You are planning your wedding and drooling over all the gorgeous photos you see on Pinterest and Wedding Blogs. It is so fun to put together your boars and imagine your amazing day.

Then out of nowhere, fear strikes you cold. I do not know how to even take photos. I always feel awkward. My smile is crooked and my chin looks strange. What do I need to know to look the way I want to FEEL on my wedding day?

Girl, I have you covered! Here are my top 6 tips to look amazing in your wedding photos.

#1. Make eye contact as if you were looking at someone you love

Eye contact is compelling and in a photograph it conveys the same emotions in our brain as it does in person. What that means is when you give great eye contact in a photo it creates an image that the viewer loves looking at. So look straight into that lens as if it was your honey telling you how lovely you look, it will make all the difference.

#2. Tall spine, relaxed shoulders.

Your posture should be as tall as can be while remaining relaxed in your shoulders and neck. Tension in your shoulders showsuncomfortable body language in the photo - even when your face is smiling.

#3 Shift that weight, pop that hip!

This is not the next dance craze I am talking about, it is the number one technique to a slimming curvy figure in photographs. Start by shifting weight onto the leg furthest from the camera - and then exaggerate this by slightly popping that hip. You will get a subtle curve to the body that is distinctly feminine and wonderful in photos.

#4 Forehead and chin press

This is a maneuver that makes every bit of difference when taking a photo! Pres your forehead forward and chin out. It eliminates the risk for any double chin and gives the face definition. Don't worry about how it feel because in the photos you will look amazing.

#5 Angle your shoulders slightly

Giving depth to your shoulders adds interest in a photograph and asymmetry. This is a posing secret that will immediately make the photo more interesting to look at. Angles are a photographers secret wepon in making images stand out.

#6 Have fun

All the tips and tricks on how to get our bodies to look amazing are worthless if we are stiff and nervous about the photography experience. Enjoy, and relax with the people your with (weather it is your partner or your photographer) it will come through on the photo. Enjoying yourself and having fun with the experience makes all the difference even when you aren't comfortable with taking photos.

Genoa, IL. Engagement session - C&E enjoying a moment

This post is a bit of a personal one. It is not the type of content you typically find on my blog. It is a PSA of sorts not only to brides - but to all women. As a photographer and observer of human beauty, may I just say I am ready to stand up and make a bold statement. You are beautiful, today. It is not the type of reassurance that "oh your beautiful despite your crazy bed head and raccoon eyes" that my hubby gives me in the morning. It is something so much deeper.

M & P in prayer before their wedding in Kingston, IL.

OK this is a personal post that I wanted to share. Giving tips is great but sometimes don't you just want to get something off your chest? This is one of those things - and it is a biggie.

HERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR ARMS, STOMACH, LEGS, CHEST, (or insert another body part here)!

Katelyn beams in the evening glow - a perfect maternity shoot in Sycamore, IL.

Being worthy of being beautiful and shinning brightly is something that I want to encourage all the brides, bridesmaids, mothers, grandmothers and any lady out there. Not just on wedding day but everyday. Being a photographer I have become hyper exposed to the insecurities that women have about themselves and I want so badly just to make it stop.

They way he looks at you makes you feel beautiful!  M & S in Delavan, Wi enjoying their engagement. — They way he looks at you makes you feel beautiful! M & S in Delavan, Wi enjoying their engagement.

We are human beings with beautiful days ahead of us and if there happen to be photos - that is amazing! On wedding day we are beaming with love and love surrounds us. Please, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and say to yourself "I embrace beauty". It is so empowering.

The photos that you receive are a beautiful capture of a moment in time that you will never get to return to. Often the ladies look past the moment and directly to their (insert least favorite personal attribute here). It hurts me. Not as a photographer but it hurts because I am a woman who believes in acceptance where we are today. I am not perfect and I have to remind myself of this as well. Perhaps this post will help me be more mindful, and I hope it helps you as well.

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