My wedding's booked during the dead of winter. How concerned should I be about treacherous weather ruining the backdrop for my photos?
Whenever we shoot winter weddings, I have to be honest, we hope and beg for snow to fall from the sky. We want snow. What better way to compliment the bare trees and piles of snirt (dirt and snow combination resulting from a lack of fresh snow to cover it)? Snow is perfect in any situation. Day or night, bright and sunny or dark and cloudy. Even the driving snow makes for great story telling shots. Have some fun with it but don't ever let the weather ruin your wedding day. Some of the greatest wedding photographs were taken in the dead of winter. You chose this wedding day for a reason. Don't lose sight of that. Embrace the season and the snow. Worst case scenario, have a Plan B for something inside.
Because daylight is limited during the winter, when's the best time to book the posed portion of my wedding photos?
So much depends on the vision you have as a couple. Do you want bright wintery images or something a little darker, with a focus on night portraits. Sunset always brings with it some great light so whenever possible we'll try and get a couple out for some sunset shots. Winter brings the holidays and the holidays bring some amazing backgrounds, with colourful lights all over the place. This can be a lot of fun to shoot at night.
I still haven't chosen my colour scheme. Are there particular colours that will make bleak, snowy winter photos pop a little bit?
The first thing you should ensure is that your photographer can properly show a white wedding dress on a beautiful snowy white background. The colours should compliment you and your decor and overall vision for the wedding. Pick bright and bold colours if you really want to stand out or choose to go with colours that fit the season. I'll admit to being a big fan of dark or black bridesmaids dresses.
Any other suggestions you can make to help my winter wedding be captured properly?
There is a very good chance its going to be cold if you're getting married in the winter. You have to consider a lot of things in advance. Do you want to be outside in the freezing cold for an hour taking pictures? It's OK if you do, but do you want to take your entire wedding party with you, too? Also perfectly cool. Set the expectations before it happens. Tell your photographer your entire family wants to have a snowball fight if thats what you're up for. If you want fireside romantic and warm, tell them that.
There's no shortage of inspiration on Pinterest. A simple 'winter wedding' search will show you all kinds of different looks and styles. Ask your photographer about other winter weddings they've shot to get an idea of what you can expect from their past experiences. It's a collaborative effort so don't be afraid to ask questions and show examples you like.
Applehead Studio is a wedding photography studio located in downtown Halifax. We eat, sleep and breathe weddings and shoot year round both locally and internationally. \n
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