As you know, we’re a photography and videography company, and we work A LOT of weddings. So, who better to give you wedding day advice than wedding photographers and videographers who’ve seen a thing or two? We’ve witnessed brides and grooms who have soaked up every second of their big day. We’ve also seen those who seemed like they were just ready to have it all end so they could go home. Either way, we’ve learned a lot from watching these news brides and grooms. So now, we want to pass those lessons on to you!

Rule number one: don’t stress out. This day is about you and your significant other. Everyone is going to your wedding because they want to celebrate you and this momentous occasion in your life. Why ruin it by stressing yourself over things you shouldn’t be concerned with? One of the biggest triggers for stress we see is lack of a solid timeline. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’re constantly worried about staying on schedule. Instead, ensure you have a solid timeline and plan for the day, as well as a person(s) who will help keep the pace from start to finish. Often times this is a wedding planner or coordinator, but it doesn’t have to be if you don’t have one in your wedding budget. Instead, you can always look for a friend or family member who is willing to take on the role of time keeper. That way you can have fun all day, and someone else can remind you where you have to be and when!

In addition to having a solid timeline and someone to maintain it, it’s also smart to provide a detailed and specific timeline to your wedding photographers. Normally, they are with the bride and groom throughout the day, from the very start. Therefore, they are an integral part of helping you stay on schedule, while capturing the moments you wanted at the same time. Our wedding photographers have a specific shot list they follow. That shot list is tied into the timing of the day. They know they must make every effort to stay on schedule, otherwise they won’t successfully get every shot they are responsible for. So with this extra photographer motivation, they can play a major role in helping everyone stay on time, while still capturing the images you want.

Rule number two: remember to enjoy yourself. We’ve worked with brides who are a little too involved in the small tasks of the day. Let others concern themselves with the fine details. Your job is to have fun and make the most of your wedding day. After all, this’ll probably be the only time you every do it, right? Let the wedding photographers concern themselves with getting every shot you wanted. And to ensure that they do, provide them with thorough responses to the wedding photography questionnaire they send you prior to the wedding day. If you leave no stone unturned, they won’t either when it really counts.

Third and final rule: make your guests and wedding party feel at ease. If you weren’t expecting this one, let me explain. It usually takes having some good friends and family around to make a wedding day fun. And whether you like it or not, their enjoyment of the day tends to feed off the vibes being put off by the bride and groom. If you seem angry or frustrated, or you and your significant other are snapping at each other throughout the day, your wedding party and guests will pick up on it. When they notice that, they can’t help but be negatively affected by your demeanor. Instead, don’t sweat the small stuff. Let things go that aren’t in your control. And even if they are, who cares? Let it go and have fun! The happier you seem, the happier your guests will be. After all, they’ll help make your entire day, especially the reception, a night to remember!