DESTINATION WEDDING DETAILS: CAPTURING EVERY MOMENT!
It’s 2024 people! Gone are the days when a wedding album focused only on staged shots of the happy couple with their bridal party, the first kiss, and the father/daughter dance. As print labs and physical studios fade into the background in favor of dynamic and fluid online delivery platforms, destination wedding photographers have new and improved ways to get your material to you. But with added flexibility comes additional responsibility, and the understanding that planning a destination wedding is multi-faceted. You are traveling and spending the money, and no moment or detail should pass by the wayside. Here’s what we consider when planning the details of your destination wedding album!
WHAT ARE THE “TRADITIONAL” SHOTS?
The traditional shots are the those you’d see in your mom and dad’s wedding album, very important but no longer the be-all and end-all. The traditional shots include the following:
Ceremony Moments: These are the “must haves”! It’s the moment when you walk down the aisle and he reacts with tears in his eyes. It’s the exchange of rings and the first kiss. The ceremony is your moment in the spotlight.
The Portrait Session: This normally happens after your ceremony. It’s about getting the bridal party, immediate family members, and the newlyweds together. We take care of capturing everyone in attendance. Check out our Instagram (@rawmedicreative) for examples.
The Happenings: The happenings include any scheduled activity that occurs during your wedding timeline. It could be a cake cutting, a heartfelt toast, or a fireworks display.
WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO CONSIDER?
Today, we consider a wedding album to be complete when it immortalizes EVERY moment of your special day. You have invested time, money, and emotion into designing the perfect celebration of your love. So here’s how we break down the photography and ensure we capture every moment.
The Getting Ready
This is where we will get started on your wedding day. It’s generally the bride’s suite to kick things off and the groom’s suite shortly after. We capture all of your getting ready moments, which are usually “staged”. There’s no reason to have us start when hair and makeup is just beginning. If your session ends at 3 PM, we need to start shooting at 2:45 PM. Your makeup artist will help us show you in your best light. In the groom’s suite, it’s normal that things are a little more relaxed. We need 15 to 20 minutes to capture your man putting on his tie.
Now, the getting ready is two-fold. Here’s where we take the time to focus on the details. Let me break it down for you:
The Bride: You’ll have some details you want on camera. Here’s what we recommend.
1. Your gorgeous dress be hung with an amazing backdrop so we can capture it before you put it on.
2. Your shoes, your jewelry, and personal items should be laid out on your suite’s bed to make sure we get it all.
3. Did the groom send you a loving note the morning of? Lay it out for us with your invitations and other stationery so we can be sure to have this on camera for you.
The Groom: It’s a little more casual but still important!
Let’s get that shot of you relaxing with your best boys over a Corona or two!
Be sure to have your shoes, tie, watch, and accessories ready and waiting so we can be sure to capture every moment.
If she sent you a pre-ceremony gift or heartfelt note, we want to capture that as well.
The First Look
This is a sensitive topic. You may or may not want to see your man before the emotional walk down the aisle. But if you do, we’ll need you for approximately 30 minutes on location, estimating 1.5 hours before your ceremony start time.
Not looking for the traditional first-look scenario? There are a few options!
The first look with the father of the bride! It’s an emotional moment, where he gets to share a few precious moments with his princess before he gives you away!
A non-conforming first look! That’s where you link hands on opposite sides of a wall or share an intimate embrace blindfolded so he doesn’t technically see the dress!
The Ceremony
Super simple! Consider making it an “unplugged ceremony”. It’s sometimes hard for us photographers to capture the perfect angle when Uncle Bob stands up mid-ceremony for a quick iPhone photo.
The Happenings
There’s a lot that happens after the ceremony, and each bride and groom is different. You may have gone all out on individual moments or kept things simple and traditional. But here are the moments you should let us know about if and when you sign on the dotted line!
The Dances: This involves your first dance, father/daughter dance, and mother/son dance.
2. The Speeches: We need to know who is talking and when so we can make sure we capture the laughter.
3. Any Craziness! We want to know if you have fireworks, mariachi serenades, or anything else that may occur to you!
The Other Stuff
Every bride and groom is unique and adorable. If you have a blended family, a passed loved one you want to bless or a quirky happening that’s simply you, Raw Media Creative is here to capture every moment. Chat with your wedding planner and with us and we will be sure to timeline perfectly and deliver you a wedding album that is 100% complete.
When You are Sharing!
We love to share the love! Please tag us, comment, and interact with any and all of our social media posts. Once you shoot with Raw Media you are part of the family, and we expect to see you back each and every anniversary!
I’m Gary and feel free to hit me up for advice anytime. I love to chat, collaborate, and vibe! Welcome to Raw Media Creative and we can’t wait to work with you.
One Love
Copywriting by @bloggingwithlove.mexico
