The best way to achieve beautiful images of your reception

So as you probably already know, WE LOVE detail shots. Not just because it’s a great time during the wedding day to be creative, but also because we know how much hard work goes into them. 

One of our favorite parts of a wedding day is when we walk into the reception room and see how our couple’s vision of the day has come together. From the tableaux de marriage, to the seating cards, to the centerpieces, the reception details always bring together the color scheme and style of the wedding day.

Some brides have asked us why it would be so important to have time to capture untouched reception details. A lot of past brides tell us they never got to see their reception room finished without guests in it! It’s incredible! This is why the untouched reception shots are so important to us and what you can do to make sure we have the time to capture them for you.

WHY UNTOUCHED RECEPTION DETAILS ARE IMPORTANT

Only Chance to See Them!

Wedding days are absolutely crazy! You spent months, maybe even over a year, dreaming up your reception room and you also likely spent a lot of money to turn all your projects into a reality. They go by in a flash and so, so often, we hear from our couples about how excited they are to look through their pictures because they remember so many moments that they either missed or forgot about!

We start by photographing seating plate set up and gradually get wider and wider until you have a shot of the entire room.

Tells a Full Story

We prefer to offer full wedding day coverage instead a half day package to all of our couples. We suggest a coverage of 8 hours, which is the least amount of time we need to fully tell your story. 

You’ll want to tell the complete story of your wedding day in your legacy wedding album. Remember that your wedding album will be passed on to future generations, so it should include photos of every part of the day.

We work closely with our clients to help develop a timeline that not only gives them maximum portrait time, but reinforces the idea of seeing the entire day from beginning to end. And a huge part of your wedding day is the reception!

And some of the most special people in your lives won’t be able to attend your wedding (especially if you plan a Destination Wedding in Italy) but they’ll be able to feel like they were there when they view your images of your untouched reception details.

Publishing

If you want to have your wedding published in magazines or blogs, photos of reception details are a must! Editors want to publish images that highlight unique details that will inspire other brides, and the reception details do just that.

 We do our best to get your day published on a wedding blog or magazine so that you can get the recognition you deserve — and one of the biggest requirements by publishers is to have untouched reception images included in the gallery for them to review!

HOW TO GET PHOTOS OF YOUR UNTOUCHED RECEPTION DETAILS

The untouched shot only happens if your space is.. well, untouched. And having your guests in another location is KEY.

We’ve found the best common time to take these shots are generally before the ceremony and during the cocktail hour.

Before the ceremony is a great time if your ceremony and reception are taking place at the same location.

But…Make sure your reception space will actually be ready when it needs to be

When you’re chatting with vendors, be sure to let them know you’d like the space to be FULLY set up before the ceremony  or at least 25 minutes before guests enter. (Don’t forget to light the candles and take off all the bottles!)  

If your cocktail hour is near your reception space, we can pretty much guarantee guests will sneak in to find their seats! Make sure the spaces are CLEARLY separated so your guests don’t go wandering!

If you are planning a church ceremony, you can leave enough time between your ceremony and reception so that we can arrive to the venue at the start of cocktail hour. You’ll be able to enjoy your entire cocktail hour while we capture your untouched reception details.

 We ALWAYS give our clients enought time to relax, get a drink of water and soak in the moment during the cocktail hour. So this is the perfect time for us to go run off and capture reception details.

An other option is to do a First Look so that we can get all your formal portraits done before the ceremony. This will allow you to enjoy your entire cocktail hour while we are able to capture your untouched reception details right after the ceremony.

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO ACHIEVE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES OF YOUR RECEPTION

You can create an inspiration board and refer to it whenever you are making decisions about your reception details. Pay attention to all the ways you can make your reception unique: seating cards, menus, table numbers, favors, wedding cake, centerpieces, tablescapes, linens, signature drinks, uplighting, and signage.