So you’re engaged, congratulations! Now comes the exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) task of planning your wedding. But before you dive deep into Pinterest boards and caterer comparisons, let’s take a moment and explore historical American wedding traditions. From the meaning of the first kiss to jumping the broom to the honeymoon, these traditions add a layer of meaning and history to your wedding day. We will explore the evolution of American wedding traditions, how they’ve changed over time, and how you can incorporate them (or ditch them) to create the wedding that reflects your love story.

About 37% of engagements in the United States happen between the months of November through mid February. So, if you’re one of the lucky couples who have taken the leap into the world of marriage there are a few things that you need to add to your to do list before jumping to wedding planning mode.

When you announce your engagement and start planning your wedding, you may have family and friends who approach you offering their services for your wedding day. It may be a friend who is good at organizing social events and parties or has put together a few baby showers and wants to try their hand at planning a wedding. Or, it may be a cousin who recently got into photography and has purchased their first semi-professional camera and

Throughout this blog, I will go into in-depth detail about the different parts of the wedding day from a photographer’s point of view. At the end of this blog I will provide a sample timeline as an example of what you should expect to find in your wedding day timeline. Please keep in mind, every wedding is unique so timelines are tailored towards the needs of each individual couple. If you are preparing your timeline on your own feel free to use the one provided at the end of this blog.

If you live in Cincinnati or it’s sounding areas then you are in luck because there are more than 150 wedding venues to choose from. This number may seem very overwhelming at first glance but I assure you there is no reason to be scared. With a little research you can easily narrow your options down to something more manageable. I suggest starting your research online and decide what style of wedding you are looking for. In the Cincinnati area the main style of wedding venues are: art museums, parks, estate houses, hotels, country clubs, repurposed historical buildings, and breweries. Once you have decided which style of venue matches your personal aesthetic you have, more than likely, already narrowed your search down to your top five contenders.

The wedding day photo shot list is a list of the different groups of people you wish to be photographed in your formal portraits. Usually, these portraits are taken immediately after the ceremony and only include your immediate family. The groupings include the married couple with different groups of people. For example: parents, grandparents, sibling(s) (with and without significant other(s)), etc. These groupings can also include other significant people in your lives. At the end of this post I will provide the shot list I send to my couples three to four months before the Big Day.

There are many things to consider when choosing a wedding venue, with availability and the aesthetic being the top two priorities. However, before you get into planning your perfect wedding at the perfect venue there are several things to consider when it comes to how this day will look to your family and friends.

Chances are you’ve attended a wedding or two in your life, and you might have even had the honor of being in a wedding or two. If you attended a wedding as a guest you would know that the photographer(s) are always nearby, or at least they should be, getting photos of guests and details, and whatever else is going on during the day. If you’ve been in a wedding then you know first hand how crucial these photos are to the couple and how getting some of these photos is a carefully planned and orchestrated event. But how can you ensure your photographer is getting the very best photos of your day?