As most of you know I am a professional wedding photographer, when I’m not busy blogging. I have been fortunate enough to photograph stunning weddings all over the country, alongside my hubby Jon. I’ve photographed everything from tiny intimate weddings in a lighthouse, huge Indian weddings with 250 guests in a ball room, festival themed weddings in a marque on a campsite and beautiful hand binding ceremonies in tipis in their parents gardens. When it comes to weddings the possibilities are endless these days, and anything goes. So you really can make the day exactly what you want it to be.
So when it comes to planning a summer wedding your options are endless. But I thought I would give you 5 little tips to help get you started.
All images featured in this post were taken by Jon or myself as Cross-Jones Photography
Choose a venue with beautiful grounds
Where you hold your wedding is one of the biggest decision will you need to make for your big day. Especially as it is likely to be your biggest financial commitment also. When your looking for venues there are a few things you first need to consider; how many guests you are planning to have (what size venue you will need). How far you are willing to travel. Whether you want your whole wedding in one location or if you plan to get married at a church or registry office for example. The type of venue you want. What I will say about this is be open minded and don’t for instance say you will only get married in a Manor House and not look at anything else, as you may be surprised and totally fall in love with a vineyard or beachside hotel!
The one thing I would suggest is that you don’t just consider the interior of the venue, think about the grounds around and where you will be able to take photos. Group shots need a flat space big enough for all your guests, and you will want a pretty or interesting backdrop for your couple portraits. It doesn’t have to be a venue with gardens, if your into urban and edgy photos then that is totally cool to, just be considerate of where your able to take your photos.
Use a site like Hitched to look at the venue options local to you. You may be surprised to discover somewhere you have not considered before
Finding the perfect bridesmaid dresses
Finding your perfect dress is obviously a top priority, but most brides get their dresses from a dedicated bridal wear shop, which is the easiest option. So finding the perfect dress for bridesmaids can often be a harder task. You might not necessarily want a traditional bridesmaid dress, and often these days people will have evening dresses or summer dresses instead. You also have the challenge of finding a dress that will suit a number of women/girls, often with greatly different shapes and sizes. Using a site which lists suitable dresses from a number of different shops can be a great way to narrow down your search and allow you to filter options available. Click Here to start your bridesmaid dress search.
Make a plan for your guests photos
Now I may be a wedding photographer and 100% stand by the fact you should have a professional to take you photos, you can only do this once and you don’t want to miss out on capturing all these special memories. Choosing the perfect photographer is a massive decision that deserves a post all of its own. But I will also say sometimes your guests will capture moments your photographer doesn’t see, for instance when they are busy photographing your couples portraits, or cute pictures of children acting naturally which they might not do in front of your photographer. So having a system in place to allow your guests to easily send you their photos of your big day is a big benefit. Photo sharing apps like Wedding Photo Swap are a great idea to set up before your big day, making it super simple to collect all your photos together in one place, so you dont miss out on any of the fun.
Consider your entertainment
A summer time wedding often means you will have good weather and if your venue allows you will spend a large portion of your day outside in the grounds rather than in the ceremony and reception room. Because of this you might want to consider the entertainment you have on throughout the day, possibly finding an entertainer that can move around freely to wherever your guests are. Something like a magician is great for this. Also having outside games set up can be great fun if you have really go weather. If you have a musician see if they are able to set up outside or in a doorway/room close to the outside space.
Most importantly…you do you!!
You and your partner are the most important people on your wedding day so remember to plan the day that you want. Don’t let other peoples opinions override what you really want. Sometimes family and friends can think they have the right to dictate to you and push their ideas and decisions on you, but you need to stand firm and make sure that the things you chose are because you and your partner want it regardless of other people.
The only time I would say this may not work is possibly food choices and music choices at your evening reception. You may love fish for instance, but having it as the only food option could be difficult for a lot of your guests. Similarly for your music choices in the evening, you may be heavy metal fans but I can guarantee that that won’t fill your dancefloor for the majority of your evening. If you want your guests to all enjoy themselves in the evening and get up dancing you need to go for a well rounded more mainstream playlist…sorry!