WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Wedding Planning Tips
Now that you are some way to choosing your photographer, we thought it may be helpful to share some tips and ideas with you that we’ve picked up during the many weddings that we have been to. If you have been in touch with us by phone we may have already discussed and planned some of the points, but we’ve found that it often helps to have this as a reminder.
Planning the Day
It is a good idea now to think about when you will eat during the day. You may prefer to have breakfast and lunch at your usual times, but you also need to think about the people who have travelled a long way. In general, a church ceremony will take just under an hour before you are outside again and able to receive all those hugs and kisses that your guests will want to lavish on you. Think about how long it takes to get to the reception, and whether you will be having a receiving line before you sit down. We suggest that you have at least an hour and a half, preferably two hours between arrival and going in to eat or to receive your guests. This will allow us time to take some fabulous shots of the two of you, a few groups, and candid photographs of you and your immediate families as you chat to your guests. We don’t want to take up your entire time with photographs, as that might mean that you don’t get to speak to some guests at all if they leave after the meal. This brings us on nicely to:
What guests hate about wedding photographers
So many people have been to a wedding where the photographer takes absolutely ages. Everyone gets bored, hungry, thirsty and fed up, so what’s the answer? Firstly, don’t have a huge list of group photographs. If you do, we will probably take ages too, as there is always somebody in the loo or at the bar when they are needed! Everyone else is in place, but we can’t press the shutter until the missing person is found. To arrange groups does take time. As a general rule, 5 groups will take about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of them. Of course, you don’t have to have any group photos at all, but if you do, the more people in them, the more scope there is for somebody to be elsewhere. So, if you do want group photos, it is always a good idea to choose someone like the Best Man to be armed with a list of guests in each group and to announce each group photo 10 minutes beforehand and then send the ushers to do just that!
Efficient Ushers
Ushers never quite seem to know what to do apart from handing out the Order of Service. It is helpful to you if you choose ushers who between them will know both sides of the families and friends. At the reception, we will need their help to go and get anybody who is required to be in a group photograph. We hate having to stand and shout for people, so please tell them what will be expected of them. They need to be able to exert a bit of authority and get things moving when necessary.
Be firm with others about when to be ready by
Before the wedding day we will have a chat with you to work out where we will be and at what time. Martin always starts the day with the Groom and his best man, then goes to wherever the bride is getting ready. We will ask you to be ready by a certain time. If you are not running on time, then we can’t take the required photographs. We sometimes find that the groom is ready, but that the best man hasn’t even arrived, or that the bride is ready, but the bridesmaids haven’t had their hair or make-up done. Bearing this in mind, it is a good idea to allow plenty of time for:
Unforeseen hold-ups
What happens if there is a traffic jam on the way back from the hairdresser, or if the best man has nipped off to the hotel to arrange a ‘surprise’ on your wedding night? If you have to get back from anywhere it is wise to allow far more time than usual. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to be stressed because you are running late.
Chaos and tension in the house
To be avoided wherever possible! If you think that you will need your space in the hours before your wedding, say so! If there are a lot of people fighting for the bathroom and all trying to get dressed at the same time, then tension could rise, especially if the house or hotel room is not large. There will be shoe boxes and clothes bags all over the place. Be diplomatic, but make your feelings known in advance before you burst into tears or shout at someone.
Provide written directions
Ensure that guests who are travelling from a distance have clear directions about how to get to the ceremony. The same applies to getting to the reception if it is elsewhere. It may be worth including a map with the invitations. One thing you may wish to consider is putting the ceremony time on the invitations as 15 minutes earlier than it actually is - you wouldn’t believe the number of guests who creep in late to wedding ceremonies.
Keeping clean
This bit is for the bride! Every bride wants to arrive at the ceremony looking spotless, However, the very colour and nature of bridal wear means that every single speck of dirt will show. Accept this! It is highly unlikely that anyone other than you will notice anything, so try not to let it spoil the occasion. When choosing shoes think about how they will look if they get wet. We will do all we can to endeavour that nothing gets marked before you make your grand entrance, but unless it is pouring with rain we will be taking photographs at various outdoor locations. This will inevitably mean that you pick up the odd mark or two! Please don’t worry about this - the most important thing for you is to:-
Enjoy your day!
We will do all we can to help you enjoy your wedding day, and when you come back from honeymoon you can re-live it again when you see your photographs. Meanwhile, if you have any queries or ideas, please feel free to contact us, and we’ll do our best to help.