What to Expect from Your Costa Rica Wedding Photographer?
A destination wedding in beautiful Costa Rica is bound to be incredible. However, organizing everything in a foreign country is obviously different than working with people and systems that you know at home.
Of course, you want everything to be perfect on your big day, and having a good wedding photographer is a crucial part of that.
You want to be able to just enjoy your day without having to worry about what the photographer is doing – it should be easy and at times it should feel like he isn’t even there! Toh is here to make sure that you get the wedding photos you deserve.
This is a basic outline of what you can expect and what you should plan for when working with your Costa Rica wedding photographer on your big day. With professionalism, fun, and of course incredible photos at the forefront, you will be in fantastic hands for your Costa Rica wedding photos.
Getting ready
On the big day, first you will wake up, extremely excited, maybe a little nervous, but ready for what lies ahead. After all, you will be in paradise with all of your closest friends and family around you – what could be better than that? Take your time to get excited and get mentally prepared before it is time to start getting ready. When the time comes, that is when your Costa Rica wedding photographer will arrive and you will be able to get to know each other, exchange ideas, and plan out exactly how you would like all of the wedding photos to go. The first shoot will be while you are getting ready with your bridesmaids, so you can talk about how you want that to look and then all you have to do is enjoy the morning while he is in the background capturing it all!
Next, your photographer will go check in with the groom to talk about his ideas and how he should do the photos while he and the groomsmen are getting ready. They will make the photos natural and fun. It can feel a little weird to have a camera around you all the time, but try to just act as natural as you can. This isn’t hard – you will probably be so swept up in the excitement of your big day that you won’t even be paying attention to the cameras, which is perfect. Your Costa Rica wedding photographer will be able to capture all of the special moments so that nothing is forgotten. You won’t have to worry about a thing! Just relax as you go about your day preparing for the big moment.
After talking to you and setting up the plan, the first thing he will do is go to get some photos of the venue before everyone arrives. It is nice to have some photos without people in them, and then of course once the guests arrive he will be sure to capture all of your friends and family there as well. He will be able to capture the essence of the place and the feeling of excitement for the big day! He will also be able to get a feel for the venue and plan out how and where he should take photos during the actual event.
After the venue, it is back to the bride to document the whole getting ready process. The special moments between you and your bridesmaids are priceless and he will be able to capture everything from makeup, to hair, to jewelry, and all the little touches in between. There are often beautiful moments between friends, between mother and daughter, reading a note that the groom might have sent, and of course, reading vows. You will be very happy to have a photographer there capturing these special moments to be able to look back on and live again.
All of this usually takes a few hours – there is no rush, so you can take your time getting ready and relax with your bridesmaids. Maybe drink some coffee, eat some food, and try to contain your excitement for what is coming. The groom will also be able to take his time with his groomsmen, maybe joking and reminiscing over a little whiskey. Once your hair is all done, your makeup is flawless, your dress is on and you are feeling ready, it will be time for the first look.
They will set you up so that you and your future husband will be able to turn around and see each other all dressed up for the first time in a very picturesque but natural way. These photos are always super fun and full of emotion – the face of the groom when he first lays eyes on the
bride is always absolutely priceless!
Off to the ceremony
And then, it is finally time for the actual wedding! All of the preparation and buildup leading to a beautiful ceremony. Your photographer will be prepared to capture everything and make sure he is in all the right places at the right time, since he already got the lay of the land earlier in the morning. The walk down the aisle is where it will all start, with all of your loved ones watching and smiling as you walk by. During the vows, the I do’s, the ring exchange, and the big kiss, there will be plenty of time to capture everything from different angles and make sure that not a second is missed.
Post ceremony shoot.
After the ceremony is over, it will be time for photos with the wedding party before everyone lets loose for the rest of the night. Photos will be taken of just the bride and groom of course, and then all of the different combinations of bridesmaids, groomsmen, family, and friends. It is up to you who you would like in the photos and what different mixes of people you would like.
And what better backdrop than the gorgeous scenery of Costa Rica? Pro tip – try to make sure some of the photos are around sunset because they are absolutely incredible in Costa Rica. Your wedding party will be able to enjoy paradise and you will all have memories that will last forever.
Once the photos are all out of the way, the party can start! You don’t have to think or worry about anything else at this point. It is time for food, drinks, speeches, cake cutting, bouquet tossing, the first dance, and whatever else you have planned for the night! While everyone is enjoying themselves, photos will be capturing all of the action. Candid reception photos are always super fun, and he will make sure that all of the best moments are documented. You don’t even have to think about it! Cheers to that.
After a while and once the main events are over, you will say goodbye to him and enjoy the rest of your wedding evening. Time to dance the night away and enjoy special moments with your new husband on your first night as a married couple! And then all that is left to do is start brainstorming and getting excited for a creative session in the next few days if that is something you would like to schedule it as part of your package! A trash the dress shoot or another kind of unique photo shoot after the wedding is something that he specializes in and can take your
wedding photos up to the next level.
Check the trash the dress page for more photos.
The last step is waiting for the day that you will receive all of your priceless photos. Although it always feels like a long time, it will be well worth the wait!
For more info and to move forward with booking Toh as your Costa Rica destination wedding photographer, contact us today!