Things to think about when selecting your wedding shoes
When meeting with new clients as a wedding photographer, I’m often asked questions regarding tips and tricks to help with your wedding day. One recurring tip I tend to give out is regarding your wedding shoes. It’s usually something that not many people think about when planning their wedding. People are too often caught up in the big decisions such as your wedding venue, who is going to be your celebrant, and your wedding photographer, it’s easy to forget what’s going to be put on your feet. That isn’t to say that wedding shoes gets completely overlooked, I know how important a woman’s shoe collection can be 😉 It’s more to do with the style of your footwear that I’m talking about.
Bridal shoes sneakers
Wedding shoes tips
Think about the terrain
Where will you be holding your wedding ceremony, but also where are you going for photos after? I always suggest that a bride should have with her some form of comfortable flat-style shoe that she can wear after taking off her high heels after the ceremony. There’s nothing less elegant than a bride trying to bush hack through the undergrowth of a forest in high heels because she wants photos done in the Australian bush, similarly on a beach, it’s near impossible to walk in high heels.
Wedding shoes thongs
How long is your dress?
Adding on to the idea of having flats at your wedding, high heels are worn in order to make you look taller, which is fine at your ceremony. You’re not likely to be walking any further than the length of the aisle and usually on a firm, flat surface. But after the ceremony, like I said bushwhacking isn’t elegant. Chances are your wedding dress will be long enough to hide the fact you aren’t wearing high heels any longer anyway. So don’t worry too much about that.
Find some high heel helpers
If you absolutely must wear high heels at all times, high heel helpers may be your best bet. These come in a number of different styles and colours and they simply add more surface area to the pointy end of your stiletto shoes, making your wedding shoes more sturdy and able to traverse less uneven terrain, such as grass.
High heel helper
Wear in your shoes
While worn shoes don’t make the best wedding photos when doing close-up detail shots of your bridal affects, wearing in your wedding shoes can help save you from a days worth of raw, blistered feet as a result of walking about on brand new shoes. This doesn’t mean wearing then out on the town, simply wearing them for an hour or two around home would help plenty. This would also help you determine where to add anti-rub gel packs to help with any rubbing.
Putting on shoes
Don’t forget the boys!
While the bridal wedding shoes is usually the focal point of your wedding style, and can be utterly elegant and a marvel to look at, chances are your men’s shoes are more likely to be seen by guests than your own! Especially if you’re wearing a long wedding dress. Chances are you’ll have the men running about quite a bit, and possibly climbing things when it comes to your wedding photography. So keeping your men happy with good shoes are a must.
Elegant brown leather shoes resting on tree branches, blending fashion with nature.
Do not go cheap
Remember these are the shoes you’ll be wearing all day, and like I said earlier, often these shoes are brand new. This causes huge pain later in the night when you’re trying to dance the night away at your reception. It’s really not uncommon to see brides taking off their shoes all together, which is a shame as they’ve probably put a lot of time and effort into choosing them. A good quality, sturdy and comfortable shoes are a must and they don’t often come cheap.
When it comes to planning a wedding, the bridal party plays a significant role in ensuring that everything runs smoothly. As a wedding photographer in Adelaide, I have had the privilege of working with many bridal parties and have witnessed first-hand how important their contributions can be.
Traditionally, the roles of bridal party members were dictated by their titles, such as best man or matron of honour. However, their responsibilities have evolved over time, with modern-day expectations including acting as a support system for the bride to work through her emotions. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the different roles of bridal party members and how they can make a difference on the big day.
Bridal party standing near gum trees
What are the different roles of bridal party members?
Maid or Matron of honour
First things first, these two titles are not interchangeable, the ‘head bridesmaid’ or the bridesmaid who stands next to the bride is chosen by the bride to help out in any way possible leading up to and during the wedding day. She would be the ‘Maid’ of honour if she was to be unmarried, or ‘Matron’ of honour if she is.
