1. Planning too many things into one day.
You might be the kind of person who likes sticking to a schedule to the smallest details and absolutely by the minute, I don't know. But believe me when I say your guests probably won't be, especially if it's a summer wedding and they're just looking to chill and enjoy themselves, and as the wedding day goes on trying to keep to a timetable while not impossible does become more and more challenging, and although I may not know you dear reader, one thing I can pretty much guarantee is regardless of your wedding timetable, "stress" will not be scheduled in at any point that day.

People take longer than normal to do anything on a wedding day, because like I said they want to relax as well as celebrate your wedding day. There doesn't need to be a rotation in activities or planned events every hour, relax and enjoy!
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2. Cocktail hour doesn’t have to be 1 hour.
This is carrying on a bit from my first point, but actually an hour can go quite fast if you have couples photos, group photos, congratulatory hugs, canapés and fizz drinking, trying to get round as many of your guests as you can, and potentially using a lawn game that you hired with your guests so they have something to do in that time.

Giving yourself an extra half an hour though can work wonders and alleviate the stress of trying to fit lots of things in. Plus if you have nibbles no one is going to be starving, and can wait a bit longer for dinner (and that's saying something coming from me as a big food lover!).

If you're having micro wedding, it might just be nicer to have half an hour or so of congratulatory hugs and fizz drinking, a few group photos and then go straight into dinner, so the time doesn't drag, totes up to you!



​3. Wedding cake – plans for actually eating it!
I've been to quite a few weddings now where the wedding cake is actually the dessert at dinner, genius!

Think about it, most people won't have wondered off between mains and desserts, so it's a great time to cut your cake (make sure you do mention this before you start dinner and in your wedding schedule for the day though so people know), plus you make sure that most of the cake does actually get eaten too, and everyone would have got a slice.

You don't have to do this of course, but please don't neglect that gorgeous wedding cake and make sure you have plans for displaying it beautifully, cutting it and getting it eaten by as many of your guests as possible.
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We on the Isle of Wight are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to places to go for a photo shoot, it can be a bit overwhelming choosing just one location for something so special.

​So in no particular order, here are some of many fantastic places on the island, that I've been to many times and are perfect for engagement shoots.
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Okay so this list might be in order in a way, because this is personally my favourite beach on the Isle of Wight. Partly because I have SO many happy memories of coming here as a child, but I think it is bloody gorgeous and it's a very diverse location too.

You can walk along the stunning clifftop for some photos, and then down the steps to the beach with its beautiful orange cliffs and iconic white chalk cliffs in the background. It's a lovely sandy beach, but when the tide goes out there's also lots of rocks to climb on too.

Just round the corner from Compton Bay, is Freshwater Bay. You might think as they're right next door to each other (and they're both "bays") that they are the same, but they are two completely different beauties. 

This bay is not sandy at all, and isn't as vast as Compton, there is also a lot more available in the way of cliffs. Many photos of the island that you'll see that aren't The Needles will probably be Freshwater Bay, and all along the military road (including Compton), and there's good reason for that.

1. PHOTOSHOPPING 😠
Yes I edit my photos, but no I will not edit someone to the point where they don’t look like themselves anymore. It’s more the exposure and colours in an image, not manipulating what you look like.

(Alright I’ll edit out an annoying pimple that popped up the day before or an unfortunate boggie, but they aren’t permanent and not a part of you, so fair to say you won’t want to remember those things!)


2. GENERIC OVER-POSED PHOTOS 🙄
You are not generic and your day isn’t either, so let’s do couples photos that are more unique and fits in with your relationship, your personalities and your wedding, you deserve that!


3. DIET CULTURE 🥗
Just no. Around weddings and life in general. I swear there are millions of companies out there that profit from you feeling like you’re not good enough, and I ain’t one of them. Your partner is marrying you for you, not your clothes size, and your wedding dress should fit you not you fitting into a bloody dress. Mic drop!
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How do you really choose the right Wedding Photographer for you?

Speaking as someone who people have chosen, and someone who had to do the choosing, here are some honest tips to help you find and choose the right photographic companion on your wedding day.

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1. DO YOU REALLY LIKE THEIR PHOTOS?
Starting out with a really obvious one I know, but sometimes wedding planning can feel like you're trying to get through a long to-do list, and if you're not careful some decisions can be a tad rushed. This is the person who is documenting the whole day and giving you your main record of it - the photos are important. Have a look at all their website and social media accounts, and don't be afraid to wait a couple of weeks for you both to mull it over.

2. DON’T HANG AROUND WHEN IT COMES TO BOOKING.
This kind of contradicts the end to point number one, but good wedding photographers notoriously get booked up QUICK, so honestly if you really like someone's work, you think they could be a great fit for you and you have a wedding date set, get in touch and see what the next steps are to booking them! Once a day is booked, it's gone.

3. START LOCALLY, AND THEN SHOP AROUND.
There are a lot of wedding photographers out there so do a local search first, even if it's just purely a starting point, then look further afield if no one grabs you. If you hire someone who isn't local you'll probably have to pay for their travel expenses, and whist this is fair there might be someone else you dig just as much locally.

4. DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THEM?
I'm going to be honest, your photographer is probably the one wedding supplier that you’ll spend the most time with. If you don’t click with them and they are not easy to be around, as talented as they might be photographically other things could really outweigh all of that. Meet up and/or do a phone/video chat with them if you can, and engagement shoots are also a great way to get to know them and see them in action.

5. DO THEY HAVE GOOD AND RELEVANT FEEDBACK?
Are you looking for a Photographer to take control, who is hugely outgoing and poses every one of your couple portraits, or are you looking for someone who is more laid back, is comfortable at giving directions when needed but does the candid thing a lot more. I'm more the latter, but neither is right or wrong in itself - it's whether or not it's right or wrong for you. Take the time to really read reviews online and see if it speaks to you both personally.

6. BINGE THEIR PORTFOLIO.
Don’t get me wrong I love Instagram and social media, BUT sometimes it doesn’t give a very in-depth view of how well a photographer can capture a wedding day in full. This is one of the reasons my website and blog posts are full of photos. It's one thing to have beautiful couple portraits, but did they photograph the wedding prep well? Did they capture a little moment between the bride and her best friend? What about the wedding details that took you weeks and months to plan, buy and get absolutely perfect? It’ll give you a better idea of if they'll give you a good coverage of the day. Click here to see my portfolio.

One more thing: DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS.
It comes as no surprise that as I am a wedding photographer I know a fair bit about weddings. Captain obvious right? But they are something I work on on a pretty much daily basis. If there is something you aren't sure about (it doesn't even need to be strictly photography related) just ask us! We don't bite and the worst thing really a photographer can say is "I don't know, sorry!"

Speaking of which, if you have any questions you'd like me to answer, feel free to ask. ​​​
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I hope you found this helpful and happy wedding planning!