Congratulations, if you are reading this, the odds are.... you have recently got engaged and now ready to embark onto your most exciting journeys of your life, but we are sure that you must be overwhelmed with all the planning (especially during this difficult times) and wondering what happens next? As a Montreal wedding photographer, we wanted to share with you some tips, advices and our preferred vendors list to facilitate your wedding planning journey. If your wedding is in 2020, and you are not sure whether or not to postpone your wedding day, please feel free to read our previous blog post here on how to plan your wedding in the midst of COVID-19 hysteria.
Without further ado, let's get into the good stuff, so what are the steps after you embarked on your wedding planning journey? The average amount of time couples spend planning their wedding is 13 months but if you're planning your wedding in less time than that, it is also doable.
12-18 months before your Wedding Day - Hire a wedding planner
There are so many advantages of hiring an experienced and awesome wedding planner - from figuring out your wedding theme to selecting your amazing wedding vendors. Fortunately, wedding planners can be a big help in all aspects of coordinating your big day. Having a wedding coordinator can also help couples to save a lot of time researching vendors that don't fit their needs and price points. We are so blessed to have worked with so many amazing Montreal wedding planners and here are some of the best wedding planners who we have worked with in the past and others who we are looking forward to working within the near future.
Maddy K. Maddykevents (IG: @Maddykevents)
Azar - Principal Planner (IG: @PrincipalPlanner)
Tania Tassone (IG: @Taniatassone)
Alina - Rox-Out (IG: @_ROXOUT)
Annie - Ansioevents (IG: @Ansioevents)
Jennifer - Eventsbycece (IG: @Events_by_cece)
Emilie - Emevents (IG: @emevents)
Zeina - Zeinaissa (IG: Zeinaissaevents)
Secure your Date and Your Dream venue (The earlier the better - 12-18 months before wedding)
This is definitely one of the most important and essential steps, though it may seems simple and obvious. Picking your wedding day and venue (either with or without the help of your Montreal wedding planner) will have a significant impact on every other decision you make for your wedding. You will want to make these decisions as early as you can as you embark on your wedding planning journey. That's also why hiring a good event planner can be a huge benefit, because they can give you tips on different wedding venue based on your need and vision. Book your wedding venue as soon as you have your wedding date, as some of the venues book years in advance and certain days of the year (Long-weekend Saturdays and Sundays!) are super popular. And of course, you can always choose another day other than Saturday to get married (Such as getting married on a Thursday, Friday or Sunday). If you are looking for inspiration for some stunning Venue/reception, please check out one of our recent blog on Best Montreal wedding venues to get inspired!
Having your date and wedding venue set definitely helps to make your planning much smoother. As wedding photographers, we love being brought into a wedding that already has a set date and venue. It really helps us to start brainstorming ideas for your picture perfect wedding day photography right away based on season, venue, location, architecture, theme, and so much more.
Advice: Be flexible on wedding date/season. It could help you to book your dream wedding venue/reception and maybe even save you some money!
Define your wedding Style
This is the brainstorm phase, think about if your wedding will be modern, rustic, elegant, Glamorous, minimalist, romantic or maybe just a specific or unique colour theme. Defining on a theme/style/mood/vibe in the early stage will also helps you to find your Montreal wedding photographer, videographer or/and other Montreal wedding vendors. Say for example, if you know modern elegant is more your style, you can start looking for decor vendors that specialize in that.
One of the best things about your wedding style is that it can be totally unique to you. It’s a way to set the tone for the day, and for your marriage. As a wedding photographer, it also helps us start to plan out how we are going to capture your day. The earlier you figure this one out, the better! It’ll help everything else fall into perfect colour-coordinated place.
Advice: Check out some of our wedding day pictures on our Instagram, website or even on some of the magazines for inspiration, such as Wedluxe, Elegant Wedding, wedding chicks, the knot, Vogue Wedding, Wedding bells and others.
Reminder: It's all about YOU!