Alternatively if you chose to have a man as your main ‘helper’ then he would be known as the ‘Man of honour’. This person should be someone you have the utmost trust in as they are often tasked with helping plan much of your wedding day and making sure the bride is emotionally in the right place to go through with the marriage ceremony. They are also usually asked to give a speech at the wedding reception, sign the registry and holding the bride’s bouquet during the ceremony.
Maid of honour toast
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids can be seen as assistants of the Maid or Matron of honour when considering the roles of bridal party members. They are there to flank the bride and look stunning, but never better looking than the bride 🙂 As I stated earlier their main role is to act as emotional support for the bride to help her through her day. They also help out with putting on the bridal gown and usually are called upon to dance with the grooms men after the first dance.
Bridal party helping with dress
The Best Man
The history of the Best man does not really paint a picture of what the best man does at today’s weddings. The best man’s role at modern weddings is very similar to the Maid, or Matron of honour, whereby they are to keep the groom calm and collected before the wedding ceremony, but also traditionally is the keeper of the wedding bands, without which there would be no symbolic representation of the bride and groom becoming man and wife.
As such, out of all the roles of bridal party members, his could be seen as symbolically the most important of the lot. The best man is usually one of the groom’s best friends whom he trusts above all others as often they are also in charge of organising rowdy bucks nights where its tradition for the groom to be kind of ‘taken for a ride’ of the last moments of being a bachelor. The best man is always asked to give a speech at the wedding reception and is traditional for that speech to be quite funny, making fun of the groom and complementing the bride.
Groom and best man walking down hill
Grooms men
Typically, grooms men are more friends of the groom, there as the bridesmaids are to offer emotional support. Before the wedding the grooms men usually help pay for the bachelor party and usually will be behind the ‘decorating’ of the get away car at the end of the night. During the ceremony the grooms men would be tasked with seating all the guests before the bride arrives and will also be called upon to dance with the bridesmaids during the reception.
The boys getting ready
Junior Grooms men or Bridesmaids
Generally children ranging from 9 to 16 years old, the junior grooms men or bridesmaids are generally relations to the bride and groom whom are important enough to stand with the others at the ceremony. Usually they are not given any particular role other than looking cute or dapper in their miniature versions of their suit or gown. These members of the bridal party are usually separate to page boys and flower girls.
bride with flower girl in vineyard
Flower Girl
Of all the the roles of bridal party, the flower girl is often seen as the one role that steals focus from the bride, as generally the flower girl is dressed up like a tiny princess and can be very cute running down the aisle in front of the bridal party at the beginning of the ceremony. Her role is to embellish the aisle that the bride will soon walk down with flower petals, hence the name ‘flower girl.
Flower girl walking down aisle
Page boy / Ring bearer
The name ‘page boy’ is taken from the medieval rank of ‘page’ or a knight in training. Usually boys the same age as the flower girl, the page boy can be tasked with carrying the wedding rings instead of the best man, however due to the young age of many page boys, their parents or the best man are often close by keeping an eye on them.
Page boy handing over rings
Mother of the bride
The mother of the bride is usually right there amongst it all when it comes to preparing for the wedding. It’s not at all uncommon for the Mother of the Bride to have her daughter’s wedding plan all sorted by the time they even begin high school and will often start saving for it by then also. The Mother of the bride will also be a huge source of emotional help along with the bridesmaids and will often also help out with details such as bombonieres and choosing of dresses.
Mother of bride grinning
Father of the bride
In an ultra traditional setting, the father of the bride would be called upon to finance the wedding. However, in modern times it’s usually a task for the entire family to pay for the (rather large) cost of a wedding. The father of the bride’s primary role at a wedding is to ‘give the bride away’ at the beginning of the ceremony by walking her down the aisle, also giving a speech at the reception and dancing with the bride.
