Important things couples don’t always know to think about *before* their wedding day

Time is the number one underestimated thing on wedding days. There is never enough time. The day will fly by and it’s common for things to take longer than expected - hair, makeup, corralling family members for family photos, traveling from one venue to a next, the receiving line, etc.

Below are common issues I see on wedding days that in hind sight could have easily been avoided if thought out fully before hand. Disclaimer: every wedding has something that doesn’t seem to go as planned. We are all human and things happen. BUT with simple planning and thinking through some of the not so fun moments of the day will help keep issues from popping up and surprising you on your wedding day 🙂

Hair & Makeup

Important questions to consider…

Do you have enough stylists for your wedding party?

Are you starting early enough for what you want?

If each person’s hair takes 30 minutes and makeup also takes 30 minutes and you have 10 people who need both done that is 600 minutes total. So you would need a minimum of a 4 person team to get it done in under 3 hours.

Make sure you think about the order. If you want your mom or maid of honor’s hair and makeup to be done for getting ready photos make sure they are closer to the top of the list. Make sure things are delegated to non core members of your bridal party and getting ready to ensure you aren’t waiting on them to get your day started and so they can relax and enjoy the day along side of you.

If you want a first look with all your bridesmaids fully dressed, all hair and makeup will need to be complete by the scheduled first look time. You might be thinking duh Megan after reading, this but I’ve had to wait 30+ minutes before because this wasn’t thought out before the day of.

Reading Letters/Vows

If you want your videographer to capture you speaking letters or any special words out loud expect it to take at least 10 minutes per letter. You will also need a completely quiet room to do this.

Family Photos

Make sure every person knows where and when they need to be for family photos. It is not uncommon for one person to be running late or for someone to forget to tell one specific family member when to arrive for photos.

One huge way to help this issue, is to delegate a family or non-family member to be in charge of rounding up people for family photos. Having a designated point person will save a lot of time and stress when family photos happen especially if you have a lot of combinations or large families.

Driving Time

Do you have to drive from a getting ready space to the ceremony venue?

Do you have to drive from the ceremony venue to the reception venue?

Do you want to drive from the venue to a photo location?

If you answered yes to any of these questions make sure to map out the times of these. Each of these will add time to your day. If it takes 15 minutes delegate 25 extra minutes. The day of things always seem to take longer due to talking, all the moving parts of your day, looking for parking downtown, and walking time. It’s better to have extra 15 minutes (to breathe, sneak away, go to the bathroom, eat a snack) then to be running around running 30 minutes behind the entire day and feeling stressed.

Party Bus Travel Time

Party Buses always take long to get to venues than expected due to the bus not being able to go as fast and usually the driver taking the scenic route.

If you want your reception to start at 6pm and are going on a party bus from 5-6pm make sure to tell the driver you need to be back by 6pm at the latest.

If had busses be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour late to reception venues. Delegate someone on your bus as the time keeper to make sure you get to your venue on time.

Down Time

Do you have any downtime built into your timeline? If you don’t, you need it to take a breather, hydrate, eat, go to the bathroom or maybe you are an introvert and just need to sneak away for a solid 15 minutes just bride and groom after the ceremony. Scheduling this time is valuable and will pay off.

None of the above things are mind blowing. But they are commonly missed because of all the big things that need to be planned. Planning a wedding is a lot. The biggest thing you can do to prevent forgetting any of these things is by delegating. Delegation saves you time, tears and stress. Trust the people you hire and those closest to you and you won’t regret it. In my experience I’ve found it will help you let go and fully enjoy your wedding day. 🥰

A love letter to Des Moines

Dear Des Moines,

Some photographers love living in you, but escaping to epic locations to experience more. I love staying and adventuring in the heart of you. Some photographers love seeking out new locations, I love finding new ways to photograph your familiar spots. I love driving around your city and finding spots that people pass by every day without a second glance but shout, “photograph me!” the second I see them. I love turning ordinary, every day, spots into places couples will remember a lifetime. I love being surrounded by your city. I love that I can drive a few miles from downtown and be surrounded by complete nature. Des Moines you are special. Des Moines you deserves to be shown off. Des Moines you are just right. You’re not too big and not too small. I love finding couples who love Des Moines as much as I do. It’s my goal to become a Des Moines photography connoisseur. To know where all your secret (and not so secret) photography spots are. To know when the light is going to hit you just right. To know how to make the city that others think is small time shine. Some photographers dream of filling their schedule with travel. I dream of 10 couples who dream of having their wedding day in Des Moines. I never grow tired of you. I could never grow tired of you even if I tried. You simply are the best for me.

I love, you, Des Moines.

The best is yet to come for us.

<3 Megan

Iowa Taproom Wedding - Carissa & Jeffrey

Carissa and Jeffrey walked down the aisle as husband and wife to a classical version of the Star Wars theme song beaming. They kept their ceremony short but there wasn’t a shortage of tears and smiles during it. Instead of taking additional photos during their cocktail hour they hung out with their guests and ate the delicious appetizers they hand picked out. They didn’t rush from one thing to the next; they enjoyed each moment and I loved being a part of it.

Do what you want on your wedding day, not what you think your mom wants (no offense moms) or what Pinterest tells you is tradition. Do what you want to do on your wedding day. You won’t regret it.

Anna and Wil Engagement Session | Des Moines Engagement Photographer

I met up with Anna and Wil at the Arie den Boer Arboretum in the front of Des Moines Water Works for the start of their engagement session. The fall colors were still on display and Anna’s dress was perfect for the setting around her. We bonded over mutual friends we shared and our love for the outdoors. Next we went further back into Water Works and found a wooded area featuring a pond for their second location. I loved the variety we were able to get in just an hour with an outfit and 5 minute drive. Which location is your favorite? The first or second spot of their engagement session? Let me know in the comments below!

Associate work for Grace T. Photography

Amber and Andrew Engagement Session | Kellogg Iowa Engagement Photographer

Even though it called for rain all day Amber and Andrew let me know that they were still up for their engagement session at Rock Creek State Park and were excited! I love when my couples go with the flow of non-ideal weather and trust in me to still get genuine moments of them. We explored the grounds together and I brought along few umbrellas just in case it started to downpour during their session. It sprinkled off and on, but that didn’t diminish Amber or Andrew’s smile at all.

I had so much fun walking around and exploring the park with Amber and Andrew. Their engagement session got me so excited for their wedding day!

I love engagement session because I get to spend time with my couples, get to know them during the hour, and help them become more comfortable in front of the camera. I have availability for 2020 weddings and would love to capture your wedding day 🙂