Some brides and grooms couldn't care less but some brides and/or grooms would love to have their wedding featured on a wedding blog or in a magazine they love. As a photographer I'm always happy to see my work published (what entrepreneur doesn't love free publicity) so don't hesitate to bring this topic up when we're having our first meeting. If this is important to you I might shoot just slightly different as to help the future publisher to the best of my abilities. For example it often helps a publisher when I shoot all details in both portrait and landscape. So I might advice you to give me a bit more time in the morning so I can create this versatility that is oh so important to some editors.

 

 

To help you increase your chances of publication I would like to share some great advice on this topic from Sara, founder and curator of one of my favorite blogs Wedding Sparrow:

'We know first hand how your wedding day can be overwhelming and exciting in equal measures and after months or years of staring at beautiful wedding blogs and Pinterest for inspiration, brides often like to see their beautiful weddings featured on their favourite blog (and we don’t blame them!). So what makes a wedding "publishable"?

 

 

You don’t have to have a stylist to have your wedding featured on a wedding blog. We’re inspired by places and experiences that genuinely resonate with our brides. That emotive gesture, the details of soft hands that hold an affinity and unwavering space in your heart. We love sensory layers to your story that are rich in scent, music, visuals and sense of space. Authenticity is key and we just adore timeless beauty. Using nature as your inspiration in this instance is key to creating timeless beauty.

 

 

There is nothing more timeless than mother nature so let her do the talking and let your wedding decor fall in line with her beauty. Try not to be trend driven as this is the first mistake people make when submitting something to a blog. You can guarantee that the Editor will have seen a hundred weddings similar to yours already if you have a ‘trendy’ wedding and thanks to that colour scheme/decor item/photobooth backdrop, you may find they decline your submission simply because they’ve seen it too many times already.

 

 

Some don’t’s:
Don’t hold your entire wedding indoors if possible. Natural light is our fine art friend so make sure the majority of your day utilises as much daylight as possible whether it be through lots of glass or outside…

Don’t wear bold colours if the blog you’d like to feature on usually features neutrals and vice versa…

Don’t limit yourself in your colour palette. ‘I like pink so I want a pink wedding’ doesn’t usually work for a lot of blogs. Work in as many complementary colours as possible to give both you and any vendors like the florist flexibility to create seasonal magic…

Don’t limit yourself to inspiration from wedding blogs alone. Think outside the box and take inspiration from interiors, nature, textures and moments in your life as a couple…

 

 

Don’t just think local vendors can help you create your big day. Consider international vendors as they often travel for the same cost as a local vendor!

Our key bit of advice is to keep it simple, nature driven (colour palette, florals, textures, materials), and let the wedding describe you as a couple. That way you’ll be far less likely to look back in 20 years at your wedding day with a ‘what was I thinking?!’ mentality.

Remember, don’t think you need an XYZ template to your wedding. Don’t like cake? Don’t have one! Does your groom love vintage cars? Have an amazing getaway shot lined up with a chic vintage car draped in florals and calligraphy for your exit. It’s your big day so hire the best photographer your budget will allow and we’ve no doubt you’ll have the stunning wedding day you’ve always dreamed of.'

I would like to emphasise this: If you have a specific blog in mind that you want your wedding to be published on, have a good look at what kind of wedding you're planning. If you would like to have it featured on Wedding Sparrow don't hire a digital photographer (they exclusively publish film photography) and realize that your fun 50s theme probably won't resonate with their readers and so they probably won't feature it. Similarly, if you would love to have your wedding on Rock 'n Roll Bride don't plan a very traditional wedding without a thing out of the ordinary. Every bridal blog wants to feature weddings that will inspire their readers. So if your wedding is a complete copy of someone else's wedding you found on Pinterest and has no personal touches whatsoever, most blogs won't even consider publishing it as it doesn't offer anything inspirational to other brides. Especially when you take into account that there might be quite some time in between when you come up with the style of your wedding and when it will get published. You might be engaged for 18 months, might have to wait a couple of months for your photos before they've been edited and delivered. And then after submitting, a blog might decide they don't have a place for your wedding feature for another 6 months. All in all this might easily add up to more than 2 years! So the most important thing really in all things wedding, stick with your own personality and you'll not only have an awesome wedding fest but also a bigger chance of getting timeless photos ánd your wedding photos published.

Last but not least, let your wedding photographer know you would love to have your wedding published. They can help you find the best fitting publication(s) and as they have more experience submitting, your chances of getting published are higher too. Most photographers don't have enough time to submit every wedding they shoot but if they know you'd love to have your wedding published (and not all couples are, which is ok too) they will probably submit your wedding before even considering any other weddings that season!

 

 

If getting your wedding published is important to you I might be just the photographer you're looking for. My wedding photography has been published in magazines, on Dutch national television and on international (wedding) websites in the US, the UK, Norway, Belgium, Australia and the Netherlands like Rock My Wedding, Wedding Chicks, Fly Away Bride, B.loved, Plans & Presents, Festival Brides, Bajan Wed, ThePerfectWedding.nl, Dutch national television and magazines (like Elsevier, Libelle, Weekend, Beau Monde and Bruid Magazine), on MSN.com, in publications of COC Nederland (the oldest LGBHTQ organisation in the world), GirlsOfHonour.nl and Norwegian Wedding Magazine. Call or e-mail me to set up a meeting to find out if I'm available on your wedding date, I'd love to hear all your wedding plans!

 

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