What 20 Years of Wedding Photography & Videography Has Taught Us About Getting Married in Southern California Part 1
After more than 20 years of photographing and filming weddings, we've learned a lot about what makes a wedding day truly meaningful. In this four-part series, we're sharing lessons we've learned from documenting more than 1,000 weddings throughout Southern California.
Every wedding is different, but many of the things that make a wedding truly memorable are surprisingly consistent.
Since 2005, Prince Weddings has had the opportunity to document more than 1,000 couples throughout Orange County, Los Angeles, Temecula, and Southern California. We've filmed weddings at beaches, churches, country clubs, hotels, private estates, wineries, mountain cabins, and some of Southern California's most recognizable wedding venues. We've seen enormous weddings and intimate celebrations. We've worked with couples who planned every detail months in advance and couples who were making decisions right up until the wedding day. And after all those weddings, there are lessons that continue to come up again and again.
Here are some of the things 20+ years of wedding photography and videography have taught us.
1. Your Wedding Timeline Matters More Than You Think
One of the biggest mistakes we see isn't choosing the wrong photographer, venue, flowers, or dress. It's trying to fit too much into too little time.
A wedding day moves quickly. Getting ready takes time. Family photographs take time. Transportation takes time. Guests don't always arrive exactly when expected.
And then there are the moments nobody can schedule.
A bride's father seeing her for the first time. A grandmother wanting one more photograph with the couple. Friends talking during cocktail hour. A couple realizing they finally have five minutes alone.
Those moments are part of your wedding story.
If your timeline is packed from beginning to end, there is no room for them.
2. Getting Ready Is Part of the Wedding Story
We've had couples tell us, "We don't really need photos or video while we're getting ready."
We understand why. At the time, it can feel like nothing important is happening. But years later, those photographs and video clips can become some of the most meaningful parts of the wedding collection. Your parents helping you get dressed. Your friends laughing together. The final adjustments to the dress.
The nervous excitement before leaving for the ceremony. These are moments that disappear quickly. And once the wedding is over, they can't be recreated.
3. Give Your Photographer and Videographer Time to Do Their Job
This is one of the biggest things we've learned.
Great wedding photography doesn't happen by accident.
Neither does great wedding video.
Your photographer needs time to create beautiful portraits. Your videographer needs time to establish the location, capture clean audio, find meaningful moments, and build a visual story.
That doesn't mean your wedding needs to become a photo shoot.
Quite the opposite.
The goal is to create enough breathing room that your photo and video team can work without constantly rushing you to the next thing.
4. Your Wedding Doesn't Have to Look Like Everyone Else's
Pinterest and Instagram are incredible sources of inspiration.
They're also dangerous.
It's easy to see hundreds of beautiful weddings and start thinking your wedding needs to include everything you've seen.
It doesn't.
Some of the best weddings we've documented weren't the ones with the biggest floral arrangements or the most elaborate decorations.
They were the weddings where the couple's personality was obvious.
Maybe that's a backyard reception.
Maybe it's a formal ballroom.
Maybe it's a beach wedding.
Maybe it's a rustic mountain venue.
Maybe it's a traditional church ceremony followed by a huge party.
Your wedding should feel like you.