A pre-wedding photoshoot is tricky sometimes, especially when your partner is not into the camera and you love the camera. Yeah, I feel that situation. I am blessed with a man who doesn't really care about his look on the camera, but it also challenges me when we plan for our pre-wedding photoshoot. Did I get stressed? Obviously. This moment only happens once in a lifetime, of course, we want to make it memorable and sweet. So, since we successfully passed this phase, I am urged to share with you my pre-wedding photoshoot tips so you can make the best of it.

1. Set a budget

First things first, budget. Make sure you and your partner have discussed the budget for the photoshoot, including the photographer, videographer, studio or photoshoot location, outfits, and stylist (if you prefer to use). For my fiancé and I, we are very blessed to collaborate with Indonesian photographer and videographer based in Surabaya, MATE. They specialize in pre-wedding and wedding photoshoots and I can tell that they're really professional and friendly. By collaborating with them, of course, it cuts the budget for the photographer and the videographer, plus I am my own stylist. Super blessed!

Notes: When you do research for the photographer, make sure their portfolio aligns with your dream photoshoot.

2. Create more than one moodboard

Going with one concept is fine, but you can't expect what happens in the location. Hence, opt for more than one concept so when the first plan doesn't look satisfying, you can try with the second plan. For my fiancé and I, I made two concepts: West Meets East and Alpha and Omega. I brought those concepts because he comes from Western culture and I am from Asian culture, and also, he is the firstborn while I am the lastborn in the family. 

On the set, he initially wore a cowboy hat, but it turned out the location was not as good as we expected, the sun was also too bright, and the cowboy hat doesn't really represent a cowboy. Thank God we still have more moodboards, so we can go ahead with another one. 

Notes: I use Pinterest to collect the references, then I put them on my Google Slides.

3. Do not follow trends

Stick to what will everlasting instead of following the trends because trends will fade with time. Imagine if you hang your pre-wedding photo on the wall and you did it based on the current trends (for example: Y2K trends), 10 or maybe 20 years later, you might find it weird or silly. For us, we stick to simplicity. Plain background, homey studio, neutral color scheme, so the photos will be more focused on our moments, not the ambience. Please remember that the location is just to support your photoshoot, not to become the center of attention.

4. Communicate with your photographer team clearly

Explain your ideas, concerns, and difficulties at least a week before the photoshoot. Make sure they are aware of your insecurity, for example, I prefer my left side profile rather than my right side, and I also asked them to speak in English because my fiancé cannot speak in Bahasa Indonesia. 

5. Build mood with your partner before the photoshoot

I still remember that time in the morning, I was quite cranky because of a lack of sleep (I stayed up all night to make the bridal veil, lol). Thank God, my fiancé really knows how to win my heart. He comforted me on the way to the studio until my ice broke, so we could have a very good connection during the photoshoot. Trust me, your mood truly impacts the result (watch the video below).

I hope these tips are helpful, and if you're still waiting for the right one, don't worry. Keep praying to God to prepare you and your future husband or wife, so by the time you meet them, you know he or she is the one from God. 

Here's the result of our pre-wedding video by MATE team, enjoy :)

xoxo,

Chelshea Flo