Hawaii “Fairy-tale” Wedding
Can you pick a better location than Hawaii to shoot a wedding? We think not! As Hawaii is one of our favorite places in the world, not to mention the wildly fun and positive wedding party, there was a perfect storm in the works!
Like most destination weddings, this was more than a wedding, it was a retreat! With over 2 days of activities and fairly good size of group, it was obvious that this took some good planning, and it really paid off. They had everything planned down to the minute, so there was little room for error, which made our job that much easier.
Here are a couple of pro tips when shooting destination weddings:
1) Know the itinerary! Going over the itinerary with the bride before the wedding is a no-brainer, but make sure to ask any possible question you might have. Talk about transportation, Make sure to jot down what is most important to the bride so you know exactly what it is you need to capture (and can start your shot list! See more about that
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Make sure to communicate to the bride very clearly what it is you will be doing and what you won’t be doing so that expectations are clear and there’s no room for miscommunication or false assumptions.
2) Think ahead with your gear! Pack light, and keep the most important gear with you at all times. I cannot stress this enough! I’ve shown up to shoots where my bag doesn’t make it and all I’m left with is what’s on my back- so be prepared for that. This also applies to when shooting out and around in a foreign place. Don’t wander too far from your gear (which is easy to do in new places), because the last thing you want is a racoon running off with your gear mid-shoot! (I’m still in denial that a human would have done that to me).
3) Have fun! The energy you convey on this huge day (which is no doubt extremely stressful on those you are filming), can make or break what you come away with. Getting to know the couple, the bridal party and others beforehand (and at the event itself) will help with this, but make sure that you are the relaxed one (at least on the surface… hehe) so you can capture that same feeling in response.All in all? I gotta say, this was one of the most beautiful and well planned weddings I’ve ever attended or shot! Thanks again for having us, James and Kristy!