Elope Niagara - Helpful tips to make your day go smoother!

Tips to make your day go smoothly:

So, you are planning a destination Niagara wedding!! Wonderful! Here are some tips from 2 seasoned photographers to help make your day go more smoothly:

Kim and Kathy have been photographing weddings for over 20 combined years! Most people do not realize how much time the photographer actually spends with the couple on the wedding day. We have witnessed every type of timing disaster imaginable!!

Even if your wedding is just the two of you, here are some "Elopement wedding tips" for your destination Wedding here in Niagara!

Prepare to walk down the aisle at the time that was reserved for you.
If you have booked 1:00 for your ceremony, whether it is a chapel, hotel room, park etc.....be ready to start at that time. There could be many other weddings booked during the course of the day for one or more of the vendors you have booked, that you are unaware of. If you are 15 minutes late, it will affect the rest of the day for the various services. i.e. limo, photos, video, musicians etc.... Being late can also compromise your special day with any one of these services being rushed or having to cut the time spent with you short. (you would be amazed at the # of weddings we have been to, where the bride is ½ or more late!! The venue is usually booked for approx. 1 hour and so by the time she arrives, everyone only has 20 minutes to do their job, before the next wedding is arriving!! )
Take into account travel time, and traffic.
14 Million visitors decend upon our great city in between the months of April and October. Niagara normally has a population of 70, 000. So traffic can get congested. Do a dry run to the venue of your choice from your hotel room, or ask at your front desk, how long they think it will take to arrive from the hotel to your venue. Leave yourself plenty of time. ( Nevermind listening to well meaning relatives who will tell you "The bride should always be fashionably late"!!) Help us spread the word in starting a new tradition: " The bride should always be fashionably on time" :)
Parking: Make sure to find out in regards to parking at your venue.
Does the chapel/hotel, park have a designated parking lot or parking available? Is is free? Make sure you know in advance, so there are no surprises. Also....(and this point is huge!!!)..........make sure any out of town quests and especially family know where they are going. Arrange to have a map for them if they are not sure. (we can't count how many weddings we have all sat around anxiously waiting with the bride and groom who can't start the ceremony without the bride's father or a special relative, only to find out that they are circling around looking for parking, or could not find the location!!
Find out from each venue their payment policy.
This can save time and embarrassment on the actual day. Make sure you have your credit card or cash with you. This may sound trivial and and an obvious point , however you would be surprised at how many weddings we have done, where someone thought the other had the money with them to pay everyone, and a mad rush back to the hotel had to take place.
If you are having photographs in your room prior to your ceremony, make sure your flowers are scheduled to arrive at least a half hour before your photographer.
We have seen it where it wasn't well co-ordinated and the flowers arrived too late for the bridal preparation photos.
Make sure you and all the attendants have a bathroom break before the ceremony.
When your ceremony is over and it is time to take professional photographs, your photographer will need all of the parents and attendants there. If they disappear to try to find a bathroom, it can compromise your final photos.
Remember to eat prior to your ceremony:
We have seen fainting brides because they just forgot to grab a bite to eat!
If it is a hot day and you are having your ceremony in a public park:
Consider bringing a small cooler with bottled water.
Remember to have the bride's purse with her lipstick handy:
We've seen bride's not want the photoshoot to start until someone fetches the lipstick (20 minutes away).
This will seem obvious also: Make sure to have the wedding license with you!
We have seen many weddings have to do the ceremony anyway due to timing issues, and then later in the day the officiant has to arrange to meet the couple to get the legalities done. We have also known a wedding to be 1/2 hour late due to someone rushing back to the hotel for the paperwork!
While on this point: Make a checklist:
Do you have with you: the rings...the license....your shoes..( yes this has happened believe it or not- the bride forgot her shoes at home 3 hours away)...and anything else important to the ceremony, candles etc.....

Never a good sign.
Make sure your limo company is from the Niagara area and the driver is familiar with the city!

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	Tips to make your day go smoothly: So, you are planning a destination Niagara wedding!! Wonderful! Here are some tips from 2 seasoned photographers to help make your day go more smoothly: Kim and Kathy have been photographing weddings for over 20 combined years! Most people do not realize how much time the photographer actually spends with the couple on the wedding day. We have witnessed every type of timing disaster imaginable!! Even if your wedding is just the two of you, here are some "Elopement wedding tips" for your destination Wedding here in Niagara! Prepare to walk down the aisle at the time that was reserved for you. If you have booked 1:00 for your ceremony, whether it is a chapel, hotel room, park etc.....be ready to start at that time. There could be many other weddings booked during the course of the day for one or more of the vendors you have booked, that you are unaware of. If you are 15 minutes late, it will affect the rest of the day for the various services. i.e. limo, photos, video, musicians etc.... Being late can also compromise your special day with any one of these services being rushed or having to cut the time spent with you short. (you would be amazed at the # of weddings we have been to, where the bride is ½ or more late!! The venue is usually booked for approx. 1 hour and so by the time she arrives, everyone only has 20 minutes to do their job, before the next wedding is arriving!! ) Take into account travel time, and traffic. 14 Million visitors decend upon our great city in between the months of April and October. Niagara normally has a population of 70, 000. So traffic can get congested. Do a dry run to the venue of your choice from your hotel room, or ask at your front desk, how long they think it will take to arrive from the hotel to your venue. Leave yourself plenty of time. ( Nevermind listening to well meaning relatives who will tell you "The bride should always be fashionably late"!!) Help us spread the word in starting a new tradition: " The bride should always be fashionably on time" :) Parking: Make sure to find out in regards to parking at your venue. Does the chapel/hotel, park have a designated parking lot or parking available? Is is free? Make sure you know in advance, so there are no surprises. Also....(and this point is huge!!!)..........make sure any out of town quests and especially family know where they are going. Arrange to have a map for them if they are not sure. (we can't count how many weddings we have all sat around anxiously waiting with the bride and groom who can't start the ceremony without the bride's father or a special relative, only to find out that they are circling around looking for parking, or could not find the location!! Find out from each venue their payment policy. This can save time and embarrassment on the actual day. Make sure you have your credit card or cash with you. This may sound trivial and and an obvious point , however you would be surprised at how many weddings we have done, where someone thought the other had the money with them to pay everyone, and a mad rush back to the hotel had to take place. If you are having photographs in your room prior to your ceremony, make sure your flowers are scheduled to arrive at least a half hour before your photographer. We have seen it where it wasn't well co-ordinated and the flowers arrived too late for the bridal preparation photos. Make sure you and all the attendants have a bathroom break before the ceremony. When your ceremony is over and it is time to take professional photographs, your photographer will need all of the parents and attendants there. If they disappear to try to find a bathroom, it can compromise your final photos. Remember to eat prior to your ceremony: We have seen fainting brides because they just forgot to grab a bite to eat! If it is a hot day and you are having your ceremony in a public park: Consider bringing a small cooler with bottled water. Remember to have the bride's purse with her lipstick handy: We've seen bride's not want the photoshoot to start until someone fetches the lipstick (20 minutes away). This will seem obvious also: Make sure to have the wedding license with you! We have seen many weddings have to do the ceremony anyway due to timing issues, and then later in the day the officiant has to arrange to meet the couple to get the legalities done. We have also known a wedding to be 1/2 hour late due to someone rushing back to the hotel for the paperwork! While on this point: Make a checklist: Do you have with you: the rings...the license....your shoes..( yes this has happened believe it or not- the bride forgot her shoes at home 3 hours away)...and anything else important to the ceremony, candles etc..... Never a good sign. Make sure your limo company is from the Niagara area and the driver is familiar with the city! Top