Not only is Sachuest Point in Middletown, Rhode Island one of my favorite places to photograph and hike, but this session is especially special! I’ve known Greg since we were kids, we went to high school together and everything, so it was an honor to be asked to photograph their upcoming September wedding. They are the absolute CUTEST! And of course, champagne was popped and they were adventurous enough to brave the tall grasses for those dreamy sunset photos. I love engagement sessions because it gives me a chance to interact with couples before the big day and get them used to posing for the camera so on the wedding day we can grab those just married photos quickly and get them on to cocktail hour and joyfullness. Congratulations Logan and Greg!
How To Get Wedding Photos You Love! | Wedding Planning Tips from Alicia Laird Photography
How to Get Wedding Photos You Love!
By Alicia Laird, Owner of Alicia Laird Photography
Your wedding day is going to be one of the most memorable and exciting days of your life! All the planning over the past months or even years comes down to a day that will pass in the blink of an eye. When the vows have been made and the cake has been eaten you are left with memories and your wedding photographs. You will look back on these photographs for years to come, and they will spark reminders of exactly how you felt in these special moments. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to choose a photographer that you can connect with, who has a style you love, and who you can completely put your trust in. The following tips will help you sort through all of the different types of photography and guide you in making the perfect choice for your big day!
1. Go Professional Over Bargain
There is a reason why some photographers charge $500 per wedding and some charge $5,000 per wedding and everything in between. It takes years of practice and perfecting the craft of capturing a wedding day, as well as investing in equipment and education. Passionate professional photographers will put every ounce of their being into educating themselves through workshops, schooling, and second shooting to become the pros they are. We all started somewhere, but chances are someone who is shooting at incredibly low prices is probably just starting out, and may not have experience and equipment to handle different lighting situations on a wedding day. Do your research to make sure they have experience! A little breakdown on what you are paying for, since it’s not just the day of the wedding work:
1. Education, equipment, advertising and experience it takes to run a business
2. Pre-wedding consultations, questions and planning
3. Engagement session travel, the actual session, and editing afterward
4. The wedding day (4-10 hours on their feet with little rest), and the hours of culling, editing, providing sneak peeks, uploading the gallery and blogging the photos.
So when a professional is charging a rate that gives them a livable wage, you know you have a competent business owner with experience that you can trust, and that won’t run off with your photos and money. I recently heard a story about something like this happening to a friend and my heart aches for them!
2. What to Ask at a Consultation
At your wedding day consultation, before you book, the photographer should as you lots of questions to get to know you and what your expectations are of them. This usually takes place at an in person meeting, or a phone call or Zoom chat. This gives you a chance to get to know your photographer personally, as you will be spending a lot of time on your big day with them! Ask as many questions as you like, most professionals will be happy to spend time with you and answer all of your questions. Some common questions Brides ask are:
1. How long have you been photographing weddings?
2. What kind of equipment do you have and do you have backups? How do you back up images?
3. Do you specialize in weddings?
4. What does a wedding experience look like with you?
5. Do you have a second shooter/ assistant?
6. How long will it take to get my images/ see sneak peaks/ see a blog to share?
Most photographers are happy to chat about their experiences, show you full wedding and engagement galleries that align with their style, and answer any of your questions.
3. Style
When you Google wedding photography, you will see work from hundreds of different photographers pop up in the images section. Some of them may look like they belong together but chances are, since it is work from all different people, it will not. Looking at a photographers style is one of the most important things when you want to see how your photos will look.
There are two different kinds of styles, how they edit and what approach they take to your wedding day. Some editing styles are bright and airy, moody, bright and colorful, dramatic lighting, and rich color. Search these terms and see what style you like and what resonates with you! When you look at their portfolio, you should see consistency all around, and not see work that looks like it was edited with 10 different filters by 10 different people. It should generally have a consistent mood and feel. Photographers are usually passionate about their style, so if one tells you they have a bright and airy style and love natural light, don’t expect them to set up a bunch of lights or create dark or dramatically lit photos for you.
The second type of style is how the photographer approaches the wedding day. Some styles are artistic, editorial, or photojournalistic. An artistic photographer is one you will see with the most unique angles and compositions. An editorial photographer will pose, perfect every little detail with styling, and make every image look magazine worthy. A photojournalist will try to be as discrete as possible and let the moments unfold exactly how they happened, wile capturing all the emotion along the way. These are all wonderful styles, just think about how you want your day captured and make sure you discuss it with your photographer, so everyones expectations are on the same level. I consider myself an editorial photojournalist.
