What you need to ensure great wedding photographers.

1. Give your photographer plenty of time to work
2. Do not be late, ever
3. Make sure you like your photographer and they like you
4. Have a clear idea about what you want with regards to your pictures
5. Be as co-operative as you can with your photographer – after all they are just trying to do their job
6. Do not behave badly – bridezillias are very hard to shoot
7. Don’t have a list of more than around 12 group photographs – or you will be sorry and your guests will hate you
8. Don’t get drunk the night before
9. Everybody is more beautiful after a good nights sleep, that is why it’s called beauty sleep
10. Make sure you eat during the day, there are never any good pictures when the bride passes out
11. Hire a wedding planner, it takes away a lot of the stress

Help your photographer to understand you better.

It is only natural that the better your photographer understands you and your wants, the better your photos will be. You can help your photographer to understand you in several ways…a few ideas to start with ..

1) Be available to meet with them before your big day for a coffee and a chat. This gives you key bonding time! Bonding is vitally important, after all you will be spending a lot of time together with your photographer on the most important day of your live.

2) Bombard them with information about yourselves. Your story, your tastes, your dreams, desires and fantasies. The more you talk about yourselves the more familiar your photographer will be with you.

3) Make a collection of personal photos that you love, or photos/poses that have caught your eye from fashion or bridal magazines. Ask also to see their portfolios and work examples. Show them which images, styles and poses that you like the best. This gives a great idea of your tastes and how you want your wedding images. Tell them what your must have pictures are.

4) Tell them about your complexes and pet hates. If a photographer knows in advance what you feel sensitive and shy about, they will know how to avoid and work around these.

5) Find them on Facebook and connect your profiles. The information on your profile will tell your photographer a lot about who you are.

Want to drastically decrease stress levels on your wedding day?

What I am about to suggest is probably going to make you all shriek in horror. However one of the most stressful moments on a wedding day is the time just after the ceremony, so much to do with so little time to do it in. You need to get a hug and kiss from all the guests, groups, cocktails, get to the venue and then still take great pictures together. This all usually has to be done in about an hour but extra pressure is added with late ceremonies and long travelling distances. Solution? Do your portraits individually and together before the ceremony. Or better yet on a separate day. I can hear the Italian brides shrieking in horror.

Few of us are virgins when we walk down the isle, why let another tradition stand in the way of your fun and great pictures.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part ten

If you are considering eloping then I recommend you only consider a weekday wedding for a mixture of all ten reasons put together. You need to choose a day where you can get the most out of your special, intimate day together, and choosing to pass a quite intimate day together on a Saturday or Sunday is never going to work. If you want to share a quiet prosecco together in the piazza, or an ice cream on the beach you will less flustered by crowds during the week.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part nine

Anyone who knows Italian roads, rules (or lack of them) and Italian transportation systems will know what I am talking about here. Traffic and public transportation on Saturdays/Sundays and particularly public holidays should be avoided like the plague. Roads are blocked, trains run late and buses can be jam packed to the doors. Think about a week day for your wedding, and you immediately have less chance of traffic problems and running late because of them.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part eight

We all want to feel like the only girl in white on OUR own BIG DAY, but if you choose a popular location to get married in, given any Saturday or Sunday during spring/summer, it is highly likely that there will be more than one wedding going on. By choosing a day in the beginning or middle of the week you are less likely to cross paths with another bride and groom in the same place or piazza.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part seven

Quieter surroundings in tourist areas in high season. Remember to consider this if you are getting married in public gardens, a public church, or any area which might be open to the public at the same time as your ceremony. Ceremony grounds need to be prepared for set up (chairs, flowers, sound systems etc etc), and they can only start preparing when the grounds are not flooded with tourist crowds. Although during your ceremony, public access can usually be denied, venue grounds may restrict ceremo ny times, especially during the weekends, allowing time to clear the public out.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part six

Public church/religious ceremony schedules are naturally heavier during the weekends. Priests, Churches and Civil ceremony grounds are extremely busy on Saturdays and Sundays and usually take on double bookings. This means often you can be (diplomatically) rushed out of a church/religious location after your service, as another ceremony is waiting to start. Choosing a weekeday avoids this problem and also gives you more chance of finding your first choice of Church or Religious venue grounds.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part five

Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and Residences are also more likely to have availability for both yourselves and your guests during the week. This is particularly important if you have a large guest list, and are looking to create a holiday group feeling, with all your guests staying in the same hotels and close by to you. Some places also offer group booking specials, and considering a week day might help you to get all your guests into the same places.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part four

There are more and cheaper flights available. This isn't as silly as it sounds. Especially for those who are looking for flight availability on the low cost airlines like Easyjet, Ryanair and Flybaboo. Flight schedules with these airlines are often operated Monday - Friday, and during these days great flight deals can be found. It is important to consider this especially for your guests, who will be travelling, to help them also keep costs down.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part three

Larger suppliers like florists, musicians and caterers that have the capacity to take on more than one booking during one day, are less likely to have double bookings during the week. Whilst this is not to say that when there is a double booking on your wedding day, your level of service is anything less than 110%, it just means that during the week you will are more likely to get 200% undivided attention.

Reasons to get married during weekdays and why to avoid Saturdays & Sundays part two

You 've chosen a weekend, but aren't an early bird that caught the worm, and then you find your dream venue, planner, florist or photographer just six months out from the big day. If they are good more than likely they will already be booked, which might break your heart. Consider a week day around the same period and you might just find your luck. Monday to Thursdays are more likely to have schedule gaps.