Wedding tips Archives - The Little Photo Firm

May

Detail Ideas for Grooms and Ushers

If you’re having a traditional wedding it can be difficult to decide on the details of men’s clothes.

Plus it can be a challenge to choose gift ideas for grooms and ushers.

Here are 11 ideas to help!

1. Pocket Watch

Engraved to mark the occasion, this is a great gift to commemorate the date of your big day.

2. Cuff Links

You’ve basically got unlimited options here for a personalised gift, so go crazy!

3. Wearing a Tuxedo

The theme for this wedding was a cocktail party with Bond-style dinner wear.

It was an evening wedding in the winter, so this style suited the time of day (and the party afterwards!)

4. Wearing a Kilt

A traditional classic for Scottish grooms.

5. Wearing a Uniform

For anyone in the forces this is an amazing-looking option.

6. Wearing a Top Hat

These look great for grooms as part of a traditional outfit.

7. Notebook Gift

A personal message here is a great way to share an important message.

8. Ring Box

There’s no way the best man could lose these.

9. Page-Boy Sign

If you’re looking for the ultimate in cuteness then observe:

10. Button-hole Flowers

A timeless and classic option.

11. Cigars

There comes a time in the day when it just has to be done.

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May

8 Ideas for your Wedding Transport

Not everyone books special transport for their wedding. But if you’re considering it then these ideas could be useful inspiration.

1. Camper Van

As well as looking great, camper vans are useful for when you’ve got a few members of the wedding party to transport.

2. Classic Car

Ok, this one’s a bit obvious. But you just can’t go wrong…

3. A Tesla

This Model X is a favourite with the boys!

4. The Groom’s Car

If the groom is a car fan then you can dress up his pride and joy!

5. Bus

This is a great idea if you’ve got loads of guests to move around on the day. And a great place for the festivities to continue!

6. Limousine

This has to be one of the most fun ways to travel.

7. Luxury Car

A modern luxury car is another choice where you can’t go wrong.

8. A Tractor

We’ve shot a few farm weddings. Arriving by tractor is a great option for a rural wedding.

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Apr

15 Entertainment Ideas for Wedding Guests

These suggestions can be great ways for your guests to have a laugh.

1. Outdoor Games

If your venue has some outdoor space, and the weather is good, then this can be a superb option.

2. Dressing Up

You don’t have to go for full-blown fancy dress.
Even little things can make sure that your guests look as daft as possible.

3. Sweet Stand

You can rent a sweet stand or set up your own. They’re always great for treats throughout the day.

4. Ice Cream Bar

Ice cream during your wedding is never a bad idea.

5. Kids Disco

You can keep kids entertained with some dedicated time on the dancefloor before the main evening celebration starts.

6. Kids Balloon Modelling

A classic! You could book an entertainer, draft in a friend or it may be something that the DJ offers.

7. Kids Colouring Packs

These are great for kids to grab during the day.

8. Kids Dressing Up Costumes

Weddings are great anyway, but they’re better when you’re dressed as Buzz Lightyear.

9. Indoor Games

Not everyone has the space and the budget for something this big. But these are great fun if you can squeeze them in.

10. Magician

This is a great idea for when your guests are milling around and having a drink.
These pictures show some of the awesome reactions.

11. Caricaturist

Having an artist to draw your guests is great fun. Plus it gives them something unique to take home as well.

12. Somewhere to Run Around

A wedding can be a long day for kids.
So if your venue has some outside space then it can be a great place for them to let off steam.

13. Signature Board

These are great for your guests to leave you personalised messages.

14. Photo Booth

You can book photo booths with props, print-outs and magic mirrors.

15. Mechanical Bull!

Hardly worth mentioning this old cliche!

Apr

21 Ideas for Your Wedding Details

Here at The Little Photo Firm we love how every wedding is unique.

We’ve shot lots of awesome weddings and everyone does theirs a little differently.

Whether silly or beautiful, there could be something here that fits with your style!

