Try to use a place with a large window facing the sun and one that has nice interior décor. You want a room that is large enough for full-length photos to be taken of you getting ready from various angles without things in the way and somewhere to hang your dress or have somewhere near the room where this can be done

Starting a wedding at 9am means that the bride's day has to be in full-swing by 6am at the latest which can rob her of a good night of rest. The ideal time of day to shoot your formal portraits is also later in the day, about an hour before sunset. If you choose to get married in the morning, resist the temptation of staying up late the night before, go to bed early enough to be well rested by 6am

This will allow me to better plan my day of shooting

Other than your closest bridal party members, you will likely spend more time with your photographer than anyone else on your wedding day. You don't want to spend that time and listen to directions from someone who rubs you the wrong way, no matter how talented they are.

I will visit the venues before your day to observe the lighting at the times of day that you are likely to be there as well as to identify locations for portraits. Also let me know who the officiant will be so that I can find out what photographer restrictions exist if any for the particular venue

Before the bride arrives for the ceremony, have someone politely ask the guests to refrain from standing or sticking their hands out to take photos during the ceremony as they invariably get in the way of your official photographer. If possible, include this request in your invitation

I'll certainly get the standard family shots but certainly let me know if there are special persons or items like family heirlooms that could be overlooked if not planned for

You don't want ugly distracting items in the backgrounds of your photos so you want to have enough closet space to put away items that are not being used

These portrats can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on how organised the families are. I can gurantee you that without someone directing the families, this session will take at least 40 minutes

Remember that you want me to photograph all the important moments of the day so avoid rushing things like putting on rings, kisses and looking for any pesky objectors

By attending the dress rehearsal, I'll be better able to learn where I need to be positioned in order to get all the crucial pictures

Most likely I'll be taking close-up photos of your shoes so select shoes that will photograph well, preferrably heels even if they are only used as props for photographing. You'll have great photos even if you don't actually wear those shoes.

If your wedding is in the morning, you may want to consider having me shoot your details on an earlier day if possible but whether it is one on the actual day or not, ensure that you allocate enough time to get this done. A minimum of 30 minutes