As wedding photographers, we keep our fingers on the pulse of the wedding industry. It’s always interesting to see emerging trends and the direction the wedding industry is taking as a whole. We like to stay connected to the best industry professionals to make sure we deliver flawless wedding day coverage. Weddings are always a result of the combined efforts of everyone involved, from your wedding planner to florist, to furniture rentals and your wedding photographers. Getting to know your wedding vision from the get to go is so key. With all this in mind, I met up with Shealyn Angus of Shealyn Angus Weddings & Events to tap her brain about all things wedding planning and decor. Personally, I always get excited when I learn I’ll be working with Shea on a wedding. I love her organic and innovative approach to wedding styling, and I know that her wedding days will always be impeccably organized. Shealyn Angus weddings always place an emphasis on the soul of the event. As a wedding photographer, it only makes my job easier when everything on a wedding day reflects you. I hope you enjoy reading our interview! I also included some of my favourite images from Jamie and Brian’s beautiful wedding at Royal Conservatory of Music that we worked on together!
Mango Studios (MS): Tell us a bit about your boutique wedding planning company!
Shealyn Angus (SA): Shealyn Angus Weddings & Events (or SHEA as most people prefer) is a small boutique wedding planning company focused on truly combining fresh and beautiful design with extremely detailed event days. It’s just me (and a few stellar ladies during the summer) who run the show and design for my clients. Taking on a limited amount of events every year, clients get that truly one on one experience where their events are designed with a completely customized vision. Nothing is repeated, nothing is copied. Each event should (and is!) unique to the couple/client and planned with super unique details. My background is in theatre production, so my ideas can get pretty out there (but always amazing). But doesn’t that make things interesting?
MS: How does photography factor into your wedding planning process?
SA: Wedding photography is nostalgia. It’s the thing that holds memories together after the wedding day is long into the past. It’s what captures the emotions, the moments, the mishaps, the beauty. It’s what evokes those emotions every time you look at them. So to say wedding photography is important would be a huge understatement. That’s why I take such pride and effort in recommending the perfect photo team for my clients. I tend to only recommend one or two photographers to each client. I really pride myself on being able to pair clients with the perfect team right off the bat. It’s got to be the perfect balance of aesthetic and style, personality, and price point (as much as we don’t want to talk about money!). It’s really important that my clients love their photographers; after all, they’re going to be together all day. So you better love them! Not only that, the more clients are comfortable with their photographers, the better the photos will be.
MS: Having a right wedding day schedule is one of the biggest aspects of your job. Do you have any feedback about photography timelines on a wedding day? How can this be improved?
SA: I work immensely with photographers on scheduling and timelines before the event day. So things should be pretty set in stone before things get rolling. And if everyone understands and sticks to the same schedule, things usually run absolutely smoothly! I love working with Mango and their two wedding photographers that tackle a day. Just having that extra angle, extra set of hands, extra body to be in another room or space – it makes coverage of the wedding so much more thorough. One of my tips for clients in terms of getting the best photography on their wedding day is to do an engagement shoot. Actually, it doesn’t even need to be as traditional as an “engagement photo shoot”. But just book a time with your photographer to go out for an hour or two and get in front of the camera with your soon-to-be. Having that practise and that time to learn to relax in front of the camera will work wonders on the day. Not only will you get to know your photographer more personally, but you’ll begin to understand what works for you and your partner in front of the camera. Oh, and one more tip for wedding photography: Blue or Purple uplighting in a room is not your friend. Not now, not ever. Skip the cool tones and go for something warmer (even if it’s just a white wash glow to give your room some dimension). You’ll thank me when you’re guests aren’t looking ill and your flowers don’t look like blueberries in your photos.
MS: You put so much work into planning and designing a picture-perfect wedding day. What photos are you most excited to see post wedding day?
SA: Like any other wedding designer or planner would say, I love seeing the detail and room shots. It’s where you see the big picture come to life. Every flower, every stationery detail, every lighting design – it all comes to fruition and seeing it put together is just so gratifying every single time. I equally love the photos of clients seeing their wedding space for the first time. The jaw-drop moment when I get to bring them into the room and see what we have created together. To have that reaction photographed is my favourite. I love this moment too because it typically is a moment that the bride and groom can just breathe and acknowledge how much work they put into this day full of so much love. It’s just great.
MS: As a wedding industry guru, what are some photo worthy trends you’re seeing this year?
SA: Brides are getting much more trendy when it comes to bridal fashion. The dresses that my brides are wearing right now are blowing my mind. From the extremely beaded, to the sexy plunging neck lines, to the boho-chic. I just love it. In terms of florals and decor, I just love everything suspended. I’ve been doing suspended and “canopy” inspired looks for a few years now and it just seems to get more and more popular. I think it’s the idea of creating more of a full on vibe in a room and giving the eye interesting things to focus on at different heights. Having that custom look in a space is totally great for photos too – you kind of forget about the space and look at the ambiance. It’s great.
MS: We worked on so many wonderful weddings together! What is it about Mango Studios photography that attracts you and your clients?
SA: I love the consistency of the team at Mango. You know that you can count on fantastic and professional communication, a great vibe from the team on the day, and beautiful images. I think Rachel Clingen put it so well when she said that Mango’s photos are “polished yet romantic”. To me that describes the aesthetic of Mango’s photos perfectly – you’re going to get that lovely idyllic feeling from the photos, while also getting a very polished and almost editorial image. It’s such a great mix.
Photography: Mango Studios
Planner: Shealyn Angus Weddings & Events
Florist: Blush & Bloom
Venue: The Royal Conservatory of Music