1. Bespoke clothing hangers are a lovely personal touch and a great souvenir from your big day.

2. These presentation boxes are a lovely way to give flowers to your bridesmaids.

3. And these for jewellery!

4. Signs can help guests find their way to the party!

5. Messages on wooden hearts are a cute way for your guests to leave their well wishes.

6. Beautiful decorations can greet your guests at the venue.

7. These hessian signs are a great way to identify your tables.

8. And the flowers can match your hair!

9. Retro cassette-themed cards are a great way to gather song requests for a DJ.

10. Your venue will often decorate your room, so it can be good to see how the ceremony room looks when it’s all kitted out.

11. Your top table can have some beautiful details.

12. And lovely flowers.

13. Balloons with ribbons look great (and are something fun for kids to mess about with!)

14. You can commemorate the date with a display of your own style.

15. If you’re handing out fancy dress, make sure you don’t forget your own!

16. Wedding favours can incorporate cake!

17. And hot chocolate!

18. Unified bouquets look amazing for your bridesmaids.

19. Illuminated love signs can look great in the ceremony and as part of the dancefloor.

20. There’s no way the best man can lose these!

21. A wreath can be a gorgeous addition to your decoration.

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Mar

10 Wedding Cake Ideas

Whether you’re stuck for inspiration, or you just love drooling over things, you can enjoy these amazing cake ideas.

1. Cut your cake with a sword!

These pictures are from Ben and Sam’s Hazlewood Castle Wedding.

The tradition at this wedding venue is to cut the cake with a medieval sword (much like knights did back in the day.)

It makes for a great photo opportunity…

And it’s great if you want to stop anyone else getting a piece.

Of course, it helps if your cake is gorgeous as well.

Here are a few pictures we took earlier in the day:

2. An engraved knife

This is a bit less exciting/dangerous but it’s lovely memento that you can keep after the day:

3. Cup Cakes

These can be part of any dressing and decorations that you create. This display was from Shannon and Kaylum’s wedding at Mansfield Manor.

Plus they’re great for your guests to grab during the day, or even when they come off the dancefloor.

You can customise them with your own designs.

The toppings can be things that are meaningful to you and your loved ones:

And you can still have a main cake to cut.

This picture is from Simon and Lisa’s wedding at Singleton Lodge:

4. Keep it fresh and natural

Adding fruit helps your guests get some of their five a day. (And turns your cake into a healthy, low-calorie treat!)

This was from Eloise and Chris’s farm wedding:

This was another from the same wedding, which continues the theme of natural produce:

This was another ace example from Danny and Rebecca’s amazing Bagden Hall Wedding:

And here are these gorgeous guys cutting it:

5. Extra Cakes

A great way to enhance any cake is by adding additional ones.

The image below was from Dulcie and Jeff’s amazing wedding at Sandhole Oak Barn:

They had a beautiful cake but notice the companion cake-pops, just to keep it company.

The designs are amazing too:

6. Flowers

Who would have thought?

But yes, it’s true, flowers on a wedding day make things look pretty.

This cake is an elegant classic, from Ryan and Jessica’s wedding at Windy Harbour.

7. Toppers

There are so many creative options you can choose for cake toppers.

This romantic pair were from Kelly and David’s wedding at The Huntstman, Holmfirth:

And a little baby duck, for their beautiful daughter:

You can incorporate your pets as well (from Wendy and Rob’s Welsh seaside wedding🙂

Plus any films that you love:

8. Your life on the cake

If you love any hobbies or sports you can also incorporate them.

The images below are from Chris and Ruth’s wedding reception in Silverdale village hall:

They enjoy lots of adventurous activities, and their cake reflects that:

Including mountain biking and rock-climbing:

9. All chocolate. All the time.

This pair were from Ben and Coral’s Hebden Bridge Wedding:

10. Cake in disguise

This seems pretty straightforward doesn’t it?
A lovely cake with nothing out of the ordinary.

