THE 2021-22 OTTAWA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PLANNING GUIDE

A helpful guide for couples wondering where exactly to start with their wedding planning, especially under a cloud of uncertainty of CoVID-19!

In this guide you’ll find sample wedding photography timelines; how to plan with the often-overlooked importance of light; a list of Ottawa wedding venues that can navigate the fluctuating regulations of the pandemic better; my favorite Ottawa wedding vendors; and more!

HOW TO HAVE A WONDERFUL WEDDING DAY NO MATTER WHAT

MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Gone is the pre-pandemic confidence of finding a venue and setting the date that your main worry was in crossing your fingers that it doesn’t rain.

Now you are contending with whether the constantly fluctuating regulations of CoVID-19 will allow you to get married at all!

While I am an optimistic and ever-hopeful person that things will return to some type of new normal sooner than we can imagine, I also want to lean on the side of realism and look to the lessons I learned photographing weddings in 2020. I’m following the sage advice and wisdom provided by Elise from Toast Events recent Instagram Live, where she answered couples questions candidly, embedded in realism, but offered a lot of hope. However, I would hedge a safe bet that the larger weddings (over 100 invites) won’t be happening for the next couple of years. Here’s a great summary on wedding trends and the benefits of planning a wedding during this time from the New York Times.

Here are my takeaways and lessons I would like to impart to you as you consider your wedding plans:

• the weddings that went forward in 2020 were so happy that they did - and this happened in my experience too. If you have a moment, read about this beautiful Summer Garden Wedding in Ottawa that I photographed; or how this wedding pivoted under "orange alert" within 72 hours in late September; and finally this wedding in La Malbaie was voted one of 2020’s Most Inspiring Micro-Weddings by Wedding Bells Magazine. Every single one of these weddings had originally invited over 100 guests — one of them was struggling to find a venue for over 250 people! None of them regret how their plans shifted.

• don’t postpone until you’re a month away: some 2020 weddings that postponed last Spring during lockdown scrambled for a Fall wedding and then had to reschedule them again - while other couples saw that weddings were happening and decided to cancel their postponement, reschedule, only to have to postpone again. You can. not. predict. And you can not keep putting your life on hold! The big takeaway is we can not predict when this will be over.

• assume the same-ish rules of 2020 to apply to 2021, maybe even 2022. Herd immunity is going to take some time, so things like masks, trying to stay outdoors, household bubbles, socially distanced seating, no buffets, will most likely apply for 2021 and possibly 2022. If these rules don’t carry through — you can be happily surprised by it! But keep your expectations in the realm of 2020 pandemic rules.

• yes, you will experience all of the same emotions you would on a “regular” wedding day — love is not cancelled. No, the masks are not a big deal actually.

All this to say, maybe you should… consider hiring a planner!

CONSIDER HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER

So how do you move forward with your plans? I would recommend hiring a planner. Now more than ever will they be able to help you pivot if needed, offer insight into new regulations as they happen and be in the know of all the right vendors that can be tailored to your needs.

Scroll down to see my list of recommended planners!

TIMELINE PLANNING FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY

TIMELINE TIPS

Plan your timeline around your ceremony. Start with your ceremony time as the anchor to work back and forwards from. In certain cases, you may not have much choice in what time you are getting married; in others you have a lot of flexibility.

Have your ceremony later in the day. Photographers and guests prefer a ceremony in later light for a few reasons: you will avoid blazing sun and harsh shadows on sunny days; later light is more generous; people in general are more ready and more relaxed later on a wedding day (less rushing).

Plan your group portraits as soon as possible. Understanding what group portraits will be important to you AND to your family members will give you an understanding of how much time you need to allot for these photographs. Use THIS free download to help you plan your group portraits.

To first look or Not to first look? The first look is when the bride and groom see each other before their ceremony and often they try to have their portraits and group portraits done during this time, too. Many couples do this to allow themselves a moment to breathe after their ceremony and have a cocktail with their guests!

The Magic Hours. A lot of photographers, including myself, like to get a ten minute window with the couple during “Golden Hour” and/or “Blue Hour”. These photographs are often when the couple is more relaxed, the largest portions of their responsibilities of the day are behind them and just before the party really takes off. It’s also a moment to hit pause and spend a moment together. So much of your wedding day is spent apart. Typically Golden Hour is 45 minutes before sunset and creates these magical golden hues that are universally flattering. Blue Hour is right after Golden Hour and starts offering up cooler bluer tones that can be as equally romantic as the golden ones. Perhaps one will make more sense than the other on your wedding day. The first place to start? Check your sunset time.

Speeches, Cutting the cake, Couple games, First dances. I’ve stayed unnecessarily late at weddings because these events are scheduled with long windows of time in between. If you have a photographer hired for 8 or 10 hours, organize these moments in swift succession with perhaps a break in between for your Golden Hour photos. Get these moments done and let your guests party without interruption.

Build Buffers. Give yourselves windows to refresh, be a little more still. That way, if you go overtime in one window, you have buffers to accommodate you!

