McKinley G Photography
Wedding Guide
engagement session tips, timeline
guidance, and more!
No 1.
welcome
A NOTE ABOUT THIS GUIDE
We are so excited that you’ve trusted us with capturing your wedding day! We’re looking forward to celebrating with you and getting to know you better over the next several months.
In the meantime, this guide is designed to help you create a wedding day that lends itself to the best photos possible! This will walk you through everything from timelines to details to family photos.
Thank you again for choosing to work with me and feel free reach out at any point during the planning process!
Megan & McKinley
No 2.
Engagement
& why we love them!
Engagement sessions are a great way for us to connect and get to know each other before your big day arrives! You’ll learn all about our posing structure and you’ll be a pro by the end of your session! This will make your wedding day pictures a piece of cake!
Below you’ll find some handy tips for nailing down the perfect style.
what to wear
Engagement sessions typically last 1.5 – 2 hours. I recommend you bring an extra outfit, as you may wish to have two different “looks”. Below you’ll find some general guidelines to narrow down your perfect outfit.
Engagement photo styling tips
Yes!
NO!
No. 3
recommended VENDORS
THAT’LL MAKE FOR AN EPIC WEDDING DAY
Wedding Planners
Social Revel Events
AO Weddings & Event
ERO Weddings
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Floral Design
Savvy Floral Design
Moody Blooms
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VIDEOGRAPHY
Ariel Hall Creative
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WEDDING DRESS
Clarices Bridal
Kirsten Paige Collections
Chiara Carroll Bridal
CALLIGRAPHY & stationery
Holly Feldt Design
Atelier Creative
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RENTALS
Set With Grace
Zhuzh Rentals
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DJ & BANDS
Cole Colemean
SW Harpist
Beauson Strings
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CATERING
Championship Catering
Russos
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No. 4
Wedding Day Details
I love getting to capture all the special details you’ve curated for your wedding day.
Details are one of the first things I’ll photograph when I arrive on your wedding day so it’s great if you have all these items in once place that morning. The list below is a great starting point if you’re not sure what to include!
Bride Detail Checklist
Do this now
THE RINGS
Capturing the detail of your rings up close, is amazing. If possible, try to have your engagement ring cleaned or clean it yourself.
To clean at home:
Soak your ring in warm water with dishwashing soap for 20 to 40 minutes. Then gently brush the stone with a soft toothbrush, rinse and repeat if needed.
No 5.
First look
WONDERING IF A FIRST LOOK IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
It’s a special moment when you see your other half for the first time on your wedding day. It’a a moment worth remembering whether you do or a first look or wait for an epic reveal as you walk down the aisle.
If you’re wondering whether or not to do a first look on your wedding day, here are some ideas to consider.
First look or not, the first time you see each other on your wedding day will be special.
A FIRST LOOK GIVES YOU QUIET MOMENT ALONE
Wedding days go by in a blur. As soon as the day begins there is so much to do and so many people to see. Doing a first look will give the two of you a moment alone (with a camera shooting from afar) to soak it all in and think through what the day means to you.
MORE TIME FOR PICTURES & YOUR RECEPTION
When you have a first look, we can take pictures of the two of you, the bridal party, and some family pictures before the ceremony even begins. This makes the day less rushed and allows us to take more pictures too!
Once you’re married, we won’t need as much time set aside for photos and you can get to your cocktail hour and reception sooner!
POSSIBLY AVOID bad WEATHER
If there’s bad weather on the forecast, a first look gives you the option to get pictures done earlier in the day and possibly avoid being stuck in the rain!
get out all your tears without the audience
A first look give both of you a moment to cry without the audience of all your wedding guests. You can get all your tears out knowing you’ll have time to freshen up before pictures too.
“I love her. and that’s the beginning and the end of everything.”
– F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
No 6.