Wrong! This amazing creation harbours a secret: it’s a football fan (just like the groom!)

If you like these, check out these 21 wedding detail ideas.

Nov

What are associate wedding photographers?

If you book with a larger studio then the actual photographer on the day might be picked from a pool of potential people, often called “associate photographers.”

This type of arrangement may be fine for you, if the studio has a particular “house style” that you like.

But some wedding photographers operate as a single person, or a married couple. These are great if you’d like to guarantee who will be shooting your wedding.

It may be that you’ve fallen in love with a photographer’s style, or you develop a great rapport in the months leading up to your wedding, and don’t fancy meeting someone completely new on big day.

So it’s worth asking exactly who will be shooting the day.

Nov

What does my wedding photographer need to know?

Your photographer may arrange some initial meetings or calls to go over the details of your wedding. They can do their best work for you if they know as much as possible about what’s happening throughout your day.

It can be useful if you have a timeline that covers the key moments of the day. They may also send you a short questionnaire with your contract, that confirms the date and location of the wedding, and covers things like your contact details. They will also check details like addresses for getting ready shots.

We normally have a quick call at the time of booking, but then we chat more as we get closer to the date.

We can also arrange a visit to the venue to go through the locations together.

We’re able to just turn up at a wedding and “do our thing” so the couple don’t need to think about anything. However, having some meetings beforehand can give couples the chance to let us know anything that’s important to them about the wedding, if they want to.

This can include any unusual events or any key people, groups or relationships to be aware of. You can also discuss any particular pictures or styles that you love.

Nov

What does a wedding photographer do?

The work that your photographer does begins before the big day and continues afterwards.

They would normally schedule time for meetings with you, in person and over the phone, to discuss your plans. They would plan out their day based on your priorities, and communicate the locations and timelines to a second photographer if you’re booking one.

They may visit the venue with you, to look at the main locations, if that fits in with your schedule.

If you’re having an engagement shoot they’ll research location ideas for you, and come up with shot ideas, ready for the shoot itself. Then they would do the actual shoot, edit the photos and upload the final collection.

They would stay in touch leading up to the big day, to make sure that all the details and timings haven’t changed.

They would normally arrange another catch up close to the wedding to confirm everything.

The day before the wedding they would be preparing all the little details, like charging batteries, printing timelines, packing bags and preparing memory cards. Depending on the location they may travel nearby the night before.

On the day itself they would normally arrive early to the venue or the location for getting ready.

Then it’s normally all-go, non-stop until the evening, making sure they are in the right place at the right time, with all the gear set up, to make the couple and the guests look awesome!

After travelling home, they would normally begin by backing up your images safely from all the different memory cards

Then they would begin the process of editing the pictures, to make sure that everything is consistently finished in terms of cropping, brightness, filters, colours and lots of other little details.

This can take days for hundreds (sometimes over a thousand) images.

They will also remove any images that are out of focus, plus any test shots to check lighting, or any that have people blinking.

Then they will upload the finished images for viewing and begin work on the image selection and designs for any album layout.

Finally, they’ll package up and arrange delivery for anything that needs to be posted out as part of your package, such as prints or albums.

Nov

How many hours do wedding photographers cover?

Some photographers cover a fixed number of hours. Depending on the price and package, this may be between 6 and 12 hours.

However, some photographers are just booked for the full day.

This might mean that they stay until the first dance, or until the end of the evening.

So it’s worth checking what’s included in your package and how it fits into your timeline.

Nov

What if my photographer can’t make it on my wedding day?

It’s unlikely but there is a tiny possibility that a photographer might be ill, or there may be some other emergency why they can’t make it at the last minute.

It can be useful to find out what cover they have in place for if they aren’t available on the actual day.

They may have a second shooter scheduled for the day anyway, or other backup photographers on hand who can step in to cover.

They may also have a clause in their contract to hire another photographer within a certain timeframe.