Wedding day perfection: a three part series for keeping your cool and looking amazing for your entire wedding day

One of the most paramount elements of the entire wedding day is the photography. The photographs are the long-lasting tangible mementos of the day, offering a glimpse back in time when memory struggles to recall little moments that have long been forgotten. WeddingDay blogger and part owner of Tulip+Rose Photography Nicole Ford suggests some sure-fire strategies as part of a three-part photography series to ensure that your wedding photos turn out "Pinterest perfect."

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Planning for looking your best on your wedding starts way earlier than you think. I’m not talking secret Pinterest boards that you’ve had long before you had even met your fiancé. The hair, the make-up, the dress – all of this matters a great deal, of course, and we’ll get to that next month.  But let’s start with the number one factor: lighting.

Beautiful, natural lighting is always the preference for photos and is impossible to recreate with a flash. Diffused sunny days, cloudy days, foggy days – none of it matters so long as there is natural light available. Natural light is universally flattering and keeps the focus of your imagery on the composition of the photo and more importantly, the beauty, emotion and interactions of you and your guests. 

You may be thinking that you’ve hired a professional photographer to handle the situation and they can take care of it. You’re partially right. A true professional can handle any lighting situation and come out with nice photos. But all the photos you have pinned from all the amazing styled shoots at epic locations – those all have one common denominator: the perfect light. 

Start the day off right: Getting Ready to be Beautiful Someplace Beautiful 

If you are having your photographer come to take some shots of you getting ready, give some thought to the location you chose. Windowless rooms in church basements will not photograph well, no matter what. Keep the light as natural as possible (windows please!). Many past brides have used their own homes, wedding night hotel room, or have found cute and very reasonably priced airbnb’s that were full of windows and a perfect spot for getting ready.

Exchanging the I Do’s: Ceremony Lighting

This often overlooked consideration is critical. Traditional church ceremonies often have restrictions that do not allow flash photography during wedding – be sure to check with the coordinator and find out if there are any restrictions and communicate them to your photographer. If your church has many windows and you’re planning a ceremony during the daylight hours then all should be fine. If you’re doing a dark, romantic candlelit ceremony be sure to let your photographer know so they can be prepared. The photos will be moody and beautiful but the photographer might need to make a few extra preparations ahead of time.

We love the trend of moving traditional ceremonies to beautiful outdoor locations. These sites are often full of meaning to the couple and almost always have beautiful, natural light.

Let the Love Shine: Golden Hour Portraits

Golden hour occurs about 60-90 minutes before the sunsets. It is during this time that the light is golden (obviously), soft and even. It is universally flattering, which lends itself to creating those beautiful portraits that every couple pines for. Your eyes appear sparkly and bright, your smile will look like 1,000 watts and your skin will glow beautifully. If you desire that look for your photos, it will be most effectively achieved by planning your day around the sunset time. And good news here: you can check the sunset time for your wedding day YEARS in advance at www.timeanddate.com/sun/. 

If you’re in the fortunate situation that you have the ability to plan your portrait time around the golden hour, do it! You’re investing so much in these photos so give your photographer the very best opportunity to deliver you a stunningly beautiful set of heirloom photos you and future generations will hold near to their heart and proudly display in their home for a lifetime.

Setting the mood: Reception lighting

Reception lighting sets the mood for your wedding after party. If you are thinking warm and romantic, candlelight should do the trick. If you’re having a dream outdoor reception, overhead strings of Edison lights can be just lovely! Daytime receptions provide refreshingly beautiful natural light, thus eliminating the need to worry about artificial lighting. 

However you do it, remember the mood you set will translate into your photos. Your dark reception will have a lovely selection of beautiful, romantic moody photos. Your bright reception will look crisp and happy in photos. Your fun, crazy DJ lighting will show in your photos too (despite the flash your photographer will inevitably use during the dark dancing hour) - which is why it’s a good idea, in my opinion, to wait to turn those on until after all the traditional, sentimental dances are done. That’s when the real party starts anyways, right?! 

For tips on posing for your wedding photos, read part two of this three part series.

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Nicole (Beezhold) Ford is a Chicago native and part owner of Tulip + Rose Photography. Married 12 years and with a 11 year old daughter and 5 year old son, she has mastered video games, boy-band lyrics and Nerf gun wars. She is a lover of fine art, travel, bacon, laughter, thunderstorms and photographing the true emotion and love of wedding days.