Although we have had some of our weddings published over the years, I'm super excited to share that Heidi and Adam's wedding at Whispering Springs has been published in Today's Bride Magazine: https://todaysbride.ca/articles/a-whimsical-fairytale-an-outdoor-wedding-in-ontario/
To see more of the wedding check it out here: https://www.lovephotos.ca/post/whispering-springs
We are beyond thrilled that a national publication picked up their wedding as they get soooo many submission for weddings on a daily basis!
So should you try to have your wedding published?
That's completely up to you...
Ok, that wasn't much help. I think the main reason to try to have your wedding published is because, it's like giving back and yes it does feel good to share on insta that your wedding was so incredible and your vendors were so good that a major publication wants to show it off, but that's just an aside.
Think about your wedding planning journey, where did you get inspiration, how did you pick your venue, attire, colours/themes, decor and so much more? Did you look at bridal magazines and blogs and social media (including insta and Pinterest). Now imagine no photographers or couples put their work and weddings on display online where would the majority of your inspiration come from; an event that you've been to or heard of?
By sharing your wedding you are giving other couples the opportunity to see what you came up with and what worked really well and stood out and of course a little bit about yourselves and your story.
I will say this, getting a wedding published is NOT for everyone, some couples are a bit more private and don't necessarily want to put one of their most intimate days on display. And that is perfectly fine, however, if you are interested then read on.
What publishers are looking for?
One of the biggest reservations that I get is couples don't necessarily want to show all of their family members/guests due to privacy reasons. Great news, circling back to the inspiration piece, publishers are mostly looking for photos of the setting/decor, the couple and the bridal party. If there are awesome group photos that included a few guests those might make it to the list (like Heidi and Adam's photo leaving the ceremony) but those are the exception.
Aside from that the photos HAVE to be taken by a good and competent photographer (personal pat on the back). The main reason for that is that the photos need to look great (who wants to publish subpar photos anyways), creative and need to be consistent. It also helps if your photographer has been published before as they know the process and what publishers are looking for.
On the wedding front, depending on the publication generally the weddings that get published have lot's of decor, florals and a cohesive theme. The vast majority of the weddings the we shot/filmed that got published the couples have worked with a wedding planner who was able to help them and guide them through the design and execution processes.
How do you get published?
This actually begins well before the wedding. If you would like to try to have your wedding published you should let your photographer know ahead of time. Since there is a large amount of emphasis on decor your photographer will need extra time to capture all of the details and the setting in multiple ways, so that the editor will have a greater variety of photos to choose from.
After the wedding and after the photos have been delivered either the couple can submit the photos to a publication or technically any of the vendors can, with permission from the photographer (due to copyright). I find that it's easier for the photographer to submit as we are familiar with process and can modify the photos to fit the size requirements that various publishers have.
In addition to great photos, publications also need a great story and usually a questionnaire filled out by the couple. After the photos have been selected and the story written the couple or photographer will then send the wedding to the publishers (usually a form or a contact e-mail on their website) and then all you can do is wait... some publications are lightning fast and some take weeks for a response as they receive hundreds of submissions.
As a rule of thumb I go for the larger publications first (national or international magazines) as they require exclusive publication rights for a period ranging anywhere from 30 day to 6 months. If no large publications pick up the wedding we then move on to regional publications and smaller blogs.
What if my wedding doesn't get published?
If one publication doesn't pick it up we move on to the next one. At the end of the day all of these publications receive many submissions and it's possible that your venue was just recently published with them and they don't want to duplicate or your wedding simply doesn't fit the theme that they have planned for the next issue.
Are you interested in having a wedding that we're sooting published? Send us a quick e-mail to let us know!