The wedding planning tips we wish we’d known.

When people find out that we’re a married couple as well as wedding photographers, we often get asked the same question: do you wish you’d done anything differently for your wedding day? And the answer is: some things, yes, but it’s less about what we did and more what we wish we knew. With that in mind, we wanted to share our top wedding planning tips for couples currently planning their day: from a couple who’ve been there, done that, and not only got the t-shirt, but have taken the photos too…

Remember, the day is for you

If you take anything away from these wedding planning tips – though we hope you take away lots – it’s this: remember your wedding day is for you. Don’t feel like you have to have a big wedding just because other people expect it, or like you have to follow traditions that don’t mean anything to you. Instead, have the day that you want to have.

Wear what you want

Don’t fancy wearing the classic white dress or black suit? Then don’t! Wear a colourful dress, or a jumpsuit, or trousers – whatever you feel like your best, most brilliant self in. Check out these two completely unique and awesome styles.

Have a first look

A ‘first look’ is where you both see each other before the ceremony, away from all of your family and friends. It’s a beautifully intimate moment to share on a day that’s otherwise often very busy and goes by in a blur!

Consider eloping or having a micro wedding

There are lots of reasons why the idea of a big wedding might stress you out: the finances involved, being the centre of attention, the stress and logistics of organising it. If you are feeling some resistance to the idea, then it might be worth considering an elopement or a micro wedding.

With only a very select few guests there, these days end up being much more intimate, whilst still being incredibly fun (and cheaper, too – though we’ve also had couples who’ve chosen big budget microweddings, too. To return to the first of our wedding planning tips: it’s about what you want!)

Assess wedding traditions to see if they feel like a good fit

Another big one of our wedding planning tips is: don’t feel you need to have things for traditional reasons.

At its most basic, all you need for a wedding is a registrar to make the wedding legal: everything else after that is up to you. And even then, we’ve done weddings before where the couple’s friends have conducted the ceremony, and the celebrant just did the signing – which was super personal!

At a different wedding we had the pleasure of shooting, another of our couples didn’t bother having a wedding cake – it wasn’t a priority to them, so they chose against it. None of their guests really cared or even noticed! So if it doesn’t matter to you, don’t spend money on it – free that up for something else that really gets you excited.

If you don’t fancy confetti why not have bubbles or sparklers instead? The possibilities are endless and your day should reflect you and your personality.

Dance in the rain

A lot of wedding planning tips will tell you to prepare for all weather conditions, which is good advice – but it always assumes that rain is universally a terrible thing when it comes to weddings. But what if you want to get married outside, even if it’s raining?! If that’s what you want to do: go for it. It’ll be a memory to treasure forever, a good story to tell, and the photos will be stunning too!

Have fun and play

Gone are the days where weddings were strict affairs – if fun is a big part of your relationship and love story, then include that in your day. This could be with a singalong during the ceremony, or the entertainment you get for your guests during cocktail hour. We’ve seen couples play Mr & Mrs style games a few times now, during the ceremony, speeches, and dancing too – that always gets everyone laughing!

Let those emotions flow

Don’t hold back those tears, go wild on the dance floor and laugh all day. Those emotions and all the feels are one of the things that really makes a wedding day. We love to capture all of it, the emotions are what really makes your images come to life.

Be your brilliant selves

Really, all of our wedding tips speak to this: your wedding day should reflect your personality, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need things that don’t mean anything to you. And, on the flipside, fill it full of all the things that do mean something to you!

…and if one of the things that means something to you is natural, relaxed photography that doesn’t feel like having teeth pulled, then we’d love to chat! We’re Aberdeenshire based wedding photographers specialising in wedding photography that’s laid back and, dare we say it, even enjoyable. Get in touch here to tell us about your plans so far – we can’t wait to hear from you.