How many times have you heard, “congratulations” since your engagement?! We bet it is a lot… so here is one more… CONGRATS YOU TWO LOVE BIRDS!!

Thanks so much for allowing us the honor of creating beautiful photos for you.

We’re the experts so you don’t have to be. Your job is to have fun + get married. Leave the rest to us.

20 tips for a flawless day…

LIGHTING IS EVERYTHING.  Abundant natural light when you are getting ready, scheduling the time we take portraits of you and your spouse an hour before sunset, up lighting during the reception...all of these things can have a vast improvement in your wedding day photography. We could talk for hours about this but to keep it brief - natural light is your friend and lots of the signature images you see on our site are shot with natural light. There’s something beautiful about capturing the mood and the way the light was. However, for winter weddings in Jan and Feb we’d suggest making the ceremony around midday to give you the flexibility of having some photos in natural light, and some using creative light sources.  

THINK ABOUT THE DETAILS- like a hanger for your dress, a nice hand mirror, bring your invitations and any other printed material to be photographed. Have all your details for your wedding (shoes, veil, garter, rings, perfume, flowers, hair accessories, etc.) all in one place so we can easily find it when we need it.  

SCHEDULE A DAY-AFTER SESSION if your wedding day timeline will not allow for a complete hour of photograph for just you and your spouse an hour before sunset.  It is worth it.  

CHECK THE SUN
Make sure your ceremony ends at least 1 - 2 hours before sunset - this will leave plenty of time for group photographs, as well as travel to a location shoot where we can get beautiful light for portraits of the two of you and your bridal party post-ceremony.  Remember - ceremonies that take place outdoors around midday are going to have harsher light - we can still get beautiful shots but recommend starting your ceremony no earlier than 3 pm in the summertime, 2pm during winter.  This will minimize squinting and ensures light is softer.  

GOLDEN HOUR 
On a non-overcast day this occurs about 1-2 hours before sunset; it could be the ideal time to schedule your pre-wedding shoot or if, we happen to have beautiful light on your wedding day, don’t mind if I tap you on the shoulder in between courses to suggest we should go out for some photos.  

DESIGNATE SOMEONE TO MEDIATE FORMAL PHOTOS because we don’t know who is who, we won’t be able to round people up.  To organize that many people and have formal photos go smoothly you need an announcer and organizer who knows who everyone is.  

REMIND ALL FAMILY MEMBERS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE give them the rundown and tell them exactly where and when. and repeat.  

YOU’VE GOT THE HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES but that doesn’t mean that you have the rights to print them anywhere.  We only allow my clients to print at professional printing labs and not at big box stores such as Walmart or Walgreens.

WE WILL SET A ROUGH TIMELINE for your wedding.  One of our favorite parts of the pre-wedding planning is setting a time and a place for photographs; it makes it all feel a little more real.  We know that your planner and coordinator may naturally tweak and change the timeline as things get closer, but any diversion by more than half hour to any set event will result in a lack of coverage to our initial plan.

WE KNOW YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR IMAGES SOON but doing it right takes weeks.  We process and hand editing very single image and that takes time.  Photos will be ready 6-8 weeks from your wedding.  

SHOT LISTS ARE UNNECESSARY: trust us. you hired us for our style. we will capture everything you want without you having to write it down.  Shot lists stifle creativity, and that is what you are paying us for.  For ethical reasons, we also do not re-create any photographs you may have found on the internet, nor would we want to, because we’ll be busy making our own original works of art.  That being said, a shot list for formal family photos is crucial for keeping organized and to our timeline.  

GAIN INSPIRATION BUT DON’T COPY from Pinterest.  Start following the wedding blogs (style me pretty, once wed, green weddings shoes) and pick up style hints and find good vendors.  Don’t try to re-create; stay ahead of the curve and find your own style. 

HAVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER EAT THE SAME TIME YOU DO this way, the only thing we’ll miss is covering people eating.   

WE LOVE WHAT WE DO We put not only hundreds of hours into your photography, but our heart and soul.  We are, at the heart, artists, and not just wedding vendors.  So be respectful of feelings - we care about these images as much as you do, as they are our creative work.  It is impossible for us to separate business from personal...our business is our personal work.  We take a limited number of weddings per year to stay energized and excited about our work.  We want to make sure you are a good fit for us and us for you.  Bottom line, we love doing what we do and want you to love it just as much.

CONSIDER A FIRST LOOK
It's the way to go, for real. It frees up time during the hectic wedding day and leaves you more time to enjoy your day and allows us to handpick the perfect light to photograph you in! It's a win, win.

THIRD PARTY RESTRICTIONS AND LIMITATIONS: 
As photographers, we must obey the rules and restrictions of the venue.  It is the client’s responsibility to notify us if there are any restrictions on photographers at the venues, and what those restrictions might be.  Although we work hard through many and most obstacles, we are not liable for lost photographic opportunities due to weather, the lateness of individuals, the rendering of decorations, other cameras or flashes, guest or videographer intrusion within the photographs.  

RAIN We’re lucky to have a very changeable climate which means that we can have beautiful light one minute and stormy skies the next which means that it probably won’t rain all day.  If it does then a pretty umbrella and a little bit of light behind you could be just the trick.  Fortunately window light is some of the best light available, so finding a gorgeous room and rocking the shots in there works well too.  

GRAB ME if you want a photo of you and someone at the reception. Because I don’t know who the guests are I can’t know who is special to you.  I’m there to photograph the things you want, so don’t be afraid to speak up.  