Father of the bride looking at his daughter
Mother and Father of the groom
The Mother and Father of the groom’s main task is to make sure her son looks the part at the wedding ceremony. Making sure his tie is set correctly, placing the flowers correctly on his lapel and helping out putting on cufflinks. All things grooms and their grooms men have trouble with in my experience as a wedding photographer. Their other roles would include mingling with guests at the wedding, and making sure everything is running smoothly.
Parents looking on at groom
Officiant / Celebrant
Also known as any number of religious titles, such as ‘priest’, ‘father’, ‘padre’ if it’s a religious wedding as is tradition. Of all the roles of bridal party members, perhaps this one shouldn’t really be there, as the Officiant of the wedding is really only a service provider paid for by the couple, and not part of the bridal party at all. However, they do have a big part top play in the wedding… obviously.
They run the wedding ceremony, sort out the procession order and help with writing vows. They will also assist the couple to sign the marriage certificate and help with all the paperwork to make it legal.
Bride and Groom
Ushers
Usually friends, or distant relatives of the bride and groom, of the roles of the bridal p
Champaigne with bridal party
arty, the ushers may well be the most short lived. They will often stand out the front of the ceremony location, most commonly a church, and hand out programs or pamphlets to guests as they arrive. Often also handing out items to throw over the departing bride and groom at the end, such as flower petals or bubble makers.
Celebrating bridal party
Hopefully this list detailing the different roles of bridal party members helps you decide who would be best suited to fill these roles at your wedding, or to fill you in on your own duties! 🙂
The roles of bridal party members are significant in ensuring a successful wedding ceremony and reception. From the maid of honor to the best man, each member has a unique responsibility in making sure that the day runs smoothly and the bride and groom are well taken care of. Understanding these roles and communicating them clearly to each member is essential in preventing misunderstandings and ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
By working together as a team, the bridal party can make the couple’s special day an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
The beginning of my day covering a wedding as a wedding photographer usually sees me at the location where the groom and his grooms men are being prepared and getting dressed in order to get the wedding ceremony. As a result I’m usually asking for the wedding ring to do a bit of wedding ring photography. Doing the wedding ring photography and other product shots affects such as the shoes, or any jewellery like cuff links, and wearables like ties and suit jackets I like to treat as a bit of a warm up for the day for both myself and for the boys, who may not be overly comfortable with a photographer constantly taking photos of them during the day.
It’s usually the case that this sort of photogrpahy requires specialised lenses and photographic equipment that may or may not be common place in a wedding photographer’s kit – but to do the best work, you need the best camera and lenses for product photography.
Wedding ring photography
The goal is really to show any details of the ring or rings while having some sort of a background that speaks to the type of person the groom is. It’s traditional at a wedding for the groom and his best man to look after the rings so I feel having something like his tie, or cuff links, even the flowers he’s wearing on the day as a background really helps portray this personal aspect of the wedding rings.
wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding Rings
Wedding Rings
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
It is however coming more and more popular for the bride and her entourage to look after the rings, I’m thinking trust is the defining factor here? 🙂 When this is the case, the rings are often placed nearby flowers, or clothing such as the wedding dress. This is again to show a bit of personality behind the photograph. It’s also quite common to find them tied onto the page boy’s cushion, ready to be presented during the wedding ceremony.
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
wedding rings
Adelaide wedding photographer
Wedding Rings
This being said however, wedding rings are usually very personal items to begin with, so there is a certain charm to wedding ring photography where the background is as plain as possible. I usually try to find a nice clean hardwood surface to produce these types of photos, as the grain fades away in the natural bokeh of my lens in a very satisfying way.
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding rings
Wedding ring photography, I feel is one of the important photographs I must capture on a wedding day as they signify the never ending union of the wedded couple, and as I’m there to capture all the emotion and joy on this most special of days, I figure the wedding rings should also play a major role in those memories! 🙂
History of bridesmaids: Role, Rituals and Superstitions
Following along from my recent post pertaining to the Best Man origin story which outlined the historic significance of having a best man at your wedding, I thought I might do a bit of research behind the history of the bridesmaid, and what they used to do in a historic context. Everything that we do at a wedding has been handed down over many generations as traditional events that happen on a wedding day, and the bridal party is no exception.
