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8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Wedding Photography

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This is a guest post by Rob Clayton

A good wedding photographer should be able to take great photographs at any event, whatever the light, and whatever the circumstances. However, there are things that you, as the bride and groom, to help ensure you get the best possible images from your day

1. Do your research

Find a photographer whose work you love (not just like, but love!), meet up with him or her and make sure you’re the right fit for each other. And then trust them! If you love the photographer’s work, it will be much easier to trust them when they start taking unusual angles, or making seemingly peculiar requests, rather than you having to worry, ‘why are they doing that? Is that the best way to take this photograph or that? Etc’.

2. Discuss things with your photographer

Talk to your photographer about what you do and don’t like, and allow him or her to explain their methodology. This should give you reassurance on the day that there is a method and a purpose behind all their actions (which may not always be obvious).

3. Prepare a shot list

What you really don’t want to happen on your wedding day is to have to stand around thinking about exactly which combinations of people you want in the formal photographs (especially with all your guests stood around you!). A shot-list prepared in advance will not just take the worry away, but will ensure that the formal photographs can proceed smoothly without delay.

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4. Manage your expectations

Unrealistic expectations can only ever lead to disappointment. Your photographer should be able to help guide you in this respect, but just don’t expect the impossible. For example, if you only set aside a small window of opportunity in which to take the formal family photographs, and then produce a gigantic list to get through, it may just not be possible to do them all without re-arranging the timeline (not something the chef will be prepared to do, I can tell you now!).

An example I have had personally, was a request prior to the wedding to take some pictures of the bride and groom on a beach at sunset. The wedding was in Liverpool city centre. Some expectations are just harder to achieve than others.

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A Sassi Holford bride for a Destination Interfaith Jewish wedding at Les Mas des Oules, Provence, South of France

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Oh what a treat I have for you today! A super gorgeous couple, and my goodness, where do I start with their delicious destination Jew-ish destination wedding?

It’s designed and planned to perfection by Lucy Till, and it’s just bursting at the seams with details that will make you squeal. Seriously — it’s that good. Kitty’s Sassi Holford wedding dress, the Provencal blooms,  the lavender theme and the home-made touches… it’s all breathtaking. Oh, and Dexter the dog. Don’t even get me started. Let’s not forget Robbie who looks super dapper in his suit and bow tie too (with a matching one for Dexter too!).

I’m approaching things from a slightly different angle today as it’s actually Kitty and Robbie’s very talented wedding photographer —David Morgan — who will be talking us through the bride and groom’s view of the day.

Enjoy this one folks!

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Choosing to get married in South of France

David Morgan, their photographer: Kitty and Robbie were married at a charming little French estate called Les Mas des Oules. Les Mas des Oules is a family run estate in ‘Gard Provenà§al’ and it was originally the farm and winery of the château of Saint-Victor des Oules.

When Kitty and Robbie first went to see the venue it was quite literally a building site as it was in the process of being sympathetically converted by an English couple into eight houses and apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms. The venue is close to where Robbie’s parents have a home so made a lot of sense from that perspective.

Kitty and Robbie fell in love with the views and it was a snap decision with a deposit there and then!

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Real Jewish Brides: Less then 3 months to go… and I’m still obsessed with lists

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Lists. Emails.  Research. Repeat.  This is my current mantra as I pass the 3 month mark.  The first To-Do List  I wrote was  appropriately  titled “A Big List”.  In it contained tasks, comments and  follow-up actions  of  what I thought, was everything I needed  to  think about  and arrange  in the lead up to the wedding.

Since then,  that list has expanded, contracted and developed appendices.  Why  oh  why did Netflix have to screen Gilmore Girls now? Ddon’t they know how long it takes to proofread addresses and invitation artwork? Why do people tell you once the “big things” are done, the rest falls into place? The  big things are the easy part. It’s the finer details  that  test your decision-making capabilities, ignite  a  creative spark you never knew you had and  challenge  your emotional resistance.

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This month, I’ve ticked off a little bit of everything- invitations, menus, lighting, flowers, religious traditions  and fashion  and it’s been great fun!!  I’ve certainly received an education when it comes to stationery.  I used Etsy, and  Style Me Pretty to kick-start my imagination and quite quickly came up with a modern and elegant design for the main invitation.

