I am so excited to be bringing you a wedding planning blog to help all of my wonderful bride-to-bes out there! My 2019 goal is to deliver more education and blogs for all of you, and I am so excited to start with this one right now!

You might be thinking, “Hanna, what does picking a wedding venue have to do with being a wedding photographer?!”

Well… it has EVERYTHING to do with the kinds of pictures you receive in your final gallery!

When picking your wedding venue, there are a few things you want to think about in terms of light and style to make your wedding day go smoother! Before you read, remember that your wedding venue is a lot more than these things! If you LOVE a venue, but it doesn’t have these things, DON’T WORRY! We will absolutely make beautiful portraits no matter what. I love to get creative in situations like that, and I love when my brides and grooms are ready to go anywhere and trust me!

So with that said, let’s dive in!

1. The getting ready space has a lot of windows and natural light.

Whether you are getting ready at your venue or somewhere else, this tip is essential when it comes to getting ready shots that you LOVE. To get bright and light images of you getting in your dress, putting on your jewelry, and with your girls before you see your man, you want to make sure you have plenty of windows.

If there are no windows, instead we will move outside or to another place with better light to make sure you get the best getting ready pictures possible! Trust me, I will find the light.

2. The getting ready space has neutral walls.

Neutral walls will create beautiful light during your getting ready pictures! Light bounces all around rooms and can bounce colors onto your skin, dress, or detail shots. Neutral walls include any shade of white/beige.

Like I said at the beginning, this will not have a huge impact on your images (because I will work around any color) but it will make our day SO much easier!

3. The venue is surrounded by areas to take pictures.

This tip is especially essential for those brides getting married and having their reception at the same venue! If you are planning on staying on location all day, make sure there are open spaces to take pictures in! This is always a good thing to ask the venue coordinator or owner because they watch all sorts of photographers and brides take pictures each weekend!

Keep in mind while you are visiting venues, we can always travel as well to another location to ensure we capture the best photos we can!

4. Your reception space has neutral walls.

Now, you may be thinking, “Well I want to get married in a barn, but the barn is brown. Is that neutral?” While I am obsessed with a good barn (and got married in a place with brown brick and rafters!), brown or wood walls can be harder to work around when taking your reception photos. Like I said above, the walls reflect a lot of color, so your walls can make you look more orange in your final images. Also, you won’t have the light and bright look of a lot of my work in a reception like that.

But remember! These tips are here for you to learn more about some of the challenges your venue or possible venues may have for your photographer. It doesn’t mean you won’t still get gorgeous photos!

BONUS TIP: LOVE your venue and the people who work there.

This tip is the most important one!! No matter what you choose, it is your wedding day! If you love your venue, you will love your wedding and your photos.

I hope this gives you some things to think about as you envision your wedding day!

With love,

Hanna