HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BLUEWAVE PHOTO – YOUR RALEIGH WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS ON YOUR WEDDING DAY.
Sometimes, we are asked what it would be like to have Bluewave Photo photograph your wedding. Though no two weddings are ever exactly the same, we have developed this overview to give you insight on how we like to work, and what to expect if you select us as your Raleigh Wedding Photographer.
BRIDE AND GROOM PREPARATIONS / GETTING READY
We love covering the bride and groom getting ready activities during a Raleigh wedding. During this part of the wedding day, we use a photojournalistic photography style with minimal disruption to the bride and groom. We spend most of our time with the bride and her bridesmaids, getting hair and make-up on, and getting into the dress. We capture the mom’s and (MOB) helping the bride with last minute details like putting on the veil and zipping the dress. This is also the time when we shoot beautiful details shots of the bride’s shoes, wedding dress, jewelry, garter and other embellishments.
If the bride and groom are getting ready in the same location, we have the opportunity to go back and forth between the bride and groom’s getting ready rooms. Typically, the guys are much faster to get ready than the girls, and far more casual. We suggest adding a second photographer through our Studio to help achieve more varied coverage since one photographer can stay with the girls the entire time – while the other can be dedicated solely to the guys.
TRAVELING TO YOUR RALEIGH WEDDING CEREMONY LOCATION
At weddings where the getting ready location is not the same as the ceremony, travel will be required to get to the venue. When possible, we try to travel to the location in the limo or other vehicle with the bride. This gives us the opportunity to get some very emotional photos as the bride travels to the ceremony site to meet her groom. If traveling with the entire bridal party, it is a great opportunity to capture the excitement of the bridal party piled into a huge limo.
Often times, the guys will travel to the ceremony venue in a different car. Again, this is where a second photographer can be helpful to cover what is going on with the guys before the ceremony.
BRIDE AND GROOM FIRST LOOK / BRIDE AND GROOM FIRST SIGHTING
We always ask our bride and groom if they are interested in doing a first look, or first sighting as it is sometimes referred to. This is a very special moment in the celebration that is always filled with real emotion and excitement. To pull this off, we help you find a quiet area away from the rest of your guests and bridal party so you can be alone. Then, we take the bride or groom, and position him or her at the selected area and ask them to turn their back and wait for their soon to be husband or wife to approach. Our cameras capture the approach, documenting the anticipation and the excitement. Once you are close together, we ask the bride and groom to face each other for the first time on their wedding day – and the emotion is amazing and spontaneous. We capture the moment with every detail as it unfolds and these photos are something you will surely remember.
Not every bride and groom prefers to see each other before the ceremony, and we leave it completely up to the couple if they want the first look to be a part of their wedding celebration.
RALEIGH WEDDING CEREMONY
The wedding ceremony is very special and we try to capture all the stories playing out simultaneously. We use a photojournalistic photography approach for the wedding ceremony, and we use a combination of long and short lenses to create both intimate photos – as well as wider establishing shots to take in the whole venue. We will shoot the minister/reverand/priest and guests arriving and getting seated, along with and any musical performance from a flutist or organ player. We capture the mothers arriving and getting seated, and lighting the unity candle at the beginning of the ceremony. Then, we turn our cameras to the processional with your bridal party, (bridemaids, maid/matron of honor, ringbearer and flower girl ) and then the bride walking down the aisle. We capture the handoff of the bride, the hug from Dad and the handshake to the soon to be husband. The whole time, we are documenting the rituals being as unobtrusive as possible.
As the ceremony continues, we document the reaction from the parents and invited guests. This is very special since you may not know what was happening behind you until you see your wedding photos. This is where we catch some very real moments as your friends and family travel with you through your ceremony.
We document the reading of the vows, ring exchanges, the proclamation of becoming man and wife and your first kiss. And of course, we shoot some amazing recessional photos as you leave the ceremony united as one. Our cameras do not stop once you have passed, as we try to photograph the parents and bridal party during the recessional. This is one moment that your parents are never more proud and happy, and it usually shows by the expressions on their faces.
RALEIGH FAMILY PHOTOS / GROUP PHOTOS
After the ceremony, we give our couples a few minutes to spend with friends and family as they are congratulated on their brand new marriage. We document all the hugs and well wishes as they happen, and let the bride and groom decompress from the emotional ceremony.
Once the bride and groom have had a chance to catch their breath from the ceremony, we organize and direct the family and group photos. We always try to take these photos very close the the ceremony location since a significant amount of time can be used to organize the group elsewhere.
In advance of the wedding day, we will have already coached you about appointing a champion from each side of the family who can help gather and direct the people who need to be photographed in each picture. We will not know who the people are that should be in the photos, and will rely upon your help to make sure that everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be there. Once the people have been collected, we take over to pose the group in a pleasing arrangement. When we shoot the group photos, we try to combine both full-length and tighter shots to give you a variety of options to choose from.
We always photograph the bride and groom with friends and family first, before we work with the bridal party, so that they can be released to the reception to continue enjoying the celebration. The time needed for the family/group photos varies depending upon the number of groups, and how quickly the people being photographed can be collected, but as a rule – plan on at least 20-30 minutes.
Below, you will find a short list of possible group photo combinations. Your list is sure to vary depending upon the family members in attendance. Before your wedding, we will discuss with you how you want to handle this part of the day.
