This blog is inspired by Sheffield photographer Tom Hodgson’s article ‘Preserving the Magic of your Wedding day‘

As you’re swept up in the excitement of wedding planning, it can mean everything:

– to have a unique and amazing day
– to make your wedding memorable

We know loads of you will be focused on giving your guests a day to remember and a party they’ll remember for years to come!

And there’s more! Loads of you will be dreaming of creating a day the two of you will remember forever.

But will you be able to remember your day like it was yesterday? With our tips and advice, we think you will!

Here’s how to remember your amazing wedding forever!

Wedding planning needn’t be all about having the most beautiful-looking day. You might also want to focus on creating a wedding you can relive over and over again like it was yesterday.

That’s where your wedding photography comes in.

A great wedding photographer will capture the most authentic moments of your day.

Traditional wedding photography can be staged – and it sometimes looks that way too. You might remember posing for pictures with your folks, but will that be the best moment of your wedding?

Likewise the confetti shot: wedding photography’s traditional moment! It’s nice – it makes a great photo, but there are more little golden moments in a wedding for you to treasure.

“The best moments are the ones that are allowed to naturally unravel… the most genuine moments are the most meaningful” – Sheffield wedding photographer Tom Hodgson

Your wedding isn’t a performance!

As beautiful as we know your day will be, it’s not a staged performance for the camera.

You’re unlikely to want to spend hours posing for your photographer while your guests are partying elsewhere. So choose an authentic wedding photographer whose portfolio makes it really clear that they can capture incredible photos of the hidden little moments at your wedding!

As you browse wedding blogs and photographers’ galleries, think to yourselves: is this how we want to remember our day?

Learn to spot ‘posed’ images and spontaneous captures, and you’ll soon realise the beauty of a documentary wedding photographer to make amazing memories of your wedding!

Finding real emotion in key moments of your wedding

Always choose an experienced wedding photographer and one who will communicate with you in the run up to your wedding day.

A good photographer will know which are the key moments to photograph – and they won’t always be the standard ‘kiss the groom / bride’, ‘confetti’, ‘cut the cake’ and first dance shots.

Tom Hodgson lists some of his favourite key wedding moments:

• The first time someone sees you in your wedding outfit (e.g. your parent)
• The moment you and your fiancés eyes meet
• Exchanging wedding rings, if that’s part of your day
• Your slow dance at the evening reception
• The beat of the music as you dance the night away
• The joy that surrounds you both on the dance floor

These are just a few classic moments in weddings where you’ll feel ready to burst with joy. These are the memories you’ll want to squish up close to your hearts to keep forever. And this is why natural wedding images that capture those moments forever are so, so precious!

Wedding moments you won’t even expect

There’ll be wedding moments you miss, and ones you won’t realise are important until later.

Having a wedding photographer with you all day long means you’ll see more of those magical little reactions when your wedding photos come back.

For example, will you really remember exactly how you looked at each other as you said your vows?

Having the right wedding photographer who’ll look for authentic moments of your day means you’ll get to see how proud your dad looked as he walked you down the aisle, or how that very special person in your lives gave you the biggest hug EVER after the ceremony – and how good it felt!

There’ll be moments you miss as your other half is getting ready, or while you’re chatting to your guests and they’re mingling elsewhere. Some of these will bring a happy tear to your eye; some will bring a grin.

Throughout your wedding day, there will be all of these magical and emotional moments, and only your wedding photographer will be able to tell you about them all once the day is done.

This is why every wedding day is special.

I’ve said it before and I will never tire of saying it: you will both shine on your wedding day. You will be gorgeous and radiate happiness. Having your favourite people around you, hand in hand with your favourite person in the world – it’s going to feel fabulous.

And as Tom says on his wedding photography blog, a wedding will always be “a celebration that’s beautiful as it is, with no direction needed”.

Leanne & Callum, “I think the fact that we got to share such a special day surrounded by everyone we love in our favourite place was just magical and a feeling that we will hold with us forever! It was so lovely to see everyone having so much fun all day.”

A note from the editor

There can be a lot of stress piled on wedding planning. The pressure to have a ‘perfect’ wedding is too much – but knowing that no matter what goes wrong, regardless of how much time you spend styling the decor beforehand, the two of you will shine with joy on the day – that’s priceless. That’s what we’d love for you to know now, and to remember in twenty years time!

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Yorkshire and Peak District wedding photographer Tom Hodgson is a member of English Wedding

Web: https://www.tomhodgson.co.uk

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