Amidst so much planning and dreaming for me and my husbands’ wedding, I remember being SO overwhelmed – I wish someone had given me more advice on how to preserve our marriage legacy! Decades from now, we will look back on our wedding in a whole new light. We were so young, and all of our family and friends loved on us so well. I wanted to plan the most beautiful day down to the last detail, but looking back, the most heartfelt and sincere plans have the most weight. Here are a few ideas to ensure you will look back on your wedding day knowing you preserved your legacy well.
#1 Imagine what your future children will want to see, and schedule accordingly.
What a gift it would be for your children to see you giddy and so in love! Some of my favorite ways to capture that type of emotion is during a Bride and Grooms’ first look. I also love asking the Bride and Groom to join me outside during the reception for 10 – 15 minutes of sunset photos—these always turn out so well and these images always become favorites that our clients frame and put on their walls!
#2 Have your parents and grandparents participate in different parts of the day.
The family formal portraits are a great time to take photos of different groups, but you can take photos with your family in other parts of the day, too! Some of my favorite candid moments with family members include a bride and her mom zipping up her gown, the bride and her dad doing a “first look,” or casual getting ready photos between the groom and his dad. Brides could also have their grandmother help zip up their gown alongside their mom, and have three generations within one photo!
#3 Take photos of any family heirlooms to preserve how you incorporated them.
No matter how big or small, it is always so special to have items passed down through your family present during your wedding day. Years from now, you may forget how special that item was, and appreciate having a photo of it.
#4 Write personal vows and save them to cherish in the future.
Me and my husband decided to write personal vows and share them privately before our ceremony. We wanted the chance to share more detailed things without necessarily sharing it with all of our guests—and it was probably our favorite part of our wedding day! We have our personal vows framed and hung in our room, and I will forever love seeing the words we said to each other on the first day of our marriage. You could also take this idea one step further and write hand written notes to each of your guests instead of a typical wedding favor!
#5 Incorporate things you want to pass down to your children one day.
While shopping for my own wedding dress, I decided to invest in a veil that I could hand down to my daughter one day. It was a 7 foot cathedral veil (very long for me at 5′ 2″) and I’m so excited to hand it down one day to continue our legacy in that small way.
#6 Ask your parents how they would like to be honored.
Sometimes you won’t know your parent’s priorities until you ask! My husbands’ family felt like they would be most hospitable to our guests by providing a coffee and tea bar. They both come from Arabic countries, and this was how they wanted to honor our guests and make them feel loved! Starting this conversation could also open up the conversation to ask what they loved about their wedding day, and could give you some new ideas!
#7 Invest in a photographer that will give you authentic, genuine images.
Your left over food will be thrown away and your flowers will wilt, but images of your wedding day will be handed down for generations. It would be a shame to invest so much money in a beautiful wedding day and not be able to show it to your grandchildren! You want to make sure the photographer you choose will be able to capture who you REALLY were on your wedding day—when you were both so in love and excited for what lies ahead.
We would be SO honored to capture your wedding day! Want more information about our Wedding Photography Experience?
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Want to check out some recent weddings?
John and Layla’s Classic D.C. Wedding
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