One of my favorite parts of the wedding day are the first dances. (father daughter, mother son, and of course the wedding couple) I love that the couple finally gets a moment to themselves to laugh, cry, and reflect on the memories of the day. I am a sucker for father daughter dances (being a daddy’s girl myself) so I enjoy capturing each of the moments as they unfold. Here are some tips to create the best photos of your wedding first dances. Maine wedding first dance photography tips:
1. During your first dances don’t forget to smile, laugh, and just enjoy the moments and don’t cut your song short unless its literally like 4-5 minutes long.
2. Soak it all in at that time–reflect on the wedding days events and just be with each other like there is no one else in the room.
3. If you are going to do a choreographed dance choose another time in the night when you can have a second first dance. I find that the dances that are choreographed are much stiffer and instead of smiling and laughing with each other you are worried about stepping on the dress or missing a step.
4. I only shoot one or two images of the whole scene during the first dance because for me the memories and story telling is in your emotions so I shoot with the 85 or 70-200 to get in close. I do look for reactions from the crowd as I am shooting the two people dancing.
5. After the first dance make sure to get all the guests up and moving on the dance floor–it brings the energy up and sets the stage for how the rest of the night unfolds.
6. In order to create wonderful first dance photos don’t stop smile and pose for all the cameras–just be in the moment.
7. It doesn’t have to be choreographed to be awesome–you can throw in a simple spin and everyone will love it
8. No dips. It doesn’t look as glamorous as you might think in your mind it does–and many of the wedding gowns aren’t designed for that so it is a risky move.
9. When you are thinking about your first dance choose a song that is really unique to you two–that is something you two love or thats lyrics really are the two of you. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little and have some fun with it.
10. You can do your first dance whenever you want–you don’t need to do it at the same time everyone else did–its your wedding you choose when you want to be in the spotlight. The photos are always better when you make the wedding your own.