Montreal Weddings: Three Groom tips for incredible wedding day photographs
“Grooms, know this: Everyone is watching the bride, but the bride only sees you”
~Unknown
I have been giving love to my Montreal grooms with a few feature posts on this blog. For some thoughts on the groom experience you can find the post here and here in this post we just give some love to doting and thoughtful grooms that want to make a memorable day for their sweethearts.
Your Montreal wedding is a hugely important day and you want it to run smoothly and you want to have a great time. The more planning and thought you can put in before the big day, the more you can relax when the day rolls around. When you’re relaxed, your photos will be amazing!
As a seasoned Montreal wedding photographer, I have encountered many different situations during a wedding day. Whenever you have a group of people together trying to keep to a plan, it can be a challenge to ensure things run smoothly.
There are things we honestly don’t think of - that aren’t even on our radar, because we just don’t know: usually it’s your first wedding day! And that’s why I’m here. As the eyes and ears of the day, here are three tips that will help make for a memorable photographs!
Three groom tips for amazing wedding photos
Get rid of the pocket square
Not a good look in your suit pants on your wedding day!
There is almost nothing worse than a big, egregious cell phone rectangle that breaks the line of your suit or tuxedo pants. While you may have your fave jeans that have a cell phone outline permanently present, you do NOT want to have this rectangle haunting your wedding photos. These days, we are never without our phones, and we don’t even think twice about slipping that phone into our pocket. But a wedding day is no ordinary day, and you absolutely must go against that natural inclination to pocket that phone. The back pocket please; not even the breast pocket as that can still show. A good, eagle-eyed photographer like myself will be on the lookout for this, but it’s good to educate! It’s not easy to remove this outline because it also creates pulls and tucks in the line of the pants, making this a real challenge in post-processing to correct.
This is an important message for your entire wedding party. While phones are now in the fabric of our lives, we don’t want to see their outlines in the fabric of our outfits, to be looked backed upon in photographs for all eternity.
A hearty boutonniere
Some heartiness and structure is needed for this creative detail for grooms.
A boutonniere is pinned to the groom’s lapel at the start of the day, and similar to the bouquet, it must last all day. However, a bride’s bouquet has the flowers nestled in with one another and tightly bound, creating natural support for the flowers. While both items can risk wilting or damage, the boutonniere can be especially vulnerable to wilting once it’s been pinned.
A boutonniere complements the bride’s bouquet and is featured front and centre in all photos. It is really important that it holds up for the day! I recently had a groom whose flower wilted fast and I ended up having to make corrections in post-production.
I asked industry colleague (and neighbour!), florist Karine Vigneau of Oxide Design Floral in Lachine, Quebec, for some advice when it comes to selecting options for a boutonniere, and here were her thoughts:
First I will say that the outside temperature has a lot to do with the duration of the boutonniere. The best choice would always be preserved or dried flowers! They never die. I love a preserved/dried boutonniere assembly! Otherwise, certain greens such as Leather Fern, Eucalyptus family, and Grevillea would be long lasting choices. Hypericum for a berry filler or Limonium, Statice, Baby's breath will last or dry well. In the flowers themselves, small Spray Carnations or Spray Roses will also last; Lisianthus, some small Orchids.Much depends on how fresh or early the flowers are, and when the boutonniere was constructed. For example - We have always constructed boutonnieres and corsages last in our production, as they cannot drink properly once assembly is complete. These details make all the difference in the end. Karine and her team can take care of your boutonniere and entire wedding floral needs; get in touch!
Invest in Skin care and grooming before the day
As a groom, one must consider grooming!! Most men won’t wear makeup, but things like razor burn, breakouts and sensitive skin are real. Start with a simple skin care routine of cleansing and exfoliating about 2 weeks before the wedding, and don’t introduce any new/ untested products at least one week prior to your wedding - you don’t want an unwanted reaction so close to your big day!
Opt for a professional shave before the wedding or the day of if your skin isn’t too sensitive. Part of that is a neck shave for a clean look, and sideburn touchup. Also pay attention to nose-hairs and rogue eyebrow hairs - these may not be that noticeable to you when getting ready because you live with your facial hair every day, but just like with the cell phone, we need to be extremely mindful of things we don’t usually pay much mind to, on that important wedding day. An errant nose-hair can be glaring in a photo when I come up for a portrait of that kiss with your partner, so make sure it has been neutralized!
Don’t forget hands. Especially if you work with your hands or work outdoors, make sure nails are trimmed and clean, and use a good moisturizer over a few days to hydrate and replenish. Your hands are important because there will be photos of them - holding your bride’s hand, having your ring placed on your finger, or a soft caress of face or hair during portraits.
In the end, if there is an unwanted facial blemish or razor nick, ask your bride’s makeup artist to visit you during preparations for a few minutes, and they can give you a little cover up.
