Wedding Day Tips | Tampa and NYC | The Portos

Wedding photo tips

Bride and Groom Prep

  1. gather all your details before the day starts so we can photograph them quickly! this makes the getting-ready portion of the day go by much more smoothly, and it allows us to spend more time focusing on the spontaneous moments when everyone is together. (here are some examples: rings, jewelry, hair pieces, lowers, shoes, socks, cuff links, letters, pictures, gifts,  invitations, programs, ties, and any unique items you’ve put thought into!) 
  2. **Lighting**: Invest in a quality getting ready location. Orange and Yellow walls, yellow lights, no natural light, and brown curtains will not be flattering to you and a lot of your prep photos will end up being black and white. Don’t just book a room, check out the room and make sure it had good natural light and windows. Boutique hotels, Air BNB’s, and making sure you request the corner suite at most hotels is a good option. Yes it may cost a little bit more, but cut out Starbucks for 2 weeks and you are covered. You invest a lot in your wedding day and prep is part of it.
  3. Space: If you are in a single room, less is best! It is very hard to have the bride, 4-6 bridesmaids, hair and make up artists, photographers, and videographers all in one room. There is clutter everywhere which you will not enjoy in your photos, everyone is tripping over one another, and the numerous questions can get the bride worked up. Keep it simple. If you have an attached suite where the bride can be in one room and everyone else in the other, that is GREAT. If not, we suggest the bride, maid of honor, and mom or similar family member to be the ones present in your room. keep the rooms clean! a mess never photographs well. less clutter is always a good thing. 
  4. Please consider getting a nice wooden hanger for your dress. They photograph well and are great keepsakes. 
  5. Groom and Groomsmen: Baggy does not photograph well. Make sure your suit or tux fits nicely. Put effort into this. Don’t allow your soon to be wifey to look like a million bucks and you look like you just woke up. 

 

Wedding Coordinator

though its not mandatory, we highly suggest hiring a wedding coordinator who can help make your vision come true. It is one of the most important vendors you can hire on your wedding day. Without a wedding coordinator two things tend to happen. The first is that the bride ends up trying to coordinate and can not simply enjoy being a bride. We do not suggest this at all. The bride should be worry free and just enjoy her day! Secondly, we as the photographers get thrown into that role and that is not what you have hired us for. Though we can help with a day of schedule we can not be the keepers of that schedule. We want to do our job in excellence since that what you have hired us for. An amazing wedding coordinator is priceless. We will gladly suggest ones who help us do our job in excellence and make your wedding run smoothly. 

Ceremony

  1. We highly recommend an un-plugged ceremony so that your family & friends are present, your photos aren’t filled with people’s cameras, tablets, cell-phones, etc…and so that none of your moments are missed by us due to the interference of others. 
  2. What we can capture is limited to the restrictions of the venue. If the venue has rules of where we can or can not be, will play a factor in the shots we are able to capture. 
     

First Look

a first look is a beautiful & private moment before the ceremony in which the bride and groom get to see each other for the first time with no distractions. the wedding day can get busy and this allows the couple to escape the busy schedule and just focus on one another. though it is not necessary, we do highly recommend it.

here are the benefits:

– it’s an intimate time together where you do not need to hold back or deal with
distractions. 

– depending on the time of year or how late the ceremony starts, a first look allows you to have natural light photos. we are natural light photographers and do not do flash
portraits (sorry, they are just not our jam). 

– you get to attend your cocktail hour. that should be enough of a reason right there! 

– every couple that has done a first look has told us that it truly calmed their nerves and allowed them to enjoy and be fully present during the ceremony and rest of the day. 

– you are investing good money to have a professional photographer. you should get the most out of your portrait time instead of rushing to get them done so you can be
introduced at the reception. 

Lastly, Remember what is important! Things can go wrong on a wedding day. If you keep your main focus on the fact that you get to marry the person you love, none of those things will ruin your day.