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Editorial Submission Guidelines

Chicago Style Weddings is dedicated to elevating the vendor/bride relationship. We aim to cover only the most style-centric ideas, insight on what things really cost and beautiful fashions while continually discovering talented local vendors and venues for our discerning readers. Thanks so much for submitting your work to Chicago Style Weddings. In order to make your submission the very best it can be, we’ve outlined in these guidelines everything you need to know about getting published – from understanding exclusivity agreements to what detail photos to include!

How To Get Your Submission Published

 

BEFORE YOU START YOUR SUBMISSION

You’ve produced beautiful imagery from a real wedding, party, or styled shoot – yay! Before you start working on your submission, pause and ask yourself the following questions.
  • Do you have the full vendor list? Without a full list of every vendor who participated in making the day a success, we as a publication have no way of confirming that our feature credits are correct. No vendor is too big or too small to include. Converse with the bride, the mom, the planner and the photographer to make sure everyone is included.
  • If you aren’t the photographer, do you have permission to share these images? Here at Chicago Style Weddings, we’re big proponents of individual vendors and venues taking initiative to get their work/space featured. While ambition is an applaudable trait, under no circumstances should a venue, planner, florist, (etc.) submit an event or styled shoot without prior approval from the photographer. The images belong to the photographer, and the photographer alone!
  • Is this a real wedding or styled wedding shoot? While we’re lovers of all occasions, Chicago Style Weddings only features these types of events. Morning-after shoots or boudoir sessions are not typically selected.
  • If this content has run previously elsewhere, has the exclusivity grace period ended? If the answer is no, stop and wait until the content is allowed to be run. If the answer is yes, great! (Please note that previously featured content will only be considered for online publication since it is not exclusive content.)
  • If the content is a styled shoot, do you have the model’s consent for extended distribution? Many models, especially those signed with agencies, have specific limitations on the distribution of their likeness. Just because a model consents to a styled shoot for your business’ promotional materials, does not mean he/she consents to the images being published in print or other media elsewhere. Make sure to check and get written permission to submit images of them to media sources!
  • Do you have the couple/party host’s consent to submit for publication? A verbal “yes, please submit our wedding” from the bride on her wedding day is not enough. A surge of emotion and excitement on her day might produce a warped response from the couple’s true intention. The best way to confirm your couple is ready to see their wedding online or in print? Email the couple asking point blank, “Can I submit your wedding day for print and online publication consideration?” Sometimes, brides and grooms say no. Respect the privacy of their day and their decision as a couple. If a long time has passed since the wedding day, asking is especially crucial. While a wedding day might be beautiful, sometimes the marriage isn’t. It’s always frustrating to editors to accept a wedding only to find the couple is now divorced and wants nothing to do with a feature. When in doubt: ask, ask, ask!
  • If there are children photographed, do you have the consent from every photographed child’s parent for publication? Moms and dads, you know how important this one is! Some parents are not comfortable with pictures of their child being shared. This is a valid concern! If there are any children who are restricted from their photograph being shared, be sure to remove any of those images from your submission gallery. While some states have different laws in relation to editorial use of photographs containing children, we here at Chicago Style Weddings support the respect of parents’ decisions for their children.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUBMITTING EXCLUSIVE & NON-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

If you’d like your submission considered for print publication, you must confirm that your content is exclusive. Exclusive content must always be submitted to only one publication at a time. Do not submit a wedding/party/styled shoot to more than one publication at the same time. The only way to keep exclusive content, well exclusive, is to keep it under the eyes of only one editor at a time. Wait the allotted time for consideration, and if the editor rejects your submission for print publication, only then should you submit elsewhere.

Online content does not require exclusivity, but we do consider how many other publications you’re submitting to simultaneously. Out of respect to the publications you’re submitting to (and the work you put into this wedding/shoot!) we suggest limiting yourself to submitting to three different outlets for consideration. Quality over quantity, always!

