10 Tips from a Photographer on How to Get Your Wedding Published
Written by Paige Vaughn, Owner of Paige Vaughn Photo
When planning your wedding, you’re already committing so much time, energy, and resources into making your day unique and beautiful - it’s only natural to want to want to share your wedding photos with others. Beyond sharing the images with family and friends, many couples are interested in getting their wedding published as a way of sharing their story, their inspiration, their creativity, and (of course) their love for one another.
Whether you’d love to see your wedding on a wedding blog like Style Me Pretty, a local publication like Brides of Houston, or a national outlet like Martha Stewart Weddings or BRIDES, publications don’t just happen. If getting your wedding published is important to you, it must be thoughtfully and strategically planned for, even down to the smallest detail, in order to pique the interest of an out.
The task of planning for how to get your wedding published can seem daunting, but with these wedding photographer-approved tips, you’ll be well on your way to seeing your name in lights. ;)
Hire a planning and design team to create an intentional, cohesive design for your wedding. If you really want to make your wedding stand out, and run smoothly, hire a professional team who is going to create something unique and refined for you - not just a reiteration of other people’s events. You’ll want to find a team you connect with, and that understands you, in order to translate your story into a visual design that matches you, your personalities, and your interests. And who do you hire? Look for a wedding planning team that offers full service planning and design services. Not just a curated moodboard, but someone who can offer you a full vision for your wedding weekend.
Hire a photographer who knows how to shoot for wedding publications. Not every photographer can capture your wedding in a way that truly tells a cohesive story, and not every photographer is able to capture details in a publication-worthy way. Look for a photographer who offers a more editorial style (that you click with, of course!), and bonus points if they shoot film (many of the higher end publications love film photography for the texture, tones, and overall aesthetic it provides to photos). And don’t forget to discuss what publication would be a good fit for your design with your photographer so they can capture things to fit that specific publication.
Seek a venue that has copious amounts of natural light - bonus if there is historical character, lots of white walls, ceilings, and decor. Publications are drawn to unique spaces that photograph well, which typically lends itself to having more natural light and neutral interiors. The colors of walls, ceilings, and decor (if they are darker), can cause unflattering color casts/shadows, making them less photogenic, and therefore less likely to be published.
Prioritize unique concepts and think outside the box when it comes to inspiration - skip Pinterest. Lean on our planner for design inspiration, and also avoid Pinterest when it comes to conceptualizing ideas for your wedding. Look to outside sources - like art, music, travel - to come up with unique ideas for your day. Publications are always looking for new, fresh ideas that haven’t been done before. After all, the intent of publications is to inspire other couples for their own weddings - not perpetuate the same trend over and over.
Invest in a wedding day stylist. This isn’t necessarily a requirement, but bringing on a wedding day stylist to help visually pull together your design and details on the day can do wonders for the overall end result of your photos. Stylists have a special skill set to piece together everything (like your details, your reception decor, your ceremony, your custom cocktail, your florals, etc.) in a way that highlights the unique components of your design AND set things up in the way publications need them to look. Their most common job is designing flat lay photos (example here) so your planner can focus on the logistics of your day, and your photographer can quickly capture and resume capturing the precious candid moments (instead of being tied down to make your wedding rings or perfume look just right). When you delegate tasks to experts, you’ll allow everyone to do their best work for you.
Be conscientious of your guest count. Most people have the misconception that in order to get your wedding published, you need a million dollar wedding. But, if you have a set budget (which most people do), it’s still possible to have a publication-worthy wedding. Your guest count is 100% the thing that impacts your budget the most heavily. Less guests mean less tables, less food, less alcohol, etc. Meaning, if you cut your guest count in half and preserve the same budget, you can make your wedding twice as nice for fewer guests and elevate the overall day.
Thoughtfully curate photogenic details that match your day. Let me be clear, detail photos are not just a bunch of random ideas thrown on a board with the florals. Take your wedding planning process to collect meaningful and intentional items that tell your story -- like heirlooms from your family, the perfume you wore on your first date, cufflinks with your wedding flowers on them. The more custom these items are, and the more cohesive they are with your design, the better chance your wedding will be a good fit for publication.
Skip the “extra” things that don’t add to the visual appeal of the wedding. While a fun getaway car or an expensive late night snack are fun touches, they are line items that don’t necessarily add to the appearance of your wedding. If having a visually stunning wedding is important to you, consider investing in things like upgraded chairs, quality florals, a unique dress, stylish table linens, good invitations and day-of signage, etc. Or, if you’re set on something like a vintage car, instead of having it come at the end of the night, arrange for it to come during daylight so you can have your portraits taken with it instead.
Don’t be afraid to upgrade seemingly “unimportant” things that take up a lot of space visually. Think about tables, chairs, linens, seating charts, bars, etc. -- they might not seem like the most important parts of your wedding, but when you think about the physical space they take up, they can either melt into the background or become a stunning centerpiece in your design.
Be generous with your photographer’s timeline. Give them time and space to get creative and provide you their best work. The magic doesn’t just happen, my best work is created when I have enough time and mental space to do your wedding justice. And my best work is only possible when I’m provided with the raw materials (i.e. a good design, talented planners, and proper time) to give you breathtaking photography. Photographing your wedding is much more efficient and smooth when we work with a talented planner, as we’re able to focus solely on creating captivating imagery while the wedding logistics are safely in their hands.
BIO:
Having 17 features herself, Paige Vaughn, the lead photographer or Paige Vaughn Photo, is passionate about helping couples elevate the look and feel of their weddings days in her photography. Paige Vaughn Photo is an Austin and San Francisco-based wedding photography studio specializing in fun, romantic and vibrant wedding, engagement, couple and boudoir photography captured on film and digital. Since beginning her business in 2012, Paige has photographed over 175+ weddings and has since grown her all-female team to include two talented photographers. In her free time, you can find her planning her own wedding, or snuggling with her corgi and her fiance watching the office.
Photo Credits:
Photo: Paige Vaughn Photo | Concept & Planning: @heatherbengeofficial | Venue: @sunstonewinery | Hair & Makeup: @sunkissedandmadeup | Florals: @parkersandposies @blushbotanicals | Cake: @Lelepatisserie | Rentals: @partypleasers | Linens: @nuagedesignsinc