Classic Wedding Timeline Example (SUNSET @ 8:00PM)

1:00 Photographer arrives at Getting Ready Location #1

1:15 - 2:00 Groom to get dressed & Portraits

2:00 - 2:15 Photographer travels to Getting Ready Location #2

2:15 - 3:15 Bride to get into dress & Portraits

3:15 Photographer travels to Ceremony Location

3:30 Photographer photographs location, details, guest arrival

3:30 Bride/Groom/Wedding Party travel to Ceremony Location

3:45 Bride/Groom/Wedding Party refresh

4:00 CEREMONY

4:30 Group Portraits

5:00 - 6:00 Cocktail Hour

5:00 - 5:30 Photographer photographs Cocktail/Reception/Cake Details

5:30 Bride/Groom Portraits

6:00 Guests are seated for dinner

6:15 Wedding Party/Bride & Groom Announced

6:20 Welcome Toast & Dinner Instructions/Start

6:40 Toasts

7:15 Cake Cutting

7:30 Golden Hour Moment

7:45 Couple Games

8:00 First Dances

8:20 PARTY START

9:00 Photographer departs (or stays for late-night party depending on package hours) 

PLANNING FOR LIGHTING ON YOUR WEDDING DAY

• Seasonal Light. The length of light you have in June, is much different from the light you have in December. If you’re getting married into the winter, factor things like Group & Couple Portraits before your ceremony to take advantage of the light. Sunsets start happening at 4 p.m. as of the second week of November after Daylight Savings Time kicks in.

• Turn off the recessed lights. While they are functional to make a room bright, they do nothing for anyone’s face. Because the light comes straight down from the ceiling, “raccoon eyes” are created just by way the shadow falls.

• Windows & Mirrors provide a lot of interesting light. Find rooms with them!

• Find light that creates ambience. Create some beautiful light in your dining table centerpieces: candlesticks, candelabras, glowing orbs, votives, tea lights! The glow from them compliments your guests faces, your decor and creates a feeling of intimacy. Err on the side of too many candles! Bistro lights, twinkly lights, solar garden lights — all build new depth and shape and place for people to collect themselves.

• Get some light you can play with. Sparklers, Fireworks, Cell Phone Glow, Glow Sticks, all create visual interest at the party! Bring it!!

• That First Dance Light. A white spotlight is the type of light you want (I normally speak with DJ’s at weddings, but not all are created the same. Some don’t bring lights — and in that case I’ll set up an off camera flash/or bring my own continuous light stands, but these are details that are better known in advance!). Lights with color - green, red, blue, magenta - can be saved for the dance party… but a classic spot light will render your photos timeless.

OTTAWA WEDDING VENUES

Here is a list of my favorite and/or aspirational wedding & reception venues in Ottawa & surrounding areas.

For a more expansive list with descriptions, visit this list of outdoor venues; this list of smaller/micro-wedding friendly venues; and even my Canadian Wedding Bucket List.

OTTAWA

Venue Twenty Two

Chateau Laurier

Billings Estate

National Gallery

e18hteen

Beckta

Lago

Orange Art Gallery

Signatures Restaurant (Le Cordon Bleu)

National Arts Center

OUTSIDE OTTAWA

Aquatopia

Stonefields Estate

The Herb Garden

Le Belvedere

The Schoolhouse

Wakefield Mill & Spa

Saunders Farm

Le Peaches & Cream

RECOMMENDED MONTREAL WEDDING VENDORS

Planners: Toast Events || The Gathering Event Company || Elyna Kudish

Florals: We Are Pollen Nation || Maison Anthea

Dress Shop: Revelle Bridal || White Satin

Suiting: Indochino || Stephano Tailor

Hair & Make-up: One Fine Beauty || Topknot Hair || Klava Zykova

Video: Dear Darling Films

Wedding Cakes: Dulce Cake Design || The girl with the most cake

BOOKING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN OTTAWA

Booking a photographer in Ottawa can be a difficult decision to make - there are so many good ones to choose from! How do you know you have found the right one?

TIPS ON CHOOSING A PHOTOGRAPHER

• First & foremost, connect with the photographs. You should feel something when you look at them.

• Look for variety in their photographs & storytelling: can they take great photos in harsh light, low light, overcast, artificial light, dancefloors? It’s more than ok for you to request to see a full gallery

• Talk to them. Set up a call, within minutes you should know if you feel comfortable enough with them to follow you for a good portion of the day.

• Allocate about 10-15% of your wedding budget for a professional photographer and if you’re looking for budget photographers (anyone less than $2500) assess how comfortable you are in taking risks.

• Credentials like Awards, Publications, Testimonials & Reviews can also be explored!

HOW TO BOOK ANNABELLE AGNEW PHOTOGRAPHY

Click the button below and I’ll follow up with a few questions over email. Then we’ll set up a call so we can get to know each other, discuss your wedding day plans and figure out the right kind of coverage for you.

If you’d like to get some questions answered beforehand, you can go ahead and download my Wedding Package & Pricing Information and read through my FAQ.

At my end, I am going to be curious about your story - like how you both met!

Looking forward to hearing from you :)