Planning a wedding isn’t for the faint of heart, and one of the most nerve-wracking items for a bride-to-be can be managing the photography.
You want everything just right, and you want to make sure it all gets captured so you can look back on one of the most important days of your life.
It’s daunting, but here’s the good news: it’s possible.
Following our step-by-step checklist, you can make sure everything photography-related about your wedding is taken care of with ease. In fact, expect more than that — we included a few tips and tricks in here that will surely elevate your wedding photography to the next level!
Planning and preparation
A foolproof wedding only happens with sufficient planning and preparation — the same goes for your wedding photography.
1. Get recommendations for photographers
“Where do I find a good wedding photographer? How do I know if they’re good?” Good questions — you’d want the best photographers for your big day. It is a once in a lifetime occasion after all! (Hopefully, am I right?)
One of your best resources for photographer recommendations is recently married couples (especially if they’ve gotten their photos back). They’ll be able to share their experience, show you the photographer’s style and skill, and even give you a heads up on what to budget for.
You can also look up photographer marketplaces or directories that feature portfolios of various photographers for you to review!
2. Find a photographer you click with
When you are interviewing potential photographers, you should actually like being around the person you hire. Do they make you feel at ease and comfortable? Good, because that is going to show in your photos.
3. Create a mood board
Creating a mood board will help you and your photographer get on the same page. The more your photographer is aware of your style and vision, the better he or she can capture that for you. A mood board can also help you visualize the tone that you want to set at your wedding — whether it’s fun, romantic, eclectic, or classic!
4. Come up with a shot list that is reasonable for your photographer
While it may be tempting to find every Pinterest-worthy shot you can, make sure your shot list is something your photographer can reasonably accommodate. Your main goal here is to make sure that those key moments you just considered above are not missed.
5. Schedule an engagement shoot
First, let’s talk about the keyword here: schedule. Here’s a rule of thumb with all things wedding: when it comes to scheduling, start early.
Engagement shoots are not only a great way to capture your excitement and anticipation for your big day, but they give you an idea of what it’s like to work with your photographer. Your photographer can use this time to give you posing tips and hopefully calm any nerves you have about getting your photo taken.
6. Schedule hair and makeup trials before your engagement shoot
This will allow you to gauge the time your hair and makeup will take on the big day, and also see how it’s going to look in photos. Schedule your trials in the morning, for instance, with the engagement shoot set for after.
7. Show your photographer how you want to look in photos
No bride wants to feel self-conscious about their wedding day photos. A really simple way to give your photographer some insight on how you want to look is to send over photos of yourself that you really like. That way, your photographer already knows what kind of angles and facial expressions to snap.
You may also want to include photos that you don’t like of yourself, that way the photographer knows what to avoid.
8. Use WaldoWed to crowdsource photos from guests
Aside from the big day and your pros photos, you’ll want to easily gather photos from friends and family so you don’t miss any key memories from other various events — the engagement shoot, the bridal shower, rehearsal dinners, and brunches.
With WaldoWed, guests can easily upload photos to your gallery. Then, with Waldo’s facial recognition, everyone will be automatically delivered all the photos they’re found in. Your pro photographer can upload to it as well, providing all your guests with the party favor of professional photos. Best of all, Grandma can order any prints she wants right from the app!
Quick link: Get started with WaldoWed here.
Managing your shots during the wedding
Now that you’ve hired your photographer, figured out your style and shot list, and completed your engagement shoot, the wedding is finally here! Don’t fall into the trap of trying to micromanage your wedding day photography — let your photographer and Waldo handle it so you can enjoy your big day.
9. Let your photographer do their thing
This is why you hired a professional, so let them do what they do!
A good photographer is going to help keep you on schedule, know how to frame the shots, and find those perfect candid moments — so you don’t have to worry about those things.
10. Integrate your photographer’s photos into your Waldo albums
You can invite your photographer to add photos to your Waldo albums, allowing you to easily share your photos as soon as they’re ready. Your photographer will appreciate Waldo’s ability to wirelessly upload photos directly from their DSLR.
