Finding the ideal photo location for your wedding can be quite a task. And that’s why we’re writing this blog post, so the search might be a little easier. Below are a few points that you can take a moment to consider.
What type of photo location appeals to you?
First, check with yourself. What really appeals to you and your soon-to-be? We hear from many couples that they want to be photographed in nature. And we always like to do that ourselves. But maybe you just love the beach, or a newly landscaped park, or an industrial factory hall. If you know exactly what you are looking for, you can begin your search. In the case of natural locations, you could go for example for that nature reserve where you walk your dog or that piece of heathland where you go for a walk on Sundays. If you like industrial locations you can look in port areas, for example. If you have your eye on a beautiful old shed, try to get in touch with someone who works there or with the manager. And if you really have no idea at all, ask your friends and family for advice. If they live in the same area as where you are getting married, they may still be able to come up with original places!
How much time do you have on the wedding day to do the shoot?
We advise our couples to reserve at least one hour for the photo shoot alone. Travel time adds to that. If you have a lot of time for the photo shoot, it is often not a problem to drive a bit by car. But if you don’t have that much time, choose a location that is close to your wedding venue, or maybe you can be photographed at the wedding venue itself. Many venues have beautiful landscaped gardens of their own, or an adjacent forest or perhaps a beautiful staircase. Take advantage of this. So if you have all the time in the world, you can also be photographed anywhere, but if you are limited in your time, choose a nearby photo location.
Do you need to consider your clothing during the day?
Some brides have a beautiful elaborate wedding dress. A dress with a mega-long veil and towering heels as well. Particularly beautiful of course, but then it may not be very convenient to be photographed in the middle of the forest. We always tell our brides that the dress is going to get dirty (on the bottom) and that that’s okay. Because you’ll often get beautiful and relaxing photos. But if you really don’t want a dirty dress, choose a location where you can be photographed directly inside, for example. Or a location where the grass is cut short and dry. Or maybe you have a beautiful home and can be photographed in that home.
And now to work on finding that beautiful photo location for your wedding day.
Prior to your wedding, start looking for beautiful places to visit between your starting location (often your own home, your parents’ home or a hotel) and the wedding venue. We encourage our couples to take a few photos with their cell phones and send them to us. So we can check if the location will work. And possibly we can also choose a location together.
In addition, you can sometimes discover locations through Google Maps. One example is Landgoed Rhederoord. The location is beautiful in itself, but if you look via Google Maps you will also see that nearby is a beautiful nature reserve called De Posbank. Searching this way can save you a lot of time. And Google Images can also provide a clear picture of what is possible at a location. By the way, the website http://www.snapspots.nl/fotolocaties/ can also give you good ideas.
Additional tips
– ask if your wedding photographer knows any beautiful photo locations where he/she would like to shoot
– while you’re at it, immediately look around for good indoor venues for when it rains
– if you have enough time for the photo shoot it is also possible to visit more than one location
– Putting a garbage bag or rug under your dress while shooting really doesn’t work. It takes a lot of time to get it out from under your dress and it also makes the shoot very static. So if you really don’t want your dress to get dirty, choose a somewhat cleaner location
– If you are getting married in the summer, try to pick your photo shoot location during the summer or fall as well. Natural locations in particular can change very much through the seasons.
Have fun finding your ideal photo location! And if you are looking for an indoor location for the photo shoot, just click on the link.
