Every moment of your wedding is special; slipping into your dress, walking down the aisle, exchanging rings and your first kiss.  But some of the most intimate and precious moments of that day are those that happen during your first dance.  By then, it can feel as if the ceremony happened years ago, yet the realization is just now sinking in: “We did it! We’re finally married!”  The secret to getting the best possible first dance photographs isn’t complicated.  In fact, it’s all about simplicity.

Some couples are life-long dancers, or have invested enough time dancing together for such a long time that they can waltz, swing or rhumba with ease.  The rest of us can feel pressure to entertain our guests and squeeze in a dance lesson or two just before the wedding.  We find that folks in the latter category don’t feel comfortable on the dance floor, and therefore don’t look comfortable during their first dance.  Last minute dance instruction can actually cause more anxiety during the first dance, as couples may find themselves counting in their heads, stepping on each other’s feet, or bumping into tables and chairs.  So keep it natural.  The best first dance images can come from those moments when you hold each other naturally, gaze at each other and just enjoy those first moments as a married couple.

When choosing to include parents and other special guests in your processional, it is often much better, photographically to have those guests who are there as a couple be escorted by their significant other rather than an usher. Often when the female VIP is escorted by an usher, her significant other ends up walking behind them on the way down the aisle. If you instead allow a couple to enter together during the processional, they are photographed together rather than potentially with a stranger (usher) and no one is left in the background of the image.If the VIP does not have a significant other, or they are otherwise occupied, having them escorted by one of your ushers or groomsmen is a lovely way to make them feel special.

One of the photos that most wedding photographers take and most brides want to see is an image of the wedding dress. Usually your photographer will have a chance to take that photo during the time when you are getting ready. We don’t believe in spending an hour photographing your gown from different angles; we’re more interested in capturing images of you and your family as you make your preparations. But we do like to take a few photographs of your lovely gown before you put it on. Along those lines, this tip is all about what you can do, even before your photographer arrives, to help us create the most beautiful portrayal of your dress possible.

Bridal boutiques are well practiced at altering and pressing your gown to a level of perfection that mere humans like you and I could never attain, even with hours of ironing and steaming. As part of preparing your dress and ensuring that it remains in peak condition for the wedding day, often they stuff your dress with tissue paper and cardboard. The dress is often hung on a wire or plastic hanger and pretty much pinned into a position that is meant to keep it from being wrinkled or creased in any way. And this is a good thing.

However, when it comes time to photograph the dress, plastic hangers and cardboard stuffing are not what you want to see. Now in my opinion the best possible way to show off your dress before you put it on is on a mannequin or dress form. But that’s not very realistic – hotel staff tend to give you strange looks when you walk through the halls carrying a creepy white mannequin (trust me, I know). Slightly easier and also a huge step up from cardboard is the use of a pretty fabric hanger. Often labeled as lingerie hangers, they are sold at places like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. Yes, there is such thing as an elegant hanger. Before your photographer arrives, or soon after depending on your schedule, ask your mom or bridesmaids to transfer your dress to the fabric hanger and remove the stuffing so that you show the gown in its best light for photography, free of wire or pins.

I can’t resist – I have to close this tip with that famous quote from the movie Mommie Dearest:

“No wire hangers, ever!”

Well, at least not on your wedding day!

Over the course of photographing more than 100 weddings, we have realized that seemingly minor things have a huge impact on the resulting images. Besides hiring a fantastic wedding photographer, there are more subtle things that you can do to facilitate the most beautiful images. Today, some tips on optimizing your toast pictures.

The toasts are one of our favorite wedding events. We love documenting it because all of the attention is on you and the speaker, which means that no one is paying any attention to us! It’s the perfect opportunity to act as observers and create emotional and meaningful images highlighting those moments.

1. Seating

Ideally the bride and groom should avoid sitting up against a wall, because inevitably this creates shadows if any lighting or flash is used. Giant dark shadows directly behind you makes for a less aesthetically pleasing photograph, unless you are going for Hitchcock genre wedding images.

We recommend placing your sweetheart table or head table at a good distance from the wall (6 or so feet at a minimum). This is particularly true if you have glass or mirrors on the walls – reflective surfaces can catch flash and video lights to the detriment of the photographs. Ideally, sitting nearer to the dance floor is better as it means that some guests will be behind you and it’s nice to photograph the crowd reaction as well as your own as your best man is giving his really embarrassing/heartwarming speech.

If you are at a head table rather than a sweetheart table, or if you have a large centerpiece, it may be useful to sit with your backs to the dance floor. When the time comes for toasts, you can simply turn your chairs around and face the speaker for an ideal view and a great camera angle for your photographer.

2. Obstruction

It is fairly common knowledge among coordinators and florists these days that mid-level centerpieces are less than ideal for photography (not totally evil, but certainly on the road to hell). The reason for this is that they get between your face and the camera lens. No one wants to be peeking out from inbetween the curly willow all night. Ideally for your sweetheart or head table, you would favor a low centerpiece. This would mean that you were completely visible to your guests and the camera, and it eliminates shadows. Very high centerpieces can work because only a thin portion of the vase is present. Again, you can also just turn your chairs around so that your back is to the table and you are facing the speaker.

3. Speaker

We often ask the speaker to stand in a specific place (totally amazing photographs need a little nudge sometimes). Usually the middle of the dance floor is perfect because it gives you and your guests a clear view and keeps the speaker away from walls and speakers.

A wireless mic is important here – a corded mic will mean that your father or your best man will be forced to stay close to the band or dj  with giant speakers protruding from behind them like bizarre electronic tumors. We don’t recommend that the speaker stand directly next to the bride and groom unless there is simply no other choice.

Stay tuned for more tips in the future!