Wedding magazines and websites are full of ideas for making your wedding special, but we thought we’d share some ideas that not only personalize your day, but also lead to great photographs.

We love when you “make an entrance” & some ways to make that special (either at the end of the ceremony, beginning or end of your reception) are to consider having your guests waive sparklers or blow bubbles. Lots of venues no longer permit you to toss confetti, but that’s also fun in pictures if its allowed.

The dance floor is always a fun place to get great shots. Consider taking a dance lesson ahead of time and let your photographer know if you’ve practiced any special moves. You might also want to bring some props to entice your guests to get out there and move — we love seeing people ham it up with feather boas, masks and wigs.

We’re also big into lighting– if your venue allows it, think about using lanterns or white Christmas lights (also called fairy lights) to add an extra glow. Light is a photographer’s friend and the more creative you are, the more we have to work with too.

Balloons also bring out the festive spirit & are a lot of fun to play around with — they bring out the little kid in everyone and if you can think of a place to use them at your wedding or reception site, they can be great to incorporate into pictures too. Another fun prop is Chinese paper umbrellas — if you’re getting married outside on a hot day, your guests may appreciate some extra shade & these also look amazing on film.