11. Designate someone to wrangle up people
Having a designated person who knows your family well will be super helpful in making sure your day moves along as planned. This person will be in charge of gathering who is needed for each shot, and then excusing them when they’re no longer needed. Things will run smoother and there’s less waiting around for everyone involved.
12. Forget the disposable wedding cameras — ask guests to upload to Waldo instead
With Waldo, disposable cameras are things of the past! Easily have your guests join your WaldoWed album by simply texting your unique join code and start contributing photos they snap with their phones via the Waldo app.
13. Let go of perfection
Things will happen that you have no control of. When that happens, it’s best to just roll with it and have some fun. The unexpected could lead to some happy accidents in your photos that wouldn’t have been captured otherwise.
14. Don’t look for the camera
Your photographer knows what they’re doing and it’s their job to capture the day as it unfolds. There’s no need to worry about where the camera is, or to stop what you’re doing to pose at every moment. Plus, with Waldo, you can relax — if your pro misses a shot, one of your guests will capture and upload it!
You’ll want to look back and enjoy those purely candid reactions that happen while you’re enjoying the moment! Besides, candid moments captured by guests can sometimes make the most lasting memories.
15. Chin up
Keeping your head up is helpful to get great photos and make sure your face is well lit. Especially when walking down the aisle, it can be easy to look down at the ground in front of you, but that’s not going to make for the best photos. Remind your bridal party to keep their heads up and smile as well.
16. Relax your shoulders
If you’re holding your bouquet up high and tensing your shoulders, not only will you be covering the bodice of your beautiful dress, but you’re also going to look tense and nervous.
Focus on relaxing your shoulders down and keeping your bouquet closer to your hips or midriff so you can showcase your dress and release tension.
Sharing your photos after the big day
Congratulations, you made it! We know you’re excited to share your photos, but remember to take some time to relax for you and your new spouse.
Here’s how easy it is to share your photos with family and friends while maintaining your newlywed bliss.
17. Get all your (remaining) guests to sign up to Waldo
Hopefully at this point, most of your guests would have downloaded Waldo to upload the photos they snapped of you during your wedding — but this is the time you encourage every guest to sign up to Waldo to receive their photos!
Once guests download the free Waldo app, they simply submit their selfies and they’ll automatically receive photos of themselves whenever Waldo finds them through face-matching technology. Guests will receive photos of themselves, and they’ll have access to view your entire wedding album! Anyone who has yet to add their photos can add them after the big day.
18. Send a reminder to crowdsource your guest photos
Many brides have official wedding hashtags, and that’s a great idea — but what people usually dread is having to wade through all those photos later on social media. Most guests will only upload a few photos.
Send out another reminder to every guest to upload photos that they have snapped onto Waldo so you get every moment that was captured!
19. Sit back, relax — and let Waldo send your guests their photos
The beauty of Waldo being part of your wedding photography plan is that Waldo can do all the heavy lifting for you so that you don’t have to. Whenever Waldo matches an uploaded photo to the selfie of a guest, Waldo will automatically deliver the photo in near real-time.
You don’t have to lift a finger, and you don’t have to worry about getting the photos out to each person — Waldo has it taken care of so you can relax.
20. Send Thank You cards featuring photos taken during the wedding
Personalized Thank You cards are a nice touch to show your gratitude for attending your wedding and any gifts you received.
With a Waldogram, you can personalize Thank You cards for your guest with a photo from the wedding, add a personal message, and Waldo will print and deliver it on your behalf.
It’s a great way to make your guests feel special while saving you the time of stuffing envelopes, rounding up stamps, and heading to the post office.
21. Share your wedding photos to social media via the Waldo app
Of course, you’re going to want to post all those great memories on social media — the WaldoWed package comes with a custom brand and logo overlay, and automated hashtags for social sharing.
When your guests share a photo from the Waldo app, it will automatically have your custom wedding look and any hashtags you chose. It’s super easy to share to social from Waldo — all it takes is a few taps in the app!
Hopefully, these tips will have you well on your way to that picture-perfect wedding day that you’re dreaming of. Congratulations — Team Waldo wishes you a lifetime of happiness!
