5th Floor Photography

Photo by Kelly Huff

While not a necessity, having your photographer at your wedding rehearsal or rehearsal dinner is never a bad choice.  It allows you to get even more comfortable with the person shooting your wedding, and it gives the photographer more time to identify the key players…Grandma, Father of the Groom, your best friend from college.  Plus, you’ll end up with even more visual memories of your whirl wind wedding weekend.  

All in all, adding a rehearsal dinner photographer to your wedding weekend photography schedule is pretty inexpensive and totally worth it.

A personal touch we love?  Photo thank you notes.  Give your guests something else to remember your wedding by penning your thank yous on a custom designed note card.  It’s a sweet, unexpected extra and makes a nice touch if you select a photo of a moment your guests didn’t see. 

Clients of 5th Floor have it even better.  We’ll custom your photo with the text of your choice for no extra charge and send you the hi-res file.  All you have to do is decide if you want them printed as post cards or traditional note cards.  Just another way to share your wedding photos with the world!

Yes!  CTA photos are a quintessential part of Chicago weddings.  Nothing feels more city chic than a bride and groom on the platform of the red, blue, or brown line train. 

The best way to make sure you can get your train photos? 
-Go at off peak times (not during rush hour)
-Be prepared to pay the fare per person
-Be nice to the station attendant.

At our wedding, we wandered over to the Merchandise Mart Brown Line stop at 6 pm on a Saturday night and asked the very sweet CTA worker if she would let us take some photographs on the platform.  She checked with her supervisor on the radio, congratulated us, and escorted us onto the platform.  The photos turned our great and it ended up being one of my favorite wedding memories.

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Should I have a photographer there while I’m getting in my wedding dress?  Do I need a photographer at the hair salon?  When should my photographer arrive for the day?  These are all questions that every bride asks, even I did…and I married a photographer.  I had no idea if I should have a photographer shooting everything before the wedding. 

The answer, yes!  I can’t tell you how happy I was that our photographer, Brian, made the decision for me and came to my bridal suite the morning of the wedding.  Some of my favorite photographs from the wedding were taken before I even saw the groom.  Make sure you don’t miss any great photographic moments by having a photographer with you every step of the way on your day. 

Here are some of my favorite preparation shots from my wedding and from weddings our photographers have shot.

Do you plan to have a photographer shoot your getting ready? 

1.   Ignore the photographer.  If you act naturally and have fun, it will show.

2. Tell your photographer if you’re planning to do anything quirky.  Riding the eL or going to McDonalds in between the ceremony and reception will make great photo moments.

3.  Consider a “fake out” bouquet toss.  Let the Dj/bandleader count to three, but only pretend to throw it, you’ll get great reaction shots of all your girls and you can really toss it a second later.

4.  Be in the moment.  Laughing, crying, and hugging are all natural wedding moments that will create photos you’ll love.

5.  Have your makeup professionally done and smile.  When you feel good, you’ll look good, and that makes for priceless photographs.