With planning a wedding comes many different opinions from every corner of your life – both useful and sometimes not so useful. Something that you need to remember and remind yourself while planning is that it’s all about you and it's YOUR wedding. Early on in your wedding planning is when you’ll start to get advice from everyone and their mother. You don’t have to take or ask for everyone’s opinions. You do you! This is something we live by. This is your wedding – it should scream you! Try to go about all your wedding planning with that in mind. Know what you want, and go for it! Be as unique or as elegant as you want. We know that the best weddings are the ones that ruffle a few feathers.
TIP: Be selective with whom you share your wedding details. This will help keep your mind clear and dodge any unsolicited opinions!
Find Your Photographer and Videographer (aka your new BFF) (12-15 month before wedding)
As we all know that wedding photographers play an essential role on your big day - so be sure to allocate plenty of time to meet with your perfect wedding photographer that fits your needs and vision. The best tip to ask yourself when shopping around for wedding photographers is as follows. Do you like their style, their personality and trust them to capture your picture perfect wedding day? If your answer is yes, you've found the one! Okay so maybe choosing a wedding photographer or wedding videographer isn't exactly the same as finding your BFF, but we like to think it's pretty close!
Our advice for finding a photographer is to meet in person with a few different options! We strongly suggest brides and grooms to be to shop around and compare! Because it's so important to find the photographer who you can trust and have fun with. Take a look at the full wedding day galleries of different photographers, meet with them, and see who you vibe with. You’ll be spending a lot of time together before and on your wedding day. You want someone who you feel you’re comfortable with.
TIP: Have a list of questions prepared when meeting with photographers and videographers, always remember to look at a full wedding day gallery and their albums and prints.
Don’t Second Guess Having an Engagement Session (3-6 months prior to your wedding)
Yep, you heard us! Engagement pictures are a total must. The coolest thing about engagement pictures is that they bring every piece of your early wedding planning together. These pictures will represent the same style and vibe at your wedding. You can use them on your Save The Dates, letting people know when and where your wedding will be. Engagement pictures are a hard thing to get unwanted opinions on, so you know they will be 100% you.
They also are the best way to bond with your wedding photographer. Whether you’re hiking up an escarpment together or sharing secret lunch spots in Queen West, the time spent together will prepare you for the all-day event of your wedding. It also helps us to be able to get your style down in anticipation of creating your wedding gallery.
Don’t Forget to Take a breather
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. You’re engaged! You’re getting married! Don’t forget to soak that all in with your partner. And remember, wedding planning isn’t everything! You still need to take time for yourself, your job, and your relationships. Have you checked on your dog lately? It’s totally okay to step away from the Pinterest board. Those chalkboard signs and signature cocktail ideas will still be there when you come back.
We know that it can be a lot to deal with when you’re just starting to plan. We hope this starter list helped give you a little clarity and a foundation to start your planning on. And if you’re looking for a wedding photographer, you know where to find us 📷 @luxurymomentphotography
Yes it's a big undertaking, it is so surreal, yet definitely happening. Don't panic, Luxury Moment Photography team definitely got you covered. As an experienced Montreal Photographer team and Montreal Videographer team, we are here to help you every step of the way to your dream wedding.
Don't forget to Stay tuned for our next blog on "Talking all things Wedding Florals with A Timeless Celebrations".
Welcome to our Montreal wedding photography blog. Please visit our wedding portfolio here and my engagement portfolio here. We are an international award-winning, published Montreal wedding photographer also specializing in portrait, corporate, maternity and boudoir photography and deeply passionate about destination weddings. We shoot primarily in the Greater Montreal and Toronto area but also love traveling for work! Some destinations we have shot in are Quebec and colorful Mexico as well as California, Las Vegas/Nevada, New Orleans, and Asia. Since 2016, we have shot over 100 weddings and continue to love what we do so very much. When you’re always surrounded by love, happiness, and contagious, happy energy, what’s not to love? We are currently booking for 2021 weddings, so message us soon with any inquiries you may have about your portrait or wedding photography. Contact us here or email us info@Luxurymomentphotography.com.
Much Love,
Luxury Moment Photography