The most important steps when planning your first styled shoot, even if you aren’t a wedding planner.

So, you are thinking of planning your first styled shoot. How exciting! You may have noticed that your industry colleagues have been super productive and taken part in some awe-inspiring work.

Now, it’s your turn. But how, do you start? 

This blog post will offer you five steps that are proven to work when planning your first shoot and you can follow this for each consecutive shoot after. 

1. How do you envision your final look? It’s time to establish your goal. 

I must highlight this is one of the most important steps you need to take, and do not try and skip. Understanding why you are planning each of your shoots, will help clarify your overall vision and what you hope to do with the shoot. Do you plan on having it featured with a major bridal blog or directory, or is it just for a major update of your stock photos? Either way, having this clear will allow you to move forward confidently with your planning. 

A fantastic tip if you plan on submitting for feature is contacting the blog in advance and asking if they have been seeking shoots that they are struggling to find.  Winner, Winner! 

2. Decide on how you want to collaborate and create your standard t’s & c’s. 

Having your own terms or a standard template for shoots will just start all your suppliers on the right foot with the way you work. The terms should also include whether you are asking suppliers to collaborate on costs, or if you are asking suppliers to collaborate on a trade for print (TFP) or will your suppliers buy tickets and you cover the rest of the cost. It really is up to you, but the sooner you know, the better it will be in securing your top local suppliers. Other points for your terms to consider are who owns copyright; how you plan on sharing the images and deadlines; or get out clauses.

A tip for this step is to save this as a template ready to send to all suppliers when needed. Saves a lot of time.

3. Create the vision or mood board.

The fun bit! Time to get creative, this is all about you and what you want. Get all your ideas out on a Pinterest board and then narrow it down to your ultimate styled shoot vision. 

An important note to remember is to create a style you would like to be known for. Find your style and then you will find others that truly resonate with you, and that is when magic is created. 

4. Build your dream team of suppliers and be picky.

If you don’t have a strong network of suppliers already (don’t worry it can take a long time), you should join wedding network Facebook groups. They are great and you will soon see that you are part of an amazing network. It really is simple though as daunting this step could be, just reach out to suppliers after admiring their Instagram and website, then you can pitch your shoot to the best suppliers for you. 

Best tip – Just be yourself! 

5. Get collaborating and find a way that works for you and your team. 

This where the fun happens. This is because when I select my suppliers, I explain to them, I have hand picked them because of their skills. I am confident they can pull of my vision with their own strength and creativity. So, for me, it is just watching the magic unfold. I suggest, adding everyone to a WhatsApp group, that way ideas can be shared, and communication is in one place and of course it keeps the excitement flowing. 

Ultimately, planning a styled shoot can be a lot of work. However, they have been the best moments since launching my career in wedding planning. During this pandemic, I have been lucky enough to work with incredible suppliers and have been featured in places I could not even dream of online. 

These steps are simple and are just the start, but I promise it will offer a fantastic base for planning your first styled shoot with confidence that no-one will know, it was ever your first. 

Learn how How Can I Get Leads When I’m New to the Wedding Business?

Akilah is a guest author and member of our BMB Growth Academy

www.eventswithakilah.com

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