Wedding Tips & Tricks: Planning A Grand Exit
/Welcome to Episode One of my new series: Wedding Tips & Tricks from Your Photographer
Today’s topic is the Grand Exit!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. When it comes to grand exit's at weddings, you are usually doing your “grand exit” about an hour into your reception so that your photographer can capture the big send off. Very rarely do you hire your photo and video team to stay until you actually leave your reception. Instead, we do it part way through and then we say goodbye for the night. Those photos typically end up at the end of your gallery even if they weren’t the last photos taken. As a wedding photographer, your gallery is a story and so sometimes we reorder photos to make the flow nicer.
So the grand exit you see in photos is usually a staged exit, or just a fun activity to do with your guests during the reception. If you have hired a photographer to stay until the very end of your wedding or you’re having a shorter reception then you can make your grand exit a little more exciting. Literally the sky is the limit. Seriously… leave in a hot air balloon! How cool would that be? The true grand exit is where you are not coming back to your wedding. It’s a send off!
Here are some ideas for the grand exit for the truly extra people, that is not a Sparkler Send Off:
Change into some matching bathing suits and slip and slide outta there (do not recommend for Canadian winter weddings)
If there is any body of water… jump into it! (this is on my bucket list)
Have your guests spray you with water guns
Rent a vintage car
Run through a foam tunnel, it looks like clouds!
Change into matching wedding sweatpants and use any of these ideas
Now, it takes a very special type of couple, guest willingness, (and the right weather) to do some of those crazier ideas. If you want something a little gentler, and less out there there are a lot of options that also don’t involve sparklers! The next list is ideas that can be used as a true Grand Exit or for something I am now calling the Photographer Send Off! So instead of faking your own exit, send your photo and video team off in style. This is a great way to get people hyped up and ready to party. You can do it outside in the parking lot for some of the ideas or inside on the dance floor. Both look amazing in photos and as a bonus, makes your photo and video team feel special!
Here are some ideas for you Photographer Send Off:
Smoke bombs
Hand held fireworks or flares
Environmentally friendly confetti poppers/canon
Champagne spray
Streamer toss
Ribbon wands
Glowsticks
And my personal favourite:
Bubbles
If you are one of my couples, I bring my own bubble machine (soon to be two bubble machines) to use at any point on your wedding day, whether that be for your Photographer Send Off, the wedding processional or recessional, or just during couples/wedding party photos! Bubbles are a great eco friendly, easily organized way to add a lot of fun to your photos.
No matter what you decide to do, whether it’s sparklers or another activity, make sure it fits your personalities! This is always going to be my biggest piece of advice for wedding planning: plan your wedding around YOU! What do you and your fiancé like to do? Are you outgoing? Adventurous? Shy? Silly? Don’t do something just because it’s expected of you. You don’t even have to do a grand exit or send off if you don’t want to! And if you want to jump in a pool fully clothed, go for it! Your wedding is a day of celebration of your relationship and the life you want to build together.
It’s also important to note that you ask permission from your venue for any of these ideas! They might have rules or would like to anticipate any mess clean up!
Happy wedding planning!
Love,
Your adventure loving, risk taking photographer who will always always vote yes for using any kind of water on your wedding day.
Choosing Your Wedding Photographer // PART ONE
/I’ll give you a little secret… this is all the information I send out when someone inquires about my wedding photography services. So now you’ll have it before you even reach out or if you just need a little extra help in choosing your wedding photographer!
WELCOME TO LIGHT AND LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY!
So, you just got engaged and you're planning a wedding?!
This is so exciting! But I also know how completely overwhelming it can be which is why I'm going to give you everything you need to know about choosing the right wedding photographer!
Fair warning... I use a lot of exclamation marks because I feel like I sound too mean if I use periods. Plus, I'm a pretty emphatic speaker so if I had word bubbles over my head when I talk, they would all end with a big !
I'll give you the best piece of advice first before we get into the other little things.
Choose the photographer who you get along with the most!
Basing your decision solely off of price, and even aesthetic, can sometimes turn out to be a huge mistake. Not because the photographer isn't good, you could have the best photographer in the world but if your personalities don't mesh well and if you don't feel comfortable, it will show in the images. Your photographer will have a hard time feeling inspired and you will leave feeling unsatisfied.
Personality is THE most important part of choosing your photographer!
So what will you get if you book with me?
Personal
I'm a half extrovert, half introvert. I love a good party, and I am okay with being in the spotlight. Unlike some of my fellow photographers, I'm also pretty comfortable infront of the camera, almost as much as I am behind it! I also love staying at home for weeks at a time just spending time with my husband and our kids!
I'm a pretty easy going person, I don't get stressed out easily, and I am of the mentailty that "everything will work out." Staying positive is a huge asset in the wedding industry!
I'm going to be silly! Somestimes I might make fun of you but in an endearingly joking way. It's how I show affection, you can blame my family for that! The more comfortable I am with you, the more jabs I might throw! I hope that's okay!
As Your Photographer
My shooting style is a mix between documentary and lifestyle. I love to capture real moments so sometimes I'll stay quiet because I don't want to break the spell, and other times I'll give an action instead of a stiff pose to do, accompanied with a joke or something because laughing pictures are my favourite.
It is my goal of every session to get a huge laughing picture. No pressure.
When it comes to your wedding day, I am commanding and confident. I can direct a crowd and use my charm to get your family members to listen to me!
I am not a fly on the wall photographer. I love to interact with people and get to know your family and guests. I'll be the first one on the dance floor and I love chatting with the people at my dinner table. I think this gives me a more personal perspective to your day!
CONCLUSION
Why do I feel like I’m back in high school and I’m following the “hamburger” outline of an essay?
In conclusion, while budget and aesthetic are very important, being comfortable with your wedding photographer is always going to be the most important part of the decision. So if you are going back and forth between two similar photographs, choose the one that made you feel the most confident in their ability and the one you vibe with the most. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to have the same personality as you. As much as I’m an extrovert, I’ve booked many introvert couples because they want someone who will be able to bring extra fun and be very vocal about directing them, so keep that in mind!
Your wedding photographer will be with you in your most important and intimate moments of your wedding day so it is so important to feel very comfortable with them!
Follow along with PART TWO and PART THREE!
A Year in the Life of a Photograhper
/One of the biggest blessings in my life is being able to do what I love for a living. While there are definitely areas of my job that I would rather not do, I LOVE being a photographer. Being able to celebrate life’s major milestones over and over again is indeed a blessing.
Being a photographer in Ontario has it’s own challenges. We have less impressive landscapes than other areas of Ontario but after travelling quite a bit this year, I’ve realized that without the distraction of mountains and canyons, oceans, and the focus of photography can actually be on people. I can focus on capturing those moments, creating those moments that you’ll remember and that you will be the focus of those memories.
Plus we get all the best seasons, especially those glorious fall colours! In spring we can go to the Guelph Arboretum for cherry blossoms in your engagement or family session. In the summer we can head to Burlington beach for some super fun beach sessions, In the fall, everywhere you look has the most beautiful reds and oranges and yellow. Then those winter sessions which are few and far between are so magical! We are so luck to have the array of different seasons here and being able to capture everything from engagements to weddings to maternity sessions, and family sessions, and solo sessions. I have the best job in the world.
And I could not do what I love without the support of all of the local wedding vendors in the areas. This year every wedding was incredible and so special shout outs go to Cellar52, Cambridge Mill, and Langdon Hall, thank you for having such incredible venues in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region!
Thank you to all my couples, families, and entrepreneurs for supporting my business. For trusting me with capturing your life and you as you are, thank you!