HAVE FUN 
Having your photo taken should be fun; you should be creating memories to keep forever and having fun doing so

the wedding couple

We will need around 45 minutes to get a good selection of shots so please factor this into your schedule.  The couple shots are best done before dinner but we can always sneak a few in after if your venue looks amazing at night or if there’s an amazing sunset.

getting ready

This time of the day can make for some amazing photos - I love the mix of anticipation, nervousness and excitement.  If you’re concerned about me taking photos while you are getting ready please try not to be as I will just fad into the background or be as much a part of the process as your friends or family who are with you.  

GET READY IN A ROOM WITH A GOOD NATURAL LIGHT SOURCE.  

Wear something light, comfortable and neutral.  

Have you details ready for when we arrive.  It’s always the first thing I shoot!  (Jewelry, dress, shoes, invitation and flowers, etc.!)

first look

We love every single time our couples tell us they want to do a first look. It’s purely a personal choice whether you wish to stay traditional or have a first look but many first look brides & grooms both say they had just as much excitement and anticipation walking down the aisle as they would have otherwise- and are so happy their wedding day timeline was more free & less stressed.  

We make our first looks very special and private.  We have never had a couple do a first look and regret it later, they have always been so thankful that an extra moment of significance was added to their day, that they had more time together, & that their timeline was freed up to celebrate. Though, we highly suggest a first look.

Doing a first look allows you to get formal photographs done before the ceremony so afterwards your schedule can be more free & open to spending time with friends & family.  Scheduling a first look is an added moment to the most important day of your life, it doesn’t retract from the meaning of walking down the aisle. Though, this will eliminate the rush for photos before the reception and the crowds of friends and family during your bridal portraits.

family formals

TIPS TO KEEP EVERYONE ORGANIZED AND ON TIME, SO THIS PART OF THEDAY WILL RUN FAST AND SMOOTH.

Group shots are a great way to ensure you have important combinations of people together for a photo. Although the traditional family portrait may feel like the least glamorous part of the day, I believe it is still one of the most important. My style is a little less formal, with natural lighting outside, with a slightly casual feel. I love arms wrapped around each other, heads together, and genuine expressions that show personalities and connections not just portraits of faces.  

As meaningful as they these are, they can throw a wrench in the timeline. You can do a few things to make these painless for you, me and your guests by just doing a few things.

Create a shot list for this part of the day so we don’t forget anyone, and can go down the list quickly and efficiently.  Your wedding day rundown is a good thing to have handed out to the members of your bridal party and family members so everyone knows where and when they will be needed for photos.  

after party shoes hung up

LOOK FOR YOUR TEASERS ON FACEBOOK
YOUR PHOTOS WILL BE READY 6 - 8 WEEKS AFTER YOUR WEDDING.  
YOU WILL BE EMAILED A LINK TO VIEW AND DOWNLOAD YOUR FULL GALLERY
DOWNLOAD, PRINT AND SHARE YOUR PHOTOS
ORDER YOUR ALBUM.  
YOUR KIDS AND THEIR KIDS WILL WANT TO VIEW THIS DAY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME

almost done, promise

NEED MORE HOURS?  You can always add on more hours during the wedding day. If it requires that we arrive home later than midnight, a hotel stay will also need to be purchased if one hasn’t been already.  

OUR STYLE IS clean and minimal, in regards to both photography and editing.  We hope that you understand that our style is constantly evolving and that since our services are of unique and artistic nature that the photos may be different from photographs taken in the past.  Also, in creating the photos we will use our personal artistic vision judgment to create images consistent with our personal vision of the event.  We only edit to enhance a photograph, not alter or change its composition, reform bodies, add ‘vintage’ filters, add text, or other trending photography fads.  Out of respect for the imagery, we ask that our clients do no re-edit the images as well.   

WE ASK THAT WE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PHOTOGRAPHER for your event.  If there are other professional or amateur photographers also trying to photograph the day it can feel overwhelming for both you and us.  Sometimes guests don’t know which camera to look at and it can get a bit hairy when another photographer tries to publish the images.  We know you’ve invested a lot of money into photography for your wedding, and we want to be able to fully do our jobs to the best of our ability for you.  

FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR IMAGES online to any social media platform or with family and friends, we just ask that a credit of Cedar + Moss Studios be added, since images will not be watermarked for your convenience.  

IF THERE IS A CHANGE IN THE TIME OR THE VENUE, just let me know as soon as possible in writing, and I will need to send a confirmation.  If there is a change in the date, then I will do my best to accommodate the new date.  Any new pricing shall be in effect, and it is subject to our availability.  Deposits are non-refundable or transferable.  

IMAGES FOR OTHER WEDDING VENDORS: your florist or cake designer may ask you for some images of their work from your wedding, just send all requests along to us and we’ll make sure it’s taken care of per your approval.    

PRINTS AND ALBUMS can always be ordered after the wedding, if they are not already included in your initial commission.  Album design times vary, but depend mostly on client response times picking their favorite images and approving the album design.  Because we want to make sure everything is perfect, the entire process usually lasts about 4 months but can vary depending on the number of pages, the album type, and how quickly our clients pick out their favorite images for inclusion in the album.  

Formal photos take approximately 3-5 minutes for each photograph, so if we’re waiting on even one person it can significantly set us back when you consider how many groups we need to do.  

It is a great idea to have one designated person mediate and gather family members.  This person should know and recognize the family member so they are able to retrieve them if need be.  

Lastly, it’s always better to do bigger groups rather than many smaller individual photos.  We can always grab a photograph of you and an individual family member at the reception if you’d like.