intimate and adventure wedding guide welcome! Thank you so much for getting in touch with Caroline Moore Photography! I would love to be a part of your wedding, and hope that this guide helps to answer some of your questions about working with me. I want to ensure that we can create beautiful photos together, but do it in a way that allows you to enjoy your day. My goal as a documentary photographer is to capture the story of your whole wedding day by combining candid photos, natural portraits, and small details that make your day unique. I love working with couples who have a little adventure in their hearts. I see life as a series of adventures, which makes it sound like I spend my weekends summiting grand mountains or recovering sunken ships in the Caribbean. It’s really just a willingness to roll with whatever gets thrown at me, and to try to find a little fun in the things we do every day. Anything can be an adventure, if you look at it in the right light. I want your day to be fun and your photos to show it. If you’re relaxed and happy, it shows in your photos, and half of my work is done. I want you to look back at real memories that honestly reflect who you are. More “look how happy we are” and less “this is how our photographer told us to stand.” I’m into catching quiet moments and loud joyful ones. Moody black and whites and bright candids. I want to work with fun people who love each other wildly. You want to work with someone who embraces a laid back experience with honest, imperfect moments. Let’s have an adventure. In this guide, I’ll walk you through planning your wedding, whether you’re looking at an intimate affair, an adventurous destination, or an elopement with just your very nearest and dearest. I’ll tell you all of my favorite vendors and venues, and show you how we can work together to make memorable and beautiful photos that really capture your day. I’ll also cover more in depth what you can expect from me on your wedding day. As we move forward together, I’ll be checking in with you about the details of your wedding, and helping you to check one more thing off of your very long list. I hope that this guide helps you, but don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. caroline planning an intimate wedding One of the best ways to ensure that your wedding choose an intimate venue feels more like a celebration than a production is Forget giant ballrooms and event halls. With an to keep it small. An intimate wedding with a tight- intimate wedding and small guest list, your venue knit group of friends and family allows couples options are limitless. Consider more creative places to truly enjoy their wedding without the stress to get married like unique restaurants, historic that comes with entertaining hundreds of guests. sites, and museums and art galleries. I have a few In addition, an intimate wedding gives couples suggestions later in this guide! unlimited opportunities to express their personal tastes, explore unique and unusual venues, and keep your wedding party small to handpick every detail of their day. For many Choosing a small wedding party means less stress couples, the freedom that comes with planning a for you when it comes to coordinating. It also gives small, personalized wedding is its biggest appeal. you the freedom to plan unique, intimate gatherings and events leading up to your big day, and won’t spoil your guests overwhelm the space you’ve chosen. One of the best parts of an intimate wedding is that it allows couples to truly recognize and thank make it a destination wedding their guests for attending. Instead of spreading Your guest list will shrink to your closest friends and your resources across hundreds of guests, you can family who are willing to travel. Plus, a destination concentrate them on a smaller group of people. wedding offers couples, their families, and their Having a smaller wedding lets you splurge on a friends an opportunity to travel together and spend top-notch venue or vendor, incredible food, or an an exotic weekend away. amazing honeymoon. share the spotlight pay attention to details The friends and family you invite will have shared A small wedding doesn’t necessarily have to be a memories of you and your person to retell with simple wedding. Details are an opportunity to re- one another. At a close-knit event like an intimate ally infuse your personalities and preferences into wedding, your guests will have the opportunity to your big day. make speeches, tell stories, and be an active part of the celebration. yourI recommend that folkstimeline start with a few anchor points, then build out the rest of your day around them. the light getting ready Something to consider for each part of your I’ll generally start our day an hour before you’re wedding is the light. Beautiful portraits are made set to leave for your ceremony. During this time with beautiful light, and while I bring my own together, I focus on getting styled shots of your along for the indoor portions of the day, we are at attire, along with other details like shoes, flowers, the mercy of the sun for any outdoor portions of jewelry, socks, all the things that make your day your day (which, for some of you, may be all of it.) unique to you. I’ll also be getting photos of you There are some apps that will help you find the best and your people getting ready and spending time light of the day, but as a general rule of thumb, the together. Simple spaces with good window light are farther you are from noon (either earlier or later) always a great option for these photos, but I also the better. If you have any questions about lighting, bring my own light, and I’ll work with wherever I’m happy to help you! you are. If you’re planning an adventurous wedding, you’ll want to be sure to figure out your travel time to get to your ceremony, and may want to look at options like tents or cabins nearby. the ceremony Your first anchor point for the day, when do you want your ceremony to start? Will it be a sunrise ceremony, an afternoon wedding, or do you want first looks and family photos to say your vows at sunset? Whether or not you want to see each other before the wedding can totally change your timeline, so it’s something to really think about. If you do plan the dinner to see each other before the ceremony, it opens up your schedule as far as photography goes. If you You want to be sure that your food comes out decide to have a first look, we’ll do it shortly after fresh, your guests are happy, and the two of you you’re ready to go. This can be done in as little as can enjoy your meal together. I also generally sit 10-15 minutes, but make sure to allow more time for dinner when you and your guests do, it turns if you want to do portraits of you as a couple, your out that nobody wants photographs of them eating. wedding party, or family before the ceremony. the sunset couple and bridal party portraits The hour just before sunset is called golden hour, I’ll need 30-45 minutes to get some great styled and and it’s seriously beautiful light. It’s my very candid photographs of your wedding party. If you favorite time to do portraits, and if we’re able to want to get these at a different location, or at more craft your timeline so that we can get the two of you than one location, make sure to allow time for travel outside for it, it’s totally worth it. Sunset portraits when putting together your timeline. We can flex may be something you want to consider scheduling the time for couple portraits to before or after your your other events around. dinner, or even before the ceremony. the end At some point in the evening, when all the events family photos are finished, I start to find that I’m getting the With an intimate wedding, these likely won’t take same shots of people dancing. Because of this, and very long. You’ll still want to consider when the best because I do like to give your crew a little bit of time time would be to get everyone together, typically to party undocumented, I leave most receptions at shortly before or shortly after your ceremony. that point. However, if you have a big send-off, or Consider your lighting if we’ll be shooting outdoors, have events going right up until the end, I’m happy and consider when your people will be there. to stay until the party is over. engagement portraits plan a great session Many couples ask me whether or not they need an o SEASONAL: Would you rather a snowy sled riding engagement session. “Need” is a strong word, and session, or a walk through fall leaves? I can assure you that you can get legally married with or without engagement portraits. I am a big o CITY SCAPES: Portraits in alleyways downtown, in fan of them, though, so let me tell you why you front of stunning architecture, or showing off your might want to have them.