In modern weddings, much like the best man’s role in helping the groom arrive on time at a wedding, the bridal party is in attendance for the same reasons, to help the bride to be prepare for her wedding day. In modern society it’s most common for the bridal party to help out in wedding planning than that of the men, but that’s only because women typically know much much more in regards to what works at a wedding and what doesn’t. On the day itself, the bridesmaids are there to calm nerves, help the bride get dressed and have a ball all day.
Bridesmaids holding boquets
What is the History of the bridesmaid?
Bridesmaids run right back to ancient Roman times when Roman law required 10 witnesses to be present at a wedding. These 10 witnesses were usually friends of the bride and groom and hence the ‘bridal party’ was born. Bridesmaids and grooms men had to dress just like the bride and groom to confuse vengeful spirits (or real-life jealous suitors) who might try to harm the couple. In fact, much of what the ancient Romans did are seen today as many of the marriage traditions we partake in today.
Exchanging of rings, having a wedding party (reception) after, and a written contract sealed with a kiss are all customs we are used to seeing in modern weddings, but are all accredited to what the ancient Romans did also. The Roman matron of honour was supposed to be an upstanding role model for the new bride, they were supposed to be a moral role model, known for fidelity and obedience. (She had to have been married no more than once, and to have a living husband.)
History of the bridesmaid
The History of the bridesmaid can be biblical
Another origin story for the history of the bridesmaid is Biblical: When Jacob married Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29, each brought her own “maid”, but they were personal servants rather than your typical bouquet-holding bridesmaids. When considering times after the Romans, bridesmaids became less common due to the nature of society, including kidnapping of brides and overall sexist mentality not affording much freedom for the bride.
However, bridesmaids and maids of honour became more common when weddings were planned. For several days before the marriage, a senior maid attended to the bride-to-be. This maid or matron of honour, as we know her today, ensured that the bridal wreath was made and helped the bride get dressed. All bridesmaids (which all had to be younger than the bride by the way) helped the bride decorate for the wedding feast.
Bridesmaids during wedding ceremony
What is the origin of the bridal bouquet at weddings?
The matron of honour would also be in charge of the dow purse, holding the dowry to give to the groom in exchange for marrying her. In modern weddings this is demonstrated by holding the bridal bouquet during the wedding ceremony. Also a fun fact is that it was quite common for less well off families to hold a bit of a ‘hen’s night’ for the bridesmaids and well wishers in order to collect gifts given to the bride, which in turn would be given to the groom as a dowry.
Genesis 29
What is the superstition about being a bridesmaid?
There are a lot of superstitions regarding bridesmaids, for instance, if a bridesmaid stumbled on the way to the altar, the superstition was that she would never marry, which is kind of sad isn’t it? A more famous superstition is of course being the bridesmaid that catches a bouquet is the next to be married, however did you know that in the 16th century, if you had served as bridesmaid three times without getting married yourself, it was believed that evil spirits had cursed you. To break the curse, you’d have to be a bridesmaid four more times, for a total of seven rounds on the wedding circuit, hence the lucky number 7. History can be interesting can’t it?!
History of the bridesmaid
Why Did Bridesmaids Historically Dress Like the Bride?
In ancient times, bridesmaids and groomsmen dressed identically to the bride and groom. The reason behind this tradition was steeped in superstition. It was believed that by dressing the bridal party in matching outfits, they could confuse evil spirits or jealous suitors who might wish to harm the newlyweds. This practice of disguising the bride and groom amidst a group of look-alikes was thought to provide a form of protection, safeguarding the couple from ill intent or bad luck during their wedding day.
Bride and groom celebrate with their wedding party in front of a rustic stone castle on a rainy day.
While the history of the bridesmaid doesn’t really resonate with the modern romantic vision of marriage, I thought this little research of mine has given you a little bit of insight into why and how we do these things at weddings. 🙂
