Wedding & Portrait Photographer Northern Ireland

Your wedding day will be one of the most special and memorable days of your lives so when you are organizing it make sure it’s a day to remember that will fulfill all of you and your partners wedding dreams.

Here is some advice to consider before you start your wedding preparations:

The wedding date

You may already have a date in mind for your wedding such as an anniversary, birthday etc but you may also find that your wedding date may be determined by your honeymoon destination.
If you dream of a long haul honeymoon straight after your wedding this will steer you from a traditional summer wedding to one in Autumn/Winter so you can take advantage of the hot climates of your honeymoon destination.

It is always a wise idea to have more than one suitable date especially is you are planning a Saturday wedding as often venues have Saturday bookings for years in advance.

Religious or Civil ceremony

People often have their own preferences on the type of ceremony they want and traditionally it would have been a choice of a church or registry office ceremony, but with legislation changes a wedding ceremony can now be held at any location registered with the local council.
If you are considering a religious ceremony at a venue other than a church please be aware that not all clergy will be prepared to do this and it may take slightly longer to find one who will conduct the ceremony at your designated location.

The wedding budget

It is essential a budget is set before preparations for the wedding commence to assure the wedding is planned and keeps within the assigned budget.
Traditionally it was always the bride’s parents who would pay for the wedding, but with the rising costs of a wedding, it is now common that both sets of parents contribute to overall costs, and we are also seeing more and more couples are paying for much of the day themselves.
If it is going to be a case of parents either paying or contributing to the wedding you must consult them as to how much they can afford to spend and if it is the case how much you as a couple will be contributing. Once this has been done it will allow an accurate budget to be set.

One important thing to consider is that if parents are making any sort of financial contribution to the wedding you may have to make compromises and frequently this will be in the area of the guest list, ultimately it is your day but it is an ideal way to show your appreciation of the financial support. Make sure you constantly monitor the budget throughout the plans updating it when deposits etc have been paid. An easy way of doing it is using a computerized spreadsheet, which will calculate everything for you, although a notebook will be sufficient.

Wedding Fayres

Some couples find it useful to attend the various wedding fayres, which are held regularly at exhibitions centres and hotels and this can help generate ideas for your special day. If you haven’t got any ideas on reception venues you may find it useful to attend the bridal fairs that individual hotels run as it can give couples a chance to get a feel for the atmosphere, entertainment and accommodation facilities, the quality of the catering on offer and the cost of the venue. Once a date for the ceremony has been set there are some things that you must do immediately...

Book the reception venue

When booking the reception venue people will frequently do this on the basis of picturesque grounds surrounding the venue, which are intended to be used for the wedding photography. Make sure you consider the photography potential inside the venue as if the weather is unfavorable it may prevent using outside packdrops for wedding photographs.

Book your photographer

When making your wedding photography booking it is important that your photographer is able to show you complete sample wedding albums to allow you to choose the style of your wedding photography. It is also very important that you get on with your photographer - on the wedding day you will be spending a good portion of your time with him or her!

It is vital that the above bookings are made as soon as possible. Reception venues and professional photographers are often booked up to three years in advance and if you have plans for a Saturday wedding you really need to book early to avoid disappointment.

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