What to Worry About on Your Wedding Day.

Even after months of planning, the list of things that could "go wrong" is daunting to think about. No matter how organized you are, it doesn't feel good to think about the unknown "what ifs"...

so we say just don't.

And from a photography/videography standpoint, we'll share how we roll so you can sleep easy tonight.

What if

there is tons of traffic:

We are crazy ridiculous about leaving early. The further away your wedding is, the more (extra) time we allow. We are committed to being on time.

one of our cameras break:

Whether we are shooting alone or together, we both shoot with two cameras just in case. We also have multiple lenses at our disposal. 

We also carry extra batteries for both our cameras and our flashes.

it rains on my wedding day:

I hope it doesn't (though rainy days are my favourite in general).

But if it does, then we'll deal with it. 

I've stood out in the rain before to take photos of families standing inside. We've recently bought some beautiful, clear umbrellas for just  such a scenario. And more than that, it rarely rains the entire day. In our experience, even on the rainiest of days, we've found small pockets of time to take photos outside-as long as you're up for an adventure and willing to get a teensy bit damp, then so are we!

These are all photos from rainy wedding days:

Your day is going to be perfect-tiny mishaps make for wonderful stories later. So just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. At the end of the day, you'll be married no matter what. We can't wait!

xo.

And on this rainy, rainy day, it even got sunny at the end.

As the premier photographers in Guelph, Kitchener, Toronto and Niagara, we love capturing the moments from your wedding day. We also travel internationally and all over Ontario with our work. This stunning moment is from a wedding we documented in Thunder Bay. 

The Case for a #

So many mothers feel your wedding is about them-their status, the wedding they didn't get to have, the friends they want to invite, their chance to show you off...well, you know. The list goes on.

Their list of advice and requests can be as long as Rapunzel's hair and they often don't take "No" for an answer. Their tidbits come in early morning phone calls and late-night texts. They make passive aggressive comments at your bridal shower and answer for you when you're asked a question.

I mean, I love your mom; you love your mom. But let's be real: we all know this can vacillate between being Highly Amusing for the stories it creates and utter frustration.

But this subject my pets, is a story for another blog. 

Because the one thing your mom will neglect to suggest is a thing so commonplace it's often overlooked, but so valuable that you will roll your eyes if you forget to make it happen. Namely this: a hashtag for your wedding.

Last decade we bought disposable cameras and left them on each guest table. This year, the guests bring their own cameras in the form of their phones and snap away. We know you look good, but so do they and they want the world to know it.

But you may not ever see these photos unless you create your simple, (clever if you're feeling extra inspired) wedding handle.

#jonathanloveslayne

#jonathanisTheCutest

#jonolayniestory

It's fun to have the collection to scroll through in the week right after your wedding...and in all the coming months as well. 

Let's be honest; in 10 years, hashtags, like floral crowns, may be gone with wind, but for now, they are shiny and sweet and need to make your wedding cut. Plus, they are budget friendly!

Spoiler alert: we often put different sneak peeks of your big day on our instagram (@jonolaynie) as well as on our Facebook page. We like the love to be spread far and wide.

If you create it soon enough, it's fun to have for your wedding showers and you can continue it through your honeymoon..or even through your marriage if you choose carefully.

But before you jump on your hashtag bandwagon, let's talk about some common # mistakes:

1. Making your # too complicated (this includes tricky spelling). Your guests will love #'ing your wedding away, but if you make it too long or include names that are hard to spell, they may just give up or in their happy, open-bar state, create their own version of your brand. Your eyes will never gaze upon those sweet snaps.

2. Not prominently displaying your sign. People need a big, fatty sign with a couple of helpful announcements from the DJ throughout the night. If you just put it on a crowded table, many may overlook this.

Who knows. Maybe Sally danced with Jonny for hours at your wedding but he failed to get her number. Thanks to your helpful hashtag love, he can contact her the very next day without having to track her down through the string of connections. And boom goes the love. And there you have it, you little matchmaker, you.

Okay, now you are ready-go forth and create your hashtag dreams! We believe in you.

Happy week, peeps.

xo.

Ideal Photo Locations.

First, I'll let you peruse these images and see if you can tell what all of them have in common:

"Blank" spaces, blank spaces, blank spaces, Space, and lots of shade. That's all we need to create the wedding photos of your dreams.

We are professional photographers and videographers in the Hamilton, Brantford, London, Burlington, Ancaster, Oakville, Cambridge, Toronto and Niagara regions. We bring timeless and breathtaking wedding photography to couples in the Greater Toronto Area like it's our job. Oh wait...it is.

How to Timeline your Wedding Day

Happy Monday beautiful brides (brides-to-be and my parents.)

We love sunset photos with our bride and groom. It's one of our favourite parts of documenting any wedding day. 

