Wedding Wednesday is a weekly feature discussing all things wedding-related! To suggest a topic or question, contact Gwen at info@gwendolyntundermann.com.

They say rain on your wedding day is good luck, but no bride feels very lucky when it rains on her wedding day. All brides imagine the day with sunshine and blue skies. I know that’s what I envisioned when we planned our destination wedding in Jamaica. And I was SO sure I’d get my sunshine. After all, we were smart and looked at the average rainfall in Jamaica and chose February, which had the least amount of rain. I checked the weather reports almost daily, and the chance of rain leading up to the big day was 20% or lower. So I just KNEW it wouldn’t rain on my special day! The one we traveled to beautiful sunny Jamaica for to have our dream wedding in a tropical garden. Not a chance!

I think you know what’s coming next. Not only did it rain on our wedding day – during our outdoor ceremony – it rained HARD! We should have changed our first dance to “Ironic” by Alanis Morrissette: “It’s like rain on your wedding day.” I love hearing Matt tell the story because he’s so animated when he explains how the sky just opened and WHOOSH… downpour! Was our wedding day ruined? Not at all! We had to laugh about it. After the brief, but heavy, shower it was the most beautiful sunny day. As Matt says, it was “Game on!” once the sun came back out. We continued the ceremony and I’d say our officiant was right about the rain being lucky, because here we are happily married!

AND I have a personal story to share with our brides when it rains on their wedding day!

I’m editing a beautiful August wedding right now, and as I looked through the formal photos I realized that had it not been raining we wouldn’t have used this beautiful location:

It also would have been brutally hot and the light would have been brighter. Instead, we had a beautiful location that was dry, quiet, and had gorgeous light! Their family photos are some of my favorites ever, and I just love the shot above. I’m pretty sure the smiles on their faces show that no rain was going to take away from their happiness!

Back when I used to shoot nature photography, I took a photo of a yellow lily after a rain shower. I was captivated by the way the light reflected in raindrops on the petals, and I’m still influenced by that image to this day. When the sun shines after a rain shower, colors are so vibrant! So when I see rain early in the wedding day and the sun peeks back out, I started getting REALLY excited! Below is a shot from Beth & Mark’s wedding at the Jacksonville Zoo, and it’s still one of my favorite images. The bright colors and the playful expression on Mark’s face just make this such a cute image!

When we shot Becky & Matt’s Pittsburgh wedding in June, we were so excited because of the amount of time we had for photos between the ceremony and reception. They rented a trolley and we planned to go to Mt Washington and a few other places. We were like SWEET!! Then… it rained. Streets were seriously flooded. It was ugly, but Becky & Matt didn’t let it ruin their day. They are just awesome like that! We STILL went to Mt Washington for some outdoor photos, gray skies and all, and they rocked it out with cute umbrellas!

Honestly, had it been bright and sunny the city buildings might have been overexposed because I would have tried to shade them for even light and been metering for their faces. Instead, we had nice even light on Becky & Matt and also the background, plus I just think they look adorable kissing under the umbrella! : )

So while we wish for sunny skies and fluffy clouds for all our couples, we hope that they understand that you can still have a gorgeous wedding (and photos) on a rainy day! Rain or shine, the most important thing to remember is that out of everyone in the world, he (or she) chose YOU!

Wedding Wednesday is a weekly feature discussing all things wedding-related! To suggest a topic or question, contact Gwen at info@gwendolyntundermann.com.

Weddings are a celebration to be shared with those who are most important in your life. However, a wedding can be a bittersweet event when a special loved one has passed. We both lost grandparents before we got married – four to be exact – and in just the span of two years. When we planned out our wedding, it was important honor the memory our grandparents in our ceremony. And since we’ve been asked by a few couples for ideas, here’s a few ideas for honoring relatives at your wedding:

Program – Often couples will thank guests for attending and also mention the loved ones who were not able to celebrate with them but are with them in spirit.

Reserved Seats – We’ve been to a couple of weddings where a few seats in the front row have been set aside for relatives who have passed away or can’t make it to the ceremony. The seats will often have ribbons or flowers on them as well.

Something Old – Gwen wore her grandmother’s ring and a necklace that belonged to my grandmother on our wedding day. Other brides may wear a veil, brooch, or handkerchief that belonged to someone special. Michelle honored her father’s memory by wrapping his military tags around her bouquet.