THE 70/30 GUIDELINE FOR A GREAT IMAGE GALLERY

Whether you’re submitting for print or online consideration, details are key. Readers of Chicago Style Weddings are looking for inspiring content, not for endless imagery of the people at an event. While including some people photos is crucial in being able to tell the story of the event, know when you have enough! As a rule of thumb, we recommend a 70/30 guideline. The vast majority of your submission (about 70%)  should be detail shots, with the minority (the remaining 30%) being people.

DETAIL SHOTS MAKE FOR A FANTASTIC SUBMISSION

The simplest way to determine if something is a good detail shot to include in your submission is to ask yourself these questions: 1) “Does this shot evoke a sense of inspiration to the potential reader?”  2) “Is this ‘Pin-able?’” and 3) “Does this shot help to tell the story?”

 

hunter-ryan-TBL-submission

Real wedding submission by Hunter Ryan Photo via Two Bright Lights

Still stuck? Here’s a list of the detail shots you’ll see us feature time and time again. If you have more unique and meaningful details from an event, include them! Remember, all details should have some context. If I we can’t tell what an item is, neither will our readers!

  • Stationery suite
  • Rings
  • Bride getting ready
  • Groom getting ready
  • Dress hanging alone
  • Shoes/veils/accessories
  • Ceremony setup (wide shot)
  • Close ups on ceremony set up details (pew decor, altar arrangements, etc.)
  • Bride’s bouquet (being held, and on its own)
  • Bridesmaid bouquets (being held, and on their own)
  • Bridesmaids & Bride
  • Boutonnieres
  • Groomsmen & Groom
  • Signage
  • Ceremony venue outdoor shot
  • Ceremony (Processional, vows, first kiss, recessional – we love it all!)
  • Cocktail Hour details
  • Reception venue outdoor shot
  • Reception wide shot
  • Close ups on reception set up details (bar, table numbers, escort card display, etc..)
  • Place settings
  • Centerpieces
  • Cake
  • Food
  • Signature cocktails
  • Band and/or musicians
  • First dance
  • Reception party in action!
  • Favors
  • Getaway car
  • Grand exit

 

erica-delgado-TBL-submission

Real Wedding submission by Erika Delgado Photography via Two Bright Lights

 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR STYLED SHOOT STAND OUT FROM THE REST

Styled shoots are great! They’re a fantastic way for vendors to flex their creative muscles and for venues to show off the unique capabilities of their event spaces. Be unique with your concepts, but make them achievable. 

  • While styled shoots should capture style trends, they shouldn’t be cookie cutter. Styled shoots are the vendors’ opportunity to showcase out-of-the-box offerings they are capable of. Using themes and colors that are often seen in real weddings are not as interesting to readers…they’ve seen it before! Look for fresh colors, inspiration, venues, flowers, etc. to make your shoot stand out.
  • Look at your key details together (like you would in a magazine!) While you’re working with other vendors, make sure you’re all on the same page. Create a Pinterest board, or some other collaborative space, where you can see the items you’re including all together. No one detail should be polar opposite to another. Make sure your palette is consistent and everyone knows the style you’re aiming to show off.
  • When in doubt, get horizontal and vertical shots. We know some details don’t easily lend themselves to this sort of framing concept, but it’s vital to us to have every detail in multiple forms to make for the most beautiful layout design.
  • Use colored, textured, etc. linens whenever possible. It will add something extra to your look! We see a lot of cream, beige and pastel pink – let your shoot stand out from the rest! 
  • Stuck on finding the right models? Ask a real newlywed couple to pose! There’s a reason more than a few publications source real couples to pose for in-house styled editorial shoots. It’s nearly impossible to recreate the love and ease of posing together with stranger models (even if they’re the best of the best!) Ask recent clients you know work great on camera to step in – chances are they’d love the chance to get dressed up!

HOW TO SUBMIT

Now that you’ve read our editorial submission guidelines, are you ready to submit? Here’s our form to start the process of submitting your real wedding or styled shoot for consideration:

Still have questions on what to include in your submission?
Email us introducing yourself and your work – we’d love to help make your submission the best it can be!