HOW TO GET YOUR WEDDING PUBLISHED IN MAGAZINES AND BLOGS
So many couples would love to be published on a beautiful blog or magazine (such a perfect keepsake!) but with so many fine art weddings out there what makes yours stick out? With my experience as art director at WEDDING magazine, I get asked a lot from my couples – what makes a wedding publishable? With all the beautiful wedding blogs and publications out there in print and online to inspire us, it can be overwhelming to take everything in. Once you’ve pinned your ideal wedding onto your Pinterest boards and saved all your favourite images on Instagram, how can you maintain consistency in your wedding style to make sure your wedding day is as timeless and stylish as possible?
Here are some great fine art wedding photography tips I’ve learned from being published in a few magazines and blogs:
STYLING
The magazines see all too often, the over-use of styling and props in a wedding to make it more ‘submission worthy’ and it doesn’t always work. Usually the vast majority of styling ‘props’ can date the event in question and make it trend-driven. Not something publications look for. I’ve seen weddings with props that make no sense; imagine brides holding golden sprayed pineapples in the middle of a mountain setting. Why? It’s props for the sake of props, your styling and props should mean something to you and be part of the day as a whole, not just for the sake it. Less is more when it comes to styling and don’t forget to consider hiring a stylist or planner if you’re not confident to get a wide range of images to ensure the wedding has depth, variety and cohesiveness.
INSPIRATION – Think about where you get your inspiration from. If you’re only looking at other weddings that have already been published, remember you’ll simply be replicating styles that were trendy the previous year and your wedding may not be for another 12 months. When you’re on Pinterest, try pinning textures, interior shots, emotions etc. Lots of images that are non-wedding related. You can find inspiration in art, music, nature and anything that interests you as a couple. You’ll always get the best results if you incorporate your style and tastes as a couple and individuals. Take a look at US and bigger blogs too remembering that they are often ahead of the trend curve here in the UK. Try Style Me Pretty, Once Wed, Wedding Sparrow and Magnolia Rouge for online inspiration and Geraldine, Martha Stewart Weddings and the Knot for printed magazines.
IMAGERY
In terms of photography, it’s my job to ensure your day looks perfect even down to the smallest details. I would never shoot details as a second thought. If we think about wedding stationery as an example, we often see the suite haphazardly placed on the nearest floor surface next to a window for the natural light on the day of the wedding at the reception venue. My years of experience as art director at wedding magazine as well as 14 years photographing weddings means I know how much these details mean, how many hours you’ve spent on them.
When this image is placed within the submission and it has to complement the outdoor portraits, linen tablescapes and organic florals, the dark wooden floors of the reception venue never make the stationery look good. Your photographer should never shoot the details of the wedding without thinking of the wedding as a whole. Photographers can take styling boards to weddings or simply some linens in neutral colours. And remember often less can be more, if the details are really beautiful and thought through, but equally remember you dont have to have the details on every table, you can make your top table the wow factor.
This is why I ask my couples to share pinterest boards and their styling inspiration and colour beforehand so you’re never relying on the venue itself for places to put the details (bouquets included!) when you come to submit the wedding. Don’t underestimate the use of space either. Space can be so emotive in an image and magazine editors love to see a great use of space in luxury wedding photography. They also love to see out of focus shots, macro shots, emotive shots and details such as movement, make up details and the classic back of head shot (this does great on Instagram and Pinterest!). Overall, your wedding day must reflect you as individuals and as a couple! Enjoy the planning and make it fun!
And as wedding photographers it’s our job to ensure you get the best images from your day so you can relax as much as possible for the celebrations! A relaxed and happy bride makes the most publishable wedding for sure.
Tips by Sara of fine art wedding blog Wedding Sparrow and Julia – of Julia and You LTD. Julia a fine art wedding photographer and for many years art director of top glossy bridal magazine – WEDDING. Her weddings are regularly featured in the top wedding magazines as well as famous wedding blogs, including – You and Your wedding, Wedding magazine, Perfect wedding, County wedding magazines, Rock my wedding, Love my dress, Whimsical wonderland weddings and Plans and presents amongst others
