Top wedding tips

It’s easy to get caught up trying to please everyone and in so doing, seemingly making no one perfectly happy with your wedding plans. It’s your wedding day, and most people will just want you to have the wedding that you want.

That said, don’t get too stressed about achieving your “perfect day” - it’s probably impossible, and you don’t want to end up disappointed. Some wise words here from one of my brides:

“I think perspective is really key when planning a wedding. It’s an amazing day and no doubt will be one of the best of your life, but much of that is because all the people you love are together in one room to celebrate with you. It’s good to remember that it’s just one single day of your life, so try not to get too obsessive or, dare I say it, spoilt. It’s so easy to get carried away and feel like you need to be very extravagant – but remember all your guests are there to celebrate with you and not to pick holes in any of the details, many of which they may never even notice!” - Bethany and Luca

Some of my couples have been really creative about keeping wedding costs low, making their own props, going to vintage fairs and antique shops, scouring marketplaces with independent sellers like Etsy for favours or wedding table details

“By doing as much as possible ourselves and using many of our talented friends and family, we were able to bring people into the planning process. This helped to make the process a bit more personal, allow those who know us to play a bigger part than they might have otherwise, and it saved money” - Caroline & Tom

There are some really good reasons to think about doing an engagement shoot before your wedding, including building a connection with you photographer, practice posing for couple shots, feeling more at ease on the day, scouting out your wedding venue, and just making some great pictures of the two of you.

I consider some of these reasons here, and take a look through some of my London engagement photography

“We had a pre-shoot in Notting Hill with Tim a couple of months before the wedding which really gave us a chance to get to know him before the day. We don’t take ourselves very seriously and Tim captured us perfectly without us having to stand still & pose. He really did put us at ease” - Laura & Haydn

A wedding can be a bit of a military operation in terms of planning, and it can feel really overwhelming.

Take the time in advance to plan each stage of the day, and build in some buffers in case things unexpectedly overrun.

Talk to your wedding photographer about where and when you’d like them to be, to make sure they capture the moments that are important to you, and make sure you build in enough time for couple shots and group shots. These might feel a little bit painful on the day when you just want to enjoy yourself, but couples that don’t tend to regret not doing them, and they can be really quick if planned well in advance with your photographer

“You underestimate how stressful everything can be, so try to remember that you’re doing it for love and enjoyment … those are the most important ingredients of any wedding day” - Caroline & Tom

“Take time to think about what actually matters. Spending time and effort worrying about minor things will spoil the fun! If your prep is on point it’ll be fine – let it go and relax, come the big day it all just fits into place and all you think about is how wonderful it is to be marrying your better half, with everyone you love to be there to share it with you” - Klaire & Tom