WEDDING DETAILS INSPIRED BY THE ROYAL WEDDING

THREE WAYS TO BE INSPIRED BY THE ROYAL WEDDING

Who else watched the royal wedding of Price Harry & Meghan Markle in the wee hours of the morning this past Saturday, May 19? You can bet your knickers that my mom, my sister, my daughter, and I were up and at 'em at 3am eating scones & finger sandwiches watching it live. We did the same thing for Prince William & Kate Middleton's royal wedding back in 2011. I think the idea of having royalty run a country is so interesting compared to a presidency. That, and the fact that I'm obviously eyeballs deep in the wedding industry, means that I can't not watch royal weddings when we're lucky enough to have one. 

Everything about this royal wedding was so spectacular. The massive flower arch installations were magnificent, the simplicity of both gowns that Meghan wore, and the no-makeup, makeup and simple bridal updo were some of my favorite parts. As a film photographer who loves minimalism, classic-inspired fashion, and natural makeup looks, I was all about Meghan Markle's bridal style at the wedding. If you're a future bride or groom who enjoyed the simple yet elegant style of this weekend's royal wedding, I've created a few tips on how you can plan your big day to incorporate some of the same elements.

VENUE CHOICE

This one is so important to capture that royal wedding feel. Did you notice that there were hardly any floral installations in St George's Chapel? There were small bits of greenery here and there, but the beauty of the venue served as the focal point. Choosing a grand, visually appealing, and (in my opinion) historic-looking venue for your wedding would greatly aid in helping to achieve that royal wedding feel. A great choice in the Houston area is Chateau Cocomar, but some around the country that would also serve as grand wedding venues are The Swan House in Atlanta, Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, and the New York Public Library in New York. 

SIMPLE, CLASSIC STYLE

We all know that Kate Middleton & Meghan Markle's gowns were simple yet stunning. Both Price William & Price Harry got married in their military uniforms, but changed into very classic tuxedos for their wedding reception. So the key to channelling your inner royalty is a classic style of wedding wardrobe. Some of my favorite classic-inspired wedding gown designers are Watters, Carol Hannah, and Carolina Herrera. One of my favorite Houston bridal boutiques that offers many different beautiful bridal gowns is Lovely Bride on Dunlavy Street. 

GETAWAY CAR

In this case, there were two awesome cars involved. The car that dropped Meghan off was a vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom IV. Did you see that thing? What a beauty. The James Bond-esque getaway car was a silver blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero car. According to fortune.com, the car was originally manufactured in 1968, but has since been converted to electric. It even had a custom license plate to reflect their wedding date. Now that was a sexy car. Two businesses in the Houston area that have vintage rental cars for things like wedding getaways, is Lonestar Classic Motors and Jordan Limousines, whose tagline is "We treat you like royalty!" SO there you have it. Even more of a chance that you'll feel like you're having your own royal wedding!

WHITE BOUQUETS WITH GREENERY

The last three major royal wedding bouquets had one thing in common: their organic color palette. All white blooms with some greenery. You could either have a bouquet composed of many sprigs of one type of white bloom, or a variety of white blooms with some greenery. I'm all for this neutral, classic color palette! Some of my favorite Texas florists are The Petaler, Clementine, Maxit Flower Design, and Sprout Flowers.

Whatever you end up doing to make sure you're treated like royalty on your wedding day, you want to make sure you have the right photographer for you to have it all documented well. Otherwise, what's the point of all of your meticulous planning? If you find that you enjoy film photography, I'd love to talk to you about your wedding day photography. You can shoot me an email and let me know how you plan on work in some royal wedding touches into your own special day. Have a great week!

BENEFITS OF A FIRST LOOK

BENEFITS OF A FIRST LOOK

I am going to start by saying that I am heavily in favor of couples doing a first look. I think they're magical, beautiful, and emotional in all the good ways. All of the beautiful photography aside, they are efficient as heck for your wedding day timeline. Here are my favorite reasons why I will always encourage a couple to do a first look on their wedding day:

During a first look, you two can actually talk to one another and express your feelings

Imagine, you're walking down the aisle to the person you're about to marry. You didn't do a first look, so this is your first time seeing them on your wedding day. You're so incredibly happy and excited, and you meet at the front of the alter or ceremony space in front of 100 other guests. All eyes are on you. And then the ceremony starts. You can't tell your betrothed how beautiful she looks in her stunning beaded gown, or how handsome he looks in his tailored charcoal tux. You can't hug or talk about how you're feeling or how your morning has been, or do anything beyond a smile. After your ceremony, any readings or religious traditions, your first kiss, and recession down then the aisle, then you're allowed to talk to your new spouse. But not for long, because then we're straight into formal portraits with wedding party and family, making sure to stay on our strict ceremony/ reception transition timeline.

Had you done a first look, you get to talk, hug, cry, happy dance, or express yourself to your betrothed. You're allowed to be authentic and real, and all of those beautiful moments are artfully photographed. These are the images that truly represent you.

It's a private moment between two best friends, not a public moment with all of your guests

This one is pretty self explanatory. A first look with your best friend without 200 pairs of eyes on you really take the pressure off you & give the two of you some time to relax and breathe before the scheduled festivities of the day begin. 

Adds efficiency to your wedding day timeline

When you choose to do a first look and portraits as a couple before your ceremony, we can also knock out all of the formal family & wedding party portraits that would typically happen after the ceremony. The reason we are able to do them pre-ceremony, is because you've already seen your fiancé and are now able to pose for formal family photos together. This also means that you & your new spouse and your families can join in on the festivities without formal portrait time cutting into your cocktail hour or time spent with your guests at the reception. When your wedding planner + wedding photographer are crafting your wedding day timeline to include a first look, you would simply inform immediate family (parents, siblings, and grandparents) to arrive about an hour and a half before the ceremony start time in order to get those photos out of the way. 

Control over the aesthetics of your first look photos

If you choose to do a first look, we can choose a location on the grounds of your venue (or even somewhere nearby the venue, if you want some variety in your wedding photo gallery) if there's great lighting & a beautiful backdrop. We have 100% control over this with no rules or restrictions, which is a nice option since some ceremony venues have restrictions for photographers during wedding ceremonies. You first look at your new husband or wife would be beautiful and authentic, and in a location of your choosing!

If you're still not convinced that you should do a first look at your wedding, then you're wrong ;) on a more serious note, I'd love to answer any questions you might have about planning your own first look for your wedding!

Photographer: Christine Gosch | Varying Houston, Texas wedding venues | Film: The FIND Lab