Linda Abrahams, the stationery supplier I used, was really enthusiastic and focused on delivering this design and so  I set my objective: let’s get this done  and dusted!  As  numerous  versions of the  design  were emailed back and forth with  comments and  amendments, it became very clear that the only way to reach the final draft stage was to get  specific  with the details.

I had no idea about card weights, types of personalisation and envelopes…surely your guests don’t judge your invitation on the quality of the envelope it comes in? It  goes straight in the bin! But, I confess…I spent at least four hours, avoiding the treadmill, trying to make this decision.  I was guided with beautiful samples of card weights and tutored in the topic of table plan versus escort cards. And so the final draft was approved and I could tick it off the list!  My lesson outcome: Study the options and start stationery early.

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Win your wedding photography (worth £1950) with Soraya Photography

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I love sharing  good news and wonderful prizes with you,  and  today I’m thrilled to be  partnering with  award-winning wedding photographer,  Margaret Soraya  to offer one lucky couple  FREE wedding photography, anywhere in the world!

I’m a huge fan of Margaret’s work and it goes without saying that she’s one of my handpicked  Smashing Suppliers. She  specialises in capturing moments, expressions and emotions in a gentle and unobtrusive manner, and  having  photographed almost 400 weddings she’s  seen a huge variety of wedding styles and worked with all sorts  of gorgeous  couples.

Based in the beautiful highlands of Scotland but shooting weddings all over  the UK and beyond, Margaret regularly photographs weddings in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and the USA. During the quieter winter months she works as a travel photographer and takes on commissions all over  the world meaning she is no stranger to travel and is  comfortable with photographing your wedding wherever  it may be.

Her  primary focus at any wedding, be it a large lavish wedding at an exclusive high end venue, or a small couples-only shoot, is to record emotions and real expressions and to produce striking images that  are full of love and laughter.  She works in a quiet, unassuming  manner and is continually seeking out special moments.

If you’re getting married between 1st March 2017 and 1st October 2018, I highly  recommend you enter the competition! Margaret would love to shoot your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding, so  don’t miss all the giveaway details below.

If you’re not fortunate  enough to win, Margaret  would like to offer you  10% off your  wedding photography if you then decide to go on and hire her.

Thank you so much Margaret! Be sure to check out more of her work at Soraya Photography and on Instagram and Facebook.

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A Boho bride for a rustic ‘beer garden’ Jewish wedding at Houston Hall, New York City, USA

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Apologies for the late posting of this morning’s real Jewish wedding – I’m still recovering from last night’s dazzling Brides Magazine Bloggers Dinner. And when I say recovering, it may just have something to do with the fact that Brides had the genius idea of serving a series of cocktails to accompany every course! The whole do was utterly magical from beginning to end — great company, great food, and an exquisite atmosphere in the private dining room at central London’s Haymarket Hotel.

I snapchatted and Instagram-storied live from the dinner so hurry on over and take a look if you want to see what the wedding bloggerati got up to as all the stories will be wiped after 24 hours!

So on to today’s very special real Jewish wedding… Well, where do I even start? Rachel & Robert somehow managed to incorporate a whole host of personal ideas into their Big Day whilst keeping it chic, stylish and super pretty.

There are so many gorgeous touches that I don’t know what to pick out first; there’s Rachel’s special maid of honour — her 91-year old Grandma Betty, the coolest polaroid picture escort cards (you’ll all be wanting to steal that idea!), oh so pretty floral crowns, Louboutins, personalised Converse, a beautifully flowy Nicole Miller beaded wedding dress (this bride has serious style), and a naked red velvet cake.

And instead of just eating leftover wedding cake on their year anniversary; Rachel and Robert have been eating a piece every month, thereby celebrating their anniversary every four weeks… DEFINITELY my kind of couple

Enjoy this one peeps — the day was captured perfectly by The Markows Photography with a glorious film at the end by NST Pictures.

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How we met

Rachel, the Bride: We met on Match.com. What makes it a good story is that Rob emailed me on Match in September 2012 and I waited two months to write him back! I received his email and I was interested but just not ready to meet someone at the time. It was a good thing he was still single and interested in meeting me two months later…

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