Today we're going to chat about something that most couples struggle with at least on some level-timelining your wedding so that your day is seamless. 

The struggle is real, and also completely understandable. Presumably you've never planned a wedding before, so you don't have a gauge on how much time to allot for what.

We, the wedding whisperers, having planned our own wedding and documented dozens (hundreds?) of others, are here to hold your hand and help you out. 

Obviously we think that the wedding photography and videography is pretty important so this timeline *may* be a bit biased. 

But hey-you're paying us for greatness; give us time to shine.

We believe in excellence and creativity in all we do. We are passionate about telling your story-it's so worth telling. We work primarily in the Toronto and Niagara regions (Oakville, Burlington, Cambridge, Kitchener), but also document weddings in faraway places-like this one in Thunder Bay.

Let's say you've hired us for 8 hours, our standard day package. Here's how we'd suggest using your time.

12:00 Getting Ready & Details (shoes, dress, invitation, flowers, etccc. It's ideal for these to be in a corner waiting for us. Perfect job for one of your hottie bridesmaids.)

1:00 All Hair and Makeup Finished. Put dress on.

1:15 Travel to first look

1:45 First Look

2:00 Bride and Groom Portraits
2:30 Family Portraits
3:00 Bridal Party photos

3:45 Break for you / details, details, Details for us (we especially like this because it's nice to get all the reception details you worked so hard on before your guests stampede in.)

4:15 Ceremony Begins

4:40 Ceremony Ends

4:45 The Couple (it's pretty sweet to document the first few moments of your wedded life. Why not sneak away and relish it together...and let us document the love?!)

5:15 Couple Joins the Cocktail Hour

6 Reception entrance

6:15 First Dance/s (*we recommend scheduling all the important bits on the front end of the reception-at least all the important bits you definitely want documented.)

6:30-8 Dinner/Speeches

7:30 sneak away for sunset photos

8 Cake cutting

8:05 We sneak away to post a sneak peek on our Facebook page and you party the night away

Obviously you need to make this fit your special day and we're here to accommodate in any way we can.

We understand that timelines get off and we gift you about half an hour of flex time; we don't just rush out the door as soon as our time is up. We want to do an Amazing job for you and capture so many special memories from you day.

There is always the option to add an extra hour or two, even on the day of your wedding. 

Andddddd for some couples, a first look is not in the cards. Perhaps your schedule would look more like this:

12:00 Getting Ready &  Details
1:00 Hair and Makeup Finished-dress on
1:15 Dress On; Final Touches

Getting ready photos are a fantastic way for us to document all the quiet, special moments of your wedding day. 

All of our wedding photography packages come with a layflat photo book and having the full spectrum of moments from the day are a way to share the story of your wedding day.

1:45 ceremony

2:15 Bride and Groom Portraits
2:45 Family Portraits
3:05 Bridal Party

Carmens Lakeview is one of our favourite wedding venues in Hamilton.

Another sweet capture from Jessa and Dan's wedding at Lakeview. Bridal party photos are a fun place to get creative and think outside the box.

3:25 Photos of the two of you.

Having lots of time to document all the LOVE between our sweet couples is one of our highlights of the wedding day. We recommend leaving around half an hour for photos of the two of you.

3:45 Break / Details, Details!
4:00 Cocktail Hour begins
6 Reception starts

Either way, we recommend 1-2 hours for getting ready photos, 1.5-2 hours of official photos (family, bridal party, you two), making sure you account for travel time and prioritizing your reception to get the photos that are the most important to you. (***If you only have one photographer it's especially important to add more time for your photos!**)

In addition, it never hurts to pad your schedule with half an hour here or there for more photos or simply to rest and enjoy your day.

It's better to have more time than less.

Let us know if you have any questions. We can't wait to document your day. And we want to do everything we can to help you feel relaxed and peaceful about all the details we can.

xoxo.

L + J

Let's Schedule in Sunset Photos

This little tidbit is on the top 5 list of important things I'd advise for any couple.

First of all, we always want to prioritize photos of the two of you. 

Secondly, you'll probably be needing a break mid-reception and a breath of fresh air with just the two of you should be just the thing.

Also, the lighting during sunset is unreal, our absolute fave, so why not take advantage? After all, it's YOUR wedding day.

Take a 10 minute break with us at sunset and hang the photos we get for years to come on your walls.

You're welcome-this is why you hired us.

xo.

We captured this gorgeous couple on their wedding day in Idaho. We love that our photography and videography takes us to the corners of the globe to document weddings and families.

It's all about the Details

As we wind down on our summer-long series about the dance between your wedding day + our photography, we wanted to give a shout out to some of our all-time favourite details.

We're committed to capturing all the special bits of your wedding-from your tears to your first kiss and all the beautiful details in between.

So be inspired today and dream away about the particulars of your own big day.

We can't wait.

xo.