How to Dig Deep and Tell Your Story

I am so excited to share this post with my SAPPY couples because it is a topic I have been meaning to cover for a while!  In this post I will be going over some tips and tricks to turn your wedding photos into an intimate storytelling experience!

1. Explore your family history.

This is always my favorite source of inspiration for my couples because the effect is always so personal and timeless.  While Pinterest and Instagram can be excellent sources of inspiration, nothing quite strikes that sentimental chord like recreating and revisiting family photos and heirlooms.  

I would absolutely recommend sitting down with Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa to look at their wedding albums, and letting those inform your must-have shot list.

The photograph to the left, for example, captures a SAPPY bride sharing a once-in-a-lifetime moment with her grandmother:  She had just put on the family pearl necklace. The necklace had been worn by every bride in the family for sixty years– starting with Grandma!

Sharing these elements with your photographer is a great place to start telling your story, so that we can work together to find the most personal ways to implement them!

SAPPY Tip:  Recreating funny group poses from old photo books or implementing family heirlooms into your photos can be such a beautiful way to explore storytelling through photography.  Pick your favorite five sources of inspiration from each side of the family, and let’s tell your story!

2. Take a trip down memory lane

I absolutely love when my couples turn to their own favorite memories of one another for inspiration in their photos.  Themes come and go, but your own personal story is forever. So take a trip down memory lane! Think of your first date, the first time you said “I love you”, or the moment when you knew your s/o was “The One”.  

Recreating these scenes can be a beautiful way to share your story and create a tangible expression of those cherished memories for years to come.  

SAPPY Tip: This is an especially helpful tool for planning an engagement session to be shared with friends and family before the big day!  The photo above, for example, captures a SAPPY bride’s ring– showcased on a date-stamped passport to Zion National park. This was the couple’s favorite date!  How sweet is that?

3. It’s not just a souvenir– it’s an heirloom!

This is such an important thing to keep in mind when deciding how to tell your story through photography. While centerpieces, cuisine, and attire can be enjoyed for one night only… your photos are forever.

For this reason, I love for my couples to treat their photos as a sort of time capsule.  Think of who you will be in twenty– thirty– fifty years looking back on these photos. What do you want to say to one another?  

Your photos are a huge opportunity for creativity.  Anything is possible– from hiding inside jokes within your couples portraits to showcasing sentimental items alongside your invitation suite.  While a more documentarian approach can be beautiful to look at, the story-telling approach is an amazing way to turn a souvenir into an heirloom.   

SAPPY Tip: Have a note from your betrothed that you never could toss?  Ticket stub from your first movie together? Let’s find a way to incorporate these items into your detail shots!

4. It’s all about the Little Things

While your photos will ultimately serve as the main storytelling element in your wedding, try to look at every element as a storytelling opportunity.  Details like your floral choices, cake, and favors can become incredible tools for expressing who you are.

A favorite example of mine was with a couple who wanted to celebrate their roots in tropical South Florida as well as their Italian heritage.  As a result, their key-lime cake was topped with fresh figs and cannolis. This was so much fun to photograph because I knew it was a much bigger part of their story than just their cake!

SAPPY Tip:  Make sure that your photographer knows the story behind your design elements, so that we can work together to capture every little detail.

5. Tell me what you love most about your partner.

This may seem like a minor detail in the grand scheme of it all, but knowing this intimate truth informs my work in such a big way!

If you tell me that what you love most about your partner is their laugh and sense of humor, that will absolutely impact the way that I capture them! We may decide on a light-hearted portrait session full of belly laughs! If your favorite trait in your s/o is their strength or confidence, I will be sure to highlight those elements in our getting ready photos.  We all see what we are looking for in others, so this little technique can help me to see your partner the way that you do, and the lens follows!

SAPPY Tip: When you go over the key players with your photographer, try thinking of one favorite trait for each of them.  Not only will this help to tell your story, but it can really help us to get to know your friends and family!