Hi there Miami brides and grooms to be! Thanks for agreeing to become part of the Gabriel Chingolani Wedding family – we’re so happy to have you here!
We pride ourselves on building great, long-lasting relationships with the couples we photograph, and one of the ways we do that is by offering more to you than just amazing wedding photos – we also want to give you helpful wedding day tips and tricks, so that you can enjoy your Miami wedding day to the fullest!
So without further ado – let’s get started with the 5 BIGGEST Wedding Mistakes to Avoid – brought to you by Gabriel Chingolani Wedding Photography in Sunny Isles Beach, FL!
1) Not Meeting Your Vendors Before the Big Day
This one is a HUGE mistake that brides and grooms make – so that’s why it tops our list!
Putting down a deposit before having face to face time with a vendor my seem like a good idea at the time to get the wedding planning ball rolling so to speak, but in reality, it might lead to lots of wedding day heartbreak.
While a vendor may be super talented at what they do, you want to make sure you really jive with their personality, and are getting everything you expect from them, because let’s be honest - you’re probably paying them a BIG CHUNK OF CHANGE!
For example: Does your DJ know that your parents are divorced and WON’T be entering the hall together - or might he announce them as a couple... #awkward? Is the videographer prepared to shoot the surprise dance you’ve prepared for your significant other - or will he be surprised and caught off guard for capturing the big moment?
A consultation before your big Miami wedding day is SO IMPORTANT to make sure everyone’s on the same page – because a wedding day with a plan is destined to be the wedding day of your dreams!
And P.S. that’s exactly why we here at Gabriel Chingolani are considered some of the most personable and professional when it comes to wedding photographers in Sunny Isles Beach, FL, because we take the time to get to know you the best that we can!
2) Not Having a Hair or Makeup Trial Before the Big Day
We can’t stress this one enough! On my very own hair and makeup wedding trial I learned two things: my makeup artist’s go to primer caused my eyeshadow to crumble off in seconds!... And my natural hair would have to be blown out the day before for the beach wave updo that I wanted.
I can’t even imagine what I would have looked like on my wedding day if I didn’t learn that beforehand! Probably a crusty-eyed, frizzy-headed mess! #Bridezilla
So be sure to research your makeup and hair artist before the big day, ask if they do trials and be sure that they take notes during the trials. Because trust me when I say, you’ll be SO THANKFUL for what you learn during your hair and makeup trial, and so will your Miami wedding photographer of choice who's job it is to make you look amazing on your big day!
3) Not Being Physically, Mentally, and Financially Prepared for a Bad Weather
Let’s be honest. We want to imagine your wedding day will be the gorgeous, warm, not too hot, not too windy day of our dreams… but, that’s not exactly how it always goes.
And so, if you’re not IN LOVE with your venue’s weather contingency plan, keep shopping around for venues.
I remember when Gabriel and I were venue shopping we fell in love with, and almost booked a venue where if it rained, we’d be in cramped a fourth floor attic room with no elevator access or elbow room… can you say DISASTER?! OH – and if it did rain, we’d have to PAY MORE for them to execute this AWFUL Plan B!
And believe it or not, oftentimes, this is the norm for bad weather.
LOTS of wedding venues in Miami and beyond don’t tell you that if they do have to rearrange your wedding for an indoor setup, you’ll be slapped with a surprise $1,000+ charge on your wedding day, even though it’s not the ceremony or reception you envisioned!
Luckily we knew enough to ask these questions at what we thought was our “dream venue” and wait it out long enough to keep shopping around... Until we found our ACTUAL venue!
How did we know the venue we chose was the real deal? Well, our ceremony would take place in a gorgeous floor to ceiling greenhouse in the middle of their gardens, rain or shine. It gave us the intimate chapel feel we wanted, while still getting a gorgeous outdoor view, with air conditioning.
Basically, it checked off boxes we didn’t even know we had, so don’t be afraid to keep to keep looking when it comes to your Miami wedding venue, the perfect one is out there – bad weather or otherwise!
4) Choosing the Wrong Hairstyle
Ok brides, and long haired grooms, this is no a #NoJudgement zone, right? When we say this we want you to know that there’s NO "WRONG" hairstyle, because the right wedding photographer in Miami will make you look gorgeous, NO MATTER WHAT.
But, with that being said, certain hairstyles are easier for Miami wedding photographers to photograph than others. What do we mean?
Basically, asymmetrical hairstyles can be difficult for your Miami wedding photographer to photograph, because it may block off an entire side of your face. And while this is easily resolved with some professional posing, what about those precious candid shots? What if when you feed each other cake, you get swept up in the moment and forget to change to the side not blocked by your hair?
Again, the right and most professional wedding photographer in Miami will remind you of this and re-pose you…but we’d be lying if we said it didn’t kill the genuine moment…just a tad.
5) Wearing the Wrong Moisturizer
Ok this one sounds weird, but I actually learned about it during my own makeup trial and it’s been stowed away in our own Miami wedding photographer toolbox ever since!
Basically, if you wear a moisturizer with SPF in it – like so many of us do – it can cause flash back in photos! Yup, that’s right, it will look like your face is glowing…and NOT in a good way! Even some of the best wedding photographers in Miami don’t know this well-kept secret, so be glad you kept reading all the way until the end!
And believe it or not, this flashback effect from the SPF lives in your pores for a while, so it’s recommended that you stop wearing SPF moisturizer three months prior to your Miami wedding day, and swap out for a more traditional one until after the big day.
That’s all Folks!
Thanks for getting to know us better at Gabriel Chingolani Photography, and we hope you learned something today too! If you did learn a new tip, or if you’ve got a great wedding day tip we missed, let us know in the comments below!
And until next time, Happy Wedding Planning!
Xoxo,
Your Favorite Wedding Photographer in Miami
Gabriel & Gina