3 Things I Wish I Knew When Planning My Wedding

There are a few things I wish I knew before when planning my wedding day. Sometimes there’s no better way to learn than to go through it, eh?!

If I could give a bride and groom any tips, here are 3 things I learned the hard way so you don’t have to! 😆

1. I wish I didn’t underestimate costs

This is something you just find out as you go but it’s pretty disheartening when you have a number in your head for the costs of… let’s say… table cloths and you’re thinking SURELY it’s not THAT much! But then you realize it’s 1/4 of your budget. 🙄

Okay, so that might be a little exaggerated but that’s what it felt like at the time. The little costs add up!

A lot of things are going to be above the price point you expect. So, my best advice is to overestimate. By a LOT. For everything.

Photography, videography, live music, catering, flowers, table and chair hire, venue costs, etc. This isn’t to make you feel overwhelmed, but to help you feel prepared. Don’t freak out, just plan ahead and give yourself a cushion if you can.

To save you some time, my photography prices are £1,800 in total for a full day of wedding photography in the Midlands (including all the extras like travel, engagement shoot, USB, etc).

2. I wish I had a wet weather plan

Now as a wedding photographer I cannot understand why this didn’t cross my mind. What was I thinking?! I was probably thinking that my wedding was in July, in England, so OBVIOUSLY it could never rain. 😒

We had forecasted lighting and thunderstorms ALL day and I had planned to have the ENTIRE afternoon, dinner and speeches outside. Let’s give Hannah a sarcastic slow clap, shall we?

So yes, this meant major dread and tears on the morning of my wedding day because it was raining as soon as I woke up. It also sent my bridal party into a panic to figure out how to fit all 170 something guests inside for dinner when there was no room big enough to fit everyone.

The solution: split everyone into various rooms and let them fend for themselves. 😂

Get a wet weather plan EVEN if it’s looking like sun on your wedding day. We live in England after all!!

Talk to your photographer about your wet weather plan.

If I’m your photographer I will ask you what your wet weather plan is a few months before the wedding day. I also encourage couples to talk to their venue about what happens if it rains. Try to have an indoor space prepared without tables and chairs that’s big enough to fit your largest group photo. It will give you so much more peace of mind!

Fun story, Joel and his groomsmen spent the morning of our wedding day shouting at the sky and praying for the rain to stop. 😆 It did. Forecast cleared. God showed up and we had a bright sunny day and 27c weather. It was perfect!

3. I wish I had thought about locations for our bride and groom photos

SERIOUSLY WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?!

I’m a wedding photographer for goodness sake. This should have been the first thing on my radar. Surely!

I remember the DAY BEFORE walking around the venue going, OMG I didn’t even think about where to have photos! Partially I was counting on our photographer to suggest a location but in actuality, that wasn’t a realistic expectation especially because our photographer traveled in for our wedding. He’d never been to the venue before and I shouldn’t have expected him to or to know where to go.

He did suggest a few places around the venue when we got there but I wish I had a plan in mind. Somewhere a little more interesting, somewhere a little more out of the way. Our photographer did amazingly with the location we had, don’t get me wrong! I just wish I would have thought about this ahead of time.

If I’m your photographer, please do fill me in on what you’re thinking! If your venue is going to be crowded with your wedding guests, find an area somewhere more quiet and private for your bride and groom photos.

Have a plan B in case one location doesn’t work out.

Maybe there’s an event going on that you weren’t aware of, or maybe the location is flooded or maybe the wheat field has been cut down since you last saw it. All of which I’ve experienced now as a wedding photographer!

Some things to think about when picking locations…

Woodland: Great for cloudy days, but not good for harsh sunlight.
Gardens, fields, mountains, and beaches: Great anytime but look for shade if the sun is harsh.
Public parks or “greens”: Can be a little plain and crowded with dog walkers/ other people.
Inside your venue: Look for windows and rooms flooded with natural light. Conservatories, orangeries, and renovated barns can work well. Avoid dark rooms and rooms with artificial lighting.
City backgrounds/ architectural structures/ streets: These areas can work well in any lighting condition if you’re okay to have lots of people passing by.
Other options: Rooftops, waterfronts, botanical gardens, cobblestone streets.

I hope that helps, friends! If you found this helpful, please leave a comment below!

Best of luck planning your wedding days!