Moment of Silence – This is a very simple but nice way to honor family members as part of the actual ceremony. A moment of silence can be incorporated into the opening prayers or as a standalone part of the ceremony. An amazing example of a Moment of Silence, and something that gives me goose bumps whenever I think about it, is our friend’s wedding, when she had a moment of prayer for her father, and as everyone prayed, this huge flock of seabirds rose up off the sand and flew right over the ceremony. A very magical moment.

Photos – Gwen and I chose this for our ceremony, where we brought along framed pictures of our grandparents to display off to the side during our ceremony. We had a small table set up with pictures of our loved ones looking over our ceremony. It felt like they were there with us and really made our ceremony that much more special. You can also incorporate photos in unique ways. Becky added a childhood photo of her and her grandmother on her handkerchief and Shannon had photos of her grandparents sewn into her dress!

Flowers or Candles – A few couples have chosen to light a candle or display a bouquet to represent their loved ones who have passed on.

Dove, Butterfly, or Balloon Release – During our wedding, our officiant read a passage about doves and announced that our dove release was in honor of our grandparents. Lisa and Bryan released balloons to honor the memory of their parents who had passed. It was such a beautiful and touching gesture of love.

In addition to honoring your relatives who have passed, you should also remember to honor your relatives who are still living, especially those who are present at your wedding. We’ve seen some sweet moments, like the bride’s grandfather giving the blessing for the dinner, the groom dancing with his grandmother, or the couple giving a toast to honor a special aunt or uncle.

Finding a way to honor the people who you’ve depended on and who have supported you throughout your life is an amazing opportunity for you to show your love to them and can really add a little extra something to your special day. What are some unique and touching ways that you have remembered love ones in your special day?

And to our grandparents, Gwen and I want to say that we love and miss you everyday.

Wedding Wednesday is a weekly feature discussing all things wedding-related! To suggest a topic or question, contact Gwen at info@gwendolyntundermann.com.

After all the excitement of the wedding ceremony, taking pictures, getting to the reception…a very important part of the wedding often gets overlooked – the Toasts. The traditional wedding toasts are usually about giving the bride and groom’s maid of honor, best man, parents, and other wedding party members an opportunity to salute them and raise a glass to their happiness.

While the toasts are usually very heartfelt and sometimes have some humor mixed in, most couples probably have no idea what’s coming their way and may feel some trepidation. In addition, the people giving the toasts can often get a little nervous about speaking in front of a group of people. Here are some tips for both the bride and groom and their toasters-to-be when considering when and how to plan out the toasts.

1. Toasts can be given at any point during the reception. There’s no perfect time, it’s just a matter of preference. But one idea to consider is that if you choose to serve alcohol at your reception and plan the toasts for later in the reception, alcohol may affect the content and length of those toasts. Immediately before or after the reception dinner is often the best time for giving the toasts, as most of the guests are already sitting, making it easier for the toaster to be seen and heard.

2. Open ended vs limited number – some couples prefer to limit the toasts being given to a few select people; usually the maid of honor and best man. Also, the parents of the bride and groom may be given the opportunity to speak. However, other couples choose to let any and all family members and guests who wish to speak an opportunity to get up and say a few words. Just keep in mind that if you want to keep your reception moving along, hosting an “open mic” night may slow things down a bit. If you do intend to limit the toasts, make sure you let your DJ or coordinator know that only certain people will be speaking.

3. Prepare your toast ahead of time – this advice is more for the maid of honor, best man, and family members who have been asked to speak. Too often, a toaster will try to “wing it” when giving their toast and too often, the toast devolves into a rambling story. Preparing a toast ahead of time and even rehearsing it in front of a friend will not only help you feel more comfortable with speaking in front of the other guests but will also help you avoid giving a boring, rambling speech.

4. Keep it sweet and keep it clean – some of the best speeches we have heard at receptions are sweet and from the heart. An especially heartfelt toast can move everyone to tears (photographers love to see people squirt tears!!). It’s also okay to mix in a few jokes or tell a funny story about the bride or groom, but remember who your audience is. Telling a story about an especially crazy party night in college may not go over well with the parents. If you’re going to have a little fun at the bride and groom’s expense, make it a funny, innocent story. The wedding reception is no time to air their dirty laundry.

5. Toast from the couple – some couples choose to give a toast of their own. Toasts to their parents, friends, family, and guests are a nice way of thanking them all for attending the wedding. Couples will sometimes give a toast after the very end of the reception as a way to thank everyone for coming and to officially end the reception. A bride and/or groom may also choose to toast their significant other, which can also be another very sweet touch.

In the end, remember that toasts can be fun, but should be given some thought, not only when planning when to give them during the reception but planning how long to dedicate to toasts, who will be giving the toasts, and what content is suitable. Above all else, make sure to remember that the toasts are meant to be fun, sweet, and a way to honor the bride and groom’s special day.

Wedding Wednesday is a weekly feature discussing all things wedding-related! To suggest a topic or question, contact Gwen at info@gwendolyntundermann.com.

Spending time with the bride in the hours leading up to the ceremony is my absolute favorite part of the wedding day! Some people love the party aspect of the reception, but I love that quiet, intimate time and all of the excitement and anticipation of the morning of the big day. The “this is it” feeling that brides have after months and months of planning and dreaming. The ritual of getting pampered and primped and looking like a princess. The shoes, the bling… and the dress! I love it all!

My favorite images of the day often come from the getting ready part, but I think brides sometimes overlook the importance of the setting for their getting ready photos. They think about the location for the ceremony, the perfect setting for the reception, and also where the group and B&G photos will be taken, but where the bride gets ready is also very important. First, it sets the tone for the bride. Getting ready is a ceremony in itself. It’s a special time spent with her closest girlfriends, mother, and other important women in her life, so it’s essential to make sure you have enough room for them all to be there:

The gorgeous image above is a shot from one of our weddings last weekend. Doesn’t it intrigue you and make you want to see the rest of the wedding photos? Every great story has to grab the audience from the beginning, and that goes for your wedding story as well!

In addition to lots of space (the more, the better), it’s important to make sure that space is tidy. If the girls all had a slumber party in the hotel suite and there are piles of clothes on the floor, they will be in the pictures! Other common distractions include open closets/doors, suitcases, and a messy bed. I’ll usually tidy up the room if it needs it, but I’d rather get straight to creating!

Usually I will position the bride in the most open space in the room and try to use a plain background behind her. However, in this image below the church had a room for the bride and it had the most charming wallpaper. I fell in love with it and positioned the bride in front of it. The result was a series of shots that were my favorite shots of the day. These were captured just moments before she walked down the aisle:

It’s also very important to have good light. I don’t mean a lamp or overhead lights, either. I bet I just made a bunch of photogs cringe at the thought of icky yellow light! That’s because it’s not flattering or pretty. The best light is natural light, so a room with large windows is perfect!

Before we head to the ceremony, I love getting a beautiful portrait of the bride. She just saw herself in the mirror after hours of getting hair and makeup done and putting on the dress and jewelry, and she KNOWS she looks amazing! She’s confident and glowing and it’s the last photos I’ll take before she marries the love of her life!

Ahhhhhh! I love it! I just love seeing these lovely ladies that I’ve been getting to know for the past year see their dream day come to life. It’s such an incredible thing to observe, and often by the time the ceremony arrives I’m just ready to cry. And often times I DO cry! Hey, if I wasn’t a sappy romantic I would probably be doing something else! Instead, I get to document the most important day in a couple’s life!

Next week, I’ll have Matt share the guy’s perspective. He and I can’t wait to see each other and share our images from the getting ready part. He gets some pretty killer guy shots, so make sure to come back next Wednesday to check it out!

Wedding Wednesday is a weekly feature discussing all things wedding-related! To suggest a topic or question, contact Gwen at info@gwendolyntundermann.com.

Group photos are some of the most posed photos for a wedding, but setting them up can be one of the biggest challenges for your photographer. Depending on the size of the group and the number of shots desired, getting group shots done quickly can be quite difficult. The quicker the group shots happen, the more time you will have for your couple shots. Here are a five tips to help your photographer get the group shots done in 30 minutes or less and get you to your reception faster:

1. Make a shot list.
Most photographers know the standard list of shots that a couple will want, ie. wedding party, parents, siblings, etc. But if there are any particular group shots you want, you should make sure your photographers know. Keep in mind that you don’t need every imaginable combination of photos. Once the ceremony has ended, everyone (especially the bride and groom!) is anxious to get to the reception and celebrate! Keep the group photos simple.

2. Appoint someone to help set up the shots.
Having a bridesmaid, groomsmen, or best friend help organize people into the group shots will make things go faster. Think of it as crowd control. And having someone who’s familiar with your friends and family and can help group them will free up your photographer to concentrate on the photos.

3. Limit the people hanging around to those who will be in the pictures.
Having extra people around will just prove to be a distraction to those in the photos. The more people hanging around, the longer the photos will take. Having more people around also tends to lead to shots that are not on the list, which adds to the time it will take to get through the group shots. Also consider doing family shots first, dismissing them to the reception, then moving on to wedding party photos.

4. Put the cameras away.
So many group shots are ruined because one person is looking off at the camera being held by Uncle Louis off to the side. The best thing for not only getting everyone to look in the same direction but to also make your photos go faster is to ask any friends or relatives to put their cameras away.

5. Pick a good setting.
To help make your photos look better, make sure you pick a nice setting with good lighting. When you talk with your photographer about possible locations, try to pick one that is easy to access and has even lighting. Your group shots will look better. You might want to also consider a location on the way to your reception if they’re in a different location than your ceremony. That will also help limit the number of people there, as mentioned in Point 3.

Remember, following these tips can help you and your photographers get the group shots you want in less time so you can get to the party faster!

Wedding Wednesday is a weekly feature discussing all things wedding-related! To suggest a topic or question, contact Gwen at info@gwendolyntundermann.com.

Last week, we discussed what to wear to your engagement photo session, so I thought this week it would make sense to follow up with more information about the engagement session!

When we plan an engagement session with a couple, we begin by sending them a fun little Q&A that helps us get to know more about their personalities. Engagement photos should be a reflection of your relationship, not just a beautiful portrait. We do some of those, too, but we really love to get couples in their element where they will forget that the photos are being taken. Sometimes through the Q&A we discover something really unique about the relationship and it gives us an idea for the photo session!

This is one of my favorite stories! Sheba & Nolan’s first date involved wine and great conversation, so we shot the first part of their engagement session at a wine bar. We also learned that not only do they both love poker (and they are fun to watch because they are both competitive) but Nolan is so good at poker that he bought Sheba’s gorgeous ring with his winnings from a poker tournament! You can see more from their engagement photo session in St. Augustine by clicking the link, but I thought I’d share one of my favorites here:

Sheba & Nolan's St. Augustine Engagement Photos

It’s definitely fun to come up with something unique for your engagement photos! Some of the craziest locations make the best backdrops. If you don’t believe me, check out this shot I took at a Jacksonville shootout:

Jax Shoot Club

That shot was taken underneath a plain looking overpass, but it ended up being a killer shot. So never underestimate the potential of a location. It’s the different locations that can really be the most interesting!

Another suggestion is to find a location that has really unique decor (like a hotel) but that usually requires permission. Every photographer has a different policy, but our policy is that when we are commissioned for a photo session it is the responsibility of the couple to get all permissions for use of anyone’s property. However, outdoor locations are generally fair game, especially if no one is around to kick you out. Not trying to break the law, but I’m just sayin’… : )

Another way to make your photo session unique is to do a shoot at night! Our favorite is to schedule something around sunset so we can also do a few at night, and a lot of times couples tell us that they didn’t realize they could do photos at night! Uh, heck yeah we can take photos at night! In fact, we have some great ideas that might only work at 3am (okay, let’s not get TOO crazy!).

I also want to throw in there the idea of doing an early morning session. I am not a morning person by any means, but I will absolutely get out of bed and grab a quad espresso coffee in exchange for beautiful light and no people around. Think about how lovely and quiet a 7am session would be! No one to stare or walk in the middle of the shot… definitely worth waking up early for!

Okay, I’m going to share one last image. This is from Christie & Mike’s St. Augustine engagement photo session. Mike wrote a song for Christie, so he brought his guitar to the shoot and sang for her. We ended up in front of the Castillo de San Marcos for what ended up being one of their favorite shots of the session:

Christie & Mike's St. Augustine Engagement Photos

These are just a few suggestions to help get you thinking about how you can make your engagement session fun and unique! It really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you have fun with it! : )

Next week, we are going to talk with some featured guests about ways to look and feel your best leading up to the big day!