Your wedding day is filled with so many meaningful moments—don’t let rushed timelines or overlooked prep details steal away the opportunity to document them beautifully. As your photographer, I want you to have the most seamless, relaxed, and enjoyable experience possible. To help you do that, I’ve put together my top tips to help you prepare for a stress-free wedding morning and maximize the time we have together for stunning wedding photos. Here are my wedding morning photography tips.

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1. Coordinate with Your Planner and Florist for Photo-Ready Locations

If you’re planning to have a first look or bridal party portraits in specific locations, be sure to communicate early and clearly with both your wedding planner and florist.
The areas should be photo-ready at the scheduled time—florals delivered and set up, clutter removed, and lighting finalized. This is especially important for iconic spaces. Have florists and lighting technicians prepare these areas first so they are ready for your timeline for photos.

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2. Don’t Be the Last Person in the Hair & Makeup Chair

Timing is everything! To capture those soft, editorial-style bridal portraits before the hustle begins, you’ll want to avoid going last for hair and makeup.
Going earlier allows us to create beautiful solo images with your full look complete—and it builds in a buffer window in case anything runs late. Trust me, your future self will thank you.

If your makeup artist tries to tell you otherwise, would you rather your face be 20 minutes fresher? Or have keepsake bridal portraits and photos with your friends and loved ones for those 20 minutes? You decide.

Keep in mind:

• If your planner moves up the photographer’s start time after a planning call to allow for more photography time, they must also coordinate to move up the end time for hair and makeup as well as other elements that are needed to make you photo-ready. Obvious to many, but sometimes overlooked by planners.

💡 A note I don’t know how to put delicately: I am all for artists doing BTS reels, but please note that if we are running behind schedule, we should prioritise your photos over creating marketing for your vendors (including myself). I will 100% share your images with them so they can use for marketing! Just say no if we’re running late.

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3. Think Twice About Hair Tendrils

Romantic face-framing tendrils may look cute in still photos, but they often don’t hold up in real-world conditions.
They tend to look best from only one angle and in completely still air, which is rare on a wedding day. Wind, movement, and hugs can cause them to stick or cover your face. In fact, during the ceremony, they can obscure your profile in candid photos. Your vision – your call! Just know I can’t fix it after the fact. Makeup chair vs real life just ain’t the same.

💡 Pro tip: If you’re set on having tendrils, try filming yourself spinning and walking outside to see how they behave in motion before committing. Ensure the artist has a way to keep the hair back and off your face while still maintaining the face-framing tendrils. This is a big wedding photography tip because people want to see your face!

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4. Organize Your Details in Advance for Flat Lays

Detail photos—like your rings, invitation suite, shoes, and perfume—tell the story of your day. If you want beautiful flat lay images, a little prep goes a long way.

• Collect your items in a designated box.
• If you’re tight on time, have a friend plan out and lay out your items according to a pre-planned design and take a quick cell phone photo to send me in advance. Even better, have that friend also lay them out the day of.
• Pinterest-style flat lays can take hours to style. If you want that level of polish, be sure to allow enough time or prepare layouts beforehand so we can recreate your vision efficiently.

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5. Keep Your Prep Room Clean and Clutter-Free

Candid getting-ready moments are some of the most emotionally charged and beautiful, but messy rooms and unmade beds can easily overshadow them.

Start your day with a quick tidy-up:

• Make the bed
• Move water bottles, bags, and trash to one side away from any windows
• Use one designated corner for everyone’s belongings

If matching robe photos aren’t a priority, have your friends fully dressed and ready before I arrive. That way, we can jump straight into meaningful photos without wasting precious time. This is a big wedding morning photography tip.

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6. Understand the Role of the Second Shooter (If Included)

Couples and planners sometimes assume there will be a second full photographer capturing the day from another angle—but that’s not always the case with every package. Let’s clear that up early so there are no surprises.

• For most of my basic packages, I include a photography assistant who may also second shoot during key moments, like the first look and ceremony.
• Outside of those moments, they’re primarily there to help with lighting, equipment, and logistics, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
• If you’d like a dedicated second shooter capturing prep in another location or offering full coverage throughout the day, please let me know in advance—we can absolutely add this as an upgrade.

✨ Friendly reminder: Please make sure your planner knows the second shooter doesn’t roam independently or split off for separate coverage. They’ll usually stay close to assist me, unless we’ve arranged otherwise. Every photography team is different, so it’s always good to double-check your contract for clarity.

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Final Thoughts

When your wedding morning is calm, organized, and intentional, it sets the tone for the rest of your day—and your photos will reflect that. As your photographer, I’m here to help guide and support you through it all. A little planning now means more time for joy, genuine moments, and beautiful imagery later.

Simple things like adding buffer time will greatly improve the flow of your day. Elements like waiting for the elevator, finding missing items and using the bathroom are often overlooked. All of these things add time and stress unnecessarily if you don’t plan for them. Your wedding photo timeline should always account for real-world travel considerations like traffic, parking and logistics. Often delays stem from hair and makeup timing for weddings. Often, these services run 20 minutes to 1 hr late. Conducting a trial beforehand can help your artist understand your hair and makeup needs, allowing them to be prepared for your big day.

If you have any questions while planning your morning timeline or preparing your details, I’m just an email away. Ensure you don’t use my old email address when contacting me, rather my info@ email address.

Here is another helpful blog link on getting ready photos. I will add more wedding photography tips. Please stay tuned!

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Interested in more planning tips?
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