Bride’s Family Photo Combinations
- Bride with Mother
- Bride with Father
- Bride with Grandparents
- Bride with Brother and Sisters
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents
- Bride and Groom with Grandparents
- Bride and Groom with Mother and Father, Brothers and Sisters, Grandparents
- Bride with Flower Girl; Bride with Ring Bearer
Groom’s Family Photo Combinations
- Groom with Mother
- Groom with Father
- Groom with Grandparents
- Groom with Brother and Sisters
- Bride and Groom with Grooms Parents
- Bride and Groom with Grandparents
- Bride and Groom with Mother and Father, Brothers and Sisters, Grandparents
- Groom with Flower Girl; Groom with Ring Bearer
*Note: the number of combinations of wedding party photos is often limited by the time allocated in your schedule.
RALEIGH BRIDAL PARTY PORTRAITS
Once the family and group photos are complete, we move onto the bridal party photos. We shoot combinations of groups with the girls, groups with the guys – then the guys and girls together. We will make sure that you have fun with these photos, and we will create some traditional arrangements, as well as some more contemporary and shots.
We also like to work in casual, individual portraits for each of the bridal party members which make really nice keepsakes. Once the bridal party photos are finished, we send everyone back the the reception so that we can focus solely on the bride and groom’s portrait session.
Here is a short list of possible combinations for Bridal Party photographs, though your list is sure to vary.
Wedding Party Photo Combinations
- All of the wedding party with couple
- Groomsmen with Bride
- Groom with Bridesmaids
- Bride with each Bridesmaid
- Groom with each Groomsman
- Bride with Maid/Matron of Honor
- Groom with Best Man
*Note: the number of combinations of wedding party photos is often limited by the time in the schedule.
RALEIGH BRIDE AND GROOM PORTRAIT SESSION
The Bride and Groom portrait session is our favorite part of your Raleigh wedding day photography. This is where we get to escape alone and make some very special images. To achieve a variety in your bride and groom portrait photographs, we suggest leaving at least 30 minutes for this session. This will allow enough time to walk around your wedding venue and capture photos in multiple locations so you have different backdrops and looks.
When possible, we try to scout the location in advance to get an idea of the best spots that are within reach so that we don’t waste time trying to decide upon the best locations the day of your wedding. During the bride and groom portrait session, we help guide you through different poses and playful interactions. For maximum variety, we help you role play different scenarios that will result in some intimate, fun and romantic photos.
RALEIGH WEDDING RECEPTION
Once we finish the bride and groom portrait session, it’s time to send you onto the wedding reception to party with your family and guests to celebrate your day. There are so many stories for us to document at the wedding reception, and we always have a great time doing it.
To get started, there are the bridal party introductions and the bride and groom’s grand entrance. This is always very exciting and the creative ways to make your entrance are endless. After the grand entrance, some couples go right into their first dance, father-daughter dance and mother-son dance. We use our off camera lighting set-ups and techniques to create photos with depth and dimension for the fast paced action and emotion of those events.
Then, it’s the toasts. We shoot those from multiple angles to give you a sense of the reactions from the bride and groom, and the person giving the speech or toast. This can be the best man, maid of honor, mother and father or other important guest.
After the wedding speeches, dinner is commonly served. During the dinner, we use this time to take a break, check our equipment, and get ready to go once the dinner service is finished. We also use this time to shoot some creative ring photos, however, we avoid taking pictures of guests when they are eating and allow them to fully enjoy dinner uninterrupted.
After dinner is when dancing usually gets started and we are prepared with our cameras when the party heats up. We try to capture all of your guests on the dance floor bringing in the amazing color and lighting from your reception venue. Often, we find ourself right in the middle of the action as we try to get the most dynamic dancing photos. Dancing typically continues well into the night with a break only for the remaining three big wedding reception activities – the cake cutting, bouquet toss and garter toss.
The cake is often the first of the three events to take place, and we are standing close by and ready to capture the unpredictable interaction between the bride and groom. Sometimes, the cake cutting and serving of the first piece is romantic, while other times, it gets downright messy with bride and groom wearing most of it. No matter how you choose to approach the wedding cake cutting, our cameras will be rolling the whole time to try and catch you at the peak of your exchange.
The bouquet and garter toss are often unscripted and our cameras roll to see how they will play out. Every toss we document goes off slightly differently, but one thing is certain, there will be a lot of laughs and everyone will be having fun. We will be right there documenting it as is happens.
RALEIGH PHOTO BOOTH
The photo booth! It’s all about fun and getting your Raleigh wedding guests interacting with each other. We’ll set up a custom background in a corner of the reception to get the party started. Since we use an open-air style photo booth, you can pile 8-12 guests in front of our camera and let loose.
With a box of props with hats, chalkboards and bubbles, your guests are sure to have a good time. The photobooth works best with a second photographer so the main photographer can maintain coverage on the wedding reception activities.
WEDDING RECEPTION EXIT
Depending upon the Raleigh wedding photography package you select, coverage can begin from the minute you start your day until the time you leave the ceremony. We can be there to capture any special Raleigh wedding reception exit you had planned – from bubbles to a memorable sparkler exit.
These photos are a great way to put closure to an amazing celebration, and can be the perfect way to finish off your beautiful wedding album. If you weren’t planning on anything special for your wedding day reception exit, we can work with you to develop an idea that would be ideal for some amazing pictures.
ABOUT RALEIGH WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS, BLUEWAVE PHOTO
Raleigh wedding photographers, Bluewave Photo, specializes in Raleigh wedding photography for contemporary couples in the Raleigh / Durham and surrounding areas. We use a blended style of photojournalism, casual portraits and fine detail photography to deliver beautiful wedding photography that you will cherish forever. To explore our Raleigh wedding photography portfolio, please visit www.bluewavephotoweddings.com
