I got to shoot a wedding in Cincinnati this past weekend! Laura and I met while coaching gymnastics ... for different teams. Obviously, I was super honored when she asked me to be her wedding photographer, and it was so good to see familiar faces and places. Laura and Matt were awesome to work with, their families were a riot, and their friends were so welcoming. Here's a sneak peek of their beautiful, sunny day ...
FAQ: Getting the Most out of Family Formals
I get a lot of questions about family formals, and rightly so. If I hadn't worked with a wedding photographer before I got married, I wouldn't have even known what "family formal" meant. Basically, family formals are the posed family photos that take place right before or after a wedding ceremony.
For the record, I want to point out that I am not a "pose-y" or traditional photographer. If a bride or groom is looking for these formal photographs throughout their wedding day then I am not the right photographer for them. I reserve a specific time for family formal photos, which have been meticulously planned for that specific time, and otherwise I'm shooting interactive portraits or as a fly on the wall.
That being said, I do think traditional family photos are important. I understand that grandma might not want to hang a candid shot on her wall or that this might be the first time your entire family has been in one place all together since 2004. I know I cherish the family photos we have from our wedding.
So, let's talk about how to make the family formal experience run smoothly and a good time for all:
- Tell the applicable family members ahead of time that they should stay after the ceremony (or come before the ceremony if you're doing a first look) for photos. When you're coordinating so many people, someone is bound to be missed. Despite best efforts, it never seems to fail that someone on the family formal list leaves for the reception, either forgetting they were supposed to stay or never having been told. Send your family members a quick e-mail a couple weeks out to let them know that you'd love a photo with them before or after the ceremony.
- Designate a family member to help round people up during photos. I have a planned list of photos that my assistant uses to get people lined up, but it always makes things go faster if a family member who knows most of the people on the list helps get them on deck. We don't necessarily know who Aunt Sally and Uncle Jim are, but a cousin can pull them out of the crowd.
- Plan for a manageable number of photos. Look, I totally get that this is the one time everyone is together and you want to take advantage of that with lots of photo combinations, HOWEVER, it won't be a pleasant experience for anyone if you have 53 different groupings to get through. :) A couple months before a wedding, I send the bride and groom a list of family formal photo ideas. The list is long. I don't expect them to check every, single one. Ten to 12 different combinations is generally very manageable and can be done in 20 minutes if the groups don't include 50 people each. If a couple wants more photos than that but we don't have the time for it, we'll do a few more photos at the reception. Win-win!
- Think about the lighting. If you have the option to take family formals outside, DO IT! I would choose natural light, bright photos over the light of a shadowy, dark church any day (notice all the photos in the blog post were taken in natural light). So if you and your family are OK with being a little untraditional, plan to move outside for photo time.
The Best of 2012: Weddings
The 2012 wedding season blew away my wildest expectations. Period. I should have known that the people in Northeast Ohio (my old stomping ground!) would be awesome, but I was feeling very unsure of this whole solo photography thing so I didn't want to get my hopes up. Haha! It's ridiculous but that's how I'm wired. The 12 weddings that I booked myself after October of 2011 were phenomenal, and I'm so blessed to now know these fabulous people. I got to shoot two weddings as a second shooter with my friend and mentor, Amanda Donaho Photography. Working with her is not work at all! And lastly, I got to be a part of one of my best friend's U.S. wedding reception. Talk about an honor.
Without further ado, let me show you some of my favorite wedding images from 2012 and re-introduce you to these beautiful people!
Dee Dee and Dave's intimate, downtown Cleveland wedding:
Corey and Brian's 1920's-inspired, Cincinnati wedding (with Amanda!):
Elizabeth and Kevin's beautiful, backyard wedding:
Nicole and Chris' classy, barn wedding:
Lindsey and Alex's heartfelt U.S. reception:
Ashley and Justin's fun, downtown Cleveland wedding:
Kelly and Josh's Willoughby wedding (with Amanda!):
Colleen and Mike's orange-and-gray, driving-range wedding:
Melissa and Greg's sweet, Chagrin Falls wedding:
Ashley and Dan's green-and-white, damask wedding:
Melissa and Michael's fairy tale, Serbian wedding:
Sarah and Jon's outdoor, Club at Hillbrook wedding:
Kelly and Steve's orange-and-blue, fall wedding:
Valerie and Alex's rustic, Brookside Farms wedding:
Colleen and Joe's downtown Cleveland Renaissance wedding:
Nicole & Chris | Wedding
He's from California. She's from Ohio. That's more than 2,000 miles, but in between the two states, they met. Nicole was in Chicago for grad school and Chris has friends in the city. That's all it took to close 2,000 miles and now Nicole and Chris are settling in Michigan ... together. This wedding holds a special place in my heart. Are you ready for a throwback? My husband, Nathan, and Nicole were RAs in the same dorm at Miami. :) While I never got to know Nicole as well as I wanted to, I knew just from talking to her for a couple minutes that she's genuine. She's always smiling ... you'll see. And she has a big heart. It's no secret that Chris absolutely adores and respects Nicole. And it's obvious that she feels the exact same way about him.
You two and all your friends and family are so fun. Thank you for making me feel so at home during your wedding day. Much love for a happy life together up north!
I traveled to Cincinnati for Nicole and Chris' wedding, and the girls got ready at a hotel in West Chester.
Gorgeous, Nicole!
Because Nicole and Chris wanted to go right to the reception after the ceremony, they opted for a first look. This allowed them to have lots of portrait time before the ceremony.
Their first look was so sweet!
My favorite! You two look so good. :)
It was SO hot and we were doing portraits right around noon. This wedding party was awesome and didn't complain once. :)
Time to get married!
I think the moment right before the bride and groom walk down the aisle is one of my favorites.
Oh, did I mention the barn didn't have A/C? That totally didn't phase people. There was dancing anyways! :)
To see more from Nicole and Chris' wedding, click here to view a SLIDESHOW or watch it here:
Thank you, Nicole and Chris, from the bottom of my heart. Best wishes to you guys.
Ceremony and Reception: Mulhauser Barn Florist: Bride and bridesmaids! Hair: Amanda Moak Cake: Michelle Roush Custom Bakery Ceremony Musician: Brandon Baumann Paper Goods: Cards & Pockets Bride's Dress: Wtoo by Watters Bride's Shoes: Enzo Angiolini Bridesmaids' Dresses: Aryeh and J.Crew Groom's Shoes: Urban Outfitters Honeymoon: Upper Peninsula, Mich.!