Planning a wedding can make your life even more hectic than it already is. As a Baltimore Bride, you are already juggling life in the city with work and social events, and adding wedding planning to your daily to-do list can make you stressed. Take a deep breath, because we are here to help! We know that wedding planning is overwhelming, so we put together this list to help you prioritize photography at your wedding. Here's what every Baltimore bride should know about prioritizing wedding photography. Priority #1: What Matters Most?

Consider which photos will mean most to you in ten years, twenty years, thirty years. Who's in those photos?

Start with a list; focus on the photos that will be most meaningful later. It doesn't need to be fancy! Just jot down the top ten photos that come to mind. Then, think about family and friends that you'll want included in photos. Simply share this "VIP" list with your photographer so they can plan ahead. You don't want to look back and realize you missed a photo with a beloved grandparent or close friend.

Give guests on your "VIP list" a heads-up that they're included in your photo plans. Tell them where they'll need to be (i.e. stay in the church, if you're doing group photos at the altar after the ceremony). That way, everyone is ready for pictures and in the right location. This helps your photographer get group shots done faster. And that means you and your guests can move on to the party you spent so much time planning!

Priority #2: Telling a Story.

Great photos tell a story and transport you back to your wedding day.

When you look at your wedding photos, you'll want to see more than just posed portraits or pretty details. You'll want to see candid, unplanned photos that show real moments and any details that you missed in the frenzy that is a wedding day. Trust your photographer to capture all those magical moments. The best photographers know how to capture photos you can't plan for at your wedding. And those are always the ones you'll be happy to have ten or twenty years from now!

Explore the area around your venues when doing bridal portraits or photos of you two together. A city like Baltimore has great architectural areas that create unique photos, whether that means including the Inner Harbor or part of the skyline as your backdrop, the LOVE sign at the American Visionary Art Museum, or even just an interestingly textured brick or stone wall.

Priority #3: Let there be light.

Lighting can make the difference between a decent photo and an amazing photo! Be mindful of when and where you’re photographing.

Photographers love to shoot during the "golden hour," that magical time of day when the sun is rising or setting. Those times are fleeting, but they offer you beautiful, flattering light that makes everything look gorgeous. Work with your photographer when you are creating your wedding timeline and ask for their advice. As experienced wedding professionals, they know how much time they need to orchestrate group photos, and when they should start portraits to get the best outdoor light. (Key tip: ensure that your bridal portraits and couple photos take advantage of the "golden hour." Don't let an overly-ambitious group photo list or an aunt who wants holiday card photos eat into your time to be photographed alone.)

Great lighting doesn't have to be just natural light either. A skilled photographer can give you ideas for staging lighting in your venues to create better photographs and give them that magical feeling. So ask for their guidance and seek their recommendations for your unique venues.

Priority #4: Just say NO to selfies.

Sounds silly, right? But it’s true. You’ll get much better photos when your friends (as fun as they may be!) don’t jump in with their iPhones. These days, technology is abundant at weddings. And there’s nothing wrong with that...until Instagram interrupts an emotional moment during your ceremony. Just be sure to decide how it will affect your photos, and if it’s important to you, make plans to kindly request that guests put phones away during key moments.

You've invested time and resources into wedding planning, so when the big day finally arrives, you don't want your photos ruined by guests, even though they meant no harm. Everyone will want to capture your wedding, but it could get in the way of your professional photographer, especially if guests are jumping into their shots or flashing from every direction with their phones. (It's always a shame seeing a bright, blingy iPhone case sticking out during a beautiful first dance shot!)

On the other hand, your guests may miss out on exciting or emotional parts of your wedding if they're constantly checking their phones and staring at screens. After all, you want photos of your guests enjoying your wedding, not photos of them holding their phones. Plus, it's more fun for guests to be fully immersed in your wedding festivities and soaking in the details you worked so hard to put together.

If you'd like your wedding to be more "unplugged," you can kindly ask guests to keep their phones in their purses or pockets by placing a note in the program, having your officiant, band or DJ make an announcement, or even posting a simple sign at your venue. There are tons of ideas for signs on Pinterest and Etsy that can fit your wedding style.

The team at Love Life Images understands how hectic wedding planning can be. That’s why we created this blog post for you! If you’d like to learn more about how to prioritize photographs at your wedding, check out THIS GUIDE.