WEDDING DAY TIMELINE
BUILDING THE PERFECT
Whether you choose to do a first look or the traditional (not seeing each other until the bride walks down the aisle), we’ll work with you to create the perfect wedding day schedule. Take a look at the examples below to get a general idea of when to plan for photos on your wedding day.
With a
FIRST LOOK
Example Timeline
no first look
TRADITIONAL
EXAMPLE TIMELINE
FIRST LOOK
WITH A
first look timeline example
TRADITIONAL
WITHOUT A FIRST LOOK
TRADITIONAL timeline example
“You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known – and even that is an understatement.”
– F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
No 7.
FAMILY PORTRAITS
A FEW HELPFUL TIPS + TRICKS
crowd management
It’s great if you can assign a friend or family member to help make sure we have everyone we need for family photos. This person should know who everyone on the photo list is but not be in too many photos themselves.
KEEP YOUR FAMILY IN THE LOOP
It makes the whole process of family photos faster when everyone in them knows what to expect. Let your family members (or anyone else who will be in a photo) to stick around as soon as the ceremony ends so that we don’t have to take extra time finding everyone who’s walked away.
short + sweet
Family photos aren’t anyone’s favorite part of a wedding day and we try to take them as efficiently as possible. With that said, keep in mind that every grouping typically takes 2-3 minutes to pose. We want to make sure we get all the family photos that need to be taken without cutting into your cocktail hour or reception too much!
create a list
We’ll ask you for a list of family picture groupings a few weeks before the day of your wedding. Please make sure you list everyone’s first name so that we know who to call for when we’re grouping people together for a photo.
(There’s a template below that’s super easy to customize!)
sample family photos list
The Bride + Groom with…
No 8.
RECEPTION + GRAND EXIT
RECEPTION
During your reception, I will be taking photos of the speeches and dancing as well as candid shots of your guests. I will always be availabe to grab a photo of you with a group of guests that may have not been in a planned group photo. I love being your personal paparazzi!
Grand exits
Grand exits are such a fun bookend to your day! They typically consist of a human tunnel along with sparklers, bubbles, glow sticks or something else to celebrate with!
It is helpful if you can designate a few people attending your reception to help organize people into two lines and distribute whatever they will holding.
If you’re up for it, I like to have couples run through the tunnel twice to make sure we get that EPIC send off photo!
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
– Dr. Suess
No 9.
IMAGE DELIVERY
IN A CURATED ONLINE GALLERY
HOW IT WORKS
One of my favorite parts of the wedding experience is delivering your beautiful gallery of images! When your photos are edited and ready, you’ll receive a link to your online gallery. This is a URL where you will have access to all of your images at high resolution. You can scroll through, view, and download them at any time. You’ll also be able to share this link with friends and family so they can relive your best day with you!
view a sample gallery
No 10.
HEIRLOOM WEDDING ALBUM
ALBUM DESIGN
A few weeks after your wedding we will invite you in for your reveal celebration. This is where we can start designing your wedding album. The process is super easy and you’ll get to pick exactly how you want it, from images to cover material and design. You become the creator of your the book that holds your story.
THE HIGHEST QUALITY AlbUMS FOR YOUR MOST TREASURED MOMENTS. THESE QUALITY BOOKS WILL LIVE ON FOR GENERATIONS.
Album design process
1.
YOUR OPTIONS
You’ll have the chance to pick out your album size, material and color. I have a page outlining all of the choices!
2.
Album Page Layout
I’ll create the page layouts using the best of your wedding day photos. At the reveal we will go over your design and develop it live on the spot. When we’re done I’ll send a proof your way and we can make any changes you want.
3.
Enjoy your Album
Once everything looks good to go and you like the layout, I will order your album it will come to me first so I can make sure it looks perfect the first time you see it. Then will hand deliver it to you or have it shipped from my studio.
Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions!
Get In Touch
Thank you
Thank you for trusting us to capture your special day! If you need to contact me at any point during the planning process, feel free to shoot me an email!