At Jenny Fu Studio, we’re all about having a well laid out plan. Many brides have a wedding planner to manage their wedding, but what about you, fellow wedding photographer?! We’ve put together our favorite steps to ensure your day of wedding photography goes smoothly from the day before, until the evening after!
Day Before The Wedding
As a wedding photographer, it’s so important to be level headed when going to a shoot, so we highly recommend you finish up work by 4 pm the night before. This gives you so much time to get yourself ready for tomorrow’s job and make sure you’ve got everything you need. Check, double-check, and then triple-check that all of your camera gear and back-up gear is working properly. Ensure your batteries and back up batteries are charged! Don’t forget to grab extra memory cards too.
As wedding photographers, we’ve all been busy on a shoot and become starving. You are working all day long, and the moment there is a lull, your stomach makes insane noises, and you realize you haven’t had so much as a sip of water since 8 am. Jenny always packs a protein bar, trail mix, an apple, large bottled water, and Redbull! Pro-Tip: Eat a “normal, safe” dinner. NOT sushi, or something that could sit badly with your stomach.
Once you’re all packed and ready to go, get the wedding timeline sent to your phone and the entire photo team—lastly, check-in with the rest of your crew about locations and the times to meet. Now, get in the tub and relax – vino required!
Day of the Wedding
Arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled start time. Something is bound to be going wrong for the bride, so it’s essential to be there to help out and be the beacon of light! If everything is going smoothly, at least you look like a badass for being ready ahead of time.
Obviously, have the most fantastic time with your couple! Work your butt off, but have FUN. This is probably the biggest, most exciting day of their lives to date, and you’re a part of it. Even if it’s your 1000th wedding, remember it’s their first.
Once the wedding is over, get those memory cards out of the camera and into a protective case. Pro-Tip: Have a drop-off spot in your home or office where you always put your memory cards. That way, you’re not running around asking yourself, “where the hell did I leave that last night?!”
Day after the Wedding
Hopefully, since you’re a seasoned wedding photographer, you already know this. Possibly you did it last night. BACK UP THOSE FILES. You can’t recreate that first kiss. Once everything is offloaded and backed up, we recommend emailing or texting a note to the newlyweds with a big thank you for sharing their special day with you. A nice touch is to include one edited photo to get them excited to see the rest.
Now, it’s time to have another relaxing bubble bath. You just worked your butt off!
What do you do to prepare for a wedding? We want to know your rituals!
