Happy First Day of Spring!!  It is still cold, rainy, & gloomy so I thought I would brighten up the blog with some pretty pictures of flowers! Sound good? I love flowers and I believe they can brighten up any space.  They can take a room from ordinary to extraordinary.  You can change the feel of an event simply by adding flowers!   They are also very important to brides.

My brides usually have an idea of exactly what they want their flowers to look like on their wedding day.  They don’t always know the names of the flowers or how they want them arranged but they know the feel they want.  That is when they put their trust in their florist to bring their vision to life!

These florals are SO important to their big day and they NEED to be captured.  I don’t mean just one photo, I mean many many photos!  Brides & Grooms are devoting a nice chunk of their wedding budget to the flowers and they deserve to have them documented!

Florists spend hours creating and arranging these beautiful designs and LOVE when they receive lots of pretty pictures showcasing their work.  On a wedding day, the florists are putting on final touches, transporting the arrangements, bouquets, and all other flowers.  Then, they are setting them up, giving instructions on certain things, and maybe snapping an iPhone photo of a flower real quick before heading out.  They deserve professional quality photos of their work and – photographers – that’s on YOU!  You need to do that for them!

I asked one of my friends, Katie Bowman, who is a co-owner of Over The Top Flower Shop, to tell me what type of photos they love to get from photographers and why!  Katie & her mother, Lisa, are incredible florists!  They have a full team of people working with them and everyone does such beautiful work!  I get SO excited when one of my brides books them because I just know that, whatever they come up with, will be stunning.

Katie gave me some really great insight on photographing florals and I want to share it with you all so maybe, on your next wedding day, you can provide that florist with some great photos of their work that they can then share on their website or social media!

What type of photos do you want from a wedding day?

“We love having the details photographed – boutonnieres, bridesmaid bouquets, corsages, etc. Sometimes the details get overlooked or are blurred in the background during detail shots.”

When it comes to bouquets, is there a specific side we should be photographing?

“Typically, all of our bouquets have a “best” side. Sometimes it’s frustrating when we get the photos back and the photographer takes the majority of pictures of the back side of the bouquet. We’re like, “what were you thinking??” (haha!!)  Additionally, we always try to prep our brides on how to hold their bouquet (at their belly button) and show them what side of the bouquet photographs best.”  THIS IS VITAL!  Brides & Photographers – If you weren’t told what the best side is, then take a minute to look over the bouquet and see which side is a little more full or has more open flowers.  

What other things do you truly love having lots of photos of?

“It’s always awesome when the photographer sends some good shots under the ceremony arbor, especially if it’s more elaborate. We get that indoor shots are tough, but it’s great when we have a large arbor outside and the photographer captures family or couple photos under all of the florals – it helps convey the size and detail of the arrangement.  Also – CENTERPIECES!!!  Sometimes a bride will spend hundreds of dollars on centerpieces never to have them highlighted in photos. I think these are the least photographed pieces.”

Photographers – I know that some wedding days are CRAZY busy and the timeline seems to get thrown out the window.  There have been a couple weddings where it is completely impossible for us to get to the reception site before anyone else so we can’t get the photos we really want of the reception space & tables.  However, we ALWAYS make sure that we get close up photos of the flowers on the tables (since we can’t get pull back photos without having guests in them).

 

Here are a few more tips about photographing the florals on a wedding day and ideas of what shots to get:

1. Always have your bride & bridesmaids tip the flowers down very slightly so that you are photographing the bouquets at an angle.  This allows you to get the bulk of the flowers in the shot and less stems.
2. Get a shot of the bride alone holding her bouquet.
3. Get a close up shot of the bride & groom with the bouquet.
4. Try to get numerous shots of the bride’s bouquet by itself and the groom’s boutonniere by itself.
5. Take a horizontal photo of all the bride & bridesmaids bouquets so you can see the color scheme – their dresses plus the bouquets captures that well.
6. Take a picture of the groom’s boutonniere on his jacket from slightly above to give a fuller effect.
7. Table/centerpiece shots that showcase the full table!  This way we can get the full vision of the tables.
8. Multiple close up photos of the centerpieces from different angles, sides, and distances.
9. Capture any and all flower details – mantles, small entry tables, ceremony florals, arrangements on dessert tables, flowers on the cake, ANYTHING!
10. Overall arbor set up – with no one under it, then with the bride & groom!
11. Make sure you are taking more pictures than you think you need, and take horizontal AND vertical images.  That way the florist has a variety of options.
12. BONUS:  Get a close up picture of the bouquet in the groom’s hands.  I love these shots!  It is just a fun alternative.

Always tag the florist in any images that you share of their work because they deserve that credit!  Also, encourage them to tag you in any of your images that they use as well.

I hope this is helpful and encouraging!  Be sure to go follow Over The Top Flower Shop to see all their latest work, as well as any fun events or workshops that they host so you can snag a seat!

Here are some more examples are wedding day florals!  The florist is tagged above the images that belong to them. 

The following florals are created by Over The Top Flower Shop.

The following florals are created by Flowers By Zoie.

The following florals are by Wind Haven Farms.

 Wedding season kicks off for us next weekend and I am so excited!  Bring on our amazing couples and all the pretty things!

XOXO

Caiti