Wedding Photographers Orange County
We have photographed over 400 weddings from here in southern California, to NYC since 2003!
We have over a decade of wedding experience! We are always happy to help you with your wedding day timeline.
Please contact us for a quote and to check our team’s availability.
Considering a destination wedding? We love to travel! If you want to bring Gilmore Studios with you, please send us your travel plans.
(air, hotel, and rental car for 2 photographers will be an additional cost- but worth every penny!)
Be sure to check out some of our favorite weddings on our Pinterest or gallery page.
Southern California lifestyle wedding photographer
Our team has photographed over 400 weddings in southern California and have traveled as far as Hawaii, New York, Washington DC, and Arizona for our wedding clients. Gilmore Studios remains one of Orange County’s premiere photography studios with 5 star ratings. We continue to photograph most of our wedding couples as their families grow.
When you hire us to photograph your wedding, you will always get professional service, high quality photography products, and photographers who show up early (we love what we do!)
Here is a list of helpful tips for your wedding day.
YOUR WEDDING DAY
Whether you’ve been planning it for years or are making it happen in just a few months; chosen a tropical destination or your parent’s backyard, your wedding day is a perfect reflection of your love, and we want to make sure you’re able to relax and enjoy it with family and friends, knowing all the best moments will be captured on camera to remember for the rest of your happily ever after.
To make sure you understand our approach and style, and have the most stress-free day possible, we’ve compiled some ideas of what to expect on your wedding day.
CAPTURING THE DETAILS
The buttons on the dress, the lace on the veil, those shoes it took you days to find, the ring, the flowers—we know you put a lot of thought and care into the details of your big day and we want to be certain they’re all carefully photographed.
When we arrive, we’ll check in with you and members of your wedding party, and then we’ll spend about an hour photographing details around the wedding location.
GETTING READY
So many beautiful moments happen before the ceremony even starts. From pinning up your hair, to that look on your mother’s face when she helps you zip your dress, we know there are moments you’ll never want to forget.
One of our favorite photos is having your mom and bridesmaids do your final dress zip, and help with the veil. So, keep them near for this moment!
If possible, choose a place to get ready that has the biggest, non-west facing windows you can find so we can make best use of the light, and preferably a neutral backdrop. Most good venues have a bride’s room that meets these criteria. Before you put on your dress, consider a pretty silk robe, slip, or other appropriate attire for yourself and your bridal party to wear so that photos will look timeless.
One of our favorite photos is having your mom and bridesmaids do your final dress zip, and help with the veil. So, keep them near for this moment!
After you’re in your dress, we’ll be sure to photograph you putting on jewelry, shoes, and any other last touches. We’ll also make sure you have enough time to let the fact that YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED! sink in.
Next, we like to leave time for a photo of your dad’s first look. It’s a beautiful portrait to have! We’ll choose an easy location that works for both of you. His reaction to seeing his little girl all grown up is priceless!
And don’t forget your groom! We’re lucky enough to work as a husband and wife team, so while Jennifer is hanging with the ladies, Brian will take a little time and make sure to photograph all the details that go into getting your man ready— cuff links, bow tie, shined shoes—we promise to make him look and feel special. Ideally, you and your spouse-to- be will be getting ready at the same location (though not in the same room, obviously!). If not, we will need to discuss timeline options beforehand, as
splitting locations may or may not be possible.
Immediately afterwards, we’ll photograph you walking out for your “first glance” with your soon to be husband! This is another one of our favorite moments of the day. It’s the one time on your wedding day where you will be alone to enjoy the anticipation and excitement of what’s to come, together. Next we will get some solo photos of you guys and your bridal party in several groupings at your venue. It’s a great idea to have your immediate family here as well. We will get the family formals done so you can enjoy cocktail after the ceremony with your guests.
We’ll make the ladies look stunning and the gentlemen look dashing! We like to start with the whole wedding party, then move onto just the women (don’t forget your bouquets!), and finish up with the men before moving on to the immediate family.
Our clients generally prefer to go outside for their family portraits. Since each grouping takes 3-5 minutes, we ask you to limit these to immediate family– parents, grandparents, siblings, and other extremely important individuals. We promise we will get plenty of shots of friends, extended family, sorority sisters, co-workers and others after the ceremony and during the reception.
We will have you right where you need to be and safely tucked away at least 20 minutes before your ceremony starts.
THE CEREMONY
Finally the time has arrived. Your heart races with anticipation. Those you love most are closest to you, and a whole room filled with friends and family waits to see you exchange vows and start your life with your beloved.
In the few minutes before you walk down the aisle, we will be there with you to catch those last precious moments with your father and bridesmaids.
Have a towel or cloth to wipe to the bottom of your bouquet to make sure it doesn’t leave a wet spot on your dress. When you hold your flowers, try to tip them forward slightly, and down toward your bellybutton (as opposed to in front of your chest or face, which will cover up your dress). Pull your shoulders back, stand up straight, look forward, and walk with the grace and confidence of the beautiful bride you are. It will show on your face!
We will be certain that your walk down the aisle is captured from the front and back. There’s a special look between the bride and groom that makes it seem everyone else has melted away, and we’ll be sure it gets memorialized!
We will be certain that your walk down the aisle is captured from the front and back. There’s a special look between the bride and groom that makes it seem everyone else has melted away, and we’ll be sure it gets memorialized!