I will style details in the bridal suite, pose you like a pro for portraits and family formals, but be discrete as possible during the ceremony and reception and capture the action as it happens!
4. Anti-Pinterest
We all love Pinterest for inspiration, and if your photographer sends you boards they have created so that you can see ideas and inspiration that is great! Going back to trusting your photographer and their artistic vision, if you don’t see photos and poses you love on their site and have to resort to sending them tons of stuff from Pinterest, you may not have a good fit. Remember, photographers post on their site the work they love the most and that represents them and their work. If you don’t see dresses hanging in trees, jumping bridesmaids, a blurred out ring with a kiss in focus in the middle, sepia tone or selective color in their portfolio, it is probably because this is not their style. Never fear though, there are so many types of photographers that work in all different ways. You should trust their style and vision to pose and create images you love, so you can relax, enjoy your day and have the most fun ever!
5. Personality and Connection
There is nothing worse that not getting to know the person you will be spending the majority of your big day with, and meeting them for the first time on your wedding day and realizing your personalities completely clash! Not that everyone has to be exactly alike, but a lot of “box store” photography studios will just send you whoever is available and you won’t even know their name until a few weeks before your wedding day. A personal interest and connection is such a huge part of the experience. Weather it’s chatting in person, on the phone or through e-mail correspondence leading up to your wedding, you want to get a good sense of their personality, and make sure you will enjoy spending time with them on your wedding day!
So don’t be afraid to do some digging and research to find a style you love and several photographers that you can meet with, that have that style, so you find your perfect match. You’ve already found your perfect partner, now finding your perfect photographer should be easy!
Cheers!
Alicia
A Boho Beach Wedding at The Cushman House Block Island
It has been years since I’ve been to Block Island, I haven’t actually gone there since I was a kid and we took a Girl Scout day trip to the beach! I hardly even remember that trip, but I will always remember this one. Katie and Seth were planning their wedding for 2020, when 2020 had a mind of it’s own and forced so many couples to cancel and re-schedule. Thankfully I was available for their new date and ready to sail away!
The Cushman House is a beautiful historical Victorian home with a wrap around porch and sweeping views of the ocean for as far as you can see! Down a path of flowering trees, a White Way of Delight if I must say, the path to the beach rolls up a dune to the ceremony site on the beach. From the scene decorated with gorgeous florals from Painted Rock Flowers and rentals From Uniquely Chic Vintage, to the perfect temperature and shining sun, this really was the best day ever!
I love a good first look, and Seth’s reaction to seeing Katie in her wedding gown was definitely one for the books. We then snuck away for some seaside portraits and so the couple could see their ceremony set up before the guests arrived. The day was full of love, laughter, friends and of course their adorable doggies! Congratulations again, Katie and Seth, and thank you for having me sail away with you!
Vendors
Photographer - Alicia Laird Photography
Venue - The Cushman House, Block Island
Planning Team – Summer Sisters Weddings & Events
Vintage Furniture Rentals – Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals
Band, Reception – Clockwork Boston
Cake + Desserts – Sugar Rush
Catering – Block Island Gourmet
Flowers –Painted Rock Designs
Hair – Foundation Hair Studio
Makeup – Pro Radiance Artistry
Musician, Ceremony – Golden Scroll Soloists
Rentals, Tables + Chairs – BI Party Rentals
Transportation – Kody’s Cab
The Barn on Bensons Pond Wedding | Middleborough Massachusetts | Felicia + Chuck
White and greenery rustic elegance wedding | Middleborough, MA
Felicia and Chuck are MARRIED!! It was a warm and sunny day at the end of September when you would think Fall would be in the air but this felt more like a summer day! The Barn on Bensons is tucked off a quiet country road in Massachusetts and had the most beautiful and elegant vintage details from the bridal suite to the reception space. These two are just so adorable, full of love, joy and appreciation that I was sad their big day was over but full of joy while I drove home! Before the wedding even started, Felicia gave me a hug and was like “I love my wedding! I love my wedding vendors!” and as someone who puts her heart and soul into her small business, that meant the world to me!
The whole day was special, but my favorite part of the wedding was Felicia’s Dad telling stories of her childhood where they wrote and recorded music together. This made the Father Daughter dance that much more special when the song cut out to a track Felicia’s Dad wrote and recorded for her! I cried! How amazing!
Congratulations again Felicia + Chuck! Wishing you the very best and all the happiness in the world! xx
Creative Team:
Venue: The Barn on Bensons Pond
Flowers: The Petal Gypsy
Invitations: Zazzle
Bridal gown: Angela’s Bridal Boston
Bridesmaids attire: Christina’s
Hair Stylist: Courtney Parsons
Makeup Artist: Stephanie Howard
Rentals: The Oak Whisky and Wine Barrel Garage
Jeweler: Longs Jewelers
Catering: Keane’s Wood Fired Catering
Desserts: The Flaky Crust Pies
DJ: Event Experience - DJ Erik
Blush Ballerina Wedding Inspiration | Newport Rhode Island Wedding Photography at Queen Anne's Loft
As a dancer myself, if you could ask me to envision my dream wedding, this would be pretty close to it! There is something about the elegance and grace of a ballet dancer, surrounded by blush and glittery details that makes a dreamy wedding come to life. Especially when your Bride brings her pointe shoes, loves to get dressed up and fits the role perfectly! This collaboration couldn’t be done without some of my favorite Rhode Island wedding vendors and the perfect Newport wedding venue.
What else do you say to a ballerina bride?
Merde!
Sorry (not sorry!) there were so many photos in this blog! I love them all so much! Bring me ALL the ballerina brides!
Xo,
Alicia
Vendor Team:
Photographer: Alicia Ann Photographie @aliciaannphoto
Venue: Queen Anne's Loft @queenannesloft
Planner: AMC Weddings @amc.weddings
Florals: Michelle Jeanne Floral Design @michellejeannefloraldesign
Hair/ Makeup: Salon KG Makeup:@salonkg Hair: @hairbymarissalee
Rentals: Xo The Girls @xothegirls
Cake: Silver Spoon Bakery @silverspoonbakery
Calligraphy/ Invitations: Lumos Calligraphy @lumoscalligraphy
Dresses: Thistle Rose Bridal @thistlerosebridal
Model: Tara Gragg @taradancing
Looking for a
bright, airy and colorful
wedding photographer in Rhode Island or Connecticut?
Use this contact form to get in touch!
Rhode Island Bridal Portraits | M.A.W. Beauty | Rhode Island Wedding Photographer
Spring is in the air and the Pantone color of the year fits the season with perfection! I love Spring because it is when flowers bloom, the winter chill starts to leave, and vibrant colors are everywhere. This bridal portrait session was inspired by Spring, gorgeous florals, soft and bright colors and vintage glamor! We kick off wedding season this upcoming weekend here at Alicia Ann Photographie, so it was so much fun to be able to have a fun portrait session before we get ready for our biggest season yet!
Photographer: Alicia Ann Photographie
Venue/ Hair and Makeup: M.A.W. Beauty
Florals and Design: Sweet Talk Floral
Calligraphy: Lumos Calligraphy
Bride: Melinya
Looking for a
bright, airy and colorful
wedding photographer in Rhode Island or Connecticut?
Use this contact form to get in touch!
Seaside Portraits | Rhode Island Couples Photography | Sabrina + Mike
Shortly after starting to chat with Sabrina to plan her couples session with her boyfriend Mike, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite sessions! Not only did she want to glam it up, but he was wearing his Coast Guard blues and....they wanted to bring their tiny Frenchie puppy, Eloise! If you ever want to bring your furry friends to your session the answer is always yes! Since our first location was a no dogs allowed kind of place, they had some friends come hang out with Eloise while we took some sunlit field photos, then headed to the nearby beach for the last of golden hour. Then one of Sabrina's dresses hadn't come in time for the shoot and we decided (since we're neighbors and all) to do a quick couple shots down by the beach just minutes from our houses. Well, I can't stop photographing these cuties, so it turned into a little more than that! Not only are these two extremely photogenic and adorable, but they were up for an adventure and I feel like I left the session with some new friends. Speaking of friends, it turns out we're practically neighbors too, so I see lots of doggy walks in our future!
