We've all been choked up after seeing an image of the father of the bride hugging his daughter with tears in his eyes just before he walks her down the isle and gives her away.  You've seen a bride and groom gazing into each others eyes with absolute love and devotion in the most romantic setting with the sun rapidly descending beyond the horizon, filtering beautiful light through a grove of trees.  We have all seen photographs depicting natural reactions and raw emotions that upon looking at them we can relate to a time in our own lives and the mere sight of the single photo instantly catapults us back to a time when we felt exactly like this.  These are the photographs that will mean the most to you as you and your partner grow old together.  As the years pass and the two of you sit in the living room with your new family and turn the pages of your beautiful album on the day of your wedding anniversary, you will be overcome with emotion and relay exactly how you felt in each photo to your children as the memories come flooding back. 

    But no matter how amazing your photographer is, these images don't just happen.  These moments, although very real, aren't typical simply because when a photographer is present, people typically freeze up and hold back their emotions.  I want to urge you all NOT to hold back!!!  Stop waiting until the camera is no longer there to share that loving moment with your fiance.  Stop holding back tears when your father walks into your dressing room and sees you for the first time in your breath taking gown.  Don't withdraw when you see the camera, because the posed photos although they make excellent artwork for the walls of your home and should always be taken, don't necessarily mean the most to you years down the road.  For meaningful photos keep these tips in mind.

1.  Don't hold back your emotions when the photographer is present.  If you feel yourself getting choked up when you are pinning the boutonniere to your son's jacket, let the tears flow and stay in the moment as if it is just the two of you, if only for a couple minutes.

2.  Remember that your wedding is about your fiance and yourself.  Try not to be too overly worried about what anyone else is thinking and about looking perfect. 

3.  Use the creative portrait session either before (if doing a first look) or after the ceremony with just you and your husband as a time to reflect on the joy you feel knowing that after today you will be forever bound together as one through thick and thin.  These photos are best when you forget the camera is there and focus on each other. 

4.  Don't worry about what anyone else is thinking or about looking perfect.  When you walk through the line of sparklers as you leave the reception and are about to head off to your honeymoon in the limo, smile and laugh together and at the end of the line kiss or dip your partner to express the joy and love you feel at that moment.  Don't worry about how you do it or what it will look like to anyone else...just go for it!  You will always look back on those images later in life and remember just how happy you were at that exact moment in time. 

5.  Although a wedding can be stressful and full of unknowns, always keep in mind the reason why you are doing it in the first place. 

Let your guard down and be in the moment as much as possible and you will have wedding photography that will mean more to you than you could ever have imagined!