How to get your wedding published; Tips to get your wedding published in a magazine.

If you get married and the wedding doesn’t get published, did the wedding even really happen?  It’s like the age-old question of if a tree falls in the woods. Having your wedding grace the pages of magazines or blogs is a huge honor, but how do you create a successful submission? Attempting to get your wedding published is a joint effort between you and your photographer. The process actually starts prior the wedding! Before we dive into the details of how you can make your wedding publication-worthy there is something BIG you should keep in mind.

Wedding blogs LOVE to provide wedding decor and design inspirations. So what exactly does that mean? (and why does that even matter?) If you rewind back to the first month that you got engaged, you’ll probably remember browsing through countless blogs and mags for a centerpiece, dress, color palette, ceremony, etc. inspiration pictures. You may have not even noticed that you tended to focus on decor and design images, rather than the photos of the couples themselves. At the end of the day, wedding blogs serve to provide inspiration to future couples. So the more detail photographs you are able to capture, with the help of your photographer, the more likely youre wedding will be published. So now that you know the big secret behind successful wedding submissions, follow along for 6 fail-proof ways to get your wedding published.

BEFORE YOUR WEDDING

 

Prep your stationery and paper goods. Gather all of the wedding paper goods you’ve sent out and provide the photographer with them on the day-of. This may include your save-the-dates, bridal shower invites, your ENTIRE invitation suite (yes, even the RSVP cards), menus, and even thank you cards if you’ve gone ahead and ordered those as well. Publications love to feature paper good shots at the beginning
of an article to set the tone for the rest of the event pictures to come.

Have your fashion details ready. Your stationery, shoes, jewelry and other articles of clothing should be ready to be photographed before the photographer even arrives. By collecting all of these items beforehand, the photographer has more time to capture the beauty of each piece (rather than searching for the items and rushing to get a shot). Men, this includes you too! Have those cufflinks, all of the various pieces of your outfit,  and your shoes ready for their close-ups. Photographers will take these pieces and arrange them in an editorial way that highlights each and every detail. To get your wedding published in fashion articles or featured flat lays, blogs and mags love to see that you and the photographer worked together to get the perfect shot of what you wore that day.

 

ON YOUR WEDDING DAY

 

Allow your photographer to step away to grab important decor shots. So you’ve hired a photographer for 10 hours, but everyone once and a while you may notice they’re nowhere to be seen. That’s more than okay! The photographer is taking this brief time away from the couple to capture photos of the ceremony space, the reception venue, the centerpieces, etc.. All of these are the kinds of images that get your wedding published. If the photographer isn’t by your side, it means they’re capturing important shots that will help an outsider (ie: editors and future newlyweds) understand the various components of the event.

AFTER THE WEDDING

Answer the Questionnaire with Heart:

Many photographers will send you a questionnaire after your wedding, asking you personal questions about your relationship and your special day. Before you start writing, take a moment to reflect on your S.O. about all of the questions, and then sit down together to answer them. Not only is this a fun date night activity, but having two people contribute is a great way to provide the most detailed response. It’s quite evident you care about your wedding album submission when you provide thoughtful and heartfelt responses.

Try to think from the other side of the screen; write your answers in a way that would make people WANT to read your love story. For example, instead of just saying, “we met in college,” be descriptive and say, “Joe and I were paired together in art class freshman year…”. Instead of saying that being with your family and friends was your favorite part of your wedding (which it definitely was), try to recall a moment when you stopped for a second to look around and saw your college friends mixing with your cousins under the candlelight from your hanging centerpieces and it felt like a painting. These are all just suggestions, but you get the gist. Many publications want to feature not just an event, but a whole love story that will capture the hearts of their readers.

Credit Every Single Vendor

Here’s a little secret about wedding industry pros: we LOVE to give love to our fellow vendors. Your photographer will ask you to provide all of the vendors who worked on your wedding weekend and it’s your job to make sure that even the pros who had a small part in your special day are included. By listing all of the vendors who make your day possible, publications are able to properly credit the BTS hard work that went into your wedding. Publications often reject albums that have 5 vendors or less. Be sure to include your bridal salon, your seamstress, your invitation designer, your calligraphist, your photo booth, and most especially all of your fashion items from your dress all the way down to your shoes (men, suits are important to note too!)

 

Caption Your Wedding Album

This is the most important step to you could to take to get your wedding published! Remember what we said in the beginning about publications loving detail pictures? By explaining why you made these decor choices a part of your special day, makes your album come alive! Walk the readers through the various parts of your wedding decor, fashion, and standout pieces by retelling why and how you picked everything from your dress to the favors.

This is your chance to give the people who weren’t there the entire story behind each photograph. A good example of this may be explaining to readers that your Aunt Linda helped you craft your table numbers. Which were inspired by the destinations that you and your S.O. traveled to together. Or, you can explain that you picked your beach venue because your fiance proposed to you on the water. Even listing what you ate and how it tasted makes your wedding day album more vibrant!

In Conclusion

Essentially, submitting a wedding is your opportunity to share with the world your special day and special love. If the 6 easy steps in this article didn’t drill it into enough, details about your love and your wedding are important! Once you’ve followed every single one of these steps, the photographer will take over and submit your wedding for publication. One last thing, if your wedding doesn’t get picked up by a publication first time around, it’s nothing personal! They most absolutely LOVED your story but many publications have deadlines or specific stylistic requirements. Their “no” gives you a chance to submit to another fab magazine or blog for the chance to get social proof that your day was awesome!

If you have any questions, we’re here to help!  Be sure to contact us today to set up your consultation.

 

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Article by Clane Gessel Photography