One of the most overlooked but one of the most important moments of your day is your wedding ceremony. After all, it is the reason why everyone is there to celebrate with you and it is the moment that marks the beginning of your marriage. We’ve seen weddings of all shapes and sizes but nearly every wedding follows a similar ceremony structure. We’ve compiled a few of our favorite tips to share with you!
CELL PHONE ETIQUETTE:
A new trend that we are loving is “unplugged weddings” where the Bride & Groom ask the officiant to make an announcement before the ceremony asking guests to put away their cell phones. Instead of trying to get a shot, guests can sit back and relax and leave the shots to a professional. Are you imagining a dream shot of your partner seeing you for the first time? You probably won’t want the shot your photographer is trying to get cluttered with guests holding up cell phones or (worse!) their iPads.
TAKE A BREATHER:
This is one of my favorite tips for all our brides and grooms out there. Speaking as a previous bride and a professional photographer, the wedding day goes by at lightning speed and the two best moments to stop and take it all in is right before you walk down the aisle and right after your kiss at the end of the ceremony. Pause and take a second to look at your soon to be husband or soon to be bride and just breath for five seconds. Spend those five seconds consciously stopping and enjoying the moment. Take in all the sights, sounds and everything you are feeling. For those few moments let everything just pause. This is your moment to savor everything.
EYES UP & SLOW DOWN:
When all eyes are on you, people tend to get nervous and speed through the processional. One of our biggest tips to the bridal party is to practice at the rehearsal walking slowly (much slower than you think!) down the aisle and keeping your eyes up as much as possible and smiling. Smiling is key; after all, this is an extremely happy day! It will make a huge difference in the feel of the processional and in the photos. We also recommend that if ladies are carrying something such as a bouquet that they hold the bouquet up delicately rather than letting their arm swing at their sides.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE:
Seriously.
We recommend using your rehearsal time to practice not only the procession and recessionals but also your vows. The more you practice your vows together and in front of people, the easier it will be to get up in front of everyone and handle the heightened emotions of the day.
AT THE ALTER:
Maybe it’s all the theatre that Paul and I have done over the years, but we find theater tips help our couples. One of the biggest tips we can give our couples is to SPEAK UP, or as we say in showbiz: Project your voice! Nine times out of ten even if you have a mic, your audience still has a hard time hearing you especially if they are in the back and it is windy or if there is background noise.
“CHEAT OUT” to the audience meaning you want to angle your body so half of it faces your partner and the other half faces out towards your audience. Everyone will be able to see and hear you so much better. This is especially important during the ring exchange so that your photographer can get a shot of it. Trust us, your photographer and your family & friends will thank you.
After your vows and ceremony make sure to give your new husband or wife A LONG ROMANTIC KISS. Often brides and grooms are so nervous they will give each other the briefest of pecks and they will only get one photo. You just got married! Give your partner a smooch to remember.
PREP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER:
Most importantly, make sure your photographer knows all the details of your ceremony and exactly what will happen and when. You don’t want them to miss a thing!
Want more tips? Check out our other bridal guides!
The Ultimate Guide To Your Getting Ready Room