Let us know what type of ceremony you’re having and when to anticipate the first kiss. Also, during the recessional, pause about half way down the aisle for another kiss. The looks on the faces of your guests in this picture will be priceless!
DISCUSS PHOTOGRAPHY RULES WITH YOUR VENUE
Some venues restrict the use of flash photography, which is not a problem. We want to respect the rules, but we need to know them ahead of time so we can prepare.
If your venue has any special restrictions, please let us know as far in advance as possible.
CONSIDER A WIRELESS WEDDING
You’re investing a lot of money in professional wedding photography and we want to give you the perfect pictures you’ve dreamed of. But, we simply can’t do our job if every guest turns into a photographer. An aisle full of lifted cell phones, random flashes marring the light, a bride and groom uncertain which camera to look at—it all detracts from the professional work we are trying to do. Why we won’t tell you how to run your wedding, we would hope you would consider asking guests to refrain from using their cameras or phones during the ceremony, and to be respectful of the photographers during reception events like the first dance, and toasts. Check Pinterest or bridal magazines for cute and tactful ways to ask this of guests. It’s a growing trend, so it won’t be unexpected.
FAMILY PORTRAITS
Before heading to your reception, we want to make sure to get some extended family portraits. Our approach is
not to have stiff groupings, but rather capture the joy and tender emotions between you and those you love.
During the reception, consider designating a friend or family member as “official wrangler” to go round up specific people you want to have in certain group
photos throughout the reception.
BRIDAL PARTY PHOTOS
Your bridesmaids and groomsmen are some of the most important people in your life, and we want to capture the special friendship you share.
Generally, we only do these photos in one location with beautiful light and multiple features to give a variety of options. We’ll also make sure to do a good mix up of formal and informal poses.
Please consider the weather! We wish we could control the rain, but since we can’t, have a back up option if your wedding falls in a rainy season. Consider purchasing some cute matching umbrellas and boots, or finding a venue with a covered or indoor location with plentiful natural light.
We love to give direction during the shoot, so even though telling you to look at someone and laugh may seem strange to you, we promise the photograph will come out anything but! Just go with it!
Women often ask what the “ideal pose” is: Turn your body 45 degrees from the camera, keep your weight on your back leg, bend your front leg and turn your knee inwards. Keep your back straight and pull your shoulder back (which pulls your core in and your chest up). Lean forward slightly at your hips toward the camera while keeping your arms slightly bent and away from your body, and bring your forehead forward and down (all of which slims and highlights your best features)!
BRIDE AND GROOM PHOTOS
It’s just the two of you…and us. 🙂
This is our favorite part of wedding photography– capturing the love, tenderness, joy, and excitement between the two of you. Because this is such a special time, we request that it be only you, us, and one or two other people you might need to hold or fetch things- if needed.
Just like our bridal party portraits, we’ll choose a location that has beautiful natural light and lots of different features within the same area, which will help us maximize our time together and will give you gorgeous images! However, if we have time, we like to choose a different location for bride and groom photos than the one chosen for bridal party photos. After the ceremony, we love stealing the new Mr. + Mrs. ideally before sunset for some “just married” photos!
Stay close, stay looking at each other, don’t be afraid to get emotional.
Bring your bouquet; bring your veil, and anything else you may want photographed with the just the two of you at this time.
THE RECEPTION
It’s finally time to enjoy the party!
We’ll stay busy capturing all the fun, you stay busy dancing, eating, and visiting with family and friends!
Be sure to give us a list of all of the reception details you want photographed as we’ll need 20-30 minutes before you’re announced to set up our lights and get pictures of the details. If you don’t have anything particular in mind, we’ll be sure to use our editorial eyes and experience to photograph all the details we can.
Please include us in your final count for the catering for dinner. We take our 30 minute meal break at the same time you are served so we don’t miss anything important- like a toast. Be sure to tell your coordinator! Some venues try to serve us after your guests have eaten. It’s a challenge to keep an eye on the reception if we are seated far away from the party. Ideally, we like to be outside the reception area where we can still hear the DJ making announcements.
When you’re announced, celebrate! We love the energy, and so does the camera!
During toasts, have the person giving you the toast stand on one side of you so that all three of you can be in good light for photos. And don’t forget to hug your friend at the end of the toast!
Be sure to kiss following your cake cutting. If you’re the cake smashing type, we promise to catch the fun!
During your first dance, try to stay near the center of the dance floor. Let us know if you have any special dance numbers or other surprises planned throughout the night so we can be sure to be ready.
We can’t promise a portrait of every guest, but we will do our best to visit tables and photograph guests mingling and dancing.
If you’re interested in our fun photo booth option, let us know. This provides a great opportunity for guests to get silly together and take home a keepsake!
If you’re planning a special exit, we need at least 10 minutes to set up our lights before you come out. If there are sparklers or candles involved, we’ll need to find somewhere dark. Usually waiting for us to tell you when to come out makes for the best images!
We’ll let you or a designated member of your party know before we leave to make sure there’s nothing we’ve missed. We love to check with each mom as well before heading out.
That’s it! You’re married!
All the planning has ended in one amazing day. After your honeymoon- we will have you come into the studio to finalize your album design and get your digital negatives. One more reason for us to see you two! We love our clients and consider them friends by the end. We can’t wait to help celebrate such an important day in your lives. 🙂
Gilmore Studios Reviews
Nothing beats a personal referral from a happy customer! Take a minute and read reviews from our clients:
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