MeadowBrook Farm Wedding: What We Can Do With An Hour For Creative Shots

August 1, 2017

Katelin and Todd had an amazingly beautiful wedding at Meadowbrook Farm Bed and Breakfast in Suffolk, Virginia. But what made their wedding day unique to the other millions of weddings that are photographed every year? They decided that photography was super important to them so they invested not only money, but time into their wedding photography.

What is the most important thing to you as it relates to your wedding day? Where are you spending your money? If you are dropping a good bit on the photography, you will want to make sure to build in a good amount of time for what I like to call creative shots. Creative shots are a time where all the guests, family, and wedding party are cocktailing it up and you get to be alone for a minute with the person you just married. It’s important on your wedding day to have some time away from everyone else and focus on why it is you actually got married (because you love that person and want to build a life with them). It’s a time to cuddle and snuggle and get to just be yourselves. I recommend having a minimum of 30 minutes for creative shots, but preferably 1 hour (we can always cut it shorter the day of if we feel like we have gotten plenty of images). Allowing plenty of time will ensure that the evening isn’t stressful and that we aren’t just “getting through it.” The day will be fun, but the timing of everything and the emotion of the day can be quite draining and sometimes stressful. This isn’t meant to be negative Nancy, it is just real talk as I have been to quite a few weddings and gotten the full day experience.

Having a full hour to photograph Katelin and Todd allowed me to settle into a nice groove and to get super creative. It allowed me time to actually look around and see the best light or the best angle for a shot. It also allowed me time to focus in on their beautiful relationship and to take advantage of the amazing landscape they had rented out for the evening.

If creative shots are not that important to you, let your photographer know. Based on the amount of time I had with this wonderful couple, I felt that I was really able to create images that they will cherish forever. Whether we have 10 minutes or a full hour, I will get you some amazing shots, however, I will get you way more amazing shots if we have a full hour built in. Also, the amount of variety I can get if we have allotted enough time cannot be overstated. This is something you should make your coordinator aware of if you have one. If you don’t have a coordinator this is something you will want to keep in mind when coming up with the timeline (which I am glad to help with). I have done several timelines in my day and have a general idea of how long things take.

The flowers will die, the cake will be devoured, and the guests will go back to their lives. The best representation you will have to remind you of the amazing experience you had beginning your journey together will be reflected in the images your photographer takes. If a photographer is given a good amount of time with the two of you, they can create rather than simply capture. It is much harder to settle into a rhythm if you are being rushed by anyone to get to the reception.