FAQ for Clients: It’s All in the Details

This past couple of weeks, while I’ve had some down time from shooting and editing, I’ve really been working on submitting more weddings to blogs to get featured. I’m not going to lie- it’s a LOT of work! But it has really paid off, because I’ve had several weddings accepted on different blogs, which I’ll be sharing with you as they are officially posted. It’s true that part of the key to getting published is great photography, which is my end of things and is something which I strive to improve with every single wedding I shoot. [For all you photographers out there, check out Two Bright Lights- a brilliant new website to make sharing images with your vendors and submitting them to publications SO much easier. When my free trial runs out, I'll definitely be signing up for the monthly membership, because it's one of the most valuable tools I've come across in awhile. Also, for some tips on shooting the kinds of images that editors are looking for and that vendors would love to put in their portfolio, check out this post on Jasmine Star's blog, which she wrote with the help of a wedding designer and a magazine/blog editor. It really opened my eyes to a lot of the aspects I had been missing and gave me a new appreciation for shooting details.]

BUT, I feel like the primary reason I’ve been getting these weddings published is because they have been really great weddings in their own right. They’ve been unique and personal and super creative and full of inspiring details, meaningful music, old and new traditions… and they’ve just been FUN. It’s been obvious that my brides have drawn a lot of inspiration from wedding blogs and have been passionate about the DIY aspects of their day and willing to make it as personal as possible, even if that means breaking a tradition or two (or honoring a tradition that might seem completely outdated to some). Does it have anything to do with how much money they spent? Heck no! I’ve shot weddings with budgets from less than $5,000 to well over $20,000. And big budget or little budget, they’re getting published. :)

Before I go further, please understand that a wedding does not have to be publishable to be a really beautiful, meaningful wedding. If you don’t give a flying flip about wedding blogs, then chuck the rules out the window and do whatever the heck you want! But since I’ve had many brides bring up the subject of getting published and mentioning how much they would love to be featured on one of their favorite blogs, I thought I’d write out a few pointers that have, at least in my own experience, really made a wedding one that editors want to feature.

First of all, not every wedding will work for every blog. This is something I’ve been learning very quickly as I’ve been going through the submission process. In one case, I submitted one wedding to a blog, and they came here and saw a different wedding they wanted to use. In several other cases, I tried submitting weddings to certain blogs that told me they weren’t a good fit, until I figured out that I should really be doing my research and tailoring each submission specifically to the blog I was sending it to. So just because one blog doesn’t want to publish it, doesn’t mean it’s not publishable. As you browse through blogs, take note of which ones are your favorites, which ones you get the most inspiration from, which ones best match your own aesthetic and personality. And then, after the wedding, we can work together to pick out which blog we think is the best fit, and send it to them.

The biggest thing to keep in mind if you’re looking to get your wedding featured is that editors love details. DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS. For one, they want to see all the hard work you put into designing this wedding, and they want to showcase it in a very artistic way. Most blogs loooove original and creative DIY projects, but there are other blogs that looooove expensive, elegant, put-together centerpieces. They look for consistency and some sort of underlying theme or thread, because this is what makes a wedding look well-designed and editorial in nature. They like unexpected color palettes, unique uses of materials, and above all else, PERSONALITY. So that means that you shouldn’t necessarily fret over being the most “different” to stand out. Just focus on being yourself, and letting that reflect in your wedding details as much as possible. And where do I come in? Well, on the wedding day, I bust my rearend to get those details photographed beautifully and in their entirety. I’ve been familiarizing myself with the specific sorts of shots editors adore, and I’ve been trying to get all of those taken care of, while, of course, focusing on the documentation of the wedding as a whole. (Ultimately, my first priority is NOT shooting for publication… it’s shooting for YOUR satisfaction… but shooting for publication is a nice bonus when I have enough time throughout the day to do so!)

When it comes to details, one thing editors love to see are the paper products (save the dates, invitations, programs, menu cards, etc.) So, if you remember, try to have someone bring a fresh set of your stationary (including the envelopes) to your wedding so that I can photograph those in addition to all the other details that will already be there. Also, if you can remember, bring along a nicer wooden hanger to hang your dress on for photographs. Usually the plastic one that the dress comes on is not so pretty, but if that’s all we have (and there’s no hanger in the hotel room to use), then by golly, I’ll make it work! Just a thought to really take that shot to the next level. It also helps to designate someone (usually your maid of honor) to be in charge of gathering up all the goods for me to shoot. This is generally one of the first things I do when I arrive on the wedding day, and it helps me immensely if everything is already gathered up and laid out. This includes the rings, garter, shoes, dress, jewelry, handkerchief, veil, hair accessories, bouquet and boutonnieres (if they’re available at this point), and any other special things you’d like photographed, like your vows or marriage certificate or a gift from your groom or something of the sort.

To check out a list of wedding blogs I adore, go to this post I wrote awhile back about wedding planning in general. You’ll find that most blogs link to a billion other blogs, so no matter how alternative your tastes, I’m sure you will find something out there to inspire you, and something you’d love to be on to inspire OTHER brides.

And since these posts seem to be useless without a little eye candy, I thought I’d leave you with some fun Friday inspiration. All of these are Etsy finds that I LOVE and would probably use or be inspired by if I were planning another wedding of my own. Etsy is a FANTASTIC resource for unique wedding details. Just don’t get mad at me if you end up wasting the rest of your day browsing through all of these amazing products and services. :)

Vintage Carnival Fabric Flower Garland: PrettySwell, $27. Maggie May 1950′s inspired wedding dress: thepeppermintpretty, $900. 12 Flower Cupcake Toppers: millalove, $28.

Record with Sleeve Wedding Invitation: ellothere, $6.75 each. (I am OBSESSED with this store. They have so many INCREDIBLE invitation designs. It’s a must see!)

Bouquet made from vintage brooches: Amanda Heer’s Etsy shop, $500. Hand calligraphy envelope addressing, The Las Vegas Style: calligraphybyhillary, $1.75 per envelope. Lot of vintage ladies handkerchiefs: nathaniel23, $14.99. Modern Poppy Ring Pillow: evies, $40. The Beau- Modern Meadow Collection Neckties for Boys: thebelleandthebeau, $39.95 for two.

Vintage Atlas Save the Date Stickers: KisforCalligraphy, $24. I Love You Note Hand-Embroidered Hoop Art: AnnaHailey, $22.