About the weekend snapshot series: It’s our weekend ritual. Every Friday before shooting a wedding, we spend a few hours feasting on inspiration: glossy magazine spreads, favorite Instagram feeds, wedding site editorials, ads for luxury brands, Sprinkles’ cupcake window displays…. It ensures we arrive at every wedding fueled by fresh ideas. Now, we’re bringing a delicious bite of inspiration to you. Start your wedding weekend with a Luke & Cat Weekend Snapshot. The icing on the cake? The hands-on, how-to advice that accompanies each photo. Sweet.

View others in this series:

• Weekend Snapshot #1 Bookend Those Bridesmaids
• Weekend Snapshot #2 At The Reception
• Weekend Snapshot #4 A Classic Toast

THE Best of Both Worlds

Every bride loves a gorgeous candid photo of themselves with their best girls! While Luke is taking the more traditional bridesmaid photos, Cat likes to snap the candid shots off to the side. But what if you have to divide and conquer, or you’re taking the bridesmaids photos by yourself? Here’s today’s tip for getting the best of both worlds - even when you’re the only one taking the photos:

There’s a science to making this work just right when it comes to positioning the bride. Encourage the bride and one of her bridesmaids to turn toward one another and embrace or hold hands. They’ll naturally laugh, smile, and display the genuine emotion that makes for a great shot. By moving back and forth from shooting facing the group to shooting next to where the bride is facing, you can create the illusion of multiple photographers taking posed formal pics, as well as beautiful candids.

Lovely ladies & candid photos,

Luke & Cat

Weekend Snapshot: It’s our weekend ritual. Every Friday before shooting a wedding, we spend a few hours feasting on inspiration: glossy magazine spreads, favorite Instagram feeds, wedding site editorials, ads for luxury brands, Sprinkles’ cupcake window displays…. It ensures we arrive at every wedding fueled by fresh ideas. Now, we’re bringing a delicious bite of inspiration to you. Start your wedding weekend with a Luke & Cat Weekend Snapshot. The icing on the cake? The hands-on, how-to advice that accompanies each photo. Sweet.

View others in this series:

• Weekend Snapshot #1 Bookend Those Bridesmaids
• Weekend Snapshot #3 Best of Both Worlds
• Weekend Snapshot #4 A Classic Toast

At the Reception

There’s something so retro-cool about this photo of the couple seated together. Everyone’s parents had one, and it’s a classic favorite. Today, we’ll talk about how and why we love this shot.

Not only is it old-Hollywood classic, but it serves as a great transitional photo of the bride and groom in a wedding album or even on a blog post. We snap this image as a first priority at the reception. Just as soon as everyone gets seated, and before people start eating, we head over and grab a shot of them together. We also use this time to let the newlyweds know we’ll be taking our own dinner break, but if they need us, to just come grab us.

Lobster & chardonnay (our two favorite things to see at a reception!,)

Luke & Cat

Weekend Snapshot: It’s our weekend ritual. Every Friday before shooting a wedding, we spend a few hours feasting on inspiration: glossy magazine spreads, favorite Instagram feeds, wedding site editorials, ads for luxury brands, Sprinkles’ cupcake window displays…. It ensures we arrive at every wedding fueled by fresh ideas. Now, we’re bringing a delicious bite of inspiration to you. Start your wedding weekend with a Luke & Cat Weekend Snapshot. The icing on the cake? The hands-on, how-to advice that accompanies each photo. Sweet.

View others in this series:

• Weekend Snapshot #2 At The Reception
• Weekend Snapshot #3 Best of Both Worlds
• Weekend Snapshot #4 A Classic Toast

We can’t help but love the photos of the bridesmaids. Pretty ladies, pretty dresses, and pretty flowers  - it’s the perfect trifecta for great photos. But getting great, natural-looking poses from them requires a little extra consideration from you. Here’s today’s tip for getting perfect bridesmaid shots:

Bookend those bridesmaids!

When lining up people for group photos, try to put the two tallest people at each end. This will anchor the photo and help it look more balanced and symmetrical. We like to see the maid and matron of honor flanking the bride - that’s one on each side. Before taking the first photo, we spend a moment with each person in the group, showing everyone how to hold their bouquets, ensuring visual unity and symmetry. It seems silly, but you’d be surprised how often a clenched fist around one’s flowers can ruin the line of an otherwise perfect shot.

Line 'Em Up and Create Something Beautiful,

Luke & Cat