the road to a nice bar for a drink. Casual portraits and candids from that moment are super sentimental for that group of friends. Other places you can check out are a cigar bar, barber shop, and or dog park.
Write letters or buy each other gifts
A super sweet moment that I love capturing on wedding day is the gift and letter exchange. This happens before you two see each other or following your first look. Sharing your excitement and thoughts in a loving note is a special touch that can center you for the day.
Have a first look
There’s a few first looks that can happen on wedding day: with your wedding party, with your family, with your children, and with your spouse. If you choose to spend time with these important people before your ceremony begins, there will be emotion and excitement to remember. Your photographer will take advantage of this time to focus on your family members’ reactions and snap a few posed portraits after.
Have a cocktail hour
Having a cocktail hour seems like a no-brainer. It’s the perfect opportunity to sneak away and photograph portraits of the two of you and celebrate those first moments of marriage. Hosting a cocktail hour for your guests and including a second photographer will add some important images to your gallery: portraits of guests, candids of your family enjoying the company of each other, photos of your entertainment, and photos of your reception space details before anyone enters the room.
Those moments you may miss while photographing your portraits are so special to look back on and enjoy when your